February 9, 2022

Remembering Our Friend,
Bob Ontiveros

 

Humanitarian. Visionary. Innovator.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of a true friend, advocate and supporter of the station and educational outreach efforts. Bob Ontiveros, founder of Group O, embraced the importance of educational television for all ages, our community outreach efforts for the entire region, and the lifelong learning opportunities they create.

The (Bob and Blenda) Ontiveros Family Fund provided the lead gift in our recently completed ASPIRE HIGHER capital campaign which funded the replaced our transmitter and antenna. That vital infrastructure update expands our reach, helping to ensure purposeful public broadcasting for the entire region. Bob and Blenda's legacy will live on for generations to come—helping us provide programming and services that educate, enlighten, and entertain—impacting countless lives throughout our region.

We are also deeply grateful to have Bob's granddaughter, Maria Ontiveros (Mercado on Fifth), who serves on our Community Advisory Board. Maria carries her family's spirit of community, social responsibility and helping others find pathways to success.

Maria said, "people gushed over him (Bob)—not because of his accomplishments but because of the way he made them feel. I just love how he kept in touch with everyone and made sure they are seen and heard."

She went on to add, "That's why he's my role model. That's why I want to be like him. I don't know where I'd be without him. He has influenced my life more than anyone else."

"He was the type of friend you looked forward to talking with. I could always hear the smile in his voice. Often he would end conversations by offering something affirming about the work we are doing," said Terry Wilson, WQPT PBS Development Director.

 

About Bob Ontiveros

Born August 17, 1938, Bob was the third of 11 children of John and Josephine Ontiveros, who raised their family in an 800-square-foot, two-bedroom house on the west end of Moline, Illinois, now known as the Floreciente neighborhood. From these humble beginnings, Bob grew to become one the nation's most successful Latino entrepreneurs and philanthropists.

Following his high school graduation, Bob worked his way through one year at the University of Cincinnati followed by one year at Moline Community College, now Black Hawk College. While at Moline Community College, he met Blenda Crummer of Freeport, Illinois. She was a nursing student at Moline Lutheran Hospital, now UnityPoint Health—Trinity. They got married in 1960, settled in Rock Island and had two boys, Christopher and Gregg.

In 1974, Bob and Blenda Ontiveros founded Bi-State Packaging selling packaging materials out of the back of their family station wagon. That small, family-run business grew into Group O—a multi-faceted business specializing in supply chain, packaging, and incentive marketing solutions, according to the company website With more than 1,000 employees, Group O is the 9th largest Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States.

In addition to numerous awards and honors, Bob was the founder of the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Moline. In an open letter to the Ontiveros family, the chamber said: "Bob was a strong community leader, a kindhearted person, and a visionary. He shaped and changed our community to what it is today; for his impact has forever changed the Quad Cities area and beyond. We are grateful to have been a part of his journey and we will continue to work towards his dream of a world where there is equality in business."

For Bob Ontiveros, nearly every action he took in life came back to one goal: creating value. "I've been searching for ways to create value for people my whole life," he said.

Bob never forgot his roots, especially the Floreciente neighborhood. He quietly supported almost all efforts, big and small, to enhance the lives of Mexican-Americans in the Quad Cities. After he retired as CEO of Group O and became chairman of the company in 1999, he developed the neighborhood's Community Health Care, Familia Dental and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley, whose Teen Center in Moline was renamed in 2019 to the Robert & Blenda Ontiveros Teen Center.

Bob was also a major supporter of Fourth Wall Films' efforts to produce documentaries about Hero Street U.S.A. in Silvis, Illinois. Hero Street is famous for having the most combat deaths of any single street in the U.S.—eight Mexican American soldiers born to refugees of the Mexican Revolution like Bob's grandparents.

Bob and Blenda created numerous endowed scholarship funds for Hispanic students. In 2012, they made a $100,000 gift to Augustana College for that purpose, and in 2020, they donated $1 million to their alma mater, Blackhawk College, the institution's largest gift of all time. They have also supported many other organizations throughout the Quad Cities, including the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) chapters in Davenport and Moline, Moline Schools, Niabi Zoo, Scott Community College, WQPT PBS and WVIK Quad Cities NPR.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Maria Elena, Lawrence, Rita and Steven. He is survived by his siblings, John (Laura), Frank (Lorna), Christine (Jeff) Reem, Joanne (Ray) Bender, Michael and Cindy (Dave) Newton; his sons, Christopher (Pamela) and Gregg; his grandchildren, Maria (Jack Cullen), Allie, Dana, Will, Josie and Kendall; and great grandchildren Emma, Stella and Anna Catherine.

Godspeed, Bob!