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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the Potash family
4on Potash Markets being named the Illinois Retail Merchants
5Association 2011 Illinois Retailer of the Year; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Illinois Retail Merchants Association will
7honor Potash Markets on September 14 at the Palmer House Hilton
8Hotel in Chicago; the annual award is given to a retailer not
9only successful in business, but committed to community and
10civic affairs and respected in the industry; and
 
11    WHEREAS, A family-owned and operated business since 1950,
12Potash Markets is a full-service grocery with three locations
13in downtown Chicago; siblings Dave, Melvin, Marian, and the
14late Herbert Potash opened the first store 61 years ago; the 3
15surviving siblings still work in the company while Mel's son,
16Art Potash, serves as CEO; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Potash Markets flourishes amidst the hustle and
18bustle of downtown Chicago because it focuses on the people who
19make up the business; they oblige customers requesting
20donations for fundraisers, give regularly to neighborhood
21churches and schools, and even create special memento books to
22the families of newborn babies; when employees need help, they

 

 

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1have offered interest-free loans or arranged flexible work
2schedules; employees return that loyalty, and many stay at the
3company for 30, 40 or 50 years; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Potash family gets involved in the industry,
5through organizations like the Illinois Food Retailers
6Association and the Food Marketing Institute; Mel Potash is a
7past chairman of the Illinois Food Retailers Association; Art
8Potash currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Food
9Marketing Institute; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Retail success is nothing new to the Potash
11Markets; in the late 1960s, Potash boasted the highest volume
12sales per square foot of any grocer in the country; recently,
13the retailer redesigned its stores in an effort to make the
14customers' experience more satisfying, fun, and convenient;
15Potash Markets now features the new Sandburg Wine Cellar, a
16sushi counter run by Chef Danny Chan, a meat department that
17creates signature sausages in-house, and a deli menu of
18restaurant quality; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we congratulate Dave, Melvin, Marian, and Art Potash on this
22honor and wish them continued success for years to come; and be
23it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to Dave, Melvin, Marian, and Art Potash as a symbol
3of our respect and esteem.