Southern Business Journal

OPEN

S O U T H E R N MAY 2014S O U T H E R NS O U T H E R NS O U T H E R N MAY 2014MAY 2014MAY 2014

Serving 18 Illinois counties • www.sbj.biz “One Region, One Vision” ™

WHEN DISASTER STRIKESBusinesses need emergency planning, tooCOVER STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 3

ELDER LAWSomething to know: Persons who are newly eligible for Medicaid for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act may have their homes and other assets “seized” by the government to repay the total amount of the Medicaid-paid health care they receive. That’s what state Medicaid directors have been told in a letter that clarifies the application of Medicaid liens, estate recoveries, transfer-of-asset rules and post-eligibility income rules.

PAGE 7

WORK PLACELooking at a resume: There are many ways to review the resumes of candidates for an opening in the work place – perhaps as many techniques as hiring managers. Some basics should govern the process, however. But also make sure you are casting a big enough net to bring in the talent that is present and available right now.

PAGE 9

MONEY MATTERSStart saving more: It’s not too late to begin preparing for retirement for those workers who are in their 50s – and even those who are in their 60s. There are many steps that older investors can take to better prepare themselves financially for retirement. Those steps include making “catch up” contribu-tions to your 401(k) plan at work, funding an IRA and reviewing all of your expenses .

PAGE 12

ACHIEVEMENTSWho’s in the news: Find out who has been hired, who has been promoted or who has received an award for efforts in business. If you know of a business per-son who deserves special recognition for advanced training, a unique honor or a business expansion, please let us know at [email protected].

Inside Directory of Advertisers

M A Y 2 0 1 4

S O U T H E R N S O U T H E R NS O U T H E R N

Serving 18 Illinois counties • www.sbj.biz “One Region, One Vision” ™ PublisherJohn Pfeifer

618-351-5038

EditorGary Metro

618-351-5033

AdvertisingMark Dynis

618-351-5815

Design and LayoutRhonda May

618-529-5454, ext. 5118

The Southern Business Journal is a publication of The Southern Illinoisan. Contact us via mail at 710 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale, IL 62901, or at P.O. Box 2108, Carbondale, IL 62903. Also reach us on the Web at www.sbj.biz and via email at [email protected]. The Journal is published 12 times per year monthly and distributed by The Southern Illinoisan and www.thesouthern.com. Copyright 2014 by The Southern Illinoisan, all rights reserved. A subscription may be obtained by calling 618-529-5454 or 618-997-3356, or by visiting our website.

1st Bank & Trust ........................ 3

John A. Logan College .............13

Pepsi MidAmerica ....................18

SIU Credit Union ................... 6, 8

Small Business Growth Corp. .16

Southern Illinois Healthcare ..20

Southern Illinois University ...... 5

May 2014 Southern BuSineSS Journal | 3

DeB SauerhaGeSBJ CORRESPONDENT

T here may be no place like home, but you might be at work when a disas-ter strikes.

Local Red Cross Director Sandra Webster advises “think of your business like your home” when preparing for a disaster.

“Some of us are at our job more than we are at home,” Webster said.

Like your home, your business is an investment and needs to be protected. Webster recom-mends having an emergency response plan.

Most of the disasters in the 14-county region served by the Red Cross are single-family house fires, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for other types of emergencies, at home or at work.

Bart Hagston, director of

the Environmental Health & Emergency Preparedness for the Jackson County Health Department, agrees that an emergency response plan is important.

“These plans will include procedures on how the employer and employees respond to emergencies; including fires, severe weather, active shoot-ers and bomb threats,” Hagston said. “Internal teams should be formed to develop these plans so that all divisions are repre-sented.”

Having a plan isn’t enough. The plan needs to be worked and reviewed, yearly.

Planning means everything

when d sasTer sTrikes SEE DiSaSter / PagE 4

inSiDe

Read how Kemp’s Korner in New Minden came back to life.

PaGe 6

When your business plan needs reinventionor resuscitation, a business loan from

First Bank and Trust could be your roadmap.Since 1889, sensible community banking services.

DETOUR AHEAD?

The FirsT Bank and TrusT Company oFmurphysBoro1403 Walnut, Murphysboro2471 West Main, West Park Plaza, Carbondalewww.fb-t.com

1889-2014125 Years of Service

4 | SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL MAY 2014

OPEN

DISASTER: Planning means everythingFROM PAGE 3

“Once the plans are developed, they should be tested through drills and exercises, at least once a year,” Hagston said. “By testing them, a business can tell what parts of the plan work and what parts need improved.”

