HR0033 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0033 LRB095 06797 KXB 26913 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Rich Niemann Sr. on being named to the Quincy Chamber of Commerce "Business Hall of Fame"; and

WHEREAS, Rich Niemann Sr. was born in Quincy and grew up in the family grocery business founded by his father and uncle in 1917; in his early years, the business consisted of a number of small stores and a wholesale house; the Niemann family introduced Quincy's first full-service supermarket in 1940 when Rich was only nine-years old; and

WHEREAS, In 1953, Rich Niemann graduated from Quincy College, where he played 4 years of college baseball, with a degree in marketing, and continued in the wholesale operation on a fulltime basis, becoming warehouse manager in 1956; and

WHEREAS, In 1969, Rich Niemann and his brother purchased controlling interest in the family business and began to aggressively develop the company; Mr. Niemann was named President, and the brothers decided to phase out the wholesale segment of the food business and concentrate on the expansion of the five retail stores, which then accounted for approximately $5 million in annual sales; and

WHEREAS, Under Mr. Niemann's leadership, the company introduced the discount superstore concept in Champaign in 1980, with the opening of the first Valu Check warehouse store; this concept evolved into the Cub Foods and County Market discount superstores; today, Niemann Foods, Inc., an Associate Owned/Family Company, and nationally recognized industry leader, operates 64 stores in 3 states, under the banners of County Market, Cub Foods, Niemann Market, Save-A-Lot, and County Market Express, along with County Market Catering; the Company employs about 3,600 associates with annual sales of $500 million; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Niemann serves as Chairman of the Board of Niemann Foods, Inc., and as Managing Partner of Food Co. Land Trust; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Niemann currently serves on the Board of the State Street Bank and Trust Company; he serves as a Director of the Food Marketing Institute in Washington, D.C, and Chairman of the Illinois Food Retailers Association Political Action Committee; he has served as Vice-Chairman of the Food Marketing Institute and as Chairman of the Illinois Food Retailer Association; he has been named Illinois Retail Manufacturing Association Illinois Retailer of the Year; and the Illinois Retail Association's Food Industry Leader of the Year; and

WHEREAS, He was the first recipient of the Parker S. Gates Industry Leader Award presented by the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce; he and his wife, Connie, recently received the Quincy Notre Dame Band award and the Catholic Charities Distinguished Service Award; and

WHEREAS, He has served as President of the Board of Education for the Quincy Public Schools; he is a longtime member of the Quincy University Board of Trustees, and has served as Finance Chairman; he has served as the Chairman of St. Mary Hospital's Board of Directors, a founding member of the Great River Economic Development Foundation, the President of the Quincy Rotary Club, and a Board Member of the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce; he has been active in fund-raising campaigns in Quincy as Chairman of the Salvation Army Annual Fund, and Chairman of the United Way Annual Campaign; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Niemann continues to remain active in the Quincy Community; in 2006, Rich Sr., along with Rich Niemann, Jr., and Chris Niemann, established the Niemann Foods Foundation benefitting the needs of children and families; Mr. Niemann and his wife, Connie, are parents of 8 children, 24 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren; they are members of St. Peter Catholic Church; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Rich Niemann Sr. on being named to the Quincy Chamber of Commerce "Business Hall of Fame"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Rich Niemann Sr. as a sign of our respect.