Aero Group started in1994 as a small father-sonbusiness and has grown intoa multi-million dollarcommunications and salesoperation. Quality is theultimate and driving forcebehind every product andservice that Aero Groupoffers.

“The original AeroComputing spawned AeroInternet which by 1998 hadgrown into AeroCommunications which isour telephone company,” saidAero Group President TomRutter. “In 2003, Aero waspurchased by the FurstMcNess Company and sincethat time there has been areal infusion of capital tohelp us expand our wirelessbroadband network to arearesidents as well as our fibernetwork in Freeport.”

Rutter said that by mid-summer 2011 Aero Groupwill have invested in excessof one million dollars in theirfiber network.

He said Aero Group is ahomegrown company thatcame about primarilybecause the big nationalcompanies were ignoringStephenson County.

“They were ignoring oursmaller towns and they wereeven ignoring Freeport,” hesaid. “That was our impetusto get moving and as we grewand needed more capacity inFreeport to serve ourcustomers, the big guys stillrefused to bring access in tous. We just dug deeper andsaid that we would find away.”

Rutter said that thecapacity Aero Group isbringing to Freeport issignificant.

“I would put the capacityand the fiber and the skill setof this company against thatof any community ofcomparable size in thecountry,” he said. “I attendconventions and meetingsand I often hear communitiesour size and a little biggerjust screaming for what wehave.”Fiber access is globalaccess

Rutter said that Freeport isahead of the curve when itcomes to broadbandcapacity.

“No matter what kind ofcapacity a company needs inFreeport we can deliver iteven if it is a gigabyte,” heexplained. “We take a lot of

pride in being the companythat can deliver that level ofopportunity to Freeport.”

Rutter attributes much ofthe success seen by AeroGroup to their staff.

“Our staff is more talented,more dedicated and morepassionate about ourcustomers than any businessthat I’ve been associatedwith,” he said. “I could getchoked up talking about howincredibly talented our staffis and I couldn’t be prouderof our staff and theireagerness and ability to serveour customers.”

He said that folks inFreeport are just beginning to

realize the potential of theconnectivity services offeredby Aero Group.

“We are linking businessestogether,” he said. “We arelinking municipal officestogether. We are linkingcounty offices together. Weare looking at different waysof expanding our reach withfiber because once you canconnect a town you canconnect that town to anothertown and then it becomes adistrict and then a region. Weare only limited by ourimagination.”

Rutter listed several ways

Tony CartonCommunicator Editor

CommunicatorCommunicatorApril 2011 • Freeport, IL

Aero Group Connects Freeport with the World

4 6 8-9GOLD MEMBERSPOTLIGHT3 MEMBER NEWS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER

HAPPENINGS

Inside...SEE AERO PAGE 14

Areo Group President Tom Rutter notes that his organization has nowimplemented Meta-Switch technology providing Freeport with faster and moresecure communications opportunities.

FREEPORT AREACHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Chamber of Commerce Communicator is published on a monthly basis with the partnership of The Journal-Standard paper. We thank

them for their continual effort to keep this publication in print!

27 W. Stephenson St, Freeport IL 61032www.freeportilchamber.com

Phone: 815.233.1350 Fax: 815.235.4038

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Kim Grimes kim.grimes@freeportilchamber.com

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES COORDINATOR:Tiffany King

tiffany.king@freeportilchamber.com

RECEPTIONIST: Julie Huber

COMMUNICATION EDITOR: Tony Carton

llow me to take thisopportunity to thank the over400 Chamber members and

guests who attended our AnnualDinner. It was a great event with avery inspiring message from Dr.Patrick Hardy. We also want toagain thank all of our sponsors andcongratulate our very deservingaward winners. We had the largestcrowd attend in recent years and weappreciate everyone’s support. OurChamber Ambassadors served asgreat hosts. We now turn ourattention to today’s State of theSchool Luncheon with Dr. ChrisKoch, the Illinois StateSuperintendent of Schools as ourKey Note Speaker. It is very exciting to have Dr. Kochhere in Freeport.

