Business Journal: November 2012

BUSINESSO F M I D C E N T R A L I L L I N O I S

JOURNALwww.thebusiness-jjournal.com

NOVEMBER 2012

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Monday, Nov. 5Decatur Noon Lions Club, Main Place Bar &

Grill (formerly Jimmy Ryan’s), 101 S. MainSt.

Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club, 158W. Prairie Ave.

Mount Zion Village Board, 5:15 p.m., VillageHall, 1400 Mount Zion Parkway.

Decatur City Council, 5:30 p.m., councilchambers, Decatur Civic Center.

Women’s Progressive Club, 6 p.m., GreaterNorthside Baptist Church.

Forsyth Village Board, 6:30 p.m., VillageHall, 301 South U.S. 51.

Tuesday, Nov. 6Forsyth Rotary, 7 a.m., Homewood Suites by

Hilton, 333 W. Marion Ave., Forsyth.BNI First Class Professionals, 7:45 a.m.,

Crestview Christian Church, 4415 N. WaterSt.

Kiwanianne Club of Decatur, 9:30 a.m., Scov-ill Banquet Facility.

Prairieland Kiwanis, 9:30 a.m., Decatur CivicCenter

Decatur AMBUCS, noon, Decatur Club.Noon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club.Blue Mound Rotary, 6:30 p.m., Pleasantview

Township shed.

Wednesday, Nov. 7Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce

Breakfast-Annual Meeting, 7 a.m., DecaturClub.

Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club, 9:30 a.m.,Scovill Banquet Facility.

Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill BanquetFacility.

Thursday, Nov. 8Earlybird Kiwanis, 6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet

Facility.

GFWC Decatur Woman’s Club, 11:30 a.m.,

Scovill Banquet Facility. Reservations

required. Call 877-7008.

Mature Resource Network, 11:30 a.m.,

Decatur Club.

Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon,

Decatur Club.

Thursday Noon Toastmasters, Knights of

Columbus Hall, 520 E. North St.

Decatur Area Women’s Network (DAWN), 5:30

p.m., location varies.

Lincolnland AMBUCS, 6:30 p.m., Easter

Seals’ Building, 2715 N. 27th St.

Friday, Nov. 9Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill

Banquet Facility.

Monday, Nov. 12Decatur Noon Lions Club, Main Place Bar &

Grill (formerly Jimmy Ryan’s).Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.


Hilton.

BNI First Class Professionals, 7:45 a.m.,

Crestview Christian Church.

Kiwanianne Club of Decatur, 9:30 a.m., Scov-

ill Banquet Facility.

Prairieland Kiwanis, 9:30 a.m., Decatur Civic

Center.

Decatur Building Construction Trades Council,10 a.m., IBEW Local 146 Hall, 3390 N. Wood-

ford St.

Decatur Area Society for Human Resource Man-agement, 11 a.m., Doherty’s Pub and Pins,

242 E. William St.

Central Illinois Ad Club, 11:30 a.m., Decatur

Club.

Decatur AMBUCS, noon, Decatur Club.

Noon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.

Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club.

Blue Mound Rotary, 6:30 p.m., Pleasantview

Township shed.

Wednesday, Nov. 14Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club, 9:30 a.m.,

Scovill Banquet Facility.Mount Zion Chamber of Commerce Luncheon,

11:30 a.m., Main Hangar restaurant. Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill Banquet

Facility.Decatur Real Estate Investors Association,

6:30 p.m., Perkins Family Restaurant, 2999N. Monroe St.


Facility.Decatur Area Women’s Connection, 11:30

a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon,

Decatur Club.Thursday Noon Toastmasters, Knights of

Columbus Hall, 520 E. North St.Decatur AMBUCS, 6 p.m., Decatur Club.


Banquet Facility.Noon Women’s Network, 11:45 a.m., Decatur

Club.

Monday, Nov. 19Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.Decatur City Council, 5:30 p.m., council

chambers, Decatur Civic Center. Forsyth Village Board, 6:30 p.m., Village

Hall.


Hilton.BNI First Class Professionals, 7:45 a.m.,

Crestview Christian Church.Kiwanianne Club of Decatur, 9:30 a.m., Scov-

ill Banquet Facility.


Scovill Banquet Facility.Christian Women’s Network, noon, Decatur

Club. Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill Banquet

Facility.

Monday, Nov 26Decatur Noon Lions Club, Main Place Bar &

Grill (formerly Jimmy Ryan’s).Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.




ill Banquet Facility.Decatur Building Construction Trades Council,

10 a.m., IBEW Local 146 Hall.Decatur AMBUCS, noon, Decatur Club.Noon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club.Blue Mound Rotary, 6:30 p.m., Pleasantview

Township shed.


Scovill Banquet Facility.Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill Banquet

Facility.


Facility.Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon,

Decatur Club.Thursday Noon Toastmasters, Knights of

Columbus Hall, 520 E. North St.


Banquet Facility.

Monday, Dec. 3Decatur Noon Lions Club, Main Place Bar &

Grill (formerly Jimmy Ryan’s).Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.Mount Zion Village Board, 5:15 p.m., Village

Hall. Decatur City Council, 5:30 p.m., council

chambers.Women’s Progressive Club, 6 p.m., Greater

Northside Baptist Church.Forsyth Village Board, 6:30 p.m., Village

Hall.

Tuesday, Dec. 4Forsyth Rotary, 7 a.m., Homewood Suites by



ill Banquet Facility. Prairieland Kiwanis, 9:30 a.m., Decatur Civic

Center.Decatur AMBUCS, noon, Decatur Club.Noon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club.Blue Mound Rotary, 6:30 p.m., Pleasantview

Township shed.

Wednesday, Dec. 5Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce Break-

fast, 7 a.m., Decatur Club. This year’sDecatur Leadership Institute participantsare scheduled to present their class proj-ects.

Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club, 9:30 a.m.,Scovill Banquet Facility.

Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill BanquetFacility.

Thursday, Dec. 6Earlybird Kiwanis, 6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet

Facility.American Business Women’s Association

(Amacita), 11:30 a.m., location varies.Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon,

Decatur Club.Human Service Agency Consortium (HSAC),

noon, Central Christian Church, 650 W.William St.

Thursday Noon Toastmasters, Knights ofColumbus Hall, 520 E. North St.

Metro Decatur Home Builder’s Association, 6p.m., Beach House, 2301 E. Lake Shore Dr.

Lincolnland AMBUCS, 6:30 p.m., EasterSeals’ Building.

Friday, Dec 7Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill Banquet

Facility.Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce Christmas

Party, 6:30 p.m., Main Street Church TeaRoom, 2000 N. Main St. Come celebrate theholidays with the Black Chamber. Reserva-tions required by calling 330-6355.

To submit items for Your Calendar, contact ScottPerry at 421-7976, at [email protected],or click the “Submit an Event” link at www.thebusiness-journal.com

22 BBUUSSIINNEESSSS JJOOUURRNNAALL NNoovveemmbbeerr 22001122 www.thebusiness-journal.com

YOUR CALENDAR

Crossword answersRobbies Word of the Day Cross-

word answers for November. Findthis month’s crossword on page X.

Down1. Vogue 2. Exigent 3. Arbiter 4. Ergogenic 6. Tenacious 9. Irrefragable

Across5. Mitigate 7. Pianistic 8. Pickwickian 10. Heterodox 11. Hirsute 12. Sockdolager 13. Syllabub 14. Grimalkin

601 E. William St. Decatur, IL 62523217.421.7976217.421.7965 (fax)

VOLUME 18 ISSUE 11

PUBLISHER:Todd Nelson

EDITOR:Scott Perry

ADVERTISING:Cayla Hittmeier

LAYOUT & DESIGN:Jane Ruppert

STORY IDEAS:Email [email protected] or call 217.421.7976.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:To order additional copies call217.421.6920

ADVERTISING:The deadline for ad and ad copy for the December issue is Nov. 15. Call217.421.6920 for rate information.

The Business Journal of MidCentral Illinois is printed monthly and is a publication of Lee Enterprises Inc.

Information published is the responsibil-ity of the author and does not reflect theopinions of The Business Journal of Mid-Central Illinois. To submit articles, mailtypewritten and 500 words or less to:The Business Journal, 601 E. William St.,Decatur, IL 62523. Articles will not bereturned. Any editorial content or adver-tising published is the property of LeeEnterprises Inc., DBA The Business Jour-nal of MidCentral Illinois.

Copyright 2012Herald & ReviewAll rights reserved for entire content.

NNoovveemmbbeerr 22001122 BBUUSSIINNEESSSS JJOOUURRNNAALL 33www.thebusiness-journal.com

BUSINESSJOURNAL

OF MIDCENTRAL ILLINOIS

November2012Contents

Looking to the futureCousins Kelly Evans and T.C. Evans carry on

the family business in packaging and distributing.

R.V. Evans Co. is constantly searching for new

ways and solutions in shipping.

Page 7

19UNIQUEFUNDRAISERSOrganizers look for

secret to drawing

a hefty crowd

28TECH TALKOnline marketing

can give your

business an

advantage

Biz Bites . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Business Clips . . . . . . 10

Crossword . . . . . . . . . . 8

Fred Spannaus . . . . . . 9

Free Time calendar . . 26

Health calendar . . . . 24

Health quiz . . . . . . . . 24

Liz Reyer . . . . . . . . . . 13

Office Coach . . . . . . . 12

Professional profile . . 18

SCORE counselor . . . 10

Wendy Gauntt . . . . . . 28

StandingFeatures

FROM THE EDITOR

Scott Perry, editor

Business Journal of Midcentral Illinois

Light bulbs. At first glance, you would think the idea of having

high school students sell them as a class fundraiser would be a bright

idea. After all, who doesn’t need light bulbs?

But for good ideas to work, you need and energized group of sales-

men. We weren’t.

And even if we were, it didn’t help that nearly a quarter of my class

lived in the same two neighborhoods. There are only so many light

bulbs your family and neighbors will buy. The same can be said for

number of magazines, rolls of wrapping paper, candles, and the list

goes on and on.

Fundraisers, especially those involving schools, are always a chal-

lenge. They usually end with me on the hook for a bunch of stuff I

don’t need so I can feel like I supported my kids and those of my fami-

ly members.

This begs the question. Is it really a fundraiser if the people who are

selling, preparing and auctioning the stuff are the same ones buying,

eating and donating the stuff?

Coalition aims to tackle

litter problem, spruce

up landscapingBy CHRIS LUSVARDIBusiness Journal Writer

DECATUR — More businesses acrossDecatur are signing a pledge to becomepart of a newly launched “no-litter zone”effort.

The Beautify Decatur Coalition held itsofficial kickoff for the initiative lastmonth. But picking up litter is somethingthe group’s business beautification task-force co-chairwoman Jill Davis saidmany businesses already had been doing.

“We want to reward them and let thepublic know what they’re doing,” Davis

said. “By taking the pledge, they can cre-ate and maintain a plan to pick up litter.We want them to meet with their employ-ees to make it part of their job.”

Businesses including Wal-Mart andKroger already have signed up to takepart, Davis said. The group has focusedon starting with businesses in downtownDecatur with plans to fan out acrossother parts of the city, Davis said.

Once businesses sign up, they canreceive a window cling to display, Davissaid. Taking part is free of charge, andnearly 40 businesses are already signed up.

“It’s nice to see people gettinginvolved,” taskforce co-chairwoman DaniCraft said. “Hopefully, that will spread.”

As an added incentive to take part,several landscaping companies are offer-ing discounts for work to be done to fur-ther spruce up outside areas around par-

ticipating businesses.“Hopefully, all this works together,”

said Kevin McSherry of From theGround Up Landscapes, which does land-scaping design and installation in addi-tion to lawn care and maintenance.

McSherry hopes the landscaping workcan get done starting in the spring. Morework can be done if the city’s waterrestrictions can be lifted by that time,McSherry said.

