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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Willy Goellner for his
4more than five decades of success and innovation in
5manufacturing and to recognize the positive impact he has made
6by employing hundreds of local workers and mentoring the next
7generation of thought leaders in the industrial sector; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Willy Goellner was born to Austrian parents
9residing in Poland in the early 1930s, and his childhood and
10family were greatly affected by World War II; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Willy Goellner's father died in a work camp in
12Siberia, and the rest of his family was sent to a concentration
13camp; he and one of his sisters were the only two members of
14his family to survive; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Willy Goellner worked as a manual laborer after
16the war but sought to improve his life through education; he
17studied engineering at the Higher Technical College in Steyr,
18Austria; after speaking with classmates who had returned from
19the U.S., he chose to immigrate to America in 1958; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Willy Goellner began working for Ingersoll
21Manufacturing Tools in Rockford in 1960; he worked at

 

 

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1Ingersoll for six years before leaving to start his own
2business; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Willy Goellner established his own company,
4Advanced Machine and Engineering (AME), in 1966; the company
5started in a 1,000-square-foot office space in Loves Park but
6quickly relocated to a larger facility in Rockford; and
 
7    WHEREAS, AME initially specialized in design and
8engineering services for the machine tool and assembly
9industries but later shifted focus to the engineering and
10manufacturing of machine tools and components for a variety of
11industries; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Willy Goellner transformed AME from a small
13business to a global corporation; under his leadership, the
14company has become a leading manufacturer of high-precision
15parts for major industries from aerospace to health care; and
 
16    WHEREAS, AME partnered with German company Hennig, Inc. in
171977 and acquired the company in 1999, partnering with and
18incorporating the American company Advanced Boring; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Willy Goellner mentors the next generation of
20industrial workers through his apprenticeship and
21international internship programs; his students focus on the

 

 

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1design and build of industrial machinery, specifically carbide
2saws; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Willy Goellner authored an autobiography, Against
4All Odds From There to Here, which tells the story of his life
5and survival at the end of World War II, the terrible
6experiences he faced in the years after, and his wife's
7struggle with ALS; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Despite experiencing extreme hardship in his
9youth, Willy Goellner demonstrates the drive and determination
10that exemplify the American dream; he came to this country as a
11young immigrant seeking a better life and now owns a
12corporation that operates globally, and he continues to share
13his success with others by employing hundreds of employees,
14mentoring young industry professionals, and donating to a
15variety of charities and non-profits; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
17HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18we congratulate Willy Goellner for his more than five decades
19of success and innovation in manufacturing, and we recognize
20the positive impact he has made by employing hundreds of local
21workers and mentoring the next generation of thought leaders
22in the industrial sector; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to Willy Goellner and his family as a symbol of our
3respect and esteem.