Disasters can happen anytime, anywhere. The Joplin, Missouri tornado on May 22, 2011, happened during the day when many residents were at school, working or doing errands.

“ID a safe place in the building,” Webster said. “Underground is best, but it may be under a desk or table. Consider the bathroom if it is not on an outside wall.”

An inner center closet or storage room is also a possibility. More information is available at www.redcross.org.

Also, have an evacuation plan or escape route, and think about what comes next.

“Decide where you are going to meet, at least a block away,” Webster said. “Have at least three places in different directions to meet.”

She also recommends having a family mem-ber or close friend from outside the area as a contact. If family members become separated, someone out of the area and not impacted by the disaster can serve as a contact.

Depending on the situation, your employees may be notified by authorities to “shelter in place” or stay put. Just like at home, consider what you might need if you are stranded at your office for at least three days.

Webster recommends having a bag with pea-nut butter, crackers, granola bars, nuts, raisins, dried fruit and water for three days under your desk. Also, include a flashlight, batteries, first aid kit, tooth brush, tooth paste, Kleenex, hand sanitizer and blanket for each individual.

Due to the disaster, supplies may not be read-ily available.

Years ago, Webster, who now responds to disasters for her job, moved from the Murphys-boro area to California to get away from South-ern Illinois tornadoes. In 1989, she was a victim of a different disaster.

“I was in the 7.9 earthquake in Santa Cruz,” Webster said. “I stood in line for two and a half hours to get water and then one and one half hours to get batteries.”

“If Emergency Management broadcasts that you don’t have time to evacuate, shelter in place,” she said. “Go to your tornado room.”

Webster also encourages employees to have a list of medications in their purse, wallet or desk, just in case.

“At the Tamaroa train derailment, people were evacuated from their homes immediately,” Webster said. “Many showed up at the shelter with no meds and no list of medications. Many

weren’t thinking clearly and couldn’t remember what they took.”

While making your emergency response plan, don’t forget employees who may not be located at your place of business — delivery drivers or truck drivers, for example.

“If you are driving, never get under a via duct. Years ago that’s what they told people to do,” Webster said. “Get out of your car and into a ditch.”

Webster also recommends the free tor-nado, flood and first aid mobile apps available through www.redcross.org. You can also search “Red Cross Apps” on your mobile device.

Webster said she especially likes the first aid app.

“If someone is injured and help can’t get to you, or you can’t get to your first aid kit, the app walk you through it,” she said.

Planning will help your employees be ready, just in case.

“Employees who feel safe and who believe their employer cares about their safety are more likely to enjoy their work and be comfortable with their surroundings,” Hagston said. “So, emergency plans can lead to increased produc-tivity and possibly even lower insurance rates.”

Along with a plan to keep your employees and customers as safe as possible, business owners, no matter how large or small, should have a business continuity plan, according to Hagston.

“Developing such a plan involves forming an internal team and looking at how they would manage a business disruption,” Hagston said.” Such a disruption could be due to any number of events, including natural disasters, pan-demic, loss of flow for supplies or materials, cyber-attack, transportation shutdown or com-munications problems.”

Business may be interrupted only temporarily or permanently, such as the total destruction of your business because of a tornado.

The plan should be a team effort and include how you will access company records, accord-ing to Hagston.

“During the plan development process the team can work through various scenarios and determine how they could handle such dis-ruptions,” Hagston said. “The plan will detail items like how they store and backup paper and electronic records, how they would handle significant loss of employees or work stoppage, and identify alternate facilities and resources they could utilize if needed.”

“The ultimate goal is to enable that business to get back on its feet as quickly as possible,” Hagston said.

SEE DISASTER / PAGE 6


Marketing SchoolItineraryRegistration & Breakfast

Session 1: The Big Picture ofGetting Started:Who Are My Customers?

Session 2: What’s MyMain Message?

Session 3: Customer Service

Session 4: Branding in theDigital Age

Session 5: Advertising

Session 6: Social Media

Session 7: We’re Online,How Do We Make $?