Jerry Johnson, executive director ofthe Decatur Area Arts Council, took thepledge. Picking up litter is something hehas already been doing on his way toand from work.

“It’s something everybody should do,”Johnson said. “Stuff will blow down thestreet, so I pick it up and throw it in thegarbage.”

Johnson particularly can’t stand to see

plastic bottles and plastic grocery bagson the ground. Cigarette butts also are acommon piece of litter, Davis said.

Taskforce member Kay Nims is hopingbusinesses will help raise awarenessabout the issue.

“We have to change the mindset,” Nimssaid. “We haven’t hit the whole city yet.”

Cleanup around businesses is just oneof the areas the coalition is focusing onas it also is working with neighborhoodsand schools, Davis said. It has been lead-ing 12-minute makeovers in various partsof the city.

Other coalition-led efforts have includ-ed picking up trash along EldoradoStreet prior to the Bassmaster fishingtournament in September, Davis said.

For more information about how to getinvolved, contact Davis at [email protected].


Business Journal/Jim BowlingCo-owner George Streckfuss shows improvements recently made to the back entrance of The Brass Horn men’s clothing store in downtown Decatur to Jill Davis, Beautify Decatur Coali-tion task force co-chairwoman. Davis toured downtown while delivering a sticker for the business to post signifying their participation in the coalition’s No Litter Zone program.

Area businesses take pledge to beautify Decatur

YOUR COMMUNITY

Now openDr. Sukhwinder Multani, a family

practitioner, has opened Universal Walk-InUrgent Care at 3767 U.S. 36 East inDecatur. Office visits cost $30, not includ-ing injections, tests, etc.

“Our purpose is to provide the cheapestand best health care for acute nonemer-gent medical problems,” Multani said.

The center opens at 11 a.m. daily, clos-ing at 7 p.m. Monday through Wednes-day and Friday, 4 p.m. Thursday, 5 p.m.Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Call 330-6153.

n n nFamilia Dental, a “child-centric” family

dental clinic designed to serve the under-served, has opened in the former homeof Blockbuster Video at 141 E. PershingRoad.

An indoor play area is a key feature,and the Schaumburg-based companyaccepts Medicaid and offers discounts tothe uninsured.

“The play area literally looks like a lit-tle Chuck E. Cheese,” said MarketingManager Erin Brinkman Dynek. “We ini-tially have three dentists on staff andwill be adding orthodontic service inNovember.”

Familia Dental has seven locations inIllinois, eight in Texas and four in NewMexico.

Its new Decatur clinic opens 9 a.m.Monday through Saturday, closing at 7p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 4 p.m.Saturday. It is closed Sunday.

Walk-ins are welcome. For an appoint-ment, call 877-6559 or 1-888-988-4066.

Coming soonHickory Point Mall has been without a

bookstore since Waldenbooks moved outin September 2011, but that’s about tochange with plans by Book World to fill thevacancy by mid-November.

Based in Appleton, Wis., the independ-ent chain intends to fill the 7,762 square-foot-space with books, newspapers, mag-azines, puzzles, trading cards, plush toysand more.

The new location brings Book Worldup to about 50 stores in Minnesota,Michigan and Iowa, in addition to Wis-consin and Illinois.

Aaron Gullickson, vice president ofretail development and maintenance,said the company is trying to establish astronger presence in Northern Illinois.

“The Decatur area is our southern-most store,” Gullickson said. “We havemore magazines and materials for kidsthan other bookstores, and customerservice is our top priority.”

On the moveG&H Marine Inc. is busy launching itself

into a new headquarters in Decatur.

Founded 20 years ago by the lateSteve Garner, the company that buildsboat docks, boat lifts and shore walls issailing out of the Business Center ofDecatur business incubator, where it’sbeen safely docked for the last 14years.

Its new $250,000 home isn’t moored toofar away, however, and the 2540 S. Imbo-den Court address overlooks busy U.S.51. It houses manufacturing and a newoffice for the company, which employs 15workers.

“The Business Center of Decatur hasbeen a great fit for us but it wasalways Steve’s plan to have our ownbuilding, and we’re putting that planinto motion this year,” said thefounder’s son, Jeremy Garner. He iscompany vice president and his moth-er, Valerie Garner, is the owner of G&HMarine.

n n nLogan’s Custom Interiors, an upholstery

service, has moved to 3849 Cundiff Roadin Decatur.

The move from Oreana was promptedby the need for additional space toaccommodate the large items beingserviced and storing them in a safe envi-ronment. The business, which has beenaround for 25 years, does upholsterywork on vehicles, boats, motorhomes,furniture and more.

The business, owned by Jeff Logan,also has a new phone number. It is 875-7506.

GrowingAfter experiencing success and fast

expansion at its Oakland Avenue loca-tion, Decatur restaurant Donnie’s HomespunPizza has expanded to a second locationat 107 W. Cook in Springfield. The newDonnie’s, which opened in late Septem-ber, is significantly larger than theDecatur location and will feature a simi-lar menu that also includes some newitems to take advantage of a largerkitchen.

Also expanded will be the SpringfieldDonnie’s role as a music venue. With alarger stage and more seating room, theDonnie’s in Springfield will featurenational touring acts such as The Wail-ers or Reverend Horton Heat thismonth.

n n nWorld of Powersports has expanded its

footprint in Central Illinois.The Decatur-based seller of new and

used motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles,personal watercraft, parts and more,recently purchased Grayboy MotorSports in Peoria Heights.

The 45-year-old business had beenset to close at the end of Septemberuntil Matt and Mark Jackson steppedin.

“We were definitely looking to expandwhen we heard that this store was clos-ing down,” Matt Jackson said.

“I would say we are definitely inter-ested in other opportunities in the nearor the distant future. We see this as a

great opportunity to expand in the pow-ersports industry,” he said. “We think therecession and the slowdown is behind us,we hope. Time to throttle down and get itgoing again.”

Lunch timeDowntown Decatur restaurant Bizou at

259 N. Main St. has started servinglunch.

The lunch menu includes soups, sal-ads, small plates, gourmet grilledcheeses and more, owner Megan Comer-ford said. Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 2p.m. Monday-Friday.

Call 422-7000.

New ownerWallender-Dedman Printing Inc. has pur-

chased William Street Press from theHerald & Review and moved the opera-tion to 1605 Brandt Court.

Wallender-Dedman has a history dat-ing to 1907 and offers services that rangefrom printing magazines to brochures,booklets and product labels. JasonQueen, Wallender-Dedman’s operationsmanager, said acquiring the companywas a natural fit for his firm.

“It’s a great progression because we

can offer their customer base a littlebit more and they can offer our cus-tomer base a little bit more,” addedQueen.

He said William Street Press was expe-rienced in digital printing and the use ofhigh-speed copiers, an area of the print-ing market his company had not ven-tured into before.”

Queen stressed that William StreetPress will keep its own corporate identityand customer base

The Herald & Review will keep the8,000-square-foot William Street Pressbuilding at 602 E. William St. and contin-ue to use it for newspaper distributionwork.

Biz Bites highlight businesses that are opening,closing, expanding … you get the picture. If youhave information for our Biz Bites column, contactTony Reid at [email protected], Chris Lus-vardi at [email protected], TheresaChurchill at [email protected] or callthem at 421-6979.


busey.com 217.424.1111

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> BIZ BITES

BUSINESS JOURNALRReeaaddeerr PPrrooffiillee::

n 63% have household incomes

of $60,000 or greater. 36% have

household incomes of $80,000 or

greater.

Brown leaves Decatur postThrough her coordination of public

meetings, contact with downtown mer-chants and availability to the media,development planner Stephanie AsheBrown has become the public face of thecity’s downtown streetscape project.

So Ashe Brown said it is “bittersweet”to leave the city for a job in the privatesector. Environmental planner VasudhaPinnamaraju will take over the most visi-ble task of Ashe Brown’s job, coordinatingwith merchants, the public and the mediaon the downtown streetscape project.

As a city employee who must live inthe city limits, Ashe Brown was put in adifficult situation because of her hus-band’s job as a state representative.

Adam Brown, a Republican, was elect-ed in 2010 to a district that includesDecatur. However, the once-in-a-decaderemapping process controlled by stateDemocrats drew him into the new 96thDistrict, which is more urban and con-sidered Democrat-friendly.

Brown opted instead to run in the102nd District, where he is unopposed. Itincludes part of rural Macon County butalmost no Decatur territory.

Pinnamaraju has worked for the city invarious planning capacities for sevenyears. Most recently, she has had a handin the city’s sustainability efforts, energy-related issues such as municipal aggrega-tion and the garbage and recycling plan.

United Way promotes BogleDebbie Bogle’s great-grandmother

depended on Meals on Wheels, a pro-gram of Decatur Catholic Charities,toward the end of her long life.

After Hattie Stockton died in 1999 atage 93, Bogle joined the ranks of the pro-

gram’s volunteers to honorher memory and found outthe program was support-ed by the United Way —the very organization shewas helping at the time asmarketing coordinator forBlank, Wesselink Cook &Associates, running thearchitectural firm’s inter-

nal United Way campaign.The rest, as they say, is history.After being named volunteer of the

year in 2004 and 2010 and serving asdirector of resource development — alsonot once, but twice — Bogle has beennamed executive director of the UnitedWay of Decatur and Mid-Illinois.

The 43-year-old Decatur native said sheplans to examine the organization’s admin-istrative structure with an eye to boostingthe amount of funds raised on behalf ofnonprofit agencies working to make theDecatur area a better place to live.

“I believe the United Way can domore,” she said. “My goal is to put ateam together to make that happen.”

Bogle replaces Denise Smith, who leftin June to work in human resources atSt. Mary’s Hospital. Bogle’s promotionleaves her former position open, in addi-tion to that of community impact direc-tor, which has been vacant since June.

Grow Decatur sets goalsThe process of bringing together plans

and aspirations in the Grow Decatur ini-tiative is under way.

Planning committee member ChrisPhillips outlined plans that have beendeveloped for the program during lastmonth’s Community Leaders Breakfast.

“Our success depends on our collectiveefforts,” said Phillips, vice president ofmarketing for Land of Lincoln CreditUnion. “Many of our problems are notunique to our city, but our solutions needto be.”

The Grow Decatur effort was firstdetailed during a Community LeadersBreakfast in February. Since then, lead-ers of the initiative have met with morethan 1,000 people and dozens of focusgroups, Phillips said.

“The process has been important, butslow,” Phillips said. “It takes a long timeto talk to a city. This is a community

project, and everyone has been wel-comed to voice what they think is impor-tant.”

Coordinating efforts of various groupswithin the community is one of theissues Grow Decatur members thinkneeds to be addressed. For example,Phillips pointed to at least five backpackdrives being held this year and ques-tioned whether the groups involved couldbe working together more.

The group has identified several areasof focus as it moves forward over thenext five to 10 years. It plans to use fourmeasures to track the development ofthe community, including increasing themedian household income, increasingoverall population, decreasing the unem-ployment rate and increasing the satis-faction of businesses and residents.

A full strategic plan to coordinate tac-tics to reach those goals is expected tobe ready for presentation early nextyear.

Caterpillar announces layoffsCaterpillar Inc. announced a series of

plant shutdowns and temporary layoffsin Decatur, saying it hoped actions takennow might avoid “indefinite layoffs” inthe future.

Citing tough global economic condi-tions and falling customer demand,Caterpillar said certain areas of its mas-sive Decatur plant would be idled for aweek in November and then for a wholemonth in December.

The company stressed these were notshutdowns and layoffs that affected theentire plant and its more than 4,000-member workforce, but rather, targetedactions aimed at certain sections of theproduction crew whose productsinclude the world’s biggest miningtrucks. The layoffs would include shopfloor workers, support staff and man-agement.

Caterpillar did not specify the preciseareas and numbers of workers whowould be affected.

“We have just started notifyingemployees that this is coming, and allthe details are still being hashed out,”Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan said.“We recognize such decisions are diffi-cult for our employees and their families.We are taking actions today with thehope that indefinite layoffs can be avoid-ed.”


