HR0037 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0037 LRB096 04703 GRL 14765 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Ross J. Centanni on the occasion of being inducted into the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce's Business Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, The Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce's Business Hall of Fame was begun in 2006 to celebrate the rich history and accomplishments of the Quincy area business community; and

WHEREAS, Ross Centanni holds a bachelor's degree in industrial technology and a master's degree in business administration from Louisiana State University; and

WHEREAS, Ross Centanni has guided the strategic direction of Gardner Denver since joining as Director of Sales and Marketing in 1985 from the corporate headquarters of its former parent company, Cooper Industries, Inc.; in 1990, Mr. Centanni was appointed to serve as Vice President and General Manager of the division that was to become Gardner Denver in 1993; Mr. Centanni served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the company from 1993 until 2008 and as the Chairman of the company's Board of Directors from 1998 until 2008; and

WHEREAS, Under Ross Centanni's leadership, Gardner Denver, Inc. has acquired multiple complementary companies, gained major product lines, and added Drum blowers and Emco Wheaton bulk storage and fluid transfer equipment, which have greatly increased Gardner Denver's annual revenues, broadened its global presence, and helped diversify the end markets it serves; and

WHEREAS, Under the guidance of Ross Centanni, Gardner Denver moved from FORBES magazine's list of the 200 Best Small Companies in America, to the 100 Best Mid-Cap Companies to twice on the 100 Fastest Growing Companies and, most recently, to two designations on The 400 Best Big Companies in America; in 2006, Dow Jones & Company designated Gardner Denver as one of its highest rated stocks and the company was referred to in the "SmartMoney Stock Screen" of the Wall Street Journal; DeMarche Associates, Inc., one of the leading investment research firms in the nation, also recognized Gardner Denver as being one of the 100 best companies in the United States, putting it within the top 3 percent of all major U.S. corporations; and

WHEREAS, Ross Centanni is active in the Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association and the International Compressed Air and Allied Machinery Committee; he has served on the Board of Directors for the Great River Economic Development Foundation and Quincy University, among others, and he encouraged Quincy University in the development of its MBA Program; he currently serves as a director of Denman Services; and

WHEREAS, Ross Centanni was selected as a finalist in Ernst & Young's 1998 Entrepreneur of the Year Program, a measure of his acute business acumen; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Ross J. Centanni on the occasion of being inducted into the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce's Business Hall of Fame and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ross Centanni as a symbol of our esteem and respect.