HR0444LRB101 12717 ALS 61451 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Gary Birschbach on his 50
4years in business; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Gary Birschbach is an owner operator of three
6McDonald's restaurants in Decatur; he started working for
7McDonald's as a junior in high school in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
8in November of 1969; after working in several levels of
9management for an owner/operator in Wisconsin, he purchased his
10first restaurant in Piedmont, Missouri in 1995; he had an
11opportunity to buy two restaurants in Decatur in 2000; his
12franchise grew to include seven restaurants in 2007; he sold
13four of the restaurants in 2009; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In his first store, Gary Birschbach tested and
15implemented an ice cream product for then McDonald's CEO Jack
16Greenberg; this item was released in the U.S. as the McFlurry
17three years later; he has held several social functions at the
18Decatur McDonald's, so the public can interact with social
19leaders, including "Coffee with a Cop" and "Coffee with the
20Council"; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Since 2005, Gary Birschbach's stores have awarded
22over $175,000 in tuition assistance and assisted nine employees

 

 

HR0444- 2 -LRB101 12717 ALS 61451 r

1in enrolling in online high school programs through the
2McDonald's Archways program; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Gary Birschbach serves on several boards,
4including the Central Illinois Ronald McDonald House Charities
5(RMHC) Executive Board, where he was instrumental in the
6remodel of the Springfield RMHC House and the Peoria RMHC House
7that opens in January 2020; he is a member of the St. Mary's
8Hospital Board of Directors, the Decatur Chamber of Commerce,
9where he is currently serving as president, and the WDCR
10Catholic Radio Executive Board; he is a Knights of Columbus 4th
11Degree Member; he previously served on the Pastoral Council of
12the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Decatur, on the
13Richland Community College Foundation Board, and as a board
14member and past president of the Easter Seals, where he was
15honored with the Seal of Excellence Award in 2013; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Gary Birschbach sponsors many events, including
17the District 61 New Teacher Breakfast, the Annual Gold Wings
18Motorcycle Charity Ride, the Annual Decatur Area High School
19Basketball Turkey Tournament, and the Summer Reading Programs
20at seven local libraries in Decatur, Forsyth, Argenta,
21Warrensburg, Oreana, Mt. Zion, and Cerro Gordo; he partners
22with Decatur dentist Dr. Brown to provide dental care to
23low-income children; and
 

 

 

HR0444- 3 -LRB101 12717 ALS 61451 r

1    WHEREAS, Gary Birschbach has been married to Laura, whom he
2met at McDonald's, for over 40 years; they have five children
3and 13 grandchildren; his passions include the McDonald's
4business, the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and the Green
5Bay Packers; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
7HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8we congratulate Gary Birschbach on his 50 years in business and
9commend his volunteer efforts; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to Gary Birschbach as an expression of our esteem and
12respect.