RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, At the age of 17, Robert A. Mariano began working as a part-time deli clerk at Dominick's Finer Foods; and
WHEREAS, In 1971, Mr. Mariano became a sales representative for Oscar Mayer & Company. In the ensuing decades, through hard work and exceptional acumen, in 1995 he became the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dominick's Finer Foods. During his tenure, Mr. Mariano took Dominick's public and grew it into a top-performing regional supermarket chain with 115 stores; and
WHEREAS, In 2002, Mr. Mariano became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Roundy's, Inc., a Midwest grocery retailer with over $4 billion in annual sales and 150 stores in Wisconsin and Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mariano continued the growth of Roundy's by introducing Mariano's Fresh Market in 2010; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mariano based the Mariano's brand on his four decades of experience in the grocery industry, and it offers its customers a unique food shopping experience; and
WHEREAS, The Mariano's brand has grown to 38 stores throughout the Chicago area, including stores in the Edgewater, Jefferson Park, Lakeshore East, Ravenswood, Roscoe Village, South Loop, Ukrainian Village, West Loop, Bucktown, New City, and Lakeview neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mariano's commitment to giving back to the community led to the establishment of the Roundy's Foundation, which has given more than $10 million to address hunger relief and families in crisis due to domestic abuse; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mariano is the recipient of many awards, including the 2008 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, the 2014 inaugural IBEW Chicagoland Businessperson of the Year Award, the 2015 Simon Wiesenthal Center Midwest Region Community Leadership Award, and the 2016 Equality Illinois Business Leadership Award; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mariano serves on several boards, including the Food Marketing Institute, Rush University Medical Center Board of Directors, the University of Chicago - Booth School of Business Advisory Council and the Economic Club of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Mariano will soon be retiring to enjoy the hard-earned fruits of his labor with his beloved wife Nina; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the Members of the City Council, assembled this fourteenth day of September, 2016, do hereby express our sincere congratulations to Robert A. Mariano on his upcoming retirement and commend him for his service to the community, and offer him our warmest and best wishes for his future endeavors; and ,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Robert A. Mariano as a token of our appreciation and esteem.