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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
3Representatives wish to congratulate Marcus Lemonis on his 
4successful career as a businessman, philanthropist, and 
5visionary; and
  
 
6    WHEREAS, Marcus Lemonis, who now calls Illinois home, was 
7born in Beirut, Lebanon during a civil war and foreign invasion 
8in 1973; he was adopted by Leo and Sophia Lemonis, a couple 
9living in Miami, Florida, on July 29, 1974; and
  
 
10    WHEREAS, Marcus Lemonis was introduced to the automobile 
11industry at a young age by his grandfather, who owned two of 
12the largest Chevrolet dealerships in the United States; and
  
 
13    WHEREAS, After working for his grandfather for several 
14years, Marcus Lemonis received an offer from family friend and 
15financial investor Lee Lacocca to start a large recreational 
16vehicle chain; the offer led to a long and successful career in 
17the RV dealership business; and
  
 
18    WHEREAS, Marcus Lemonis served as CEO of Holiday RV 
19Superstores Inc. from June 2001 to February 2003; following 
20that, he co-founded FreedomRoads and began acquiring RV 
21dealerships; in 2006, the company merged with Camping World, 
 
 
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1and he served as CEO; in 2011, he oversaw the company's merger 
2with Good Sam Enterprises; and
  
 
3    WHEREAS, Under the direction of Marcus Lemonis, Camping 
4World and Good Sam launched Project Good Samaritan as part of 
5their 2013 goal to foster corporate responsibility; the project 
6requires a team of nearly 7,000 employees to volunteer 32 hours 
7per year to causes that are meaningful to them; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, In October 2016, Camping World went public, and 
9the stock was valued at $22 per share, giving it a market value 
10of approximately $2 billion; and
  
 
11    WHEREAS, Marcus Lemonis' philanthropic efforts include 
12support for the Joffrey Ballet, St. Jude Children's Research 
13Hospital, the Ravinia Festival, Lincoln Park Zoo, the RV/MH 
14Hall of Fame, the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, National 
15Voices for Equality, Education, and Enlightenment, New 
16Journey's Transitional Home, and Neat Stuff; and
  
 
17    WHEREAS, Marcus Lemonis is the host of the CNBC reality 
18show The Profit, which seeks out promising but faltering small 
19businesses; in the show, he invests his own money for part 
20ownership and helps make the businesses profitable; and
  
 


  
21    WHEREAS, In 2007, Marcus Lemonis was named "Newsmaker of 
 
 
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1the Year" by RV Business Magazine; he is an example of a modern 
2citizen whose humble beginnings show an American Dream 
3realized; therefore, be it
  
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
5HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
6we congratulate Marcus Lemonis on his successful career and 
7commend his philanthropic work; and be it further
  
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
9presented to Marcus Lemonis as an expression of our esteem and 
10respect.