HR1392

LRB094 21143 HSS 59473 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 
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State of Illinois are pleased to recognize the 100th 
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anniversary of the founding of the Chicago-Wilcox Mfg. Co.; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The company opened in 1906 with the Wilcox 
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Patented Self-Sealing Gasket as its only product; it now 
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produces over 10,000 different parts, including gaskets, 
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seals, and similar products, in its 40,000-square-foot 
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manufacturing facility, located in South Holland; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Stephen C. Anthony, president and owner, 
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attributes the company's longevity to a conservative 
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management style that emphasizes adaptability and commitment 
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to customers and employees; from the first, the new company 
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guaranteed that their Wilcox Patented Self-Sealing Gaskets 
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"positively will not blow out" and said in addition, 
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"unfortunately for us Wilcox gaskets do not wear out"; 
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customers wrote that their Wilcox gaskets, used for years, were 
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giving as fine service as when they were new; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The company is committed not only to customers, 
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but also to its employees; during the Great Depression, 
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Chicago-Wilcox went to a two-day/three-day work week, with 
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employees working two days one week and three days the next; 
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through this strategy, every employee retained his or her job, 
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and layoffs were entirely avoided; to this day, Chicago-Wilcox 
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has never resorted to employee layoffs to carry it through 
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difficult times; as a result, employee loyalty is high with 
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five employees retiring with 50 or more years of service; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The company outgrew its first facility and in 1967 
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moved to South Holland; new machines and manufacturing 
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processes were added to keep pace with customers' more complex 
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needs; the company also added redistribution of products 
 


 






HR1392
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LRB094 21143 HSS 59473 r




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complementary to its manufactured lines; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Chicago-Wilcox computerized the 
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inventory and order-processing systems and installed a laser; 
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in 1999, Chicago-Wilcox and DH Die Cutting merged, further 
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broadening the products that could be made and the range of 
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customers that could be served; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Today, Chicago-Wilcox services over 1,000 
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customers and ships approximately 14 million parts annually; 
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therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we recognize the 100th anniversary of the founding of the 
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Chicago-Wilcox Mfg. Co.; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Stephen C. Anthony as an expression of our esteem.