Next Tuesday the Chamber ispartnering with our local IllinoisDepartment of EmploymentSecurity Office to present aworkshop titled “Meeting yourBusiness Needs”. This workshopwill help provide our businesseswith a better knowledge of the manyservices that the IDES Office offersat no extra cost. This workshop willbe held at Highland CommunityCollege from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Itwill cover unemployment insurance,

including howto protest anunemploymentclaim, how willa claim affectyourunemploymentinsuranceaccount andwho pays forbenefits.

Up next on May6 will be ourChamber hosting our 2nd AnnualLeadercast National Simulcast. Ourlocal host for this very importantmotivational event is CrossroadsCommunity Church. The Chamberis very excited to help bring this typeof event to Freeport again this year,to allow our members and guests anopportunity to hear and see some ofthe country’s top speakers led bybest selling author and Leadershipexpert John C. Maxwell. Otherspeakers include Robin Roberts fromABC News, Texas football coachMack Brown, Muhtar Kent - CEO ofthe Coca-Cola Company and DaveRamsey - well known T.V. and Radiofinancial expert. Please considerjoining us May 6 for this greatopportunity to see and hear fromsome dynamic leadership experts.

Page 2 F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

APRIL 21

State of the Schools Luncheon

Freeport Country Club

12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

APRIL 21

Business after Hours

Parkview Home

5 - 7 p.m.

APRIL 28

Chamber Ambassador Meeting

Stephenson Co. Farm Bureau

7:30 a.m.

MAY 3

Executive Board Meeting

Chamber Conference Room #1

7:30 a.m.

MAY 4

Rise ‘N Shine Breakfast

U.S. Cellular

7:30 - 8:30 p.m.

MAY 6

Leadercast

Crossroads Community Church

7:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Allen’s MenswearAuto Repair Specialists • Bocker Group

Book World • Brown’s ShoesCaptured Memories Photography

Cellular Connection • Cimino’s Little ItalyCulligan Water Conditioning • Deininger’s Floral Shop

Diamond Dave’s Mexican Restaurant • Eilert’s • Fitness NutritionFlachtemeier Monuments • Flack Sewing • Floor to Ceiling Store

Four Seasons/Freeport Lanes, Inc. • Freeport Shopping NewsFurst McNess Co. • Freeport Glass Co. • Freeport Lawn & Leisure

Happy Joe’s Café • Higher Grounds Coffee • Hillside StudioImperial Palace • Iron-T Junction • Jiffy Lube • Joe’s Pizza • Kent BankKurt Koester Studio • L.P. Scientific • Lindo Theater/Classic Cinemas

Loescher Heating & A/C • Luecke Jewelers • Maurices Merle Norman Cosmetics • Ross Auto Glass

Rite-Way Furniture & Appliance • Sanitary Cleaners • Skate Station Slumberland Furniture • Soundwerks Plus • State BankStone’s Hallmark • The Bargain Box • Town House Motel

Wagner Business • Whole Body Studio

FreeportFreeportSHOP

FIRST

DATES TOREMEMBER...DATES TOREMEMBER...

SHOP

FIRST

AKim’s Korner

2011 Chick-fil-A LeadercastAre you ready to develop

your leadership voice? Makeplans now to attend the 2011Chick-fil-A Leadercast, Friday,May 6. Registration at 7 a.m.

Your actions mirror it. Yourattitude reflects it. Leadershipis so much more than whatyou say.

It is your leadership voice,and it is how you make alasting impact.

Your leadership voice is howyou inspire greatness andreinforce resolve. It canstrengthen a fragile dream, ordash a sliver of hope. It alonecan serve as the tipping point,reshaping one’s character orredirecting another’s path.

Your voice is a voice ofchange, and change createsnew possibilities. That’s whythe purpose of Voices ofChange is to help youdemonstrate the power ofchange through positive

leadership.Mark your calendar and

make plans now to attend the2011 Chick-fil-A Leadercast,Friday, May 6. Registration at7 a.m.

