[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7] [Senate] [Pages 9772-9773] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING THE BAKER COMPANY Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I congratulate the Baker Company, a cutting-edge small company from my home State of Maine that has earned tremendous recognition as the Maine International Trade Center's 2008 Exporter of the Year. The award will be presented to the company at the Maine International Trade Day dinner this Thursday, May 22. The company's leadership on a host of safety issues--and the loyal customer base it has earned around the world, including in Europe, Asia, and Africa--make the Baker Company most deserving of this award. Founded in 1949, the Baker Company, headquartered in Sanford, has consistently been a leader in designing and manufacturing biological safety cabinets, fume hoods, and clean benches. These products make laboratories worldwide safer, more efficient, and better equipped to focus on essential scientific research. From its beginnings, the Baker Company has always been at the forefront of crafting new and unique products to lead the industry. In 1951, the company unveiled the very first clean air cabinet. The firm's solid commitment to craftsmanship and its stellar reputation gained the Baker Company significant acknowledgement over the years. In 1979, Lockheed Aircraft Biosystems chose the company to build a biological safety cabinet for a NASA shuttle flight. Since that time, the firm has only increased its ingenuity and has worked with enterprises worldwide to make improvements to their technological safety. To best promote its role at the vanguard of laboratory safety, the Baker Company founded the Eagleson Institute in 1989. Dedicated to the memory of the firm's longtime president, John M. Eagleson, the nonprofit institute promotes the practice of lab safety [[Page 9773]] through a variety of mediums, including seminars, lectures, and interactive CD-ROMs. The seminars comprise a vast array of topics, from fundamentals of laboratory safety to safety cabinet technology. The seminars are delivered through a variety of instructional techniques, including role playing, problem solving, and demonstrations. While the firm hosts frequent sessions at its Sanford headquarters, it occasionally offers them at various locations across the globe. The Eagleson Institute is the Baker Company's distinctive way of making a difference in the industry and of sharing the trade's most critical asset--safety--with others. The Maine International Trade Center, which is presenting the Maine Exporter of the Year Award to the Baker Company, is Maine's small business link to the world. The center is a public-private partnership between the State of Maine and the businesses that play such a crucial role in expanding the State's economy. The center's goal is to increase international trade in Maine, and, in particular, to help Maine businesses export goods and services. Clearly, it sees in the Baker Company the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation that make Maine's small businesses among the best in the world. Throughout the decades, the Baker Company's name has been synonymous with unmatched quality and exceptional safety. From its early days, the firm has possessed a commitment to the pharmaceutical, life science, and biotechnology sectors and a determination to create a safer working environment for people in those industries. I congratulate everyone at the Baker Company for their impressive accomplishment in garnering the Maine International Trade Center's 2008 Exporter of the Year Award and wish them lasting success both here and abroad. ____________________