Session 8: Putting It All Together

Business After Hours

May 15, 2014 / 8 a.M. - 4:30 p.M.Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center,

1740 Innovation Drive, Carbondale

Chamber University: Spring 2014 is a single-day workshop for business owners andleaders designed to give a complete overview of how to take your business to the nextlevel. Whether you are a start-up or an established company, learn from successfulbusiness leaders and experts on marketing, advertising, social media and more.

Chamber memberS & SbDC ClientS: $50non-Chamber memberS: $75

StUDentS: $35

Registration fees include all sessions: breakfast,lunch and snacks and conference materials.

Reserve your space by May 12, by calling 618-549-2146or email [email protected]

6 | Southern BuSineSS Journal May 2014

Melissa and Mike Kemp, own-ers of Kemp’s Korner in New Minden in Washington County, know firsthand how a disaster can devastate a business.

Their business suffered exten-sive damage when a tornado struck Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Two people were killed in the town of about 250 near Nashville and several homes nearby were dam-aged or destroyed.

Kemp’s, a gas station and con-venience store, was shut down for nearly four months while the owners repaired damage and restocked shelves.

Melissa Kemp, who opened

the business eight years ago, has strong advice for busi-ness owners.

“Check your insurance,” Kemp said. “Be sure to have the build-ing, the contents covered, along with loss of business coverage.”

She also recommended asking around when shopping for an insurance company.

“Ask your family and friends,” she said. “Do they (the insurance company) respond quickly?”

The Kemps consider them-selves lucky.

“Fortunately, we had really good insurance,” Kemp said. “We are pleased how quickly they

responded.”Kemp said many of the busi-

ness’s neighbors who were home owners did not have an easy time dealing with their insur-ance companies. Many waited a long time for a response, and the insurance companies argued over details.

Along with good insurance it is important to be familiar with what it takes to run your busi-ness, including supplies, materi-als and even vendor lists.

“Know every single thing you have in your store,” she said. “Have a list of equipment. Everything.”

Not having the necessary information readily available.... will delay the rebuilding process.

Kemp also recommends hav-ing your office files and paper-work backed up on a computer away from the primary busi-ness location.

When the Kemps reopened in March after being closed for nearly four months, they evalu-ated how they stored their com-puter business files.

Even though, the filing cabinet containing company files including vendor lists was not damaged when the tornado hit, the Kemps made plans to

store their computer and other files remotely.

“We back everything up remotely to our home computer, including our inventory,” she said.

Kemp also recommended having an evacuation plan for employees and customers.

Because their business is a gas station, they are required to have plans in place for disasters.

The Kemps were prepared “and because we are in an area with a lot of tornadoes, we also discussed with our employees what to do,” Kemp said. “Our employee was prepared.”

— Deb Sauerhage

Kemp’s Korner in New Minden came back to life

DIsasterFroM page 4

Getting your business back

in business needs to happen as quickly as possible. “The longer business is disrupted, the greater the risk the business will suffer long-term impacts, including permanent closure,”

Hagston said.According to Hagston, a

great free resource for learning about business continuity plans, emergency response plans, and other business preparedness

tools is FEMA’s Ready.gov web-site. Click on the “Business” tab.

In addition, the Red Cross also offers Ready Rating, a free service to help businesses prepare for disasters and other

emergencies. The site offers a check lest and emergency response planner.

DeB saUerHaGe is a correspondent for Southern Business Journal.


riCharD haBiGerSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

The federal Center for Medi-care and Medicaid Services has issued a letter to state Medic-aid directors that clarifies the application of Medicaid liens, estate recoveries, transfer-of-asset rules and post-eligibility income rules to individu-als who become eligible for Medicaid under the Afford-able Care Act, also known as “ObamaCare.” The letter states that most of the rules that apply to recipients of traditional Med-icaid for long-term care (that is, nursing home care) will apply to those who are eligible for Med-icaid under the ACA.

This means that those per-sons who are newly eligible for Medicaid for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, may have their homes and other assets “seized” by the government to repay the total amount of the Medicaid-paid health care they receive. In effect, the cost of medical care paid for by Medicaid is not “free.” It is a “loan” that must eventually be repaid and which can be secured by a lien on all real estate they own.

While the CMS letter goes on to express the hope that the states will limit the imposition of liens and estate recovery rules to long-term care (nurs-ing home) cases, the letter acknowledges that states are entitled under federal law to apply the asset recovery rules to all Medicaid-paid health care benefits.

