MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) - The Moline–Coal Valley School District will name the combined Lincoln–Irving and Willard schools to honor one of the Quad Cities’ most influential business and community leaders.

The board voted to name the new school, the Robert Ontiveros Elementary School Monday night.

The district says the change recognizes Ontiveros’ decades of support for families in the Floreciente neighborhood, where he grew up just blocks from the school.

His son, Chris Ontiveros, said the renaming carries deep meaning for the family. “To have my father’s name on there for generations to come, means more than we could ever imagine,” he said.

Robert “Bob” Ontiveros founded Group O in 1974 and grew it into one of the largest Hispanic-owned companies in the United States, employing more tha

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