LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Richard W. Wakeman, LLC upon the occa-
sion of its designation as recipient of the 2016 Business of the Year
Award by the Unadilla Chamber of Commerce on April 17, 2016

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to take note of and
publicly recognize those businesses within the State of New York which
have positively influenced their communities; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Richard W. Wakeman, LLC upon the occasion of its designation as recipi-
ent of the 2016 Business of the Year Award by the Unadilla Chamber of
Commerce, to be celebrated at its Annual Dinner on Sunday, April 17,
2016, at the Unadilla First United Methodist Church, Unadilla, New York;
and
WHEREAS, Richard W. Wakeman, LLC, a local construction company, has
been serving the residents of Unadilla, New York, for over five decades;
and
WHEREAS, Richard W. Wakeman, affectionately known as Bud, grew up from
humble beginnings; after serving his country during World War II, Bud
began to work with his father, Rex Wakeman, a master carpenter; and
WHEREAS, Together, the men worked for the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Compa-
ny, traveling throughout the region to perform various tasks; during
this time, Bud W. Wakeman learned the carpentry trade and a stellar work
ethic from his hard-working father; and
WHEREAS, In the early 1950s, Bud W. Wakeman decided it was time to
stop traveling and settled down in the Sidney/Unadilla, New York, area;
he married his wife, Kay in 1954, and started a family, along with his
own business; and
WHEREAS, Slowly and surely the business grew and eventually flour-
ished; Bud W. Wakeman started working on small scale projects, and as he
became more successful, he completed full scale commercial projects at
the Sidney Lutheran Church, Sidney Catholic Church, the Sidney Baptist
Church, the Unadilla/Wells Bridge I-88 rest stops, and other local land-
marks throughout the Tri-Town area, as well as Norwich, Oneonta, and
Vestal, New York; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the years, Bud W. and Kay Wakeman's children grew
up and began to work in the family business; however, only the middle
three, Dave, Steve, and Robert "Jim" chose to follow in the footsteps of
their father; and
WHEREAS, Dave Wakeman chose the path of a carpenter just as his father
and his father before him; Steve Wakeman learned the masonry trade,
laying, setting, and pouring of stone; and Jim Wakeman, the youngest of
the trio, became a machine operator; and
WHEREAS, Upon seeing the interest his three middle sons possessed in
their chosen fields, Bud W. Wakeman decided to incorporate his business
in 1974, and it became known as Richard W. Wakeman, Inc.; the business
continued to grow with each passing year until 1980, when Bud suffered a
stroke; and
WHEREAS, As Bud W. Wakeman began the slow recovery process of having
to relearn how to do almost everything, Jim Wakeman was busy learning
the basics of the construction industry; after Bud's recovery, he began
working side by side with his son; as the stream of work became steady
once again, Dave and Steve Wakeman returned to work in the family busi-
ness; and
WHEREAS, In the mid-1980's Jim Wakeman became the sole owner of Rich-
ard W. Wakeman, Inc., with the rock solid foundation laid for him by his

father; under his leadership, the business grew and expanded, accepting
larger and larger projects with each passing year; and
WHEREAS, In 1994, Jim Wakeman formed Richard W. Wakeman, LLC which
became a licensed Butler Builder, a pre-fabricated metal building system
which only allows a franchise to companies that fill a long list of
requirements and criteria; their Butler Buildings, such as the Sidney
High School Bus garage, Trout Creek Fire Department, Guilford Highway
Garage, and a building at Egli's Machine Company are located throughout
the area; and
WHEREAS, In recent years, Richard W. Wakeman, LLC has completed
projects for ACCO Brands, Johnston Circle Springbrook Residences, Path-
finder Village Medical Clinic, SFCU Oneonta and the Oxford Veterans Home
Storage; and
WHEREAS, Recently, Jim Wakeman has begun to teach his son, Jesse and
his wife, Korinne, all of his vast knowledge relating to the field,
skills that could never be bought; today, Jesse and Korinne Wakeman help
operate the business with Jim; and
WHEREAS, Looking into the future, Richard W. Wakeman, LLC will contin-
ue advancing with competency and professionalism in the field of commer-
cial construction offering their skills in carpentry, masonry, exca-
vation, as well as numerous others to all who require them; and
WHEREAS, A third generation-owned business, Richard W. Wakeman, LLC
has always tried to give back by donating to numerous local charities
including Catskill Area Hospice, Toys for Tots, local Chamber of
Commerce activities, Operation Merry Christmas, local food banks, local
schools, Dollars for Scholars, and the Sidney Memorial Veterans Park
that is set to open Memorial Day weekend; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Richard W. Wakeman, LLC prefers to buy materials
from lumber yards in Sidney and Sidney Center, as well as a variety of
local stores in the surrounding area; they also hire local union workers
and local sub-contractors to complete areas of construction that they do
not specialize in; and
WHEREAS, The success of Richard W. Wakeman, LLC is in direct corre-
lation to the efforts of its staff, whose involvement is, and always has
been characterized by an impressive commitment, an unbridled enthusiasm
and an uncompromising standard of excellence in all endeavors on behalf
of the business and the community it serves; and
WHEREAS, It is with great pleasure that this Legislative Body acknowl-
edges Richard W. Wakeman, LLC's success, recognizes its contributions to
the local and State economies, and extends its highest commendation to
the business and its employees, fully confident that, in its future, it
.SO DOC A R1211 RESO TEXT 2015
will enjoy the same sparkling success which has so characterized its
past; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Richard W. Wakeman, LLC upon the occasion of its designation as
recipient of the 2016 Business of the Year Award by the Unadilla Chamber
of Commerce; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Jim and Doreen Wakeman and Jesse and Korinne Wakeman, co-Own-
ers, Richard W. Wakeman, LLC.