[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 19, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10635-S10636]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO BOB MILLER
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the great
achievements of a wonderful Vermont businessman, Bob Miller, president
of R.E.M. Development Company in Williston.
Bobby started R.E.M. Development in 1984, and over the last quarter
century, the company has grown to become one of Vermont's largest
commercial real estate developers. While it is hard to travel around
Vermont without running into one of Bobby's projects, his lifelong
commitment to bettering his community is both admirable and
commendable.
Bobby recently received two special awards for his outstanding
business practices and devotion to the community. Citing ``their
determination, success, and philanthropy,'' the Lake Champlain Regional
Chamber of Commerce honored R.E.M. Development as its 2008 Large
Business of the Year. In addition, saying that Bobby ``typifies the
true spirit of service and self-sacrifice in representing the finest
ideals of Vermont citizenship,'' the Vermont Chamber of Commerce
presented him with its 2008 Citizen of the Year Award. I congratulate
Bobby and R.E.M. Development for both of these well-deserved
achievements.
I ask unanimous consent to have a November 17, 2008, Burlington Free
Press article about Bobby Miller's successful career printed in the
Record so all Senators can read about a prosperous Vermont businessman
who continually gives back to his community.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Burlington Free Press, Monday, Nov. 17, 2008]
Miller Is a Builder and a Giver
(By Adam Silverman)
Williston.--Just about anybody can create and run a
thriving business when times are good. When the economic
outlook is gloomier, though, success requires more careful
planning and management.
That's both a piece of advice from and a guiding philosophy
for Bob Miller, president of Williston-based R.E.M
Development Co., a 24-year-old company that builds and leases
commercial real estate. Even with recession fears spreading,
Miller said business is flourishing.
``There is always demand,'' he said last week while sitting
behind his granite-topped desk at an industrial park he owns
on Avenue D. ``I don't think there's a good time or a bad
time to go into business. Either you have a business plan
that's going to work, or it's not. Anyone can make it in good
times.''
Outside, cars, trucks, big rigs and package-delivery vans
frequented the businesses that rent space in his buildings.
The park represents just a fraction of the 2 million square
feet of real estate R.E.M rents, a total that makes the
company ``the region's largest commercial industrial
developer of manufacturing, distribution, warehouse, and flex
space,'' it boasts on its Web site.
Miller, 73, of Burlington, whose initials compose his
company's acronym, incorporates another component into his
philosophy: the need for philanthropy, for businesses to give
back to their communities. He has donated money and
construction services to hospitals, exposition centers and
youth recreational facilities, among many others. Miller and
his wife, Holly, give what they call the ``three Ts''--time,
talent and treasure.
``It's kind of fun to take on one of these projects and
stand back and say, `We really helped this neighborhood,' ''
Miller said. ``It's a great way to get your name out. There
are rewards for philanthropy. People know you're out in the
community giving back and not just taking, taking, taking.
That's not why we do it--we do it because we want to--but
there is that relationship in getting involved.''
Those components of Miller's work, the successful company
and the devotion to philanthropy, led to two awards he
received last week.
The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce honored
R.E.M Development on Tuesday as its large business of the
year, citing Miller and the company for ``their
determination, success, and philanthropy.'' Three days later,
the Vermont Chamber of Commerce presented Miller its Citizen
of the Year Award, also championing his business acumen and
his good works.
Miller ``typifies the true spirit of service and self-
sacrifice in representing the finest ideals of Vermont
citizenship,'' the Vermont Chamber says on its Web site.
``His commitment to the prosperity of the people and
businesses in Vermont reaches statewide.''
Among Miller's projects is Burlington's Gosse Court Armory,
an old National Guard facility the military donated to the
city in 2005 for transformation into a community center.
The city approached Miller about a potential contribution
after budget estimates exceeded available resources. Miller
looked at the plans, said he could do the work for $500,000
less than the $1.3 million estimate, and agreed to serve as
general contractor. Later he wrote a check for $100,000.
``It's really extraordinary to have a developer with his
skills and expertise step forward to do this for his
community,'' the city's chief administrative officer,
Jonathan Leopold, said earlier this year.
Sitting in his office last week, Miller fielded a phone
call from a construction worker at the armory. Without
referring to any plans or drawings, Miller helped solve an
engineering challenge from memory, delivering precise
instructions. Then he drew a sketch on a blank sheet of paper
to help an observer understand the issue: the alignment of
basketball hoops and the configuration of lines on the
gymnasium floor.
Miller's talent for drawing and engineering came naturally,
he said. A Rutland native, Miller thought during high school
he wanted to be a mechanic, but after graduation he turned
toward engineering. His first job was as a draftsman.
He moved to Burlington in 1959 and helped draft electrical
plans for the University of Vermont's library and Burlington
High School; because the money wasn't great, Miller also
tended bar, he said. In 1972 he started New England Air
Systems, which he ran for
[[Page S10636]]
a dozen years, and then he sold it to the employees and
created the company he continues to run--with 12-hour days
during the week and seven hours on Saturdays.
``One of my philosophies is, you've got to make money or
you're not going to be in business,'' he said. ``I love the
business. I love the challenge of negotiating. I'm fiercely
competitive. I may not look that way, but I'm a highly
competitive guy. But I'm not a sore loser, either.''
Miller is especially happy to see businesses ``grow with
us,'' starting out small and expanding as their success
increases. R.E.M Development, which Miller runs with his son,
Tim, is devoted to helping its tenants, but expects serious
effort in return, Miller said.
``We try to help people get started. I'm a great advocate
of the underdog, because that's where I came from,'' he said.
``We want people to make a profit, but they've got to work
for it, as we do.''
Businesses first must craft a solid, well-researched,
thorough, realistic business plan, Miller suggested. Then
they must forge relationships with customers and with
vendors, and develop and maintain a positive reputation.
That's helped Miller thrive.
``When we really need a product, we can get that product,''
he said, referring to critical building components. ``People
know they will get paid. We don't cry wolf every day, but we
do cry wolf from time to time.''
Last, and sometimes of special importance, is for an owner
to be able to abandon an unsuccessful venture, as he did with
a portable-storage project he launched just before 9/11, even
though a stigma can be attached, Miller said.
``If you're successful, everyone thinks you're a genius. If
you fail they think you're a schmuck,'' he said. ``Don't fall
in love with 'em. Drop 'em if it doesn't work. You have to be
a realist.''
Regardless of the situation, Miller encourages other
business owners to give back. He likes to quote fellow
Vermont philanthropist J. Warren McClure, who died in 2004:
``If you can't give a dollar, you'll never give a hundred.''
``Give what you can,'' Miller said. ``We have an
obligation. There are many, many, many needs. And you can
have a lot of fun doing it.''
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