HR1214 LRB094 20322 HLH 58375 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Larry McGrogan was born in Ottawa, Illinois and
3 has lived there his entire life; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Mr. McGrogan has owned and operated Handy Foods
5 and the Save-a-Lot stores in Ottawa, Streator, and LaSalle for
6 more than 40 years; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Mr. McGrogan opened his first retail grocery
8 store, The Dairy Village, in June of 1963 as an outlet for
9 selling Dean Milk products, and Mr. McGrogan and his wife,
10 Bonnie, also opened Handy Foods in 1964; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Larry and Bonnie McGrogan operated both The Dairy
12 Village and Handy Foods until they sold The Dairy Village in
13 1971; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Handy Foods became an Independent Grocer's
15 Association (IGA) franchise in 1990 and currently employs
16 approximately 120 people; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Mr. McGrogan has maintained the integrity of the
18 business while continuing to add services and make
19 improvements; and
 
20     WHEREAS, under Mr. McGrogan's direction, Handy Foods IGA
21 has demonstrated its dedication to community service by
22 regularly contributing to the local food pantry, providing
23 disaster assistance to tornado victims, and implementing a
24 charitable rebate program that has given back more than
25 $700,000 to the community; and
 
26     WHEREAS, Mr. McGrogan is also active in many community
27 organizations, including the Ottatwa Area Chamber of Commerce,
28 the Salvation Army, the YMCA, and the United Way and has

 

 

HR1214 - 2 - LRB094 20322 HLH 58375 r

1 received numerous distinguished community awards, including
2 Outstanding Citizen of the Year from the Ottawa Elks; and
 
3     WHEREAS, on February 12, at the IGA's global summit, Mr.
4 McGrogran was recognized by the IGA as one of 6 retailers
5 worldwide whose "hometown proud" spirit and leadership merit
6 being named as a 2006 International Retailer of the Year, an
7 award that is given to retailers who demonstrate leadership in
8 their communities and throughout the IGA system; therefore, be
9 it
 
10     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12 we congratulate Larry McGrogan on being named as an IGA 2006
13 International Retailer of the Year and recognize his many
14 contributions to the community of Ottawa; and be it further
 
15     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16 presented to Larry McGrogan as an expression of our respect and
17 esteem.