Bill Text: IL HR0391 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates the Knapheide Manufacturing Company on the occasion of its 175th anniversary. Wishes the company continued success in the years to come.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-10-24 - Resolution Adopted [HR0391 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0391-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to congratulate the Knapheide | ||||||
4 | Manufacturing Company, a family-owned and operated business | ||||||
5 | located in Quincy, on the occasion of its 175th anniversary; | ||||||
6 | and
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7 | WHEREAS, In 1848, German immigrant Herman Heinrich | ||||||
8 | Knapheide moved to Quincy and opened a wagon-making shop; he | ||||||
9 | spent 42 years at the helm of the business, perfecting his wood | ||||||
10 | and iron-constructed wagons and selling them to farmers, | ||||||
11 | miners, and pioneers; and
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12 | WHEREAS, In 1890, his son, Henry E. Knapheide, assumed | ||||||
13 | responsibility for the business as president, incorporating | ||||||
14 | the company in 1893 and taking the company to new heights; he | ||||||
15 | invested in steam-powered saws, drill presses, and a planning | ||||||
16 | machine; he also erected a three-story factory that optimized | ||||||
17 | the production process, allowed greater control in-house, | ||||||
18 | standardized the wagons, and enabled workers to mass-produce | ||||||
19 | parts; by the 1900s, the company's product lineup expanded to | ||||||
20 | include freight wagons, merchandise "trucks", dump carts, log | ||||||
21 | wagons, and a widened variety of farm wagons and "trucks"; and
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22 | WHEREAS, Under third generation owner Harold W. Knapheide, |
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1 | the company evolved with the times as gasoline-powered | ||||||
2 | automobiles gained popularity and the need for wagons began to | ||||||
3 | decline steeply; the business installed its first wooden wagon | ||||||
4 | body on a Ford Model T chassis in 1910 and would continue to do | ||||||
5 | so through the 1920s; the company was further impacted by the | ||||||
6 | 1929 Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression, causing | ||||||
7 | sales to dip to $14,083.65 in 1932; to keep afloat, the | ||||||
8 | business accepted more repair work and sold equipment, | ||||||
9 | including straw spreaders, dump bodies, washing machines, and | ||||||
10 | parts; the company was renamed the Knapheide Manufacturing | ||||||
11 | Company in 1937; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Bud" Knapheide Jr. joined his father | ||||||
13 | in the business in 1938; as a self-taught engineer, he | ||||||
14 | expanded and modernized manufacturing operations; by the | ||||||
15 | mid-1940s, he had developed and produced all steel-frame truck | ||||||
16 | bodies, and his innovative product line was targeted to the | ||||||
17 | agricultural market through an expanded distribution network; | ||||||
18 | in 1954, he opened a facility in West Quincy, Missouri to | ||||||
19 | increase Knapheide's manufacturing and production capacity; by | ||||||
20 | 1960, nearly every farmer in the Midwest knew the Knapheide | ||||||
21 | name and the farming boom in the 1970s saw an even bigger | ||||||
22 | increase in demand for truck bodies; during this time, the | ||||||
23 | company was the largest producer of farm truck bodies in the | ||||||
24 | country; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Knap" Knapheide, the fifth generation | ||||||
2 | owner, was tested early in his career; despite success through | ||||||
3 | the company's all-steel agricultural product line, including | ||||||
4 | grain bodies and livestock racks, the West Quincy facility was | ||||||
5 | flooded by the nearby Mississippi River in 1973, proving quite | ||||||
6 | costly; the business persisted through temporary facilities in | ||||||
7 | Quincy, until total production was restored some 90 days later | ||||||
8 | at the original location; Knap was made president in 1978, and | ||||||
9 | he was noted for pioneering both targeted and creative | ||||||
10 | marketing initiatives that led the company to great success; | ||||||
11 | he was further tested when the agriculture market crashed in | ||||||
12 | the 1980s, and then again when the West Quincy facility | ||||||
13 | flooded a second time in 1993; despite these setbacks, Knap | ||||||
14 | made a decision that had a profound impact on the company's | ||||||
15 | future, constructing a new 480,000 square feet, state of the | ||||||
16 | art truck manufacturing facility; since moving to the new | ||||||
17 | facility, the business has continued to improve their customer | ||||||
18 | service, manufacturing processes, design technology, team | ||||||
19 | building, distribution networks, and product lines; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Bo" Knapheide IV, the sixth generation | ||||||
21 | owner, took over Knapheide in 2018 with a focus on continued | ||||||
22 | growth, expansion, and new markets; that same year, the | ||||||
23 | company opened an additional manufacturing facility, dedicated | ||||||
24 | to aluminum body production, just south of the company's | ||||||
25 | headquarters; during his tenure, he has been instrumental in |
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1 | diversifying product offerings, including the Industrial | ||||||
2 | Products line, while also encouraging the importance of | ||||||
3 | customization; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Since 1848, Knapheide has provided customers with | ||||||
5 | high quality, work-ready transportation solutions through | ||||||
6 | determination, innovation, and family values, setting them | ||||||
7 | apart as the industry leader; today, the company is North | ||||||
8 | America's most popular manufacturer of work truck bodies and | ||||||
9 | truck beds, with more work trucks on the road today with | ||||||
10 | "Knapheide" stamped on them than any other manufacturer; | ||||||
11 | therefore, be it
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12 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
13 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
14 | we congratulate the Knapheide Manufacturing Company on the | ||||||
15 | occasion of its 175th anniversary, and we wish the company | ||||||
16 | continued success in the years to come; and be it further
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17 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
18 | presented to the President and CEO Harold W. "Bo" Knapheide IV | ||||||
19 | of Knapheide Manufacturing Company as an expression of our | ||||||
20 | esteem and respect.
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