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Republic Cos., Davenport, IA, an independent, third-generation, family-owned electrical, mechanical and energy management distributor, celebrated a major milestone this past year, marking a century in business with a grand celebration at the iWireless Center in Moline, IL, in September.
Republic’s founder Joseph Stephen Kimmel, Sr., began as a dealer for Delco Light and was a pioneer in rural electrification. “It was a serious challenge in the early 20th century, battling muddy roads in eastern Iowa and western Illinois,” says the company’s website. “He demonstrated from a Model-T Ford pickup equipped with an operating 850W Delco generator and a set of batteries. His dealer organization sold 12,500 installations on eastern Iowa and western Illinois farms.” The firm expanded into refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment and continued to grow. Now Republic serves the Quad Cities with branches as well in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, IA, and Peoria, IL.
To mark its first century, Republic gathered 650 customers, vendors, employees, and community leaders for a party in a transformed hockey and concert arena. Guests entered on a red carpet and to sit at candle-lit tables under huge crystal chandeliers amid glowing cocktail tables and truss lighting bedecked with the company’s signature red accent color. Dueling pianos provided live music throughout the evening as guests enjoyed an impressive selection of hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and dinner choices. Short presentations showcased the company’s history with dramatic videos and memorable stories of the past. A capstone of the evening was the presentation of a $40,608 check to the Handicapped Development Center (HDC) to create the J.S. Kimmel Technology Training Center. Republic capitalized on their 100th anniversary to encourage the community at large to contribute to the creation of this much-needed resource for the HDC, a local Davenport organization that Republic’s founder, J.S. Kimmel Sr. helped to create.
Republic president Mark Kilmer recognized the importance of the milestone and said, “We are truly humbled by the great response and the wonderful support from our customers and our vendor partners. It will certainly be a night to remember in our company’s proud history.”
Square D by Schneider Electric, JCI (representing both the York and Luxaire brands), and 24 other vendor-partners participated at various levels in support of this once-a-century celebration.