HR0030 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0030 LRB103 27405 ECR 53777 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives wish to congratulate Joe Franco of Kankakee on the occasion of receiving the IMPACT Award from the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County for his commitment to the growth of sustainable development in the region; and

WHEREAS, Joe Franco was born and raised in DePue; he attended Illinois Valley Community College in LaSalle-Peru and St. Joseph School of Medical Technology in Bloomington; and

WHEREAS, Joe Franco came to Kankakee at the age of 23 to work in the medical lab at St. Mary's Hospital; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of decades, Joe Franco built his own medical labs in Bourbonnais, Clifton, Kankakee, Manteno, Peotone, and Momence; he also took the lead on more than 30 projects in Kankakee County and across the region, including the Bourbonnais Medical Center, the Heritage Medical Center, the administration building for Olivet Nazarene University's graduate programs, and the Executive Centre in Kankakee, which houses the Kankakee Public Library; and

WHEREAS, Joe Franco was the trailblazer who renovated the David Bradley building on North Street in Bradley, converting it into a business incubator where several successful manufacturers operate today; and

WHEREAS, Regionally, Joe Franco's developments include the John Deere building in the Quad Cities, the "Super Block" in East Moline, and additional developments in Moline, East Moline, and Chicago Heights; his work includes 22 glass elevators in these buildings as well as the bridge that spans Court Street in downtown Kankakee, connecting what is now Ascension Saint Mary to Medical Center West; and

WHEREAS, Joe Franco was instrumental in forming the unified Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County as a central point of contact for businesses and developers in the area; and

WHEREAS, The Economic Alliance of Kankakee County is a public-private partnership that works to expand the economic base in Kankakee County by improving the local business climate and employs a collaborative approach to support development in the strategic areas of business retention, expansion and attraction, and workforce and community development; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Joe Franco on receiving the IMPACT Award from the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County and recognize him for his accomplishments throughout his career; and be it further

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