Bill Text: IL HR0945 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates Desmond A. Roberts on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as president of Advantage Dealer Group. Wishes him continued success in his professional endeavors.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-11-19 - Resolution Adopted [HR0945 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0945-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate Desmond A. Roberts on the | ||||||
| 4 | occasion of his 25th anniversary as president of Advantage | ||||||
| 5 | Dealer Group; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Desmond Roberts, a graduate of City University of | ||||||
| 7 | New York, is a highly respected automotive industry leader, | ||||||
| 8 | entrepreneur, and advocate for diversity with more than 30 | ||||||
| 9 | years of experience; he began his career in the banking and | ||||||
| 10 | finance industry before transitioning to the automotive | ||||||
| 11 | sector; he entered the General Motors Minority Dealer | ||||||
| 12 | Development Academy in 1986, which led to the purchase of his | ||||||
| 13 | first dealership in 1989; he later sold that dealership, | ||||||
| 14 | gaining invaluable experience under the mentorship of the late | ||||||
| 15 | Bob Ross, before acquiring and expanding his dealership | ||||||
| 16 | portfolio; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, Desmond Roberts, as president of Advantage Dealer | ||||||
| 18 | Group, oversees a portfolio of successful dealerships in the | ||||||
| 19 | Chicago area, including Advantage Chevrolet of Hodgkins, | ||||||
| 20 | Advantage Chevrolet of Bolingbrook, Advantage Chevrolet of | ||||||
| 21 | Bridgeview, Advantage Toyota of River Oaks, and Advantage | ||||||
| 22 | Acura of Naperville; since acquiring Advantage Chevrolet of | ||||||
| 23 | Hodgkins in 1999, he has built a reputation for excellence in | ||||||
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| 1 | customer service, business growth, and community involvement, | ||||||
| 2 | with his commitment to ethics in business practices earning | ||||||
| 3 | Advantage Chevrolet of Bolingbrook the Torch Award for | ||||||
| 4 | Marketplace Ethics from the Better Business Bureau in 2015; | ||||||
| 5 | and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Desmond Roberts, as an advocate for minority | ||||||
| 7 | representation in the automotive industry, has dedicated much | ||||||
| 8 | of his career to breaking down barriers for ethnic minority | ||||||
| 9 | dealers through serving on several influential boards, | ||||||
| 10 | including the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), | ||||||
| 11 | where he was a member of its board of directors and represented | ||||||
| 12 | dealers in Region III; he also held such leadership roles as | ||||||
| 13 | past president of the General Motors Minority Dealers | ||||||
| 14 | Association (GMMDA) and past chairman of the National | ||||||
| 15 | Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD), advocating | ||||||
| 16 | for a more inclusive and equitable industry; he was also the | ||||||
| 17 | first minority member appointed to the Chicago Auto Trade | ||||||
| 18 | Association (CATA), the nation's oldest and largest dealer | ||||||
| 19 | organization; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Desmond Roberts is deeply committed to community | ||||||
| 21 | service and believes in the importance of giving back; his | ||||||
| 22 | dealerships have supported numerous local causes, including | ||||||
| 23 | Fill the Van, a Christmas drive providing food and gifts to | ||||||
| 24 | those in need; he also champions educational initiatives and | ||||||
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| 1 | youth development through his role as chief financial officer | ||||||
| 2 | of the Make A Difference Youth Foundation, an organization | ||||||
| 3 | dedicated to helping students prepare for higher education and | ||||||
| 4 | successful careers; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Desmond Roberts' leadership, business acumen, and | ||||||
| 6 | contributions to both the automotive industry and his | ||||||
| 7 | community have earned him numerous accolades, including being | ||||||
| 8 | recognized as one of the nation's top dealers, earning the | ||||||
| 9 | Chevrolet Genuine Leadership Award, being named to Crain | ||||||
| 10 | Communications' list of Chicago's largest minority-owned | ||||||
| 11 | firms, receiving the Business Man of the Year award from the | ||||||
| 12 | Village of Bolingbrook in 2009, and being a multiple recipient | ||||||
| 13 | of the prestigious General Motors Dealer of the Year/Jack | ||||||
| 14 | Smith Leadership Award, which recognizes top-tier dealers for | ||||||
| 15 | leadership and performance; he has also been featured in a | ||||||
| 16 | number of prominent publications, including Automotive News | ||||||
| 17 | and Ebony magazine; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Desmond Roberts continues to steer his | ||||||
| 19 | dealerships toward success while advocating for greater | ||||||
| 20 | diversity in the automotive sector, a cause he champions | ||||||
| 21 | through his active participation in national industry | ||||||
| 22 | discussions and initiatives; his legacy as a trailblazer for | ||||||
| 23 | minority dealers and his deep commitment to his community make | ||||||
| 24 | him a respected leader and role model in the industry; | ||||||
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| 1 | therefore, be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 3 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 4 | we congratulate Desmond A. Roberts on his 25th anniversary as | ||||||
| 5 | president of Advantage Dealer Group, and we wish him continued | ||||||
| 6 | success in his professional endeavors; and be it further
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