Sunil Puri given state recognition for more than four decades of work, philanthropy in Rockford

State Rep. Maurice West presents Sunil Puri with a House resolution on Thursday, July 31, 2025, to recognize Puri for his 40-plus years of business and philanthropy in the Rockford area. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

ROCKFORD — State Rep. Maurice West presented a House resolution on Thursday to developer and philanthropist Sunil Puri for his decades of contributions to the city.

West handed Puri the honor at the offices for First Midwest Group, a real estate development company that Puri founded more than 40 years ago. The resolution celebrates Puri for his “exceptional leadership, vision and unwavering commitment that has created a lasting impact on the Rockford region and beyond.”

“We need to give people their flowers while they can still smell them,” West said. “I wanted to make sure that he knew the state of Illinois acknowledges his work.”

West is the latest recognize Puri as his company moves into its 41st year in business. On July 8, Machesney Park honored Puri with its Community Investment Award. On April 12, Mayor Tom McNamara presented Puri with a key to the city, Rockford’s highest civic honor. It was actually the second time Puri received a key, with the first coming from Mayor John McNamara, Tom’s late father who served as mayor from 1981-89.

Puri moved to Rockford from Bombay, India, in 1979 to attend what is now Rockford University. Five years later he founded First Rockford Group, which grew into one of the most significant development firms in northern Illinois.

“Beyond his business acumen, Sunil Puri has enriched the cultural and social fabric of Rockford through the creation of transformative spaces, such as the Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza and the Perryville Path, where residents can gather and reflect and celebrate the beauty and unity of their community,” the House resolution reads.

Sunil Puri talks with state Rep. Maurice West on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at the First Midwest Group offices in Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

West said he got to know Puri when they served together on the Rockford University presidential search committee after Robert Head retired in 2016. That search led to the hiring of Eric Fulcomer, who led the college for six-and-a-half years before moving on in 2022.

“At the end of the day Sunil Puri loves Rockford,” West said. “As soon as I won (as state representative) he made sure to tell me to stay focused on Rockford and Rockford only. … Your focus is your own community, and it’s been working well for me so far.”

Puri’s company has its fingerprints across the region, including developing significant stretches of Illinois 173 in Machesney Park and Loves Park Crossings at the southwest corner of Forest Hills Road and Riverside Boulevard. The company also operates BoxedUp Self-Storage, First Midwest Rentals, Siena on Brendenwood independent living community and Volcano Falls, to name a few of its other ventures.

Some of his philanthropic work has included support for the YMCA of Rock River Valley, PAWS Humane Society, the Family Peace Center, Rockford University, the effort to save and renovate the historic Coronado Theatre and obtaining the land for Sportscore Two, which is now one of the biggest tourist destinations in the region.

“Sunil Puri’s extraordinary legacy will endure, not simply in the projects he has completed but in the lives he has touched through his example of integrity, generosity, and selfless service to the greater good, inspiring future leaders to follow in his footsteps,” the resolution reads. “Sunil Puri is a beacon of hope, progress, and possibility whose contributions have made Rockford a stronger, more vibrant community and whose legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”

State Rep. Maurice West and First Midwest Group founder Sunil Puri pose for a photo Thursday, July 31, 2025, after West presented Puri with a House resolution. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Sunil Puri talks about being given a key to the city by both Mayor Tom McNamara and his father, Mayor John McNamara, while at the First Midwest Group offices on Thursday, July 31, 2025, with state Rep. Maurice West. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)