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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, John Zengeler established "The New York Steam Dye
3 Works," a clothing cleaning business, at 208 South Clark St. in
4 Chicago in 1857; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Zengeler moved to S. Prairie St. in 1866, which
6 was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, then rebuilt
7 at 2323 S. Cottage Grove Ave. in Chicago; and
 
8     WHEREAS, John's eldest son Arthur W. ("A.W.") Zengeler
9 joined his father in the business in 1896 and opened a new
10 location as A.W. Zengeler Cleaners in 1906; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In 1930, A.W.'s sons, Ralph, Art and Al, became
12 active in the business, with Ralph becoming the third
13 generation of leadership in 1948; and
 
14     WHEREAS, In 1962, Ralph's son Robert became the fourth
15 generation to lead the family business; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Three of Robert's six children - Robert, Jr.,
17 Michael, and Thomas - became the fifth generation of the
18 Zengeler family to join the business; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In 2001, Thomas Zengeler became President and

 

 

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1 fifth generation leader of the family owned company; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Zengeler Cleaners has grown to seven stores in
3 Lake and Cook Counties, with an eighth store planned for later
4 in 2007; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Zengeler Cleaners is now home to 145 employees, 27
6 of whom have been with the company for 20 years or more; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Zengeler Cleaners was recognized as the 2005
8 "Business of the Year" by the Deerfield-Bannockburn-Riverwoods
9 Chamber of Commerce; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Zengeler Cleaners has grown to become the primary
11 contributor to the Glass Slipper Project, an organization
12 assisting thousands of high school women; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Zengeler Cleaners is now the Midwest's oldest and
14 largest dry cleaner; and
 
15     WHEREAS, In 2007, Zengeler Cleaners celebrates its 150th
16 Anniversary and a proud history in which it overcame the Great
17 Chicago Fire, the Civil War, two World Wars and the Great
18 Depression, emerging as one of the premier fabric care
19 specialists in the United States; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3 commend the Zengeler family for successfully passing down their
4 proud work ethic and commitment to quality for 150 years and
5 through five generations, a rare and virtually unheard of
6 business accomplishment; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That we recognize the contributions to our
8 economy that A.W. Zengeler Cleaners has made over the years
9 through the employment of hundreds of hard working and talented
10 men and women, as well as the many and significant charitable
11 contributions the company has made to enhance the life of the
12 Illinois communities they serve; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That we congratulate the Zengeler family and the
14 employees of A.W. Zengeler Cleaners for their outstanding
15 accomplishments and for reaching this sesquicentennial
16 milestone; and be it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18 presented to the Zengeler family as a symbol of our respect.