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Business Journal/Jim BowlingFrom left, St. Teresa High School Serviam Club members Zoe Brandt,14, Morgan Weeks,14,and Alexis Stogner,14, amuse themselves at the WSOY Community Food Drive last month.It proved to be a cold, wet day, but that didn't dampen the community's giving spirit. Theeffort collected an unofficial total of 730,000 pounds of food that was distributed to localfood pantries.

> NEWS HIGHLIGHTS


R.V. Evans Co. constantly

looking to the futureBy CHRIS LUSVARDIBusiness Journal Writer

DECATUR — Throughout its 75 years, Decatur-basedR.V. Evans Co. has been able to adapt to changingtimes.

As its owners look to what lies ahead, they plan to dowhatever it takes to help their customers and continuegrowing the business.

Cousins Kelly Evans and T.C. Evans grew up aroundthe distributing business, which specializes in helpingother companies with packaging products and provid-ing fasteners used in construction.

“It’s all about the legacy,” Kelly Evans said. “We takepride in reaching the 75 year plateau. A whole lot of itis the emotional attachment we’ve developed here. It’shard to quantify.”

Their grandfather, Richard Vaughn Evans, startedthe company in 1937 in a farmhouse along Ravina ParkRoad. The company moved to its present location at2325 E. Logan St. in 1968. Equipment repair work isdone in a building across the road at 2370 E. Logan St.

Kelly’s father, R.V. Evans Jr., and T.C.’s father,Thomas Evans, ran the company until Kelly took overas president in 1998. Around that time, the business

acquired two other companies as it expanded into theSt. Louis area.

In 2010, its operation in St. Louis was consolidatedinto one location in Earth City, Mo. That distributionfacility gives it access along Interstate 70 to convenient-ly serve markets to the west of Illinois, including Mis-souri, Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas.

“We positioned ourselves for the future,” Kelly Evanssaid. “To go west, it was abetter launching point.”

The company will work inmarkets wherever its cus-tomers need, including over-seas, Kelly Evans said.

“It put us in a lot ofunique environments,” KellyEvans said. “We’re involvedin so many different applica-tions.”

Much of its work is donebehind the scenes, out ofview from most consumers,said T.C. Evans, the compa-

ny’s vice president of corporate development. Its fas-teners are sold through wholesale dealers such as lum-ber companies. The R.V. Evans name rarely is placedon its packaging, although Kelly Evans said they cantell what is their product.

“It’s not something you run across unless you look for

it,” T.C. Evans said. “It’s worked for a lot of years.”The work, however, can be costly if it’s not done with

the expertise of the R.V. Evans staff. Packaging of

Company looks outside the box for packaging solutionsBusiness Journal photos/Jim Bowling

T.C. Evans, left, vice president of corporate development, and President Kelly Evans give a tour of the R.V. Evans Co. Decatur location. The industrial packaging business started in afarmhouse in 1937.

A closer lookWHAT: R.V. Evans Co.HEADQUARTERS: 2325

E. Logan St., DecaturFOUNDED: 1937EMPLOYEES: 48OWNERS: Kelly Evans

and T.C. EvansWEBSITE:

www.rvevans.com

YOUR BUSINESS

A live cricket box is one of many unique packaging systemsR.V. Evans Co. has been challenged to produce for clients.

CCOONNTTIINNUUEEDD OONN PPAAGGEE 88

Drop off your completed crossword at Robbie's before Nov. 15 and put yourself in the

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Source: Page A Day Calendar

Last month'sanswers can befound on Page 2

Across1. Vulgar and evil (28)3. Persistent inflation com-

bined with stagnant consumerdemand and relatively highunemployment (14)

6. Swimming or floating inwater (23)

11. Muddled or confused inmind (29)

13. Capable of a high degreeof independent activity from birth(27)

14. A bell tower (8)

Down2. Of, relating to, or characterized by faith-

lessness or disloyalty (5)4. One of the stiff hairs that are located in

the nostrils in many mammals (16)5. Lukewarm or indifferent in religion or pol-

itics (6)7. Inadequate (10)8. Having power to compel or constrain (13)9. At a gallop (24)10. Insolent or rude in speech or behavior

(21)12. Playful (17)

WORD DAYofthe

Rob-Cross-


some equipment must be done carefullyto stand up to the rigors of delivery,Kelly Evans said.

Company leadership is constantly try-ing to challenge its employees to comeup with new ideas and solutions.

“It would be scary to never change,”said Mark Dalzell, vice president ofoperations, who has worked for the com-pany for 31 years. “Some do things thesame old way. It doesn’t work that wayhere. We’re always looking for new prod-ucts and services.”

When a customer needed to ship crick-ets, the R.V. Evans staff came up with abox that would safely store the crea-tures, T.C. Evans said.

“A lot of times people don’t thinkabout packaging,” Kelly Evans said. “Wego into your world and fit the applicationto your world.”

Throughout the process, the companyis looking to save customers money byusing as many automated processes aspossible. Automated systems can save

materials and labor, Kelly Evans said. “They’re open about their vision,”

said Sheila Ross, who heads the St.Louis operation and has worked there14 years. “They see the advantage ofbeing advanced. It’s not all aboutbeing family. It’s about running thebusiness in the best interest of thebusiness.”

Customer service has driven the com-pany’s growth throughout the years, T.C.Evans said. That focus hasn’t changedsince it was founded.

“I’m not sure our granddad knew whatseeds he was planting in 1937,” KellyEvans said. “The seeds are still grow-ing.”

Business Journal/Jim BowlingJohn Fiaoni, lead fastening bench technician, demonstrates the cleaning of a strappingtool in the R.V. Evans Co. service building.

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You’re the department manager, andyou face a decision about a disciplinarymatter. But, as often occurs, you didn’tsee the incidents that precipitated thecrisis. You weren’t there.

It’s the classic“he-said-she-said”situation. Theyhappen all thetime.

Poor managershave a universaland cowardlyreaction. Theythrow up theirhands like pup-pets on a string,look haplesslytoward the sky,and say. “Whatcan I do? Noth-ing, I guess. I

wasn’t there. He says this, she saysthat. The truth must be somewhere inthe middle. I’ll just have to hope itdoesn’t happen again. Nothing I cando, right?”

Wrong-o, buddy. If it’s importantenough to cause you to make a criticaldecision, it’s important enough to makeyour best attempt to get the actual facts.

Why? Because whenever two people dis-agree, the truth is not always halfway inbetween them. Sometimes, one is rightand the other wrong,

And by the way, stop letting yourselfoff the hook. There IS something you cando. You can investigate.

An investigation does not absolutelyguarantee that you’ll find the exact truthof the matter. But it does guarantee thatyou’ll have given it your strongest andmost honest effort. And I can assure youof this: If you fail to investigate, you willhave virtually zero chance of uncoveringthe facts.

Fast forward with me now. Let’s sayyou take my advice. You agree that aninvestigation is needed. The next task todetermine is who should do it.

Most investigations are conductedinternally, by an HR department or by asupervisor who (we hope) has had sometraining and experience. However, thereare some situations that cry out forexternal expertise help. Here are four ofthem:

n Hire an outsider if the person whowould normally conduct the investiga-tion is directly involved as an allegedoffender or a victim. This seems obvi-ous, and it is. The logic is pretty simple.

If I make an allegation against you, Idon’t want you to determine the facts.Likewise, if you accuse me, I still don’twant you to investigate.

n Hire an outsider if you have a high-profile case. When the reputation of theorganization or unit is at stake, it’simportant that the investigator havecredibility. In high-profile cases, it canbe very difficult for an internal investi-gator to separate loyalty to the companyfrom pursuit of the truth. Don’t put any-one in that awkward position. Hire anoutsider. Tell them their only loyalty is tothe facts.

n Hire an outsider if a top executive isinvolved. It may be possible in somestrange and faraway universe for adepartment head to conduct a fair andimpartial investigation of alleged mis-conduct by a CEO. But not in this world.Don’t even try it.

n Hire an outsider when the verynature of the case is sensitive. Exam-ples are allegations of crimes, sexualmisconduct, abuse of power or harass-ment. These situations call for the defttouch of an experienced pro. Such aperson will untangle the web of conflict-ing stories while safeguarding therights of possible victims and alleged

offenders.Where do you get this outsider? Well,

ahem, let me humbly suggest that agood HR consultant can be a mostexcellent choice. So can an attorney, butnot the one you have on retainer to rep-resent your firm in disputes withemployees. Your credibility could becompromised by that choice. And some-times, you need a qualified privatedetective.

More on this whole topic in a later col-umn.

Fred W. Spannaus, principal of Spannaus Con-sulting, is a senior professional in humanresources. He loves feedback to his columns.Fred can be contacted by email at [email protected] or by phone at 425-2635.


Hire investigator to extract truth of disciplinary matters

Fred SpannausHuman Resources

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n 30% are owner/partner of

their business.

n 27% have household income

of $100,000 to $149,000.

Q: Where can a business owner findfinancing to expand?

A: Many entrepreneurs, policy makersand academics wonder where smallbusiness owners get the money toexpand their businesses. Thanks to theefforts of researchers at the CensusBureau and the Illinois Small BusinessDevelopment Center’s Weekly Connec-tion, I can tell you the answer.

The following data comes from the2007 Survey of Business Owners, aneffort to collect data on more than 2.3million nonfarm businesses filing 2007tax forms as individual proprietorships,partnerships, or any type of corporation,and with receipts of $1,000 or more.

The survey reveals seven important factsabout small business expansion financing:

1. The majority (51.2 percent) of smallemployers needing money to expand useeither their own or family members’ sav-ings or assets.

2. Business profits or assets are a keysource of money to expand. 29.1 percentof small employers use this source ofexpansion financing.

3. Banks are an important source ofexpansion capital for small businesses.Just shy of one-third of small businessowners report using a bank loan tofinance expansion.

4. Credit cards, both personal andbusiness, are a common source of moneyfor small business expansion, with onequarter of small employers needingexpansion funds obtaining at least someof it from this source.

5. More than one-in-ten (11.4 percent)of small business owners report using

equity in their homes to finance smallbusiness expansion.

6. Government-guaranteed loans andloans from the government, such as SBAloans, aren’t a source of expansion capi-tal for many businesses; the survey datashows that less than 3 percent of smallbusinesses needing expansion capital getmoney from this source.

7. Only a few small businesses useventure capital to expand; the surveydata reveals that only about 0.5 percentuse this source of financing.

—Carol Harding, SCORE counselor

Meet a SCORE counselorEd Woare is retired as

president and owner ofWoare Builders SupplyCo. His counselingexpertise is in sales,marketing and construc-tion. Ed has been aSCORE member for 10years.

New staff membersNicole Bateman has been

named executive directorof the Children’s Museumof Illinois.

Cindy Oakley has joinedHickory Point Bank andTrust as vice president offinance.

PromotionsDonnette Beckett has been promoted to

special projects writer at the Herald &Review.

AchievementsDavid M. Sowers of Greater Illinois

Agency in Decatur to achieve member-ship in the prestigious Million DollarRound Table, The Premier Associationof Financial Professionals.

Decatur Memorial Hospital has been namedone of the nation’s 50 Top CardiovascularHospitals by Truven Health Analytics.

Jones and Thomas took home the top prize in the tele-vision commercial category and JTnet in the websitedesign category at the Central Illinois Ad Club’sDecagon Awards.

Whitacre McNamara Insurance Services has been recog-nized by financial expert Dave Ramsey for its cus-tomer-friendly business practices.

The Decatur Park District’s partnerships with DecaturMemorial Hospital and the Decatur School Districthave resulted in the receipt of the Best Friend of Illi-nois Parks—Large Business and IntergovernmentalCooperation awards from the Illinois Association ofPark Districts.

AnnouncementsMichael T. Carrigan has been elected to a

second term as president of the IllinoisAFL-CIO.

