Michael N. Castle

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to recognize two innovative Delaware entrepreneurs, Tim Smith and Alan Cole, of Delmarva Digital, a leading web application software company based in Laurel, Delaware and serving the Mid-Atlantic Region.

The son of a United States Air Force veteran and a public school teacher, Tim Smith is the definition of success. Tim is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Delmarva Digital. But Tim Smith is more than just successful in business; he is also a devoted husband and a pillar in his community, contributing his time to charitable causes including traveling to developing countries to teach aspiring entrepreneurs how to achieve their dreams.

Alan Cole is the son of a State Police officer and a professor at Delaware Technical and Community College. He is a highly decorated combat veteran having served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As a Military Intelligence Officer with the National Security Administration, Alan held the highest security clearance that exists. Alan is a founder and Chief Technology Officer of Delmarva Digital, where he is the lead software and systems architect, network and security expert, and the manager of operations.

I am proud to join the Laurel Chamber of Commerce in recognizing exceptional Delaware entrepreneurs like Tim Smith and Alan Cole. I thank them for their hard work in business and for their dedication to their community.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize a great Delawarean, David W. Thomas, for his outstanding service to our great state. Dave was the United States Marshal for the District of Delaware from August 2002 until August 2010. As he moves on to future endeavors, I wish him the best of luck and pay tribute to his great accomplishments and steadfast service to our state.

Serving in the Delaware State Police from 1984 to 2002, Dave served as a road trooper before joining the Executive Protection Unit, responsible for the protection of the Governor and other dignitaries. During my time as Governor, I had the pleasure of getting to know Dave who proved himself to be a dedicated officer through his tireless dedication to the Executive Protection Unit and the state of Delaware. Dave quickly excelled throughout his career with the state police. His many other accomplishments include being elected Vice President of the National Governors Security Administration and serving as the Public Information Officer for the Delaware State Police. After an extraordinary career with the Delaware State Police, Dave was privileged to serve as the U.S. Marshal for the District of Delaware.

In his eight-year tenure as U.S. Marshal, Dave was tasked with many difficult duties including the transportation and housing of Federal prisoners, fugitive apprehension, and the security of Federal judges and U.S. Attorney's Office and staff. One of his more noteworthy accomplishments occurred in April 2009 when Dave led a Fugitive Safe Surrender initiative in which over a thousand individuals with outstanding warrants turned themselves in.

I am proud to represent a state where individuals like David W. Thomas reside. Delawareans will sorely miss his steadfast service to our great state. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize a great Delawarean, Tricia Roberts, a recipient of the Kathryn J.R. Swanson Public Service Award from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Tricia was given this prestigious award for her tireless dedication to keeping Delaware's roadways safe during her career with the Office of Highway Safety (OHS). I am honored that the GHSA has selected Tricia for this award as she is certainly well- deserving. I also wish Tricia all the best in her new found retirement.

Tricia joined the Delaware OHS as a community relations officer in 1989, while I was serving as Governor of Delaware. Through hard work and determination, Tricia quickly rose to director of OHS in 1994. During her time as director, Tricia led the charge to enact strong motor vehicle safety measures, such as the primary seat belt law, bicycle helmet law, and the repeat DUI offender legislation. After legislation was signed into law in 2000 to make a .08 blood alcohol level the standard in all 50 states, which I and others in the House of Representatives worked to pass, Tricia worked tirelessly for several years to toughen drunk driving laws in Delaware to meet federal requirements. Also a steadfast proponent of Checkpoint Strikeforce DUI prevention programs, Tricia was extremely dedicated to keeping impaired drivers off of Delaware's roads. Her innovative measures and dedication to highway safety has improved Delaware's roadways and undoubtedly ensured the safety of thousands.

I am proud to represent a state where individuals such as Tricia Roberts reside. I am extremely grateful for Tricia's efforts toward improving highway safety and I wish her all the best in retirement. It is individuals like Tricia that give Delaware the good name that it has.