Robert Vickrey was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Readiness; he was educated at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, IL and Dana College in Blair, Nebraska.
PERU, IL, September 20, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Robert Vickrey with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Vickrey celebrates many years of experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Robert F. Vickrey served as Vice-President of Legislative Affairs and Economic Development for Miller Group Media in La Salle, Illinois, a position he held since 1985 and until his retirement in 2010. Since joining Miller Group Media in 1968, Mr. Vickrey held a variety of executive positions in both broadcast and print including Vice-President of La Salle County Broadcasting Corp., and Vice-President of sales and marketing for the Daily News-Tribune, Inc. Mr. Vickrey was a registered lobbyist in the state of Illinois, principal in the consulting firm of Oval Wacker Consulting and a partner in Vickrey-Shea, LLC a lobbying and consulting firm with offices in LaGrange and Springfield, Illinois. Mr. Vickrey also serves as Director of Economic Development for the City of Peru, IL. In 2011 he lead the city of Peru in the successful effort that resulted in a $42 Million expansion (Plant & Equipment) of a Japanese manufacturing plant that will be the largest producer of chrome on plastic in north America; starting with 102 employees in 2011 and today employs over 360. During those negotiations the city of Peru competed against five other states, including the Tennessee Valley Authority on electric rates. Currently Mr. Vickrey is involved with a $100M+ economic development pipeline in the city of Peru, Illinois.
In 2005 Mr. Vickrey was elected as Peru Township (IL) Clerk and was re-elected in 2009 being the only republican elected in Peru Township in 40 years. In 2010 he was elected to the La Salle County Board and was the only republican to be elected to the County Board to serve the Westclox addition to the City of Peru.
Mr. Vickrey has employed his federal and state legislative expertise on behalf of economic development funding in North Central Illinois. He has worked on many projects requiring rigorous planning and analytical skills serving in a variety of appointed and elected positions including Vice-President of Governmental Affairs for the Daytime Broadcasters' Association and President and Board Member of the Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce where he served for 25 years as Transportation Chairman, the longest serving chairmanship at IVAC. As Chairman of the IVAC Transportation Committee, Mr. Vickrey was largely responsible for organizing and directing the regional volunteer efforts that resulted in the inclusion of interstate 39 in former Governor James R. Thompson's Build Illinois Program. I-39 was the largest single project in the Build Illinois program at over $600 Million (1985 dollars) and was completed in 1992. He has also demonstrated a professional understanding of transportation systems having served on former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's Congressional Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from 1986-1990.
Mr. Vickrey has received several gubernatorial appointments. He was appointed as a member of the Illinois Gaming Board in 1992 and re-appointed in 1993, 1995 and 1998. He served as IGB Chairman in 1999 and 2000. During his eight years with the Illinois Gaming Board adjusted gross revenues from casino operations grew to $1.3 billion, tax revenues to the state and local municipalities nearly $420 million, industry employment to over 12,000 direct jobs and casino admissions to over 20 million per year. In 2001 Mr. Vickrey was appointed to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees where he served for nine years. He also held the position of Chairman of the University of Illinois Hospital at Chicago governing committee for seven years. Mr. Vickrey is a life member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association. He remains on the Advisory Board of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. In recent years the Prairie Research Institutes $15.8 million in core state funding leveraged nearly $65 million in other funding, about half of which came from federal sources (U.S. Department of Energy [DOE], U.S. Department of the Interior, National Science Foundation, etc.) He was elected to the board of directors of Tri County Financial Group in 1991 a holding company for First State Bank the largest locally owned bank in La Salle County, Illinois where he continues to serve today as the bank's Vice-Chairman as a Certified Bank Director earning the distinction from Southern Methodist University Graduate School of Banking. First State Bank has 19 Illinois locations with assets of over one billion dollars and owns one of the nation's largest mortgage companies and was listed in the top ten of community banks in 2012 and 2013.
Mr. Vickrey has originated and presented concepts involving economic development and their impact on the community, region, and state. He is a founder and serves as President of the Illinois Economic Development Council. Mr. Vickrey's special skills include the organization of large-scale transportation, economic development, and community development projects. To these endeavors, he brings a unique understanding of the role of media and public relations as well as the ability to serve local and regional citizen, industry and governmental groups.
Mr. Vickrey has been or is active in many professional and fraternal organizations including the International Council of Shopping Centers, Illinois Press Association, the Inland Daily Press Association, Elks, Rotary International and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He is the recipient of many creativity awards from industry trade groups, civic groups, and community service organizations. He was an interim professor at St. Bede Academy in 1974 and 1978. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Ottawa (IL) Building Trades Council in 1983 for his efforts in helping initiate the immediate construction of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial (I-39) bridge, the longest within the state of Illinois, located in La Salle County at a total cost of $47 million (1983 dollars).
Mr. Vickrey is married; he and his wife Barbara have one son, a physician. Mr. Vickrey is a former two term County Chairman of the La Salle County Republican Central Committee and served eight years as Deputy State Central Committeeman of the Illinois Republican Party for the 11th Congressional District. He served as the Chairman of the Peru Township Republican Organization for 10 terms. Mr. Vickrey is a veteran (disabled) of the US Army (1966-1968) and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Readiness; he was educated at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, IL and Dana College in Blair, Nebraska. He was selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who in the Midwest in 1984-1985, Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America in 1987-1988, and Who's Who in America in 2001.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Robert Vickrey has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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