[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10110]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF BOB POE

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 2014

  Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Lesbian, Gay, 
Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, to recognize Bob Poe. Bob 
is a successful entrepreneur, accomplished artist, and longtime 
political operative.
  Throughout his adult life, Bob has been involved in nearly every 
aspect of the political arena: at age 26, he ran for the Florida 
Senate; he was Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party in the 2000 and 
2002 election cycles; and in 2012, he was Central Florida Finance Chair 
for the Obama campaign. He has also raised money for many other 
federal, state, and local campaigns. Currently, Bob serves as Chairman 
of Charlie Crist for Florida--the national fundraising Political 
Committee supporting Charlie Crist for Governor.
  Bob has been in business for nearly 30 years, managing strategic 
planning and implementation for several start-up companies in a variety 
of business segments. He has held various positions in the broadcasting 
industry and is probably best known for his innovative achievements at 
WMMO (FM), which was recognized by Billboard Magazine as Radio Station 
of the Year in 1991. He was also a part of the management team that 
started the Orlando Magic, Central Florida's NBA franchise.
  Most recently, Bob was President of Emergency Communications Network, 
Inc. (ECN)--the nation's leader in critical communications 
infrastructure allowing municipal governments to rapidly communicate 
with their residents in times of emergencies. Bob and his business 
partners sold ECN in 2011.
  Due to his background in creative fields and his drive to discover 
and imaginatively use innovative products, Bob began experimenting with 
iPhone photography as soon as it came on the market in 2007. His 
spontaneous and thought-provoking photographs sparked interest from 
collectors and gained him international recognition for his 
groundbreaking art.
  Bob and his partner, Ken Brown, live in Orlando, Florida and Beverly 
Hills, California.
  I am happy to honor Bob Poe, during LGBT Pride Month, for his 
contributions to the Central Florida community.

                          ____________________