September 12, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6263 

much needed, quality medical care 

while the next generation of health 

care workers receives exceptional, 

hands-on training. The N.E.W. Clinic, 

like NWTC, has become a tremendous 

asset to the residents of Wisconsin. 

Today, NWTC graduates more students than all other Green Bay area 

colleges combined, preparing tens of 

thousands of students for careers 

through its 180 programs of study. For 

the last 2 years, NWTC has rated in the 

top 10 percent of community colleges 

nationally as ranked by the Aspen Institute. 

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College has built a strong reputation and 

steadfast foundation that helps support 

and grow the regional economy. With 

statistics showing that 95 percent of its 

2011 graduates continue to work in Wisconsin and 73 percent remain in the region, NWTC also shapes the local economy. Students, thousands of area businesses, their employees, and the entire 

region all benefit from NWTC’s commitment to building partnerships and 

alliances that help everyone succeed. 

On behalf of our entire Nation, I join 

the people of Wisconsin in recognizing 

and commending Northeast Wisconsin 

Technical College for providing 100 

years of outstanding service and quality education to its students. Today, 

we honor the leaders who founded the 

college, and all of the faculty, staff, 

and students who enrich Wisconsin’s 

long, proud tradition of excellence in 

education.∑ 

f 

ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY 

PARTNERS 

∑ Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today 

I wish to honor an outstanding nonprofit in Columbia, MD, Enterprise 

Community Partners, on the occasion 

of its 30th Anniversary. 

In 1982, Jim Rouse and his wife Patty 

founded Enterprise Community Partners as a neighborhood-based partnership to revitalize communities. They 

founded Enterprise with the ambitious 

goal of making sure every American 

lives in a decent, affordable home. Over 

the years, this organization has grown 

to be a leading provider of capital and 

expertise for affordable housing in 

thriving communities. Today, Terri 

Ludwig leads the organization as it 

continues on the important work of its 

founders. 

Enterprise Community Partners has 

invested more than $11.5 billion to 

build and preserve nearly 300,000 affordable rental and for-sale homes and create more than 410,000 jobs nationwide. 

This includes almost $1.2 billion invested directly in Maryland—building 

and preserving thousands of homes in 

the State. Because of Enterprise, over 

14,000 individuals and families have a 

place to call home in Maryland. 

As a member of the TransportationHUD Appropriations Subcommittee, I 

put money in the federal checkbook to 

build and protect our communities. 

Providing safe, affordable and adequate 

housing has always been one of my top 

priorities. Safe, sustainable, and affordable housing is essential for community growth and stability. Kids in 

quality housing do better in schools, 

neighborhoods have much less crime, 

and communities are stronger. 

In 1992, I worked with Senator Kit 

Bond to create the HOPE VI program 

which revolutionized public housing by 

leveraging public and private resources 

to replace dangerous and run-down 

public housing projects with mixed-income communities that integrated 

schools, businesses and community 

services alongside public, affordable 

and market rate housing. 

HOPE VI has been successful in 

transforming communities and transforming the lives of people living in 

public housing. Enterprise has been an 

important partner in stabilizing Baltimore’s stressed communities and encouraging investment by residents and 

businesses so that neighborhoods in 

Baltimore remain places to live, work, 

shop and worship. 

Enterprise stories include families 

who, due to a reduction in hours at 

work and layoffs, are at risk of foreclosure; young adults who age out of 

foster care and face homelessness; and 

homeless individuals with disabilities. 

Enterprise develops and preserves affordable housing in communities linking people to opportunities for success. 

The Enterprise Green Communities 

Initiative is the first national framework for green affordable housing. The 

5-year, $555 million initiative plans to 

build more than 8,500 environmentally 

healthy homes for low-income families. 

It provides grants, financing, tax credit 

equity and technical assistance to developers who meet Green Communities 

Criteria for affordable housing that 

promotes health, conserves energy and 

natural resources, and provides easy 

access to jobs, schools, and services. 

Four years ago, Enterprise announced the formation of the Save 

America’s Neighborhoods Campaign, a 

coalition of national and local organizations concerned about the foreclosure crisis’ impacts on communities. The coalition’s efforts were important contributors to establishing 

the Neighborhood Stabilization Program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which offers grants to help families and communities at risk of foreclosure. 

Enterprise should be recognized for 

its work to sustain and restore thriving 

communities nationwide. Enterprise 

tackles some of the toughest problems 

in our communities and continues to 

transform both communities and families throughout the country. They invest in neighborhoods that are working 

together to solve their own problems 

for the collective good of the community. 