BackgroundMedicaid is a federal-state

program, and each state has its own rules for the program. Moreover, Medicaid has never been a single program. Rather, it is a cluster of programs, each with quite different purposes and rules. One of the roles Medicaid plays is to serve as our nation’s default program for financing long-term care ser-vices. Nursing home care, and even care at home, is very costly. Thus, long-term care can eas-ily overwhelm the income and resources of people who lived comfortably on middle income prior to the need for long-term care. From its inception, Medic-aid has been available to pay for long-term care for people who are unable to afford it after they have effectively become impov-erished by “spending down” their assets and income.

From very early in the history of the Medicaid program, some have been concerned that peo-ple who could otherwise afford to pay for at least some long-term care services would vol-untarily impoverish themselves, transferring assets to their children or to others to make themselves eligible for Med-icaid. Congress and the states have, therefore, adopted laws and regulations to limit asset transfers by Medicaid recipi-ents. These prohibitions con-tained holes (otherwise known as “windows of opportunity”) that allowed persons to avoid the limitations through the use of trusts and other financial devices. Eventually, Congress and the states closed many (but not all) of the “windows.”

The Medicaid asset-counting rules for long-term care have always permitted recipients of long-term care services to retain a home in hopes that the recipient may, at some point, be

capable of returning there. Fed-eral Medicaid law, however, per-mits the states to impose liens on homes and other assets and to recover Medicaid-paid long-term care services against a recipient’s estate upon the death of the recipient. Moreover, Med-icaid rules permit the spouse of a long-term care recipient who remains in the community to retain a modest amount of the recipient’s income and assets to protect the “community spouse” against total impoverishment. However, if the “community spouse” also receives Medicaid-paid long-term care benefits (either community-based or nursing home benefits), she also will be subject to Medicaid liens and estate recovery.

obamaCareThe Affordable Care Act

creates a new category of Medicaid recipients by giv-ing the states the option of expanding Medicaid eligibility to individuals and families with incomes up to 138 percent of the annual poverty level (cur-rently, in Illinois, $15,856 for a single individual and $32,499 for a family of four). Eligibil-ity is now calculated based on “modified adjusted gross income,” or MAGI; but, unlike traditional Medicaid, there is no asset requirement for persons who become eligible for Medic-aid under MAGI rules. (Illinois is one of the 26 states that expanded Medicaid coverage to this new MAGI category.)

Although there is no asset test to qualify for MAGI, a question arose as to how exist-ing rules regarding asset trans-fers, liens, estate recoveries and post-eligibility income apply to persons eligible for MAGI Med-icaid and whether those rules would be used against those who go on to use MAGI health

care services.This is not a mere theoretical

concern. Although the federal and state law governing Med-icaid liens and estate recoveries are primarily concerned with recipients who receive high-cost, long-term care services, federal law that existed prior to the ACA allows states to recover from the estates of any Med-icaid recipient age 55 or older for the cost of any Medicaid services, and a number of states such as Illinois have existing laws that would mandate such recoveries. Thus, some states, such as Illinois, may seek to recover the cost of Medicaid-paid health care services from the estates of MAGI recipients when they die. Given the cur-rent budget problems in Illinois, it seems probable that the gov-ernment will jump on this fed-eral option to milk the poor and middle class who must rely on MAGI Medicaid for their health insurance coverage.

The realization that their house might be subject to estate recovery was giving some individuals with low incomes second thoughts about signing up for Medicaid. For example, early retirees and persons who were laid off during the recession, those who found themselves plunged into a low-income bracket, yet have a home and savings. Similarly, farm families often have very little income and, thus, could qualify for MAGI; however, a great many were reluctant to sign up because of the risk that they might lose their farms.

The CMS letter to state Med-icaid directors was issued to address this concern. It explains that regular estate recovery rules do apply to recipients of MAGI benefits. While the let-ter states that CMS will try to eliminate recovery of Medicaid

benefits for anything other than long-term care, the letter states that, at this point, federal law places no limitation on the scope of what states may do to impose recovery against the homes, farms and other assets of MAGI recipients.

In addition, the CMS letter reminds state Medicaid direc-tors that, while there is no limit on assets to be eligible for MAGI, there are asset limita-tions to be eligible for long-term care (i.e., nursing home) services and thus transfer-of-asset rules will apply to MAGI recipients who receive long-term care.