Speakers includeentrepreneur, and best-sellingauthor Seth Godin, TexasLonghorn head coach MackBrown, Emmy-Award winninganchor Robin Roberts andCoca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent.

Hosted in Freeport by TheFreeport Area Chamber ofCommerce, 1612 W. HarrisonSt., Freeport, IL 61032, formore information visit theChamber website,www.freeportilchamber.com

Page 3F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

HR

The April HR Luncheon featured the Work Keys Program thatDick Drogosz and Steve Kneubuehl have been instrumental instarting in the Freeport Area. This includes a Certificate ofEmployability (C.O.E.) and will help both the individual seekinga job and the employer who is looking to hire a person withspecific skill sets.

HRluncheon

STOUTINSURANCE AGENCY, LLC

Call today for your FREE No ObligationBusiness Insurance QuoteBusiness Insurance Quote

PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall •• PPrrooggrreessssiivvee •• PPeerrssoonnaallServing Freeport & All Surrounding Areas Since 1971

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1108 S. West Ave., Freeport, IL815-233-0213

VISIT US ON THE WEB. www.stoutins.com

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Rise’n’ShineRise’n’Shine

Walker Mortuary was the March site of the Chamber Rise ’nShine Breakfast. Along with an early morning chance tonetwork, our hosts provided a wonderful breakfast for theattendees. Thank you to Steve Turner and Walker Mortuary forhosting this great breakfast!

MEMBERnewsMEMBERnews

Spherion Staffing ServicesSpherion Staffing Services

is a leading recruiting andstaffing provider thatspecializes in placingadministrative, clerical,customer service and lightindustrial candidates intemporary and full-timeopportunities. As an industrypioneer for more than 60years, Spherion has sourced,screened and placed millionsof individuals in virtuallyevery industry through anetwork of offices across theUnited States and Canada.

John Kmieciak is afranchise owner withSpherion locations in bothFreeport and Rockford.

“We are a national staffingcompany and we providetemporary temp-to-hire anddirect-hire placements,”Kmieciak said. “We also havestructured service programsfor our clients. We do

everything we can to provideour clients with a verypositive experience.”

He said Kristine Bradburyis Branch Manager andMargarita Nunez is ClientService Supervisor in theFreeport Spherion Staffingoffice.

Kmieciak said Spherionhas been serving the Freeportmarket for over 30 years.

“I took over as the Freeportfranchise in 2008 and alreadyhad 13 years of experiencewith the company,” he added.“Freeport is a very tightcommunity and there wasdefinitely an opportunity tobe a local presence and letpeople know that we havenational resources. I knew wecould enhance the servicelevels for our local clients.”

He said one of the Spherionstrengths is its technologicalpractical understanding.

“We are the only staffingcompany that has PeopleSoftin both front and back office,”Kmieciak said. “We have afull online process. We evenhave an Eforms process forour employees that includestax forms, applications, andresumes so everything isdone online. We are able togenerate invoices for ourclients with a full platformthat breaks down everythingregarding their employment

experience with ouremployees, hours,expenditures, businesseffectiveness, operationalefficiency and more. We areable to use our software toleverage our nationalresources. It gives our

recruiters more time to focuson the recruiting aspect, theinterviewing aspect, the on-boarding aspect, and theorientation aspect so thatinstead of shuffling paper wecan spend time making surewe have the correct employeein place.”

Kmieciak said SpherionStaffing is service driven.

“Being a Sarbanesregulated company, we followcompliance to the T,” he said.“We are well respectednationally because of our verystructured complianceprocedures. I can sleep atnight knowing that we dothings in the best interest ofour employees and ourclients.”

For more informationcontact Kristine Bradbury orMargarita Nunez in theFreeport Spherion Staffingoffices at 213 E. StephensonStreet or call 815.232.1722.

