Bobby Schilling (R-IL-17)i

Congressman Bobby Schilling

House links: Bobby Schilling (R-IL-17)i

Campaign links: Bobby Schilling (R-IL-17)i

Robert Todd “Bobby” Schilling

Bobby Schilling Congressional Candidate Illinois District 17

 

Biography of Bobby Schilling from House.gov

 

Congressman Bobby Schilling is a husband, father, and small business owner born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois. A lifelong Illinois resident, he and his wife Christie recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They are parents to 10 children and grandparents to two granddaughters.

Bobby and his family own and operate Saint Giuseppe’s Heavenly Pizzeria in Moline. His experience as a small business owner shapes his current understanding of government and its purpose.

Prior to opening the pizzeria, Bobby worked as a machine operator and was a member of the United Paper Workers Union, Local 191. He later worked for a number of years in the financial services industry.

With his business, Bobby has experienced first-hand how inefficient and ineffective government can be. He knows that when we villainize business owners and entrepreneurs, we hamper their ability to create jobs and grow our economy. He decided to get involved and try to make a difference.

Bobby was elected to serve as the Representative for the 17th Congressional District of Illinois on November 2, 2010. He serves the interests of his district on the House Armed Services Committee, the Agriculture Committee, and the Committee on Small Business.

The 17th Congressional District of Illinois encompasses 23 counties and stretches from the Quad Cities down along the Mississippi River all the way to Grafton. Heading south along the Mississippi, the district includes Dallas City, Quincy, and Hamburg, before bearing east through Carlinville, Springfield, and Decatur. The 17th District also includes towns such as Galesburg, Macomb, and Canton.

The district features the Rock Island Arsenal, the largest employer in the Quad Cities with approximately 8,600 workers. Further, its business supports more than 14,000 additional jobs in the surrounding area. The Rock Island Arsenal houses approximately 50 Department of Defense organizations, including the Joint Manufacturing Technology Center, and its dynamic workforce is unlike any other throughout the country.

The 17th District is also home to the world headquarters of large manufacturing employer John Deere, and according to the 2007 United States Department of Agriculture Ag Census is home to 15,364 farm operators and 10,528 farms, covering 3.8 million acres. The district ranks 37th out of 435 in the value of agriculture products sold, 14th in grain and oilseed production, and 20th in the number of hogs and pigs.

 

Biography of Bobby Schilling from Schilling for Congress

 

Robert “Bobby” Schilling was born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois.He has been married to Christie for 24 years and together they have 10 children: Terry, Aaron, Levi, Joe, Isabel, Rachel, Olivia, Sam, Sophia, and Anthony.

Bobby graduated from Alleman High School and attended Blackhawk College. Afterwards Bobby worked at Container Corporation of America. During his term there, 1983-1987, he served as a union steward in the local 191 United Paperworkers International Union. From 1987 until 1995, he went to work in the insurance and financial services industry for Prudential Insurance Company. While at Prudential, Bobby served as Treasurer for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Bobby also finished as number 315 out of over 13,000 agents during his last full year with the company.

Thirteen years ago, Bobby and Christie decided to go into business for themselves as Italian restaurant owners/operators. Saint Giuseppe’s Heavenly Pizza in Moline has proven to be a great success. Shortly after opening, Bobby and Christie decided to close their restaurant on Sundays, in order to give more time off for their employees and spend more time with the family. People warned them that this would doom their business to failure. With faith and persistence, the business has not only sustained itself, but has grown.

To his credit, Bobby is not just a restaurant owner. He has made smart investments and has also had success in real estate. Financial stability is something that Bobby and Christie cherish. All the ups and downs of running their own business and raising a large family have taught Bobby and Christie the importance of being fiscally responsible. They have learned through the years that spending the way out of a problem usually just made the hole deeper and the problem worse. Bobby believes that the government is spending way too much of our money and that it needs to slow down greatly.