Bill Text: IL SR0335 | 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) 2023-11-09 - Resolution Adopted [SR0335 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-SR0335-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to | ||||||
3 | congratulate the Knapheide Manufacturing Company, a | ||||||
4 | family-owned and operated business located in Quincy, on the | ||||||
5 | occasion of its 175th anniversary; and
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6 | WHEREAS, In 1848, German immigrant Herman Heinrich | ||||||
7 | Knapheide moved to Quincy and opened a wagon-making shop; he | ||||||
8 | spent 42 years at the helm of the business, perfecting his wood | ||||||
9 | and iron-constructed wagons and selling them to farmers, | ||||||
10 | miners, and pioneers; and
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11 | WHEREAS, In 1890, his son, Henry E. Knapheide, assumed | ||||||
12 | responsibility for the business as president, incorporating | ||||||
13 | the company in 1893 and taking the company to new heights; he | ||||||
14 | invested in steam-powered saws, drill presses, and a planning | ||||||
15 | machine; he also erected a three-story factory that optimized | ||||||
16 | the production process, allowed greater control in-house, | ||||||
17 | standardized the wagons, and enabled workers to mass-produce | ||||||
18 | parts; by the 1900s, the company's product lineup expanded to | ||||||
19 | include freight wagons, merchandise "trucks", dump carts, log | ||||||
20 | wagons, and a widened variety of farm wagons and "trucks"; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Under third generation owner Harold W. Knapheide, | ||||||
22 | the company evolved with the times as gasoline-powered |
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1 | automobiles gained popularity and the need for wagons began to | ||||||
2 | decline steeply; the business installed its first wooden wagon | ||||||
3 | body on a Ford Model T chassis in 1910 and would continue to do | ||||||
4 | so through the 1920s; the company was further impacted by the | ||||||
5 | 1929 Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression, causing | ||||||
6 | sales to dip to $14,083.65 in 1932; to keep afloat, the | ||||||
7 | business accepted more repair work and sold equipment, | ||||||
8 | including straw spreaders, dump bodies, washing machines, and | ||||||
9 | parts; the company was renamed the Knapheide Manufacturing | ||||||
10 | Company in 1937; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Bud" Knapheide Jr. joined his father | ||||||
12 | in the business in 1938; as a self-taught engineer, he | ||||||
13 | expanded and modernized manufacturing operations; by the | ||||||
14 | mid-1940s, he had developed and produced all steel-frame truck | ||||||
15 | bodies, and his innovative product line was targeted to the | ||||||
16 | agricultural market through an expanded distribution network; | ||||||
17 | in 1954, he opened a facility in West Quincy, Missouri to | ||||||
18 | increase Knapheide's manufacturing and production capacity; by | ||||||
19 | 1960, nearly every farmer in the Midwest knew the Knapheide | ||||||
20 | name and the farming boom in the 1970s saw an even bigger | ||||||
21 | increase in demand for truck bodies; during this time, the | ||||||
22 | company was the largest producer of farm truck bodies in the | ||||||
23 | country; and
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24 | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Knap" Knapheide, the fifth generation |
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1 | owner, was tested early in his career; despite success through | ||||||
2 | the company's all-steel agricultural product line, including | ||||||
3 | grain bodies and livestock racks, the West Quincy facility was | ||||||
4 | flooded by the nearby Mississippi River in 1973, proving quite | ||||||
5 | costly; the business persisted through temporary facilities in | ||||||
6 | Quincy, until total production was restored some 90 days later | ||||||
7 | at the original location; Knap was made president in 1978, and | ||||||
8 | he was noted for pioneering both targeted and creative | ||||||
9 | marketing initiatives that led the company to great success; | ||||||
10 | he was further tested when the agriculture market crashed in | ||||||
11 | the 1980s, and then again when the West Quincy facility | ||||||
12 | flooded a second time in 1993; despite these setbacks, Knap | ||||||
13 | made a decision that had a profound impact on the company's | ||||||
14 | future, constructing a new 480,000 square feet, state of the | ||||||
15 | art truck manufacturing facility; since moving to the new | ||||||
16 | facility, the business has continued to improve their customer | ||||||
17 | service, manufacturing processes, design technology, team | ||||||
18 | building, distribution networks, and product lines; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Harold W. "Bo" Knapheide IV, the sixth generation | ||||||
20 | owner, took over Knapheide in 2018 with a focus on continued | ||||||
21 | growth, expansion, and new markets; that same year, the | ||||||
22 | company opened an additional manufacturing facility, dedicated | ||||||
23 | to aluminum body production, just south of the company's | ||||||
24 | headquarters; during his tenure, he has been instrumental in | ||||||
25 | diversifying product offerings, including the Industrial |
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1 | Products line, while also encouraging the importance of | ||||||
2 | customization; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Since 1848, Knapheide has provided customers with | ||||||
4 | high quality, work-ready transportation solutions through | ||||||
5 | determination, innovation, and family values, setting them | ||||||
6 | apart as the industry leader; today, the company is North | ||||||
7 | America's most popular manufacturer of work truck bodies and | ||||||
8 | truck beds, with more work trucks on the road today with | ||||||
9 | "Knapheide" stamped on them than any other manufacturer; | ||||||
10 | therefore, be it
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11 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
12 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the | ||||||
13 | Knapheide Manufacturing Company on the occasion of its 175th | ||||||
14 | anniversary, and we wish the company continued success in the | ||||||
15 | years to come; and be it further
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16 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
17 | presented to President and CEO Harold W. "Bo" Knapheide IV of | ||||||
18 | Knapheide Manufacturing Company as an expression of our esteem | ||||||
19 | and respect.
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