Page 4 F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

GoldMEMBERspotlightGoldMEMBERspotlight

www.freeportilchamber.com

Page 5F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

Chapel Hill Memorial GardensJack Myers Consulting

Iron-T JunctionCaptured Memories Photography

Brown’s Shoes

LeBaron & Miller InteriorsWinter Construction Inc.

Fruth-Simmer Insurance AgencyFreeport Flite Center

Twice As Nice ConsignmentsFloor Covering Plus

Hulsebus-Gehlsen ChiropracticMaybe You Need Help...

Culligan Water ConditioningUnion Savings Bank

Bill George Plumbing & HeatingAquaLand

Dental ConnectionsFamily Health QuestNewby Design Works

General CasualtySchofield Plumbing

State Farm – Jon SpachmanC. J. Vitner Co., Inc.

Saxer Accounting Services, LLCTender Loving Care

GOLD MEMBERS

SILVER MEMBERS

Law Offices ofRalph E. Elliott

Rock River ValleyBlood Center

Berner Food & BeverageJohn H. Vogt

Fehr-Graham & AssociatesCountry Insurance

& Financial Services -Rick Wilson

Spherion Staffing GroupFreeport Insurance Center

Alwayz CookiesRite-Way Furniture

& ApplianceReid Enterprises

Fishburn, Whiton, Thruman, LTDFreeport Community

FoundationBomar Heating & CoolingStout Insurance Agency

Freidag Associates CPAsIntegrity Investments

Swift Hospitality Group, Inc.Columbia College

Winter & AssociatesUltrasonic Power Corp.Freeport Park District

Eagles ClubPinewood Buffet & Grill

Monroe Clinic

BRONZE MEMBERS

2011 PREFERRED MEMBERSWe would like to give special recognitionto the following businesses that provide extra support to the Freeport Area Chamber of Commerce.

2011 PREFERRED MEMBERS

Page 6 F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

AflacSupplemental insurance

coverage from Aflac willprovide protection for you andyour family if you are hurt andmiss work. Aflac is differentfrom health insurance; it isinsurance for daily living.

“We are a Fortune 500company and we offer uniquesolutions to an employer’sproblems with offering benefitsto employees,” said PatrickBusker, an IndependentAssociate representing Aflac.

He explained that Aflacoffers a wide variety of medicaland accident policies and thebenefits are paid directly to theindividual.

“It’s like getting a check forbeing sick,” Busker said. “Weare not like other insurancecompanies. We send the checkdirectly to the policy holderand they use it for whateverpurpose they deem necessary.”

He said the company firstbegan issuing policies in 1955

and he is aware of Aflac havingindependent agents in theFreeport area since the mid-70s.

“I decided to be one of theiragents because I think I canconnect with people here andprovide folks in Freeport withinsurance coverage that theycould really put to good use,”Busker said. “I’ve been anAflac policy holder for anumber of years. I know theyare quick with their claimresponse; most claims get acheck within 10 days. They arehonest and upfront witheverything they do.”

He said he is just gettingstarted, but folks in the areaseem to be interested in Aflac.

“It’s tough getting people tolisten to another insurancepitch, but once theyunderstand that we pay themand not the hospital or doctorand we make good sense as asupplemental insuranceprovider, my job gets a littleeasier,” Busker said. “We havesomething unique in that itcomplements their existingmedical policy and once theyunderstand that, they start tolisten.”

He emphasized that if aperson has existing insurancethat is already paying 100% oftheir medical bills they can stillfile a claim with Aflac and thatcheck goes right the claimantfor use in whatever way theyfit.

“Maybe your mortgage or carpayment came due while youwere laid up,” Busker said.“That’s where Aflac can help.The money is yours to paythose things that medicalinsurance will not pay.”

He said his goal for 2011 isto have twenty new groups

signed onto Aflac.“It’s a stretch, but I think I

can make that happen,” hesaid. “A group is 3 employeesor more so when a company isthinking they are too small toqualify for insurance we saygive us a call and we canprobably make it happen.”