I thank the volunteers, staff, board 

members and foundations supporting 

Enterprise Community Partners for all 

of their work, for their commitment to 

each other, for their commitment to 

community, and for their commitment 

to Maryland. And I congratulate you 

on this milestone.

f 

∑ 

RECOGNIZING LACASSE BAT 

COMPANY 

∑ Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, as you 

are aware, baseball is considered our 

national pastime. Every spring millions of Americans eagerly await the 

crack of a wooden bat as baseball and 

softball season begin. With this in 

mind, today I rise to recognize and 

commend the success of LaCasse Bat 

Company, located in Skowhegan, ME 

and its owner, Jesse LaCasse. 

Mr. LaCasse is a former local baseball standout, playing at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, where he 

earned a degree in Sports Management. 

While in college, he was inducted into 

the Saint Joseph’s Athletic Hall of 

Fame. As a hitting fanatic who was 

driven by his love of the game, he 

began manufacturing wooden bats for 

his personal use in 2006. The custom 

bats caught on with his summer league 

teammates, and soon he was making 

bats for individual players, adding a 

logo and the player’s name to the design. 

LaCasse Bat Company, a one-person 

operation, was founded in 2008 using 

local Maine materials in production. 

From cutting the trees to the final 

product, each step of the development 

of these bats is meticulously crafted. 

LaCasse Bat Company uses premium 

quality wood and makes bats from 

solid ash, birch, beech, and maple. Mr. 

LaCasse turns each bat by hand on a 

wood lathe, a process which takes 

roughly 15 to 20 minutes, and brands it 

with his logo. Through this careful 

method, Mr. LaCasse is able to finetune the balance of the bat and make 

each bat distinctive to the individual 

player. This personal touch and dedication to craftsmanship contributes to 

the truly unique nature of each handmade bat. 

In 2010, LaCasse Bat Company 

teamed with Subway Restaurants to 

handcraft four custom-colored bats to 

be donated at the 2010 Senior League 

World Series held in Bangor, ME. These 

were the first colored bats made by 

LaCasse Bats and each features the 

green, yellow, and white colors of the 

Subway franchises. 

Since the exposure of the 2010 Senior 

World Series, LaCasse has seen a high 

demand for tailor-made and colored 

bats. LaCasse Bats takes every aspect 

of personalization into account, offering customization of handle, barrel, 

and logo colors and sizes, as well as the 

specific bat weight and type of wood. 

LaCasse Bats currently supplies teams 

from Little League through college in 

the United States and Europe, with 

most of its sales coming from Maine. 

As sales continue to grow, Mr. LaCasse 

hopes someday one of his bats will 

make it to the plate in Major League 

Baseball. 

As a small business, LaCasse Bat 

Company’s success in just a few short 

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S6264 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 12, 2012 

years has been exceptional. It is inspiring to know that entrepreneurs such as 

Mr. LaCasse continue to draw upon 

their passion, ingenuity, and energy to 

develop new businesses. I extend my 

congratulations to Jesse LaCasse for 

his tremendous effort and offer my best 

wishes for the continued growth and 

success for LaCasse Bat Company.

f 

∑ 

SERVICES CENTER FEDERAL 

CREDIT UNION 

∑ Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I 

recognize the Services Center Federal 

Credit Union, SCFCU, a memberowned, not-for-profit financial cooperative located in Yankton, Springfield, 

and Parkston, SD. 

Chartered on April 2, 1962, this year 

marks the 50th anniversary of the 

SCFCU. As a community charter, 

membership is open to all who live or 

work in Bon Homme or Yankton Counties. Building upon their mission of 

being responsive to their members’ 

needs by providing competitive financial services, their membership has 

grown to nearly 6,500 Bon Homme and 

Yankton County residents. 

As a credit union member myself, I 

understand firsthand the benefit of a 

credit union membership. Credit 

unions are a part of the community 

and they are well aware of the specific 

needs of their members. Their commitment to providing the best possible 

service is commendable, especially in 

the financial environment we are faced 

with today. 

The SCFCU commemorated their 

50th anniversary during their annual 

meeting held in Yankton, SD, on June 

23, 2012. I would like to offer my congratulations to the leaders and membership of the SCFCU on this milestone 

anniversary and wish them continued 

prosperity in the years to come.

f 

∑ 

TRIBUTE TO LARRY MIZEL 

∑ Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 

great Coloradan—Larry A. Mizel—on 

the occasion of his 70th birthday on 

September 14. 

There are few Coloradans who embody the spirit of the Centennial State 

as well as my friend Larry, and it is a 

privilege today for me to be able to 

share my thoughts about him with my 

Senate colleagues. 

Larry is many things to many people, but at root, I think of Larry as an 

independent thinker; a savvy businessman; a man who cares about the world, 

his community and his family; and a 

man whose philanthropic reach is as 

wide as the Rocky Mountains are tall. 

I ask my colleagues to indulge me 

while I talk a bit about Larry and recount some of his most notable accomplishments. The list is long, but his 

work stands as a model for others. 

