Full Text of HR0391 103rd General Assembly
HR0391 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate the Knapheide | 4 | | Manufacturing Company, a family-owned and operated business | 5 | | located in Quincy, on the occasion of its 175th anniversary; | 6 | | and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, In 1848, German immigrant Herman Heinrich | 8 | | Knapheide moved to Quincy and opened a wagon-making shop; he | 9 | | spent 42 years at the helm of the business, perfecting his wood | 10 | | and iron-constructed wagons and selling them to farmers, | 11 | | miners, and pioneers; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, In 1890, his son, Henry E. Knapheide, assumed | 13 | | responsibility for the business as president, incorporating | 14 | | the company in 1893 and taking the company to new heights; he | 15 | | invested in steam-powered saws, drill presses, and a planning | 16 | | machine; he also erected a three-story factory that optimized | 17 | | the production process, allowed greater control in-house, | 18 | | standardized the wagons, and enabled workers to mass-produce | 19 | | parts; by the 1900s, the company's product lineup expanded to | 20 | | include freight wagons, merchandise "trucks", dump carts, log | 21 | | wagons, and a widened variety of farm wagons and "trucks"; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Under third generation owner Harold W. Knapheide, |
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| 1 | | the company evolved with the times as gasoline-powered | 2 | | automobiles gained popularity and the need for wagons began to | 3 | | decline steeply; the business installed its first wooden wagon | 4 | | body on a Ford Model T chassis in 1910 and would continue to do | 5 | | so through the 1920s; the company was further impacted by the | 6 | | 1929 Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression, causing | 7 | | sales to dip to $14,083.65 in 1932; to keep afloat, the | 8 | | business accepted more repair work and sold equipment, | 9 | | including straw spreaders, dump bodies, washing machines, and | 10 | | parts; the company was renamed the Knapheide Manufacturing | 11 | | Company in 1937; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Bud" Knapheide Jr. joined his father | 13 | | in the business in 1938; as a self-taught engineer, he | 14 | | expanded and modernized manufacturing operations; by the | 15 | | mid-1940s, he had developed and produced all steel-frame truck | 16 | | bodies, and his innovative product line was targeted to the | 17 | | agricultural market through an expanded distribution network; | 18 | | in 1954, he opened a facility in West Quincy, Missouri to | 19 | | increase Knapheide's manufacturing and production capacity; by | 20 | | 1960, nearly every farmer in the Midwest knew the Knapheide | 21 | | name and the farming boom in the 1970s saw an even bigger | 22 | | increase in demand for truck bodies; during this time, the | 23 | | company was the largest producer of farm truck bodies in the | 24 | | country; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Knap" Knapheide, the fifth generation | 2 | | owner, was tested early in his career; despite success through | 3 | | the company's all-steel agricultural product line, including | 4 | | grain bodies and livestock racks, the West Quincy facility was | 5 | | flooded by the nearby Mississippi River in 1973, proving quite | 6 | | costly; the business persisted through temporary facilities in | 7 | | Quincy, until total production was restored some 90 days later | 8 | | at the original location; Knap was made president in 1978, and | 9 | | he was noted for pioneering both targeted and creative | 10 | | marketing initiatives that led the company to great success; | 11 | | he was further tested when the agriculture market crashed in | 12 | | the 1980s, and then again when the West Quincy facility | 13 | | flooded a second time in 1993; despite these setbacks, Knap | 14 | | made a decision that had a profound impact on the company's | 15 | | future, constructing a new 480,000 square feet, state of the | 16 | | art truck manufacturing facility; since moving to the new | 17 | | facility, the business has continued to improve their customer | 18 | | service, manufacturing processes, design technology, team | 19 | | building, distribution networks, and product lines; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Bo" Knapheide IV, the sixth generation | 21 | | owner, took over Knapheide in 2018 with a focus on continued | 22 | | growth, expansion, and new markets; that same year, the | 23 | | company opened an additional manufacturing facility, dedicated | 24 | | to aluminum body production, just south of the company's | 25 | | headquarters; during his tenure, he has been instrumental in |
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| 1 | | diversifying product offerings, including the Industrial | 2 | | Products line, while also encouraging the importance of | 3 | | customization; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Since 1848, Knapheide has provided customers with | 5 | | high quality, work-ready transportation solutions through | 6 | | determination, innovation, and family values, setting them | 7 | | apart as the industry leader; today, the company is North | 8 | | America's most popular manufacturer of work truck bodies and | 9 | | truck beds, with more work trucks on the road today with | 10 | | "Knapheide" stamped on them than any other manufacturer; | 11 | | therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 13 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 14 | | we congratulate the Knapheide Manufacturing Company on the | 15 | | occasion of its 175th anniversary, and we wish the company | 16 | | continued success in the years to come; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the President and CEO Harold W. "Bo" Knapheide IV | 19 | | of Knapheide Manufacturing Company as an expression of our | 20 | | esteem and respect.
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