HR0531 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0531 LRB098 12807 MST 47294 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate David F. Vite on his retirement as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Retail Merchants Association is the statewide professional organization for retailing and a voice of the business community in State government, representing more than 23,000 stores of all sizes and merchandise lines across Illinois; and

WHEREAS, David Vite joined the Illinois Retail Merchants Association in 1978 as a Field Representative; during his career with the Association, he held the positions of Manager Member Relations, Vice President Government Affairs in 1981, and Executive Vice President in 1983; in May 1985, he became President; and

WHEREAS, As the Illinois Retail Merchants Association's chief lobbyist, David Vite directed all legislative and governmental affairs activities and served as liaison for members of the Association with elected officials and administrative, department, and agency representatives; he was named "Best Business Lobbyist" by Crain's Chicago Business; and

WHEREAS, David Vite served as a member of the Employment Security Advisory Board for more than 20 years and under 5 Illinois governors; he also served on the Workers' Compensation Advisory Board and on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the National Retail Federation for 2 years; he chaired the National Association of State Retail Association Executives for one term, and in 2002, he served as the Speaker of the Illinois Third House; and

WHEREAS, David Vite has taken part in negotiations on some of the most historic issues facing the State of Illinois; in 1988, he and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association helped reform Illinois tax laws and, in 1997, he was chosen by the Legislative Caucus Chairs to facilitate discussions on electric deregulation, one of the State's most comprehensive pieces of legislation in decades; and

WHEREAS, David Vite has devoted much of his life to serving the public interest; he served on the school board of St. Mary's Elementary School in Woodstock for 5 years and as Chairman for 2 years; he spent 8 years on the Memorial Hospital of McHenry County Board of Directors from 1989-1997, holding the position of Board Chairman for 3 years; he also served on the Centegra Health System Board of Directors for 2 years; and

WHEREAS, David Vite is a United States Army veteran; he and his wife, Jane, have 2 daughters, Amanda and Gretchen; he is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; and

WHEREAS, David Vite will be recognized by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association as the "2013 Retailer of the Year" at the Holiday Inn-Merchandise Mart in Chicago on September 18, 2013; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate David F. Vite on his retirement from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association after 35 years of service, 28 of those years as President, and we wish him the best in all his future endeavours; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to David Vite as an expression of our esteem and respect.