Terri Kuhle, Beatriz Perez, Kyle Talleur andRocki Wilkerson have joined CatholicCharities of Decatur’s advisory board. Dennis Rein-hart has been elected president. Bruce Huber is vicepresident and Talleur is finance officer.

Business Clips are abbreviated versions of paid Business Achieve-ments which appear on Mondays in the Herald & Review. Formore information about Business Achievements, go to www.her-ald-review.com/app/secure/businessach/


Dale Says...

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To do:

Call Dale’s for refills

Pick up Fannie May

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Get stamps at Dale’s

Erica Says...

“Don’t forget we offer free delivery

in the Decatur area, and accept

most major insurances!”

> ASK THE SCORE COUNSELOR

Got a question?To learn more about small business

financing, for one-on-one, face-to-face busi-ness counseling, or to submit a question forthe “Ask the SCORE Counselor” column,contact SCORE Chapter 296, Millikin Uni-versity, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522or call 424-6296.

Bateman Oakley

Beckett

Carrigan

Sowers

Woare

Did you know?Flight might

Famous men who flew World War II combat missions1. Gene Roddenberry — piloted 80 missions2. John Glen— piloted 59 missions3. Jimmy Stewart — bombardier on 25 missions4. Norman Lear — radio operator on 57 missions5. Deke Slayton — piloted 53 missions6. Charles Lindbergh — piloted 32 missionsFamous test pilot Chuck Yeager shot down 12½ Ger-

man aircraft

Flight mightAboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan1. Operate without refueling — 20 years2. Flight deck — equal to 72 football fields3. Personnel — 6,0004. Height — 20 stories above waterline5. Top speed — 35 mph (powered by 2 nuclear reactors)6. Food and supplies — enough for 90 days

Couldn’t swing itOnly U.S. presidents who did not play golf while in

office-x1. Jimmy Carter2. Herbert Hoover3. Harry Trumanx-Since William Taft first played in 1909

Source: World Features Syndicate

> BUSINESS CLIPS

Q: My manager recently gave me aperformance warning for coming to worklate. She has started monitoring me veryclosely, which makes me feel like some

sort of criminal. Idon’t think Ideserve to be treat-ed this way justbecause I havepoor time manage-ment skills.

I used to have afriendly relation-ship with my boss,but now I hardlyspeak to her at all.I have applied for aposition in anotherdepartment, but

I’m afraid her feedback may keep mefrom getting it. Is there anything I cando to improve this situation?

A: The most obvious thing you can dois get to work on time. Given that yourmanager has issued a formal warning,she must have been irritated about yourtardiness for quite awhile. If you wanther to recommend you for other jobs inthe company, then this is a problem youhave to fix.

Fortunately, tardiness is a behaviorthat can be easily modified. Even some-one with “poor time management skills”has the ability to calculate the traveltime from home to office and prepareaccordingly. This will undoubtedlyrequire altering some long-establishedhabits, but if your career matters, youmust make the effort.

At the same time, you should also recon-sider your attitude, because childishlysnubbing your boss is self-defeating andunjustified. By refusing to tolerate tardi-ness, she is actually being a good manag-er. Since all employees are expected toarrive on time, making an exception foryou would constitute blatant favoritism.

If you can be prompt and pleasant fora sustained period, your manager willundoubtedly decrease her monitoring.And if the rest of your performanceremains satisfactory, she may eventuallygive you a favorable recommendation.

n n nQ: One of my employees frequently

wears clothing that is too small and tootight. Although we have a written dresscode, “Rachel” has apparently decided toignore it. Both customers and co-workershave commented on the amount of skinand cleavage she displays.

I asked Rachel if she would like someassistance in selecting suitable outfitsfor the office, but she said no. Now Ican’t decide whether I should make thedress code more specific, send her hometo change, or just write her up. Whatwould you suggest?

A: As Rachel’s boss, you have everyright to clearly define appropriate officeattire and see that she complies. But thisparticular option seems to be missingfrom your list of possible actions. Some-where between “asking if she would likeassistance” and “writing her up” is a

more logical strategy: Firmly describeyour expectations, then follow up withongoing feedback.

For example: “Rachel, we need to talkabout appropriate dress for the office.Any outfit that exposes a lot of skinbetween your shoulders and knees is notacceptable because it looks unprofession-al. For instance, the shirt you are wear-ing today is too low-cut for work, but thedress you wore yesterday was fine. To besure these expectations are clear, let’sdiscuss some other examples.”

From then on, if Rachel dresses inap-propriately, immediately send her hometo change. But when she makes correctclothing choices, acknowledge her goodjudgment. When attempting to changean employee’s behavior, managers needto not only correct missteps, but alsopraise progress.

n n nQ: My co-worker, “Ted,” sometimes

leaves the office for two or three hours inthe middle of the day. When I refused tocover for him, he became angry andretaliated by telling the owner that I did-n’t have enough work to do. Since theowner believes every word Ted says, shedecided to increase my workload. NowI’m overwhelmed, but I don’t know whatto do about it. By the way, Ted is theowner’s nephew.

A: Your last sentence contains the mostpertinent fact about this situation,because family businesses have someunique characteristics. For one thing,relatives almost always have greaterinfluence and flexibility than otheremployees. Therefore, even though itmay not seem fair, the odds are goodthat Ted’s aunt will continue to favor himin the future.

This does not mean that you must suf-fer in silence, but it does mean that youshould avoid complaining about Ted. Soinstead of trying to settle the score withyour vindictive colleague, calmly explainto the owner how your unmanageableworkload is creating business problems.Provide meaningful examples, then pro-pose a reasonable solution.

If these family dynamics become toofrustrating, you can always start lookingfor a more conventional place to work.But if you choose to stay with this compa-ny, just remember that getting along withTed will be an ongoing job requirement.

n n nQ: After being laid off, I took a part-

time job just to get by. This position,however, has absolutely no relationshipto my career. Should I include it on myresume or leave it off?

A: Barring disreputable activities,almost any temporary job looks betterthan an employment gap. The fact thatyou are working not only conveys moti-vation and initiative, but also shows thatsomeone wanted to hire you. Additional-ly, this employer can serve as a refer-ence for your character and work ethic.

To clearly convey your professionalidentity, start your resumé with a specif-ic objective statement and a list of skills.

When describing the stop-gap job, don’twaste valuable space explaining all yourduties. Instead, just provide a briefoverview, then give a detailed descrip-tion of your more relevant positions.

If you have an established backgroundin your field, interviewers should easilyrecognize that this part-time position wasjust the quickest path to a paycheck.Including a brief explanation in your coverletter or email would still be a good idea.

n n nQ: I would like to know why the human

resources profession discriminatesagainst men. Based on my observations,most HR departments are 90 percentfemale. Despite having a master’sdegree and eight years of experience, Ican’t seem to get an interview for an HRmanagement position. Why can’t menget ahead in this field?

A: One obvious cause of the genderimbalance is simply that more women

choose human resources as a career.Last year, for example, women made up66 percent of the graduates of academicHR programs. Then again, this numberalso indicates that men still continue toenter the profession. And although someCEOs might prefer female HR execu-tives, men actually do hold many of thetop positions.

While your frustration is certainlyunderstandable, fretting about possiblediscrimination will not help you land amanagement position. Because rejec-tion is hard to take, job seekers fre-quently attribute their lack of successto external causes. Unfortunately, how-ever, this rationalization can preventthem from correcting flaws in theirapproach.

In your case, since you are not gettinginterviews, odds are that you need to cre-ate a more attention-getting resumé.Should your assumptions about genderpreference happen to be correct, youmust make a special effort to shine inorder to stand out from the pack.

Marie G. McIntyre is a workplace coach and theauthor of “Secrets to Winning at Office Politics.”Send in questions and get free coaching tips athttp://www.yourofficecoach.com, or follow her onTwitter @officecoach.


The Business Journal presents...

A SALUTE TO

Family owned businesses are important to thegrowth of any community. The future of our townis sculpted by the courage and ingenuity of

business owners like you. Rarely are you giventhe chance to tell your story.

This publication is designed entirely aroundyou and your story.

Be a part of this special section for the Decemberissue and receive additional space

to tell readers more about your business.

Call today to reserve your space at421-6924

Advertising/Questionnaire deadlineNovember 16, 2012

*2007 Business Journal reader survey.

www.thebusiness-journal.com601 E. William StreetDecatur, Illinois 62523

Family owned businesses are important to thegrowth of any community. The future of our townis sculpted by the courage and ingenuity of

business owners like you. Rarely are you giventhe chance to tell your story.

This publication is designed entirely aroundyou and your story.

Be a part of this special section for the Decemberissue and receive additional space

to tell readers more about your business.

Call today to reserve your space at421-6924

Advertising/Questionnaire deadlineNovember 16, 2012

www.thebusiness-journal.com

IN DECEMBER’S ISSUE!

Weekly tipsCan't get enough advice from the Office

Coach. Get weekly column updates atwww.thebusiness-journal.com.

End tardiness habit to improve relationship with boss

Marie McIntyreOffice Coach

YOUR CAREER


Q: I have a job in my field, but after 15years, I’m feeling rather bored with it.It’s not practical to do a career changeright now; what would you suggest to re-engage?

A: Look for variety within your currentrealm, and also think about going deeper

where you can. First, understand

your feelings aboutyour work situation.What is driving theboredom? Repeti-tion of the samework day in andday out? Lack ofprofessionalgrowth? Or theremay be other fac-tors, such as disen-gagement fromyour co-workers or

issues with your boss. Consider the highs and lows of the

average workweek, defining aspectsyou’d like to keep and those you’d like tochange. Then reflect on skills and inter-ests that are not employed in your cur-rent job.

Define your ideal work environment,

taking into account the tasks you’d bedoing and fit with your personality. Thenmatch it against the current. For exam-ple, if you’re responsible for helpingmaintain a system and you would love tobe developing a new product, you’veidentified a possible area for a shift.

Finally, look at work in the broadercontext of your life. Are you engaged andenthusiastic in other areas? If this bore-dom is more pervasive, you’ll likely wantto take a broader look to understand thebigger picture, possibly including a visitwith your doctor to rule out mild depres-sion.

Now, make a plan for ways you canmake modest but energizing changes inyour work situation. Start by looking forsome new areas of focus that you couldbegin to incorporate. Consider talkingwith your boss about task forces or com-mittees that would broaden your expo-sure to new ideas. Volunteer for newassignments; this could help give youmore energy.

Also think about ways to deepen yourengagement with current tasks, explor-ing ways to acquire more expertise ormove to a greater level of complexity.Familiarity can take the edge off of

interest, so try looking at your work witha fresh eye to understand new paths youcould take with it.

Consider the social side of work, aswell. If you don’t have a group of friendsat work, begin to build more social con-nections, which can help build your posi-tive energy level.

It might be time to consider a new job,even if you are staying in your field. Ifyou’re happy with your company, watchfor new opportunities; participation intask forces, etc., will help build your visi-bility with potential new managers. Alsolook for opportunities at other compa-nies. If you decide to stay put, you thenare choosing to stay rather than feelingstuck.

Finally, make sure that other aspectsof your life are providing the right levelof support and interest. If work is some-

what flat, be sure that you’re doingthings that are fun outside of work, andare spending time with people you value.Consider taking up a new activity inorder to keep learning and growing.

Even small changes can breakthrough boredom, so look for variationsin your work to regain your enthusiasm.

Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than20 years of business experience. Her company,Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services fororganizations of all sizes. Submit questions orcomments about this column at www.deliver-change.com/coachscorner or email her [email protected].

Find ways to liven up work by broadening horizons

Liz Reyer

Weekly tipsGet weekly career tips from Liz Reyer at

www.thebusiness-journal.com.

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n 63% have household incomes

of $60,000 or greater. 36% have

household incomes of $80,000 or

greater.

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COPD Risks and Symptoms

What is COPD and why is it important for me to knowabout it?

