[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14571]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]





               HONORING MIKE HARPER ON HIS 88TH BIRTHDAY

  (Mr. ASHFORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ASHFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend, Mike 
Harper, on his 88th birthday. Mr. Harper served as the CEO of ConAgra, 
an agricultural giant and Fortune 500 company headquartered in the 
heart of my district.
  In 1975, Mike came to Omaha to take the helm at ConAgra and presided 
over a massive expansion of business in Nebraska. By 1987, though, 
Nebraska was emerging from the farm crisis and feared the loss of 
significant corporate presence. Mike personally spearheaded the effort 
to reform State taxes and regulations that made corporate investment 
burdensome.
  Between 1975, when Mike took over as CEO of ConAgra, and 1987, the 
profits of ConAgra soared, as did the fortunes of business in Nebraska. 
Thanks to Mike's leadership in business and politics, Nebraska now has 
one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. My district in 
particular enjoys a well-balanced economy, including manufacturing, 
agriculture, and a wide array of services.
  On this day, I wish to rise to applaud this giant of the agriculture 
industry and a major contributor to the expansion and preservation of 
Nebraska's local economy.
  Happy birthday to Mike Harper.

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