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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Robert "Bob" Ontiveros, who passed
4away on February 8, 2022; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros was born to John and Josephine
6Ontiveros on August 17, 1938; he attended Moline High School,
7where he excelled at wrestling, track and field, and
8basketball; following his high school graduation, he studied
9at the University of Cincinnati for one year followed by one
10year at Moline Community College, now Black Hawk College; he
11married Blenda Crummer in 1960; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros started his professional career as
13a sales representative for Dunn & Bradstreet (D&B); after a
14few years, he began working for the R.V. Evans Company, a small
15industrial packaging startup out of Decatur and the local
16dealer for Paslode pneumatic nail guns; he was given the sales
17territory of north central Illinois and eastern Iowa; and
 
18    WHEREAS, After watching the industry grow for seven years,
19Bob Ontiveros and his wife saw an opportunity to start their
20own business; supported by a few local investors, they founded
21Bi-State Packaging in 1974; their team, including their two
22sons, transformed Bi-State Packaging into a multifaceted

 

 

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1business enterprise respected throughout North America for its
2packaging solutions, supply chain services, and incentive
3marketing programs; their company is now called Group O; under
4his leadership as CEO, Group O has grown into one of the
5largest Hispanic-owned businesses in the U.S. and one of the
6largest employers in the Quad Cities, with revenues of over
7$500 million, more than 1,000 employees, and operations in
8Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Mexico; he retired as CEO
9and became chairman of the company in 1999; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros, along with his wife, developed
11Community Health Care, Familia Dental, and the Boys and Girls
12Clubs of the Mississippi Valley; he founded the Greater Quad
13Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2008; with his son
14Christopher and granddaughter Maria, he founded the nonprofit
15Mercado on Fifth in 2016; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros served as chairman of the Quad
17Cities Civic Center Authority Board from 1996 to 2003; he
18previously served on Augustana's Board of Trustees along with
19many other local, state, and national organizations; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros was a dedicated philanthropist and
21supported many organizations throughout the Quad Cities,
22including the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
23chapters in Davenport and Moline, Moline schools, Niabi Zoo,

 

 

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1Scott Community College, WQPT PBS, and WVIK Quad Cities NPR;
2he was also a major supporter of Fourth Wall Films' efforts to
3produce documentaries about Hero Street U.S.A. in Silvis; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros and his wife created numerous
5endowed scholarship funds for Hispanic students, making a
6$100,000 gift to Augustana College for that purpose in 2016;
7they donated $1 million to their alma mater Black Hawk College
8in 2020, becoming the institution's largest gift to date; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros was named one of six State of
10Illinois Lincoln Award honorees in 2013; he received an
11Outstanding Community Leadership Award from the State of
12Illinois Comptroller, a Legacy Award from the U.S. Department
13of Commerce, and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National
14Minority Supplier Development Council, the Chicago Minority
15Business Development Council, and Negocios Now; he was
16inducted into the Minority Business Hall of Fame, the Black
17Hawk College Alumni Hall of Fame, the Junior Achievement of
18the Heartland Business Hall of Fame, and the Jeremiah Milbank
19Society; he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters
20from Western Illinois University and an honorary doctorate
21from Augustana College; he and his wife received the honor of
22the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley's Teen
23Center in Moline being renamed the Robert & Blenda Ontiveros
24Teen Center in 2019; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros loved selling things; he enjoyed
2traveling the world, cycling, running, snowmobiling, boating,
3skiing, playing handball, and golfing at Oakwood Country Club
4and Short Hills Country Club in the Quad Cities and Longboat
5Key Club in Longboat Key, Florida; he exercised daily,
6maintained connections with longtime friends through daily
7emails and phone calls, and relished time with his family,
8including his grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros was preceded in death by his
10parents and his siblings, Maria Elena, Lawrence, Rita, and
11Steven; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Bob Ontiveros is survived by his siblings, John
13(Laura), Frank (Lorna), Christine (Jeff) Reem, Joanne (Ray)
14Bender, Michael, and Cindy (Dave) Newton; his sons,
15Christopher (Pamela) and Gregg; his grandchildren, Maria (Jack
16Cullen), Allie, Dana, Will, Josie, and Kendall; and his
17great-grandchildren, Emma, Stella, and Anna Catherine;
18therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
21Robert "Bob" Ontiveros and extend our sincere condolences to
22his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it

 

 

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1further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the family of Bob Ontiveros as an expression of
4our deepest sympathy.