COPD is the acronym used for Chronic ObstructivePulmonary Disease. COPD is the 3rd leadingcause of death in the United States-that’s morethan 120,000 Americans annually. COPD causeslong-term disability, and more than 12 million peoplehave been diagnosed with the disease, with millionsmore unaware of their condition. Symptoms ofCOPD include having shortness of breath, chroniccough and difficulty performing simple tasks suchas climbing stairs. Risk factors include being over40 years of age, being a current or previoussmoker, or a history of living and working aroundchemicals or fumes. If you are at risk for COPD orare experiencing symptoms, speak with your primarycare provider about getting a spirometry test,a simple breathing test used to diagnose COPD.

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Q

A

Whether you use your home office for paying bills or running

a company, there is a need for pre-planning. Your first step is to

establish a permanent space. Being able to seclude yourself, in an

"office frame of mind," has to be a conscious decision, and your work

environment should be a reflection of you.

Think of all the things you need to work comfortably and efficiently

in the space. How much working space will you need? Will you

require overhead storage? The most important piece of furniture will

be your desk or work surface. Whether you select a custom desk or

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Additional elements, such as storage space and lighting, should

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Whether your space is limited, or you have the ability to devote an

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Understanding and getting control of your financial status can be overwhelming.

Do you start by paying off debt? Budgeting? Saving and investing? There are

many resources online to explore, but also check with your local financial

institution. Often times, they will have free and personalized help on hand.

The first steps to getting organized are to collect basic information about your

finances. Be sure to know your household income, regular monthly bills, debt,

taxes and any other benefits or expenses. Then start tracking other expenses

such as groceries, ATM usage, dining out, gasoline, gifts, or home and garden

expenses. If it’s not a bill that’s received in the mail, it can be easy to neglect

adding the total spent on other items throughout the month. Having the all of

this information sorted and prepared will help make the time you spend

organizing your finances productive and worthwhile.

At Land of Lincoln Credit Union, we have certified financial counselors in

house to help members with their personal finances. Our FiCEP certified

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consumer credit, taxes, insurance, investments, retirement and special issues.

Call any of our branches for more information about how we can provide

financial guidance.

FINANCIAL GUIDANCE

Who can help me organize my finances?

Chris PhillipsVice President ofMarketing

Q

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Q

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What is online advertising?

It is the most efficient advertising available for targeting localconsumers, whether you are a small business or a large business.Marketing online to attract local customers works because every day,more and more consumers are using the Internet and herald-review.comto access news and information, local offers and services in closeproximity to where they live.

Because so many local people are visiting herald-review.com every day(we average over 7,000 unique visitors each day and generate 1.8 millionpages views each month*) it is up to us to provide as many reasons forthem to keep coming back for more.

From sponsoring breaking news and doing Today's Deal to helping yourbusiness show up better in a Google or Yahoo! Search, if you haven'tinquired about including online advertising, you should. It doesn't costyou anything to ask.

To get started, call Steve Larson at (217) 421-6927 or [email protected] today.

*source: Omniture

Online Advertising

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By THERESA CHURCHILLBusiness Journal Writer

DECATUR - Leaders of at least fivesocial service agencies had some bigshoes to fill when they came on board inthe last year or two.

Brenda Gorrell Pyatt stepped in forlongtime director Kathleen Taylor in 2010at the Good Samaritan Inn.

Last year Robert "Bert" Gray tookover for Vincent Rodriguez as executivedirector of the Macon County CourtAppointed Special Advocates program,and Jim Walters began working along-side Ray Batman at Dove, Inc., towardthe end of a tenure that began when thefaith-based organization was formedmore than 40 years ago.

This year, Bruce Jeffery succeededWalt Smith as executive director of theBoys & Girls Club, and Captains Wesleyand Susan Dalberg replaced Majors Boband Joyce Gauthier at the SalvationArmy.

Smith had been at his post so long, hisname was practically synonymous withthe Boy & Girls Club, and the Gauthiersoversaw a high-profile and successfulbuilding campaign while they were inDecatur.

But the new leaders each praise thegroundwork laid by their predecessorsand say they are poised to build on those

foundations.Jeffery had to make some

changes fairly quickly after theUnited Way of Decatur andMid-Illinois awarded the Boys& Girls Club more than$100,000 less for the currentyear.

Among them was raisingexpectations on what chil-dren must accomplish to goon field trips and enjoy otherspecial privileges.

"We still offer all those things at nocost to the kids, but not to the samedegree," Jeffery said. "They have to earnthose a little bit more."

Jeffery has also updated staff uni-forms and intends to maintain an activeFacebook page and also start a website.Long-term, he hopes to eventually estab-lish satellite locations elsewhere in theDecatur area.

Over at Dove, Walters said he's stillenjoying working in Decatur because it'sone of the most collaborative communi-ties he's ever lived in.

"Some places you have to be the bullyon the playground," Walters said. "Idon't have to be that guy here."

He's added the directors of Dove's twolargest programs to his managementteam - Teri Ducy from the domestic vio-lence program and Darsonya Switzerfrom Homeward Bound - and wants raiseawareness about the many different pro-grams his agency offers.

These include theRetired and Senior Vol-unteer Program, Com-munity Services, Cloth-ing Room, CommunityRecycling Center andBeginning AwarenessBasic Education Studiesor BABES.

"Every time I get myhair cut, I have toexplain my job," Walterssaid.

Pyatt said she's beenable to build upon theefficiencies that hadalready been establishedat the Good Samaritan Inn, but the mostimportant thing she had to learn was toimpose consequences when patronsbreak the rules.

"About our only option is to not letthem eat, and that was hard for me," shesaid. "I had to get tougher."

As a result, she said people tell her thenumber of fights at the Good SamaritanInn have gone down.

Pyatt and her board are also about toenter the application process to make thesoup kitchen an agency of the UnitedWay of Decatur and Mid-Illinois for thefirst time in its 30-year history.

Gray said he's been trying tomake use of his strengths in mar-

keting at the court appointed specialadvocate program by building up theother three legs of what fundraisers callthe "four-legged stool."

The program had already establishedseveral successful fundraisers, includingthe annual CASAs for CASA playhouseraffle, but he also plans to work on annu-al giving, major gifts and planned giving

(or bequests)."When it comes to the

return on investment,events are at the absolutebottom, but we're stillgoing to have fundraisersand keep growing them,"he said.

Gray is also in theprocess of hiring a newprogram director, withthe departure of JulieKierbs in early Septem-ber.

The Dalbergs, mean-while, are starting tothink about things likeestablishing a procedurefor the public to rent its

new community room - part of about $5million in capital improvements complet-ed nearly a year ago.

"Unless something is absolutely bro-ken, I don't try to fix it in the first year,"Wesley Dalberg said. "It's more of atweaking process really."

Longer range plans may involveadding programming for youth and oneday a shelter for homeless families toaccompany the Salvation Army's shelterfor homeless men.

"We are always looking for ways wemight better serve the community," Dal-berg said.

Business Journal/Mark RobertsRobert Gray, executive director of the Macon County Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Submitted photoSalvation Army Captains Susanand Wesley Dalberg

chartingown path

their

New agency leaders picking up

where predecessors left off

Above: Jim Walters,Brenda Gorrell Pyatt and Jeffrey Bruce.


The following is a listing of some ofthe not-for-profit agencies servingMacon County.

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETYPrimary mission: Eliminate cancer as a

major health problem by preventing can-cer, saving lives and diminishing suffer-ing from cancer through research, edu-cation, advocacy and service.

Services offered: Research, cancer infor-mation services, support groups, trans-portation, advocacy, community pro-grams and services.

Top local executive: Tonda ThompsonAddress: 4234 N. Knoxville, Suite B, PeoriaPhone: (309) 688-3488Web: www.cancer.org, www.relayfor

life.org/maconilPrimary events/fundraisers: Relay for Life

(July)

AMERICAN RED CROSS MID-ILLINOIS CHAPTERPrimary mission: Prevent and alleviate

human suffering in the face of emergen-cies by mobilizing the power of volun-teers and the generosity of donors.

Services offered: Disaster services, emer-gency services, blood donation, healthand safety services and services toarmed forces.

Top local executive: Carl Baker, executivedirector

Address: 2674 N. Main St., DecaturPhone: 428-7758Web: www.midillinoisredcross.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Heartland

Heroes (Nov.), blood drives.

BABY TALKPrimary mission: Positively impact child

development and nurture healthy parent-child relationships during the criticalearly years.

Services offered: Early literacy program,early intervention, home visitation, out-reach and Early Head Start program.

Top local executive: Claudia QuiggAddress: 500 E. Lake Shore Drive, DecaturPhone: 475-2234Web: www.babytalk.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Grillin’ in the

Garden (June)

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Primary mission: Provide caring adult men-tors to at-risk children in Macon County.

Services offered: One-to-one mentoring.Top local executive: Jeanne Stahlheber Address: 310 W. William St., DecaturPhone: 428-4240Web: www.bbbscil.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Bowl for Kids

Sake (Feb.), Night in the Islands (Nov.),Festival of Choirs (Jan.)

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF DECATURPrimary mission: To enable all young peo-

ple to reach their full potential as pro-ductive, caring and responsible citizens.

Top local executive: Bruce JefferyAddress: 859 N. Jasper St., DecaturPhone: 422-9605Web: www.bgca.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Annual banquet

(Nov.), Halloween carnival (Oct.), Mar-tin Luther King Jr. March (Feb.), BlackHistory Lock-in (Feb.), National Boysand Girls Club Week (April), Year EndBash event (May), Back to School Festi-val (Sept.), Day for Kids event (Sept.)

CATHOLIC CHARITIESPrimary mission: Extend to all the heal-

ing and empowering presence of Jesus.Services offered: Professional counseling

solutions, student assistance counseling,eldercare options, elderly guardianshipservices, Faith in Action, food pantries,Meals on Wheels, MedAssist, resalestore, Strong for Life.

Top local executive: Marie RademacherAddress: 247 W. Prairie Ave., DecaturPhone: 428-3458Web: www.cc.dio.org/area_offices/

decatur/home.htmPrimary events/fundraisers: Annual dinner/

dance (April)

CENTRAL ILLINOIS CHRISTIANS IN MISSIONPrimary mission: Provide for the needy

as directed by God in Matthew 25:34-40. Services offered: Provide furniture, appli-

ances and beds to low-income and needyfamilies.

Top local executive: Jerry AldridgeAddress: 1000 E. Locust St., DecaturPhone: 422-4246Web: www.decaturnet.org/cicim Primary events/fundraisers: Golf outing

(Sept.)

CENTRAL ILLINOIS FOODBANKPrimary mission: To collect donated food

and grocery items from growers, manu-facturers, processors and wholesalers fordistribution to charitable agencies serv-ing people in need. Serve more than 150agencies in 21 Central Illinois counties.

Services offered: Food distribution.Top local executive: Pam Molitoris, execu-

tive directorAddress: 2000 E. Moffat St., SpringfieldPhone: 522-4022Web: www.centralilfoodbank.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Community

food drive (Oct.), Harvest Ball (Nov.)

CHELP (Community Home Environmental

Learning Project)Primary mission: Provides services to

seniors and disabled citizens to keepthem in their homes and out of nursinghomes as long as possible.

Services offered: Senior companion, in-home care, coordinated point of entry,respite care and private care.

Top local executive: Diane Drew Address: 1429 N. Jasper St., DecaturPhone: 422-9888

CHIC (COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT CENTER)Primary mission: Provide exceptional,

compassionate and comprehensivehealth care to Central Illinois.

Services offered: Comprehensive outpa-tient pediatric and adult medical careand mental health services.

Top local executive: Barbara Dunn, chiefexecutive officer

Address: 2905 N. Main St., DecaturPhone: 877-9117

DECATUR DAY CARE CENTERPrimary mission: Provide quality child-

care for working parents or parents inschool.

Services offered: Child care for 6 weeks to12 years.

