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Meet
David |
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David B. Reis is a
farmer/businessman who lives in Jasper County on
their family farm near the village of Ste. Marie
where the Reis’ have farmed for over 140 years.
Reis learned firsthand about agriculture and the
struggles of small farmers as he watched his parents
dedicate their considerable energies to surviving
and growing their family farm. When his father died
suddenly in 1990, Reis left an executive recruiting
job in Chicago to return home to the family farm.
David has devoted most of his life to the well being
and advancement of Agriculture. In 1993, he
co-founded JC Co-op so that local small independent
farmers could maximize their buying and selling
power. He served as general manager of the co-op for
seven years.
From 1997 to 2004, Reis served on the Board of
Directors of the Illinois Pork Producers Association
and was selected by his piers to serve as a delegate
to the inaugural Illinois Ag Assembly in 2000.
David is committed to pushing for further
enhancements of value-added endeavors so that
farmers can capture more of the retail value of the
products they produce. He has testified before the
U.S. Congress’ Small Business Subcommittee and the
U.S. Senate’s Appropriations Committee for increased
funding for these types of value-added initiatives.
In addition, Reis served on the formation committee
of a group pursuing the establishment of the
nation’s first producer-owned pork processing
facility. This group eventually evolved into
Meadowbrook Farms with over 225 co-op members. The
$30 million facility, which is located just west of
Rantoul, began slaughtering hogs in January of 2004.
Reis attended Jasper County public schools, and then
went on to graduate from Lake Land Community College
and the University of Illinois College of
Agriculture with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture.
In 2001, Reis received the Outstanding Young Alumni
Award from the U. of I. College of Agriculture
Alumni Association in recognition of his
contributions to the college, his profession and his
community. In 2004 Reis received the Distinguished
Agricultural Alumnus Award from Lake Land College.
David was elected to his first term in the Illinois
House of Representatives in 2004 and is currently
serving on the following committees: Agriculture &
Conservation; Elementary & Secondary Education;
International Trade & Commerce; Judiciary II -
Criminal Law; Financial Institutions; Registration &
Regulation; Methamphetamine, Judiciary II Subco;
Committee of the Whole; Managing Sex Offender
Issues, Subco.
David’s wife, Maria Strelka Reis, is a Special
Education Teacher at Nuttall Middle School in
Robinson. They have two wonderful children,
Nicholas, 10, and Adriana, 7.
David is a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church in
Newton, the Jasper and Effingham County Chamber of
Commerce, Sons of the American Legion, Jasper County
Farm Bureau, Illinois State Rifle Association,
National Rifle Association, National Wild Turkey
Federation, National Federation of Independent
Businesses, and the Illinois Pork Producers
Association.
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Paid for and maintained by Citizens for David Reis
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