[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 2] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 2269] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO ROBERT E. RICH ______ HON. BRIAN HIGGINS of new york in the house of representatives Tuesday, February 28, 2006 Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor prominent Buffalo businessman Robert E. Rich who passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 15, 2006. He was a loving and dedicated husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was an inspiring colleague and friend. He was an athletics enthusiast. He was an innovative and legendary entrepreneur and founder. And, he was a generous and compassionate community and industry advocate. Mr. Rich began his path to frozen food industry fame in 1935 as owner and operator of Wilber Farms Dairy. In 1945, while serving as the war food Administrator in Michigan, he learned about successful research at the George Washington Carver Institute on the use of soybeans to create innovative food products. After investigating the use of soybeans, he developed the world's first non-dairy whipped topping. Rich's industry- leading reputation was as a family-owned business dedicated to treating customers around the world like family. He was also committed to continuing the company's aggressive worldwide growth while maintaining its headquarters in Buffalo, NY. In 1965, Mr. Rich was a charter member of a group which attempted to bring a National Hockey League franchise to Buffalo. In 1972, through Rich Products, he purchased the naming rights of the new football stadium for the Buffalo Bills. In 1988, he authorized the purchase which kept the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, in town. Under his chairmanship of the Bisons, the city constructed Pilot Field, which is now Dunn Tire Park, which has become a source of city pride and national attention. Rich founded and headed up the University at Buffalo's Christmas Scholarship Fund which made 30 annual scholarships available to outstanding scholar-athletes. In 1991, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Mr. Rich continued his commitment to his Buffalo home in 1989 with the decision to renovate and redevelop the historic 1200 Niagara Street complex on the banks of the Niagara River on the city's West Side. Today, the state-of-the-art facility is home to the Rich Research Center, hailed as the industry's finest, the Rich Renaissance Niagara Atrium and Conference Center, site of weddings, banquets and business meetings, the Rich Wellness Center, and the Rich's Family Center, Western New York's first on-site child daycare center which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1999. In 2004, Rich's made a significant pledge to the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation to establish the Robert E. Rich Aspiring Entrepreneurs Scholarship. Four scholarships each year support the continued education of undergraduate students pursuing careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. In 2005, Rich Products celebrated its 60th birthday posting annual sales in excess of $2.5 billion. The company sells more than 2,300 products in more than 85 countries and employs more than 7,000 Associates worldwide, including more than 1,300 in its headquarters in Buffalo, NY. Frozen food industry pioneer, architect of the nation's largest family-owned frozen foods manufacturer, sportsman, and community leader all describe Robert E. Rich. Rich Products will continue to grow and thrive as a family business under the ongoing leadership of his son, Bob Rich Jr. But Western New York will sorely miss Robert E. Rich. ____________________