Top local executive: Janice BaldwinAddress: 2075 E. Lake Shore Drive, Suite

B, DecaturPhone: 422-2044

DECATUR FAMILY YMCAPrimary mission: To put Christian princi-

ples into practice through programs thatbuild healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

Services offered: Youth and family pro-grams, sports, health and fitness, CampSokkia, preschool enrichment andschool-age programs.

Top local executive: Paul Stanzione, execu-tive director

Address: 220 W. McKinley Ave., DecaturPhone: 872-9622Web: www.decaturymca.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Women of

Excellence (April), Celebrity WaitersDinner (Oct.), Backpack Attack (Aug.),KidFest (Aug.)

DECATUR-MACON COUNTY SENIOR CENTERPrimary mission: Enhance the quality of

life for seniors through friendship, serv-ices, programs, activities and advocacy.

Services offered: Multi-purpose senior cen-ter, flu shots, information and assistance.

Top local executive: Leslie Stanberry Address: 1430 N. 22nd St., DecaturPhone: 429-1239Web: decaturmaconcountyseniorcenter.

orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Longaberger

Binga (Oct.)

DOVE INC.Primary mission: Coalition of religious

organizations, volunteers and advocatesthat seek to coordinate efforts to addressunmet human needs and social injustices.

Services offered: Domestic violence pro-gram, BABES, Homeward Bound, MAXand DAX, outreach programs, children’sclothing room, RSVP and communityrecycling center.

Top local executive: Jim WaltersAddress: 788 E. Clay St., DecaturPhone: 428-6616Web: www.doveinc.org

EASTER SEALS OF CENTRAL ILLINOISPrimary mission: Provide exceptional

services to insure that all people with

disabilities or special needs and theirfamilies have equal opportunity to live,learn, work and play in their community.

Services offered: Speech/language thera-py services, recreational programming,adult services, autism services, familysupport services, child care, respite careand AgrAbility Unlimited.

Top local executive: Lori Brown, president Address: 2715 N. 27th St., Decatur Phone: 429-1052Web: www.ci.easterseals.comPrimary events/fundraisers: Bowl-athon

(Feb.), Celebration Day (March), soft-ball tournament (Aug.)

GIRLS SCOUTS OF CENTRAL ILLINOISPrimary mission: Build girls of courage,

confidence and character who make theworld a better place.

Services offered: Serving girls ages 5through 17 through troops, events andoutdoor education

Top local executive: Pam KovacevichAddress: 110 E. Pershing Road, DecaturPhone: 423-7791 Web: www.girlscouts-gsci.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Cookies, maga-

zine and snack sales (Jan.), diamondevent (Sept.)

GOOD SAMARITAN INNPrimary mission: Maintain a community

program to serve nutritious meals to thehungry and economically disadvantaged.

Services offered: Daily lunch program.Top local executive: Brenda Gorrell PyattAddress: 920 N. Union St., Decatur Phone: 429-1455Web: www.goodsamaritaninn.org

HERITAGE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTERPrimary mission: Assist people with men-

tal illnesses and substance use disordersto reclaim their lives by providing treat-ment and supportive services in a com-munity setting.

Services offered: Mental health andaddiction services, Oasis Day Center.

Top local executive: Diana KnaebeAddress: 151 N. Main St., DecaturPhone: 362-6262Web: www.heritagenet.org

HOMEWARD BOUND PET SHELTER Primary mission: Shelter and rehabilitate

relinquished cats, kittens, dogs and pup-pies until they can be permanentlyadopted into loving homes. Also servesas a job training program for peoplewith disabilities.

Services offered: Pet adoptions, grooming,foster care and job training program.

Top local executive: Dreux LewandowskiAddress: 1720 East Huston Dr., DecaturPhone: 876-1266Web: www.homewardboundpetshelter.comPrimary events/fundraisers: Martinis for

Cats (March), Woofstock (June), DogDays of Summer (Aug.)

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Primary Mission: Educate and inspireyoung people to value free enterprise,business and economics to improve the

Organizations are here to help communitySUBMIT A GROUP

To have your group considered for ouronline listing and next year’s printed listing,send your information to Scott Perry at [email protected].


quality of their lives.Top local executive: Jill Applebee, presidentAddress: 788 N. Sunnyside Road, DecaturPhone: 428-2151Web: decatur-illinois.ja.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: JA Business

Challenge for high school juniors andseniors, Careers on Wheels for fourthgraders, life skills program for 500 highschool students, MUDD 5K run (Sept.)

DECATUR AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITYPrimary mission: To build simple, decent

and affordable homes for people in need,providing them with a place to live andgrow into all that God intended.

Services offered: Mortgages are financedin-house at zero percent interest to indi-viduals that qualify for the program.Home mentors are provided to Habitathomeowners and provide assistancethroughout the home-ownership process.Budgeting and homebuyers counseling isprovided to new habitat homeowners.

Top local executive: Shanisha Graves-Roth, executive director

Address: 151 N. Main St., DecaturPhone: 425-6446Web: www.decaturhabitat.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: ReStore ware-

house

DECATUR-MACON COUNTY OPPORTUNITIES CORPPrimary mission: Prepare customers to

enter the economic mainstream of socie-ty by providing the skills, opportunities,advocacy, and services needed tobecome self-sufficient.

Services offered: Anna Waters Head Startprogram, community services, seniorservices, energy assistance, housing andemergency services, training and educa-tion, weatherization.

Top local executive: Carol Jontry, presidentAddress: 1122 E. Marietta St., DecaturPhone: 428-0155Web: www.dmcoc.org

LAND OF LINCOLN LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION INC.

Primary mission: Pursue civil justice forlow-income persons through representa-tion and education.

Services offered: Legal services for seniors,disabled persons and low-income clients.

Top local executive: Lauren PashayanAddress: 3085 Stevenson Drive, Suite 202,

SpringfieldPhone: (800) 252-8629Web: www.lollaf.org

LINCOLN TRAIL COUNCIL, BOY SCOUTSPrimary mission: Prepare young people to

make ethical and moral choices overtheir lifetimes by instilling in them thevalues of the Scout Oath and Law.

Services offered: Youth development pro-grams that provide character develop-ment, citizenship training and personalfitness, leadership and self reliance.

Top local executive: Chris LongAddress: 262 W. Prairie Ave., DecaturPhone: 429-2326Web: www.lincolntrailscouncil.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Popcorn sale

(Oct.), Friends of Scouting Campaign(Jan.).

MACON COUNTY CASAPrimary mission: Provide court appointed

volunteers to advocate for the abused,neglected and/or dependent children

who are involved in the Macon Countyjuvenile court system.

Services offered: Court appointed specialadvocates

Top local executive: Bert Gray, executivedirector

Address: 140 S. Water St., Suite 100,Decatur

Phone: 428-8424Web: www.maconcountycasa.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: CASA for CASA

playhouse raffle (April), CASAtumeparty (Oct.).

MACON RESOURCES INC.Primary mission: Promote growth, inde-

pendence and self worth in children andadults with disabilities.

Services offered: Bright Start, Kid’s Con-nection, community employment, com-munity support services, residentialservices, developmental/vocationaltraining, case management, Blue TowerTraining, business services, janitorialand lawn care services for businesses,Homeward Bound Pet Shelter.

Top local executive: Dreux LewandowskiAddress: 2121 Hubbard Ave., DecaturPhone: 875-1910Web: www.maconresources.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Kids Rock

(March), golf tournament (June).

NORTHEAST COMMUNITY FUNDPrimary mission: To assist needy families in

our community with the resources avail-able in a caring and Christlike manner.

Services offered: Counseling, emergencyfood and financial assistance, clothingroom, assistance with prescription drugs,baby supplies and other emergency needs.

Top local executive: Jerry PelzAddress: 825 N. Water St., Decatur Phone: 429-5846Web: northeastcommunityfund.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Letter Carriers

Food Drive (May), Christmas basket dis-tributions (Dec.).

PARTNERS IN EDUCATIONPrimary mission: To facilitate through

business and education partnerships, thefostering of programs and allianceswhich provide experiences that exposediverse students to the world of work.

Services offered: Link school-based andwork-based learning programs toimprove student success.

Top local executive: Renee Stivers Address: 1 College Park, E193, DecaturPhone: 875-7211 ext. 575Web: pie.richland.eduPrimary events/fundraisers: Youth Leader-

ship Institute, Decatur Area College andCareer Fair (Oct.), Archer Daniels Mid-land Chemistry Days (Feb.), 8th GradeCareer Fair (Jan.), Partners’ Salute(March), high tech summer camp (June).

SALVATION ARMYPrimary mission: To preach the gospel of

Jesus Christ and to meet human needs inhis name without discrimination.

Services offered: Disaster services, emer-gency assistance, family counseling serv-ices, housing/residence services, olderadult services, worship center and youthservices.

Top local executive: Wesley DahlbergAddress: 229 W. Main St., DecaturPhone: 428-4672

Web: www.usc.salvationarmy.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Christmas kettles

UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY LAND OF LINCOLNPrimary mission: To provide innovative

strategies to connect people with disabil-ities to their community.

Services offered: Job training, assistivetechnology, camps, case management,toy lending, advocacy, medical trans-portation, play group, respite care andtransition program.

Top local executive: Jennifer DawsonAddress: 432 E. Prairie St., Suite 100,

DecaturPhone: 428-5033Web: www.ucpll.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: UCP Miller

Lite Barstool Open (Jan.), telethon(Jan.), Life Without Limits (March).

WEBSTER-CANTRELL HALLPrimary mission: Serve children, youth

and families in troubled circumstances.Services offered: Physical, social, educa-

tional and psychological needs throughhome- and/or community-based pro-grams.

Top local executive: Robin CroweAddress: 1942 E. Cantrell St., DecaturPhone: 423-6961Web: www.webstercantrell.orgPrimary events/fundraisers: Holiday Table

Top (Nov.)

YOUTH ADVOCATE PROGRAMPrimary mission: Provide a wide range of

rehabilitative services to at-risk childrenand their families through our familyintensive program while striving to main-tain the family unit whenever possible.

Services offered: Parenting skills, one-to-one mentoring, supervised visits, youthservices referrals, behavior control,homeless youth shelter and mentalhealth counseling.

Top local executive: Michael WarnerAddress: 202 E. Eldorado St., DecaturPhone: 422-7864Web: www.yapinc.org

SAIL(Soyland Access to Independent Living)

Primary mission: Promote and practiceindependent living for all people withdisabilities; strive to encourage andassist people with disabilities to gaineffective control of their lives by partici-pation in all aspects of society to theirfullest extent possible; promotes person-al dignity of people with disabilities anddevelops community awareness by pro-viding training, direct services and infor-mation.

Services offered: Community reintegra-tion, deaf services, family advocacy,home services, independent living, visualservices, disability awareness.

Top local executive: Jeri J. Wooters, exec-utive director

Address: 2449 Federal Drive, DecaturPhone: 876-8888 or 800-358-8080Web address: www.decatursail.com

MACON RESOURCES

• Assembly/ Pre-Assembly• Warehousing• Packaging• Wire Stripping & Crimping

• Parts Washing• Table & Chair Rental• Commercial Janitorial• Commercial Lawn Care

2121 Hubbard Avenue - Decatur, IL 62526 - (217) 875 - 1910

www.maconresources.orgMAC ONRE SOURCE S

can help your business thrive, be moreproductive, and increase your bottom line.


Hometown: Decatur. My second hometown is St. Louis.I was born there, went to high school there and haveimportant family — grandchildren! — there.

Family: Husband David and three grown children (allmarried, working and with health insurance), fivegrandchildren and Mason, our golden retriever.

Occupation: President, The Community Foundation ofMacon County.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in government fromGeorgetown University, Washington, D.C.

My “I’d rather be …” bumper sticker would read: “I’d rather besipping wine in Italy.” I am truly a romantic. I daydreamabout weathered shutters, the color of the Mediterranean,Michelangelo’s David and beautiful leather shoes.

