HR0374 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0374 LRB103 33354 ECR 63165 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate CassComm on the occasion of its 125th year as a locally owned business; and

WHEREAS, CassComm, previously known as the Cass Telephone Company, was granted a franchise as the Virginia and Little Indian Telephone Company in 1898; its first telephone wires ran from the community of Little Indian to Virginia, Illinois; the company's first construction wires were strung along roadsides and attached to any stable device available; and

WHEREAS, CassComm, a six-generation family business, was founded by Edward J. and Ada Huff, the great-grandparents of current Chairman of the Board Gerald E. Gill and the great-great-grandparents of current President and CEO Gerald Sam Gill II; and

WHEREAS, Casscom's Gerald Gill Sr. launched Cass Cable TV in 1965, which offered 12 local channels in its coverage areas; the business then took a chance on 54k dial-up Internet access in 1996; the company and its board of directors made the decision to pursue the broadband technology in 2018, changing all of their coaxial cables to fiber optics; and

WHEREAS, CassComm currently serves nine counties and covers 32 communities with the latest in technology, and it continues to support the communities it serves while successfully maintaining a locally owned business; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate CassComm on its 125th year as a locally owned business, and we wish the company continued success in the years to come; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the CassComm Board of Directors as an expression of our esteem and respect.