For more information aboutthe services and benefitsavailable through PatrickBusker and Aflac contact himat 815.275.0212 or stop in theoffice at 1111 South ColumbiaAve in Freeport or email him atpatrick_busker@us.aflac.comAubri’s Mini Mart

Everyone has foundthemselves in the position ofneeding a loaf of bread or abottle of milk and not being

anywhere near a full-servicegrocery store. Aubri’s MiniMart can be the answer for aquick necessities stock up

MEMBERspotlightsMEMBERspotlights

when time and downtownlocation are a factor.

“We’ve got everything frommilk to eggs to bread tohousehold cleaning items,”said Aubri’s proprietor GavinBrown. “Anything you wouldexpect to find in a smallneighborhood grocery I have instock.”

Brown is a lifelong Freeportresident and he said he openedAubri’s Mini Mart in January2011 in response to hisperceived need for a downtowngrocery.

“There is no place downtownwhere you can go get a can ofpop or a gallon of milk or a loafof bread,” he said. “I thought itwould be a real good idea forthe folks that work and livedowntown, and even if youdon’t live or work downtownAubri’s Mini Mart is still a goodplace to shop.”

He says running Aubri’s asa small family orientedbusiness makes the storeunique.

“Small businesses are thekey to Freeport’s future and Iwant to do my part and get inon the ground floor,” Brown

said. He added that the grocery

business is good downtownand he is already considering alarger location and possibly asecond store.

“We’re looking into thepossibility of doing someexpansion,” he said. “A secondAubri’s would be nice

sometime in thefuture. We justwant to be biggerand better.”

Brown said hisprices are whatmake folks comeback to Aubri’sMini Mart.

“We are in somebad economictimes and I’vepriced my stockwith that in mind,”Brown said. “Iknow it’s tough out

there right now and I feel thatonce folks see what I have andhow it’s priced they will keepcoming back.”

Stop in at Aubri’s Mini Martopen from 10 AM to 6 PMTuesday through Friday andfrom noon to 3 PM Mondays at110 South VanBuren Streetdowntown Freeport.Checks for Cash

Checks for Cash pioneeredthe cash advance business inthe Freeport area and theycontinue to prove that quickand easy short-term loans areavailable for all theircustomers. People buy frompeople is their saying andwhen you stop in to deal withBilly D you’ll see that he’supfront and working hard tomake your cash advance aseasy as possible.

“We are a loan company andwe mostly do small loans,” saidChecks for Cash ManagingPartner Bill Diaz. “I think thatone of the things ourcustomers find attractive isthat we don’t do creditchecks.”

Diaz said he knows folks arein a hurry when they needcash and that makes his “nocredit check” policy especiallyhelpful.

“Our stores advertise thatwe are fast and easy and tofolks in a hurry that means alot,” he said.

Diaz saidtheir Freeportstore isconvenientlylocated at1803 South West Av betweenLogan’s Bar and Grill and Savea Lot.

“We opened the South WestAvenue store about a year anda half ago,” he said. “We weredowntown on Stephensonsince the late 90s, so we’vehad Freeport roots for quite awhile.”

He said that they originally

moved into the area when theyacquired an already existingfinancial services business.

“We always knew there wasgreat potential for growth inthe Freeport area so when anopportunity opened we decidedto go ahead,” Diaz said. “Westarted out with a policy ofoffering consistency andfriendly service. Sticking tothose principles brought usreferrals. Our customers comeback and they bring theirfriends. That tells me we aredoing something right.”

He said growth is always anoption.

“Right now we don’t haveanything in the works forexpansion, but looking downthe line into the future, wewould really like to have acheck cashing, Western Unionkind of facility here inFreeport,” he noted. “We know

Page 7F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

‘Northern IL Largest Furniture & Appliance Dealer’

2009-

20 E. Stephenson St.Downtown Freeport •815-235-4911

Mon.-Fri. 9-6; Sat. 9-4 • rite-way.info

20 Years as an Authorized Ashley DealerWe carry a complete line of Ashley products

27 S. State Ave • Downtown Freeport • 815-232-1171check us out online at www.journalstandard.com

whether you enjoy your morning newspaper

or reading the daily news online...