Hobbies/interest: Honestly, I used to be more interest-ing, but my grandchildren take up most of my free timenow. So I guess my hobbies are Candy Land, princesspuzzles and Brio trains.

My first job: Teaching GED at Richland CommunityCollege. I was new to the workforce after staying homefor 12 years with children. It was scary and wonderful.I learned so much more than my students did.

Why do I do what I do: After working in the communityfor over two decades, it’s intriguing how all of my expe-riences, knowledge, intuitions and skills weave togetherto help donors help the community. It’s very satisfyingwhen it integrates and works.

Personal approaches to challenges: I have to think andthink and think. I am sure it seems to colleagues andeven family that I take a while to get to a solution, butthinking things through very thoroughly is how I reachanswers, conclusions and strategies. Then I act quickly.

Community involvement: Right now, I am focused on theresponsibilities of my position at The Community Foun-dation. My entire job is community involvement. In thepast, I have served on many boards starting with mykids’ nursery school, PTA, the Y, Rotary Club 180, Her-itage Behavioral Health Center and others. These wereall amazing learning opportunities and still provide mewith foundational experiences I draw from today.

We have to ask. What’s the story behind Wegi? My name isLouise. When I was a toddler, my father started callingme Luigi and soon it was just “Wegi,” the spelling ofwhich I invented myself.

What is The Community Foundation of Macon County? TheCommunity Foundation of Macon County is a treasure!It has two main purposes; to promote philanthropy andlead positive change in our community.

While it is generally associated with collecting and handlingfunds, the foundation’s mission statement also includes identifyingand working with groups to address community issues. Is this anatural offshoot of the foundation? Why is this type of involvementimportant? Historically, community foundations weredepositories for donors’ charitable funds much like atrust department would be. And we still provide thatservice. However, over time, community foundationsbegan to take a significant role in leading change initia-tives in their communities. It made sense since manydonors care significantly about the towns and citiesthey support, and creating impact collectively can bepowerful. The Community Foundation provides a neu-

tral venue for gathering concerned parties around thetable to solve problems. Often, the parties go off andexecute the solution together. Sometimes, the effortsrequire continued leadership, and that’s a role TheFoundation can play.

Is Macon County a generous community? We are so fortu-nate to live in an incredibly generous community. Frommy seat, I see very thoughtful approaches to philan-thropy beyond what is visible to everyone. Our donorslove Decatur and Macon County. They support our pil-lar institutions, but also give to fledgling nonprofitsthat are doing great work.

Being philanthropic is often associated with being up there a bitin age. Is that the best time to consider establishing a fund? Ageis not a requirement for being philanthropic. Although,many people wait until their families are grown andeducated before they take on serious charitable giving,it makes sense to think about philanthropy early. Oneexample is buying life insurance. Young people need itto take care of their spouse and children in case theydie. But later, when kids are grown, donating the policyand naming a charity as beneficiary is a wonderful wayto convert that original investment to philanthropy.Philanthropy is not an age or an amount, it’s a spiritthat can be engendered early. Establishing a fund forfuture giving can be done with as little as $1,000.

What services do you offer potential donors? Our slogan isServing Donors. Leading Change. So we take donorservice very seriously. Working with The CommunityFoundation offers donors the ease of making one con-tribution a year (only one tax letter to keep track of!)and working with us to recommend grants to favoritecharities. We monitor the investments, report to thedonors quarterly, and offer easy access to advice on themost pressing needs in our community. It’s an easy

approach that our donors truly appreciate. What kinds of funds do you manage? We offer several types

of funds. Our most popular is the Donor Advised Fund.In this case, a donor makes a tax deductible contribu-tion to The Community Foundation to establish the fundwhich can be named for the cause, their family orthemselves. Usually there are tax considerations inchoosing the timing of this original donation to set upthe fund. Subsequently, the donor can work with us torecommend grants to the charities he or she caresabout, and this can happen over the course of futureyears. We also hold endowed funds for agencies in thecommunity. This provides the nonprofits with the bene-fit of pooled investments and lower fees. Other fundsare for Fields of Interest which support particularareas — like arts, conservation, health care — but not aparticular organization. Another favorite is our Schol-arship Fund. This fund offers a wonderful way to honoror remember someone who changed your life. We haveover 30 scholarships at The Community Foundation.

What is the benefit of using The Community Foundation? Oneadvantage to working with us is that we can offeranonymity to donors. Another allows donors the flexi-bility of making their gift in one year, and decidingwhich nonprofits to support at a later time. We canaccept gifts of appreciated assets like stock, and wework with over 12 local brokerage firms to facilitatethat type of gift. But we encourage philanthropy in allforms. If giving directly to charity meets the donor’sneeds, that’s the best approach for them.

Why should people consider establishing endowments? Endow-ments are for the future. People who care about ourcommunity’s future or the future of their favorite chari-ty should consider an endowment to support those caus-es even when the donor is no longer here. Endowmentsare a great way to leave a legacy.

Meet Wegi StewartPresident of The Community Foundation of Macon County

Business Journal/Mark RobertsWegi Stewart poses at the World War II Memorial in downtown Decatur. The memorial was funded through donations andgrants received by The Community Foundation of Macon County.


Coming up with unique

events is only part

of the challenge By SCOTT PERRYBusiness Journal Editor

DECATUR — Organizing a fundraiseris a lot like hitting a golf ball off theBarnes Citizens Building.

Sometimes you hit the target. Some-times your ball races down Water Street.

“If you figure it out, let me know,”Karla Miller said when asked the secretto putting on the perfect fundraiser.

Those behind some of Macon County’smost popular fundraisers say making theevent unique offers the best chance forsuccess. Then it becomes a matter ofevaluating the event and being preparedto make changes to keep it fresh andending it once it has outlived its appeal.

If unique is a prerequisite, it’s safe tosay last month’s Pro Shot Challenge hadthat base covered.

As a fundraiser, the event that featuredlocal and professional golfers hittingnumbered golf balls at a target from atopthe Barnes Citizens Building was a finan-cial and marketing success. It raisedawareness of the Tate & Lyle PlayersChampionship and its sponsors andreached the financial goal for the UnitedWay of Decatur and Mid-Illinois and thegolf tournament.

But organizer Stephanie Irby was hop-ing for more. She wanted to build on thatsuccess and provide an evening of food,music and drink to counter those whoclaim there is nothing to do in Decatur.

After all the buzz surrounding the eventIrby asked, “Where are the people,” asshe gazed upon the few dozen people onhand to watch the celebrity golfersattempted to hit a target from 13-storiesup. The weather and a long list of com-peting events didn’t make it any easier.

Even before the last ball was hit, Irbywas trying to figure out what she can dodifferently to promote the Pro Shot Chal-lenge as an entertainment alternative for2013.

Miller, who oversees fundraising forSt. Teresa High School, understands herfrustration. She had a similar feelingafter Band Slam last year.

Like Irby, Miller was hoping theappeal of five local bands would attracta different audience to the St. Teresafundraiser — much like the school’sMega Raffle. Instead, the crowd includeda lot of the same faces.

Every group has its regular supporterswho can be counted on to make dona-tions and support fundraising events.Attracting outside dollars to the cause isthe true barometer of an event’s success,organizers said.

That’s becoming increasingly hard asthe wallets of individuals and corporatedonors remain tight.

“It is a challenge right now,” Millersaid. “There’s only so much money to go

around.”Golf outings continue to be a popular

fundraising choice, but the growing num-bers of them make it impossible for like-ly participants to attend them all.Themed dinners, bands, poker runs, auc-tions and walks to support the cause alsoremain fundraising staples.

An activity gaining momentum locallyappears to be running events.

A check of the Decatur Running Clubwebsite, which has the banner “Run,Live, Give” on its homepage, includes acalendar full of fundraising events for itsmembers to participate.

John Pranschke, president of the run-ning club, attributes this growing trendto people wanting to get healthy. Hemade special note of the running club’sspecial relationships with the ShorelineClassic and the Staley Striders and theirweekly gatherings that introduce peopleto running in a relaxed, noncompetitiveformat.

Once people find out they like to run,they look for opportunities to do it, Pran-schke said. Several area groups havebeen more than willing to provide thatopportunity and raise funds and aware-ness of their groups in the process.

One event that is unique, has no problemappealing to the masses and has business-es clamoring to be a part of is the UnitedCerebral Palsy/Miller Lite Barstool Open.

“It still amazes me” how big the eventhas become, said Denny Harris, who hasbeen involved with the Barstool Opensince it began in 2001.

That year there were 50 teams playingone course at nine participatingbars/restaurants.

When the event takes place in Januaryit’s expected there will be more than 500teams competing on seven courses at 51bars/restaurants, enabling it to maintainits title as the largest event of its kind inthe country.

“There’s nothing else like it in town,”Harris said, which helps the Barstool Openattract teams and businesses that are will-ing to go the extra mile to create holes thatprovide for a fun golfing experience.

“We are truly concerned about theexperience,” Harris said, which is whythe organizers gather after each event todetermine what can be done better andhow to grow without putting the “experi-ence” at risk.

Harris said having an event that canbe counted on year after year to providethe bulk of the group’s financial needs isa blessing.

“I don’t know if I could come up withanother (unique fundraising) idea rightnow,” he said.

Business Journal photos/Lisa MorrisonRick Anderson, director of golf for the Decatur Park District, takes his turn hitting numbered golf balls from atop the Barnes Citizens Build-ing with the hope of hitting a target 13 stories below in the park across the street. He was one of several local and professional golfers tak-ing part in last month’s Pro Shot Challenge to benefit the Tate & Lyle Players Championship and the United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illi-nois. Organizers of local fundraisers are going to great lengths to come up with unique events to attract the attention of donors and partic-ipants. BELOW: A view of the golfers from below.

Organizers search for way to fuel fundraisers


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Open enrollment gives

employees option to

make 2013 changesBy CLAUDIA BUCKMcClatchy-Tribune News Service Writer

Like a sore tooth, choosing yourhealth care plan can be a real pain. Con-fusing choices, funny-soundingacronyms and rising premiums aremind-numbing.

But one thing is clear: If you’re fortu-nate enough to be covered by an employ-er’s health plan, it’s time to pay atten-tion. Now through December is annualopen enrollment season, when employ-ees choose their health care plans for2013.

It’s not an idle exercise. This year,health care premiums are expected togo up yet again. According to theNational Business Group on Health, 60percent of large U.S. employers saytheir premiums will be higher for 2013.Most predict increases of less than 5percent.

When selecting their annual healthinsurance benefits, 56 percent ofemployees figure they’ve wasted up to$750 a year because of mistakes madeduring open enrollment, according to aJuly survey by insurance providerAflac.

Those mistakes? Not realizing theirdoctors aren’t covered; paying for bene-fits they don’t need; selecting the wrongcoverage.

To ensure you don’t miss out or makecostly mistakes, here some tips fromexperts.

Deadlines countShow up for your employer’s health

care meetings or benefit fairs. If youdon’t sign up on time or rush throughthe paperwork, it could cost you money.And you can’t undo anything for another12 months, until the next year’s openenrollment.

Don't go on autopilot“It’s really important to research all

your options. If you just go on autopilot,you may not get the best coverage andyou may not be able to afford the costsyou incur,” said Kristen Stoll, a con-sumer health specialist with eHealthIn-surance.

Don’t assume your current plan willstay the same. In addition to monthlypremiums, check for price increases inprescriptions, office visits and co-pay-ments.

Consider what you spent last year, to

see if you can make adjustments. Forexample, “If you don’t go to the doctor alot, you’ll save more on your monthlypremiums, if you switch to a $50 co-pay,instead of $30,” said Bill Oliver, a finan-cial adviser and group insurance special-ist in Orangevale, Calif.

Mix and matchIf you have a family policy, be sure the

coverage makes sense for your situation.For instance, if you have college-agechildren, who can now be included on allhealth plans up to age 26, are they get-ting the best coverage under your grouppolicy?

