The Public Works Committee of the Village of South Holland has recommended, and Village President Don A. De Graff has appointed, Jeff Hon as the new Director of the South Holland Public Works Department.

Prior to this appointment, Director Hon served five years in the capacity of Deputy Director of Public Works, during which time he contributed many innovative ideas to the department. Director Hon has worked in the Public Works Department for 29 years, and during his tenure he concurrently served the village as a "paid-on-call" firefighter. He possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in the many areas that public works entails. Director Hon was instrumental in securing the reconstruction and repairs of all the railroad crossings in the community. He is a dedicated and innovative department leader.

Frank Knittle, Director of Planning, Development & Code Enforcement and the predecessor and mentor to Director Hon, shared, "I am extremely proud of Jeff's achievements these past few years. I have witnessed his tremendous growth as he accepted and embraced new challenges and creatively identified resolutions."

Director Hon is a lifelong resident of South Holland with his wife, Cherie, and two children. He has been very active in many youth programs in the village, including South Holland Little League, and currently, he serves as varsity coach for a high school women's Lacrosse team.

The Public Works Committee also recommended, and Village President Don A. De Graff has appointed, George Gunkel as Deputy Director of the South Holland Public Works Department.

Deputy Director Gunkel has been a member of the Public Works staff for 26 years. He possesses a breadth of experience in the field of public works and he will serve well as a part of the department's leadership team.

"George's vast experience and good work ethic will be of tremendous value to the village," said Director Hon. "He is well respected by the Public Works team and I am confident that he will make significant contributions to the department."

Deputy Gunkel, who is married with two children, expressed his enthusiasm for his new role as Deputy, stating, "I am excited to work with Jeff as we develop our public works team. We have a great rapport and I respect his leadership style."

The management and leadership skills of these individuals, added to an already experienced department, will assure that the Public Works Department maintains the excellent public services that have characterized the department for years.

The formal appointments of Director Jeff Hon and Deputy Director George Gunkel took place at the Village Board meeting of September 21, 2009.