Is your local news source!

Page 8 F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E Page 9

RibbonRibbon Ambassador of the Year:Bobbie Yount

Dale LeBaron Award Co-Winners:Steve Kneubuehl,

Rick and Laurie Hasken

Not-for-Profit:Freeport Area Church Cooperative

Small Business of the Year:Marg Blum, Merle Norman Cosmetics

ANNUALChamber Chamber

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2011Dinner

Steve Kneubuehl and Mayor Gaulrapp

Speaker of the night - Dr. Patrick Hardy

Congratulations!Congratulations!

DinnerChamber Ambassadors Kay Halbin and Adam Talbert

FFreeporreeport Housing At Housing Authority at the Monroe Center Ribbon Cuttinguthority at the Monroe Center Ribbon Cutting

Many Chamber members attended the Annual Dinner

cuttingscuttings

Brian Stewart and State Senator Tim Bivens

Jim Sacia in action for thelive auction

Page 10 F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

financial services like thatwould be a natural fit for thearea, so we have our eyes openand maybe someday we canmake it all work.”

Diaz said Checks for Cash islooking forward to the daywhen they will be able to hiremore help and add services.

“We would love to findourselves needing to hire morehelp and maybe add newservices like pre-paid debitcards,” he said. “For now, weare just going to keep doingwhat we do best and we’ll seewhere the future takes us.”

Stop by Checks for CashMon. through Fri. 9AM to 6PMand Sat. 9AM to 2PM at 1803South West Av in Freeport andask for Billy D or give him acall at 815.232.0966.Downing’s RemodelingContractors, Inc

Downing’s RemodelingContractors have found aniche for themselves providingexcellent quality workinstalling doors and windows,siding, remodeling kitchens,bathrooms and performing

mold remediation.“For the last 15 years we’ve

done a lot of work with theresidence remodeling programsfor NICA, Community Action inFreeport and NHS,” said ownerJeff Downing. “We’ve steppedaway from those areas thisyear and are really specializingin bathroom remodeling andwindow and door installation.”

He said they don’t do thetrades like electrical andplumbing, but haveconsiderable experience in allareas of remodeling.

Downing’s RemodelingContractors opened in theFreeport area in 1997.

“That was when the federalgrants were first coming intothe area through NorthwestIllinois Community Action andwe’ve stayed involved withthose programs over theyears,” he said.

Downing is a police officer inFreeport and said he intendsto make the remodelingbusiness his livelihood in thenear future.

“I’m working hard to build areputation for quality

craftsmanship,” he said. “Thisis a very competitive businessand I just don’t see the pointin doing anything but my bestwork when I’m on a job.”

He said that moldremediation is the newestservice offered by Downing’sRemodeling Contractors.

“Every now and again youget a second floor bathroomthat leaks and in the past,when a homeowner lets that gofor months on end we’ve hadto call another company to getthat under control,” he said.“We have been thinking abouttaking on those types of jobsand we finally just decided to

go ahead and get involved.”Downing said certification in

health and environmentalsafety allows them toundertake the more difficultjobs without having tosubcontract the work.

“We have to implementHEPA-vac equipment to cleanup anything left behind andseal up those areas that wereaffected,” he explained. “Wealso have to use a moldproduct on the surfaces tokeep the mold from returning.”

He said he sees honesty asthe key to success in theremodeling business.

For ALL Your Auto Glass NeedsGive the auto experts at Bocker a callfor auto glass repair or replacement!

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continued from page 7

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Think IP Phone SystemsAren’t For Your Business?

Think Again.

Aero Group(815) 801-3387

1866 S. West Ave.Freeport, IL

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.Aero is the area’s leading provider of

Business-Class Digital IP Phone systems and service.

Call us and see why so many businesses are switchingto Aero’s Business-Class IP Phone Service

We’ll install a Polycom IP phone in your officeFREE for 30 days before you decide.