“If you have a son who lives in Arizonafor school and your policy in Californiais with Kaiser, he might not be able tofind doctors,” said Stoll. In that case, itmight be cheaper to get an adult childan individual policy.

Same with spouses. Stoll and her hus-band have very different health careneeds: He rarely sees a doctor, but wantscomprehensive coverage in case of ill-ness or accident. She needs more routineoffice visits and maternity benefits.

“Do some calculating. Look at whatyou’re paying in premiums for additionalfamily members on your plan,” saidStoll.

In her case, it “absolutely saved usmoney monthly” to get individual cover-age under their respective employers’policies, rather than stay together undera group plan. (Note: Some companiesrequire spouses to stay under separateplans, if employer coverage is avail-able.)

Peruse the paperworkUnder a new federal mandate, all

insurers nationwide must provide aclear, easy-to-read “Summary of Benefitsand Coverage.”

Akin to a food nutritional label, theSummary of Benefits and Coverage isintended to clearly spell out what’sincluded in your plan and what you’llpay for deductibles, prescriptions, officevisits, etc. It also has to show basic costsfor at least two major medical events:having a baby and managing Type 2 dia-betes.

If you don’t receive an Summary ofBenefits and Coverage, ask youremployer. Some carriers make themavailable online or by paper copy uponrequest.

Use the toolsMost carriers, as well as state and fed-

eral websites, offer online tools for com-paring health plans and medical proce-

dures. UnitedHealthcare, for instance, has an

online cost estimator for about 300 med-ical procedures. “If I know I need arthro-scopic knee surgery, I can do a searchand compare and contrast differentproviders in my area for a sense of howdifferent costs can be. Many times thereis quite a variation in price for the sameprocedure,” said Steve Scheneman, a

regional vice president for UnitedHealth-care.

Shopping around can lead to a moreinformed decision, as well as savingson out-of-pocket expenses anddeductibles.

Worried about layoffs?If you think your company might be

cutting jobs next year, consider goingwith the least costly plan, says eHealth-Insurance. That’ll make it easier if youhave to pay your entire premium underCOBRA, the federal law that lets laid-offworkers temporarily keep their healthcare coverage.

Be a smart consumerTake advantage of “wellness” savings

offered by your company’s plan. Manyinsurers offer cash rebates, gift cards ordiscounts for healthy lifestyle changes,such as losing weight, lowering choles-terol or quitting smoking.


Take time to learn new health coverage options2013 Health care changes

This is the last year before final, majoroverhauls under the Affordable Care Acttake effect in January 2014.

FSA LIMITS: The maximum amount thatcan be set aside in a flexible spendingaccount is lowered to $2,500 for next year.Currently, it’s a maximum of $5,000.

BENEFIT SUMMARIES: Health careproviders must provide an easy-to-readSummary of Benefits and Coverages,including costs for two basic life events:having a baby and managing Type 2 dia-betes.

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Decatur bar owners use

Web to advertise bands,

musical appearancesBy JIM VORELBusiness Journal Writer

DECATUR — For a music venue toreach its audience in 2012, it takes morethan a few fliers tacked up aroundtown.

Decatur bar and club owners areincreasingly taking advantage of moderntechnology to get up to speed, buildingnew websites and addressing their cus-tomers directly through social mediaplatforms. In fact, a good website or Webpresence is now something that manyowners and music bookers find indispen-sable.

“I think it might be the best source ofadvertising and information there is forour customers,” said Chuck Portwood,the music booker for Decatur’s AIWHall. “Everybody’s got a smartphonenow, and they all use them to see who’splaying and where. I don’t know whatwould stop a venue from having theirinfo online, unless they were like me andnot very tech savvy.”

As Portwood suggests, the AIW didn’talways have a Web presence. It firststarted to post its upcoming schedule ofbands a little over a year ago. The musicbooker decided to finally get the venueonline after an acquaintance offered tohelp build a website for him.

“I’m not very computer literate, and Inever really knew who to talk to aboutit,” he said. “This guy told me we reallyought to take advantage of having a site,and it’s worked out well for us. It’s agood way to get information out thatdoesn’t cost much. There’s other ways toadvertise, like radio ads, but they’re soexpensive and our customers are alreadyonline every day.”

Just east of Millikin University, Don-nie’s Homespun Pizza has becomeanother one of Decatur’s musical suc-cess stories, buoyed by a professional-looking website that underwent a totalredesign within the past few weeks tocoincide with the opening of the secondDonnie’s location in Springfield. OwnerNeill Dresen believes music has been alarge part of the bar and restaurant’ssuccess, and like Portwood, recognizesthe importance of an online presence,despite not being a technophile him-self.

“Honestly, I don’t even own a comput-er,” he said. “But I think for the youngergeneration, the Internet is by far thebest way to reach them. The majority ofpeople find out about our events betweenthe website and our Facebook page. Andin turn, the aspects of open mic nightand weekend music bring a lot of peoplehere.”

Just across Oakland Avenue from Don-nie’s at Lock Stock & Barrel, owner

Gregg Meisenhelter also has helpedbring the bar’s technical side up to speedin order to take advantage of a newstage. He actually believes the bar couldbe doing more with its website than itcurrently is, and acknowledges that the

customer base itself has changed itshabits over time to reflect its use of theInternet in particular.

“Honestly, an advertising guy wouldn’tbe impressed with our website, but musicvenues all face these issues of time and

manpower,” he said. “But it’s worth thetime, and you really have to do it today.It seems like customers do moreresearch now than they did in the past todetermine how they want to spend anight. They go out to a bar specifically tosee a band now instead of just going tohang out.”

Not all local music venues maintainfull websites today, though. Sliderz Bar &Grille in Decatur uses a Facebookaccount as its primary way to reachInternet users among its customers, andco-owner Sherri Birch said this workswell for them.

“We had a full site in the past, andnobody seemed to use it,” she said.“Facebook is really the main way for usto get news out now because young peo-ple seem to check that most often.”

Birch went on to repeat whatDecatur’s other music venue operatorshad already opined: That connectingwith a technologically astute customerbase means changing with the timesand being open to new forms of promo-tion.

“The audience is very tech savvy,” shesaid. “Almost everyone in the audienceunder 40 has their smartphones withthem. It’s absolutely the main way forthem to get information, and we need tomake sure we’re providing it.”


Venues connect with customers through technology

Business Journal/Lisa MorrisonLock Stock & Barrel converted an old storage room into a bigger better stage for the entertainment. Before the change they lost seatingwhen bands played at the venue.

Join together to

make contribution

to those in needBy CLAUDIA BUCKMcClatchy-Tribune News Service Writer

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett startedit. Now, a small but growing group offar-less-wealthy people are joining in bytaking a public pledge to leave money tocharity after they’re gone.

And it doesn’t require being one ofAmerica’s billionaires. The point is notabout how much you’re giving, but why.

“Everyone can leave a bequest to chari-ty of something. We want to change theidea that you have to be rich to leavemoney to charity,” said Elfrena Foord, acertified financial planner and co-founderof the California Plan Your Giving Project.

Charitable bequests certainly aren’t anew concept. Any number of museums,symphonies, nonprofits, churches andcharities continually ask donors to leavesomething behind in their wills. Andmany people, especially at year-end taxtime, routinely make financial donationsto causes they care about.

But giving seems to be coming back invogue. Nationally, total giving in 2011 byindividuals was $218 billion — up bynearly 4 percent from 2010, according toGiving USA, the research arm of theCenter on Philanthropy at Indiana Uni-versity. Donations by individuals are 73percent of all charitable giving, it said.

And it comes in all sizes. Billionaires like investor Warren Buf-

fett, along with Microsoft co-founder BillGates and his wife, Melinda, garneredbig headlines in 2010 when they launchedThe Giving Pledge, which asks Ameri-ca’s billionaires to pledge at least 50 per-cent of their wealth to charity in theirlifetime or after.

Nearly 100 individuals and familieshave taken the pledge, from 28-year-oldFacebook co-founder Mark Zuckerbergto aging oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens. InSeptember, another 12 signed on, includ-ing Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Intelco-founder George Moore.

A more modest slice of the philanthro-py movement are so-called “giving cir-cles,” where like-minded people pooltheir money and give to causes theydeem important.

One of those, the One Percent Founda-tion, aimed at those in their 20s and 30s,was co-founded in 2007 by Daniel Kauf-man. Over conversations while at theUniversity of California-Los Angeles lawschool, he and some friends realized theyrarely gave to any significant causes.

“This is a very socially conscious, veryinvolved generation,” Kaufman said. “Butmost of us felt we couldn’t afford to give,didn’t know where to give or thought ourdonation wouldn’t have any impact.”

Inspired, he and his friends pooledtheir money and sent $500 to a hungerrelief organization voted on by the

group. The idea caught on among theirwest Los Angeles friends. After graduat-ing and scattering across the country,the group formalized itself online as theOne Percent Foundation in 2009.

Like the name implies, participantsdonate 1 percent of their annual income.For graduate students living on loans,that might mean a few bucks a month.For a recent grad with a $35,000 job, it’sa monthly $29.17.

It’s all done online. Every quarter, theOne Percenters dole out two grants in adesignated category: environment, edu-cation, health, international aid orpoverty. Members nominate organiza-tions they’d like to see funded and theentire membership votes. Everyone getsone vote, no matter how much they give.

“Part of it is getting people in themind-set that they can do this. With rent,student loans, credit card payments,many (young adults) think ‘No way,’ ”said Kaufman, 33. “But if you changethat to giving $20 a month, now it lookslike a couple beers or going to themovies and buying popcorn. It totallychanges how they think about (giving).”

Today, One Percent has about 500members who have donated more than$200,000 in the past three years.

“It’s turned into an effort to engage anentire generation through their 30s bybuilding a habit of thoughtful, sustainedgiving,” said Kaufman, a lawyer whohas since launched Third Plateau, a phil-anthropic consulting firm.

Judy McGarry, a retired SacramentoCounty, Calif., probation and complianceofficer, was inspired by the CaliforniaPlan Your Giving Project, Foord’s group.She recently set up a five-figure endow-ment and upped the percentage she’sleaving in her trust to the SacramentoSenior Safe House, a residential respitefor abused or neglected seniors.

“I did some soul-searching and lookedat what causes are important to me. I’mvery passionate about this,” said McGar-ry, on a recent tour of the Safe House, animmaculate six-bedroom home tuckedaway on a quiet residential street innortheast Sacramento. Staffed mainly byvolunteers, the 24-hour facility enablesabused seniors to get back on their feet

emotionally and financially. Its $250,000budget is funded entirely by donations.

McGarry, who made her financial giftsin memory of her late mother, sees it asa personal legacy that will live on longafter she’s gone.

For those concerned their kids or heirsmight feel cheated out of part of theirinheritance, financial experts say a fami-ly’s charitable giving can accomplishjust the opposite.

“It’s a great way to pass on your valuesto your kids,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomer-antz, president of the nonprofit CharlesSchwab Foundation and a mother of three.“More than anything, it’s part of biggerlife skills: building character in a youngperson. Giving creates emotional growth.”

Foord advises parents to have a conver-sation with their children about what caus-es — Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, public televi-sion, church — are important to a familyand why they’re being remembered.

“If someone with two kids leaves$10,000 to charity, each child inherits$5,000 less. But that child also inheritsthe value that ‘our family shares a littleof what we have to make a differenceand help others,’ “ said Foord, who saidher charitable instincts were instilled byher mother and grandfather, who leftmoney to causes in their wills and trusts.

Planned giving doesn’t have to involveattorneys and fancy fees, she noted. Itcan be as simple as changing the benefi-ciary on an IRA or annuity, or adding acharity’s name as “Transfer-on-Death”(TOD) to a mutual fund or CD account.

“Everybody has something to give,even a few dollars,” said Schwab-Pomer-antz. “It’s in our DNA, no matter whatyour economic background.”


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People with all incomes find peace in charitable givingYOUR MONEY

Business Journal: November 2012

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