From the company boardroom to Capitol Hill, Karen Madonia, CFO, Illco Inc., Aurora, Ill., is no stranger to hard work. She began her career in the commercial banking department of American National Bank in Chicago, but always knew she was destined to join the family business, Illco Inc. Once she joined the company, Madonia made her way into the HVAC industry as she began to participate in Heating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI). Since then, Madonia has made quite an impact, testifying before a congressional subcommittee and participating in a full press conference organized by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Congressman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, regarding the repeal of the estate tax.
“I attended the Government and Trade Relations Committee meeting at my first HARDI conference and knew right away that I wanted to participate in a more meaningful way,” said Madonia. “I started co-chairing the committee in 2007, and continue to do that today. My focus is on overall business issues like tax reform, health care, and estate tax repeal.”
The estate tax repeal, also known as the death tax, has been a central focus for Madonia, as well as HARDI. According to her, it is fundamentally unfair to make death a taxable event.