Aero has installed hundreds of phones throughout our service region, saving ourcustomers hundreds of dollars per month on their phone bills while making them

even more efficient, and better able to communicate with their customers.

“You have to be upfront withpeople,” Downing said. “Youhave to return their calls andlet them know where you arewith scheduling.”

He said a commoncomplaint about contractors isthat they do not keep in closecontact with their clients andthat leads to problems.

“We try to call folks back thesame day so they know we arelistening,” he said. “I think thebest way to deal with people isto be honest so they knowwhat your schedule is like andwhen you can get to their job.”

For more information aboutDowning’s RemodelingContractors, Inc contact Jeff at815.235.8766 or stop by theoffice at 32 West Iroquois,Freeport.Pro-Graphics

Whether you are looking fora specific promotional item orjust browsing for ideas, Pro-Graphics in Freeport is yourone-stop shopping source.

Pro-Graphics specializes incustom printed apparel,

business promotions, fundraiser materials, sports, T-shirts, new logo design,banners and any kind of vinylwork.

“Right now, I am working onadding an embroiderymachine, but that’s still a bitdown the line,” said owneroperator Don Katzenberger.“Also, we are doing more workwith vinyl lettering on vehiclesand we do magnetic signs.”

He said an embroiderymachine would be animportant addition to thecompany because they alreadydo a lot of work for areaschools, but have that workdone by contractors.

“We are looking to bring theembroidery work in-house as

soon as possible,”Katzenberger said.

He added that much of thecompany’s success is due tothe excellent work performedby their resident artist.

“Scott Stichter is just adynamite artist,” Katzenbergersaid. “He has a super artisticmind. He is always on top ofthings. I really consider Pro-Graphics fortunate to havehim.”

He said Stichter has been incommercial art for 25-yearsand remains a real asset to thecompany.

Katzenberger said Pro-Graphics opened nearly sevenyears ago and he took over thehelm last year.

“I’ve known Scott since wewere kids and his parentsoriginally owned the company,”he explained. “When they werelooking to get out of thebusiness he asked me if I wasinterested in buying it and Idid.”

The folks at Pro-Graphicsare committed to working hardto help build your reputation.Pro-Graphics is customer

service oriented and they willput their resources andexperience to work for anybusiness, school or personalgraphic need by finding justthe right look to make yourimage efforts a huge success.Pro-Graphics is here to helpmake life easier.

For more informationcontact Dan Katzenberger at815-232-8600 or stop by thePro-Graphics studio at 1725South Galena Avenue inFreeportVerizon One Stop Wireless

One Stop Wireless - Verizonis your local Verizon Wirelessservice provider customer careand premium retailer center.

“We offer anything a VerizonWireless customer needs withservices ranging from newconnects to service upgrades,new equipment, even analyzinga customer’s rate plan to see ifwe can save them money,” saidVerizon One Stop WirelessDistrict Manager BradMcLaughlin. “We actually justreceived a list from corporatethat shows a number of peopleon an older plan and we are

Page 12 F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

continued from page 10

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now offering those sameservices for ten dollarscheaper. We are in the processof contacting those folks tosave them some money.”

McLaughlin said theyopened the store at 1876South West Av in Freeport inOctober 2009 and they’ve justopened a second outlet at1050 Riverside Dr in Freeportin the same building as theDMV.

“Verizon has always seenhuge potential in Freeport andthey wanted more retailfacilities to meet thatpotential,” he said. “We openedhere with the intention ofbringing something better tothe area.”

McLaughlin said they offer100% phone selectionfeaturing all the newestequipment and service for thatequipment.

“We’ve trained all our repsso they can handle mostproblems that arise,” he said.“We have our technicians righthere in Freeport so folks don’thave to drive to Rockford forrepairs.”

McLaughlin said that 4G ison the way.

“Verizon is calling it their 4GLTE Network and it is comingsoon to the Freeport area,” hesaid. “Rockford is getting it thisyear and while Freeport hasnot been officially announcedit seems like most of thenorthern Illinois state line isgetting it and I am expecting

that Freeport will be included.”He said 4G could be as far

away as winter 2011, but it ison the way.

