HR0321 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0321 LRB094 11979 CSA 44910 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce has named John Scrivner as its 2005 Small Business Person of the Year; and

WHEREAS, The award will be presented at the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner on Friday, April 15, 2005, at the Holiday Inn in Mt. Vernon; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Scrivner has been a lifelong resident of Mt. Vernon and has worked with electricity and electronics since his early childhood; a 1983 graduate of Mt. Vernon Township High School (MVTHS), Mr. Scrivner spent much of his junior and senior years working on his electrical aptitude under the guidance of John Buffet in the MVTHS Vocational Study Program; he remained fascinated with electronics and has worked in nearly all capacities of electrical and electronic work; and

WHEREAS, He attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale's School of Technical Careers for two years; in 1995, he made his first connection to the Internet; and

WHEREAS, On May 1, 1997, Mr. Scrivner and Mr. Dan Hamilton opened the doors of Mt. Vernon Net, Inc., (MVN), an Internet service provider; MVN has grown steadily and had their best year in 2004; they have accomplished much in developing wireless broadband services throughout the area; they have built a network for the City of Mt. Vernon to communicate from building to building throughout the City, they have put wireless data radios in City and County squad cars allowing data flow to and from the departments, and they are working with the Fire Department to eventually build connections for their trucks and stations; MVN received a grant from the federal government to build high speed wireless services into the Village of Bluford, and MVN serves the Internet and networking needs of several thousand residents and businesses throughout the area; and

WHEREAS, Most recently, Mr. Scrivner has started a national trade association for the wireless industry called Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA); the non-profit organization will promote and improve the Wireless Internet Service Provider industry through lobbying, regulatory reform efforts, industry best practices, and online resources to aid the WISP operators who make up the majority of the membership; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Scrivner has many plans for the future; he is helping to restore Mt. Vernon's old Granada Theater and has dreams of building other new business ventures in the future; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate John Scrivner on being named the 2005 Small Business Person of the Year by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and extend to him best wishes for continued success and happiness; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to John Scrivner as an expression of our admiration and esteem.