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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives wish
3to congratulate Joe Franco of Kankakee on the occasion of
4receiving the IMPACT Award from the Economic Alliance of
5Kankakee County for his commitment to the growth of
6sustainable development in the region; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Joe Franco was born and raised in DePue; he
8attended Illinois Valley Community College in LaSalle-Peru and
9St. Joseph School of Medical Technology in Bloomington; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Joe Franco came to Kankakee at the age of 23 to
11work in the medical lab at St. Mary's Hospital; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Over the course of decades, Joe Franco built his
13own medical labs in Bourbonnais, Clifton, Kankakee, Manteno,
14Peotone, and Momence; he also took the lead on more than 30
15projects in Kankakee County and across the region, including
16the Bourbonnais Medical Center, the Heritage Medical Center,
17the administration building for Olivet Nazarene University's
18graduate programs, and the Executive Centre in Kankakee, which
19houses the Kankakee Public Library; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Joe Franco was the trailblazer who renovated the
21David Bradley building on North Street in Bradley, converting

 

 

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1it into a business incubator where several successful
2manufacturers operate today; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Regionally, Joe Franco's developments include the
4John Deere building in the Quad Cities, the "Super Block" in
5East Moline, and additional developments in Moline, East
6Moline, and Chicago Heights; his work includes 22 glass
7elevators in these buildings as well as the bridge that spans
8Court Street in downtown Kankakee, connecting what is now
9Ascension Saint Mary to Medical Center West; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Joe Franco was instrumental in forming the
11unified Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce and the Economic
12Alliance of Kankakee County as a central point of contact for
13businesses and developers in the area; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The Economic Alliance of Kankakee County is a
15public-private partnership that works to expand the economic
16base in Kankakee County by improving the local business
17climate and employs a collaborative approach to support
18development in the strategic areas of business retention,
19expansion and attraction, and workforce and community
20development; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
22HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that

 

 

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1we congratulate Joe Franco on receiving the IMPACT Award from
2the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County and recognize him for
3his accomplishments throughout his career; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
5presented to Joe Franco as an expression of our esteem and
6respect.