“4G is literally like fiber-optic speed, but its runwireless,” McLaughlinexplained. “That will be hugefor this area because now a lotof people that don’t live in townare limited. 4G will openworlds to them.”

He said One Stop Wireless is

currently operating 21locations throughout theMidwest and they are lookingto have more outlets in thefuture.

“We are as far north asMadison and Milwaukee,” hesaid. “We are as far south asSterling with shops in Oregonand Byron. We are hoping thatwith our new partnerships wewill have 50 locations by theend of the year. We are justtrying to cover as manydistribution points as possibleso that when our customers

visit one store they know theyare able to travel and find thesame service and quality infifty or more other locationsthroughout the Midwest.”

Stop in either of the FreeportOne Stop Wireless storesat1876 S. West Av or 1050Riverside Dr to see the fullrange of devices includingsmart phones, accessories,tablets and more or call Brador any member of his One Stopteam at 815.837.4966. Email atbrad.mclaughlin@onestopvzw.com

Page 13F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

Carpets, Vinyl, Tile, Hardwoods, & Laminates

1308 South Armstrong Avenue,Freeport, IL 61032

Phone: (815) 232-9060Fax: (815) 232-9084

SERVICESELECTION

SATISFACTION

Mon. & Tues. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.Thurs. & Fri. 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Second Saturday of each month7 a.m. - 11 a.m.

461 E. South Street • Freeport • 815-23BLOOD • www.rrvbc.org

Be someone’s HERO.Donate today.

that Freeport can implementconnectivity.

“All the buildings in theFreeport School District areconnecting with our fibernetwork which means thatthey can move data betweentheir buildings at networkspeed,” he said. “They couldnot do that previously. Nowall their buildings can sharedata between themselves andthey can even share video.”

He said that if one schoolhas even a couple studentsinterested in a languageclass, but cannot justifyhiring a teacher for those fewstudents, they can link withother schools that may alsohave a few interestedstudents until they havelarger class participation andthen share the costs of thatclass between the schoolsusing the services.

“We all know the fundingcrunch our school districtsare facing, so when a districtcan share resources over

glass, how incredible is that,”he asked.

Rutter noted that areabanks are now able to sharedata at high speeds over thenetwork and added that thereare real cost savingopportunities for governmentas well.

“If law enforcement wereshorthanded, but had aprisoner due for a court

appearance and neededescort, they could link to thecourtroom with camera,audio and screen to hold thehearing without ever leavingthe jail,” he said. “These costsaving links are already inplace and only needadministrators withimagination and foresight toput them to use. The

potential for savings isenormous.”Staying on the cutting edgeof tomorrow’s technologies

“Rutter said Aero Grouphas invested a million dollarsin their Network OperationsCenter and another halfmillion in implementing anew telephone switch called aMeta-Switch.

“The Meta-Switch is theindustry’sleading switch,”he said. “Itallows us todeliver as muchor more dialtone as thenational guys.The entirecounty is

running on our phone serviceand we’re saving themthousands of dollars annuallyon phones.”

He added that they listen,read and study constantly toprovide new and morepowerful technologicalservices to Freeport.

“We are on the bleeding

edge of finding newtechnologies and we arekeeping to the grindstone todeliver those services,” Ruttersaid. “Our job is to deliversolutions to problems thatour community faces. Ouropportunities are only limitedby our creativity and ourimagination.

Rutter challenges folks inFreeport to find new ways touse the services provided byAero Group.

“Aero Group want to play apart in economic developmenthere in Stephenson County,”he said. “We can bringbusinesses to our region thatnever thought they couldmove here before. We canhelp fill some of those vacantbuildings and help connectprivate and commercialenterprises with an extremelyfast fiber network. Find waysto use us and watch Freeportgrow.”

Page 14 F R E E P O R T A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

AERO continued from page 1

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