Larry always has believed in the 

value of a good education, and his own 

educational history is impressive. He 

graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 

business administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1964, and 3 

years later, Larry received his law degree from the esteemed University of 

Denver College of Law. 

From there, Larry took off at warp 

speed. 

In 1972, Larry founded the company 

that became M.D.C. Holdings, Inc., 

which is one of the Nation’s top homebuilders. MDC is the parent corporation to Richmond American Homes and 

is a New York Stock Exchange-listed 

company. 

Forty years after founding M.D.C., 

Larry still serves as chairman and 

chief executive officer of the company. 

That is an amazing run, with a lot 

more to come, I hope and predict. 

Under Larry’s visionary leadership, 

M.D.C. consistently has maintained 

one of the strongest financial positions 

in the industry. 

But it is not just profits that distinguish M.D.C. M.D.C. also is known for 

its high-quality work. For example, 

M.D.C. has the distinction of being one 

of the few homebuilding-based companies to receive an investment-grade 

rating from all three rating agencies. 

Larry has never been one to rest on 

his laurels. In addition to M.D.C., he 

has pursued other business ventures. 

Larry was a founder and, until 1996 

chairman of the board of Asset Investors Corporation, a New York Stock 

Exchange-listed real estate investment 

trust, as well as of Commercial Assets 

Inc., a real estate investment trust 

that traded on the American Stock Exchange. In addition, Larry served as 

chairman of the board of directors of 

Omnibank, a multi-bank holding company, until its sale to KeyCorp in 1995. 

Yet, Larry is known in Colorado for 

more than these business-world accomplishments, as impressive as they are. 

Larry stands as a shining example to 

Coloradans about how to enrich the 

communities in which we live and to 

give voice to those who sometimes cannot speak loudly enough for themselves. 

Larry has been actively involved in 

numerous charitable, religious, and 

community causes, some that reach beyond our borders. 

For example, there are few leaders in 

Colorado who care as deeply as Larry 

does about issues related to Israel and 

to Jews around the world. Larry is a 

member of the national board of directors of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee better known as 

AIPAC which works to ensure a strong 

United States-Israel relationship. 

Larry also is one of the founders of 

the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international human rights organization, 

based in Los Angeles, CA. He has 

served as the International Chairman 

of the board of trustees of the 

Wiesenthal Center since 2003. As most 

of us know, the Wiesenthal Center 

helps to accomplish goals that Larry 

holds dear—namely, promoting tolerance and combating racism and antiSemitism around the world. 

It bears noting that the educational 

arm of the Wiesenthal Center—the Museum of Tolerance—is a recipient of 

the 2004 Tolerance Award given at the 

United Nations. It is a world-class 

human rights laboratory and learning 

center dedicated to challenging visitors to confront important contemporary issues. 

Closer to home, Larry also founded 

the Mizel Arts and Culture Center— 

known as the MACC—located in Denver 

at the Jewish Community Center. The 

MACC aims to illuminate the human 

experience through performing, visual, 

and literary arts for the Jewish community and the community at large. 

Larry’s interests and expertise in 

international affairs extend far. For example, he is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent organization dedicated to finding solutions to the challenging foreign 

policy choices facing the United States 

and other countries—choices made all 

the more challenging after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. 

Thankfully, Larry has brought his 

business acumen into the public policy 

arena. For example, in 1986 Larry 

founded and served as the inaugural 

chairman of Colorado Concern, an organization committed to promoting 

sustainable business growth and advancing the economic well-being of 

Colorado. I am privileged to work 

closely with Colorado Concern, especially in these tough economic times, 

when we are all searching for innovative ways to get our Nation back on 

sounder economic footing. 

Larry also is a founding member of 

the Denver Rustlers, a group that has 

given him the opportunity to work 

with other Colorado business leaders to 

support community youth. As with 

Colorado Concern, I have been fortunate to participate in events with the 

Denver Rustlers. From raising scholarship money, to supporting participants 

at the Junior Livestock Sale at the annual Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, to 

opening the Denver Rustlers Kids Cafe 

in 1994 to combat childhood hunger, 

Larry has been instrumental in the 

Denver Rustlers’ positive effect on 

children’s lives. 

I also want to take a moment to underline another great love of Larry’s— 

another pursuit that fills Coloradans 

with pride. Larry is the founder of the 

Mizel Museum in Denver. The Mizel 

Museum provides regular artistic and 

educational programs that promote 

community understanding and tolerance for residents of the Rocky Mountain region. It is a stunning facility 

that makes a big difference in our 

state. 

As part of the Mizel Museum and its 

related Mizel Institute, in 2004 Larry 

founded another crown jewel: the Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab, 

better known as the CELL. The CELL 

is a nonprofit institution dedicated to 

the prevention of terrorism through 

education. Located in Denver, the 

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