To read the CMS letter, go to http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2014/02/24/implement-ing-health-reform-medicaid-asset-rules-and-the-afford-able-care-act/.

What should you do?Do not despair! There are

solutions for persons who are newly eligible for Medicaid under ObamaCare, such as family farmers and small business own-ers. There are options available that will allow you to maintain your eligibility for MAGI health care services and avoid the loss of your home, farm, business or other assets. The rules, however, are notoriously complex. To explore what options are best in your particular case, consult with a knowledgeable and experienced elder law attorney. The key is to not delay.

riCharD haBiGer is author of the Illinois edition of “How to Protect Your Family’s Assets from Devastating Nursing Home Costs: Medicaid Secrets” and an elder law attorney who focuses on asset protection, Medicaid and VA benefits. He can be reached at 618-985-4529 or [email protected].

Assets threatened by Obamacare fine print

Habiger

Elder Law


Workplace

As a business owner, manager or professional, you probably look at job

applications or resumes often. What is your style? I work with hiring manag-ers every day, and everyone peruses a resume a bit differ-ently. I will admit that it’s easy to lose focus during this very important step in the hiring process. Are you the manager who critiques every single word and finds every typo? Are you the manager who barely even glances at the resume at all before throwing it in the trash? Maybe you glance quickly and tell HR to “bring ‘em in” no mat-ter what. Trust me, I have seen it all. Please understand that these methods are not preferred, nor are they considered best practices. Read on to find my middle-of-the-road approach.

Start at the beginning and remember that you know what position you are filling (at least I hope you do by now). This means that you should also be able to at least identify the dream can-didate. The resume review and sorting process is truly important because you want to capture those potential dream candidates out there if they exist. Make sure you are casting a big enough net to bring in the talent that is pres-ent and available right now. Do

not limit yourself before you even start. Follow these tips below to help you narrow down your stack of resumes without limit-ing yourself.

The professional resume should represent the applicant in a professional, but unique, way. It can be eye-catching, and some are downright unique. Don’t let a unique resume throw you for a loop. Some people are just more creative, and that is fine. If you are hiring for a posi-tion in marketing or promotion, a very creative resume should be welcomed. If you are hiring for accounting, maybe not so much. You must be the judge here, but please keep an open mind.

The top third of the resume is typically where the candidates list the key items that you want to fixate on. This is where the applicants are truly doing the self-branding. They are summa-rizing their skills. Be careful not to get caught up in buzz words here. Many of us can be wowed by buzz words that truly mean nothing in this portion of the resume. Anyone can say he is a “results-driven leader.” What does that mean? If you end up interviewing this candidate, please make sure to ask him to explain and provide examples.

Now, if you have advertised this position, then you would expect the candidates applying to tailor their resume to the job that you are filling. You can expect a more detailed approach from the candidates. Not everyone will do this. This is not important all the time. Only you know the answer. If the position that you are hiring

for requires strong attention to detail, then make sure the resume shows that.

Over the years, I have worked with many hiring managers who would eliminate a candidate from the running simply for making a spelling error on the resume or cover letter. Now, I tend to take a different approach. If I am hir-ing a welder, I am more con-cerned with his or her welding qualifications, certifications and experience then the spelling. However, for a different job, I would feel differently.

Some managers insist on see-ing a cover letter with a resume, even when the employer did not request one. I tell applicants to always provide a cover letter. The cover letter is the chance to include information that is relevant, but may not be on the resume.

So, hiring managers, leaders, owners, presidents, CEOs, HR and all doing hiring, please see the following tips below.

1. First, take an overall look at the resume. Look for key infor-mation that is missing. Look for large spelling and grammatical errors. How important is this?

2. What are you hiring for? Are specific certifications or educa-tion required? If the applicants do not possess those qualifica-tions, then they are not qualified to proceed.

3. how is the resume orga-nized? Is it easy to read? Is the resume detailed? Are these items important in the job or role that you are hiring for?

4. look closely at employment

dates. Can you see gaps in employment dates? Did the applicant list months and years at each job or just years? Gaps can be dangerous, but not always a deal breaker. Do not be afraid to push for more detail.

5. What other jobs has this candidate held? Are the jobs that this candidate held at all related to what you are hiring for?

6. What is your hiring phi-losophy? What are you going for and why?

Note to applicants, recent grads and other professionals: Now is a great time for you to take a look at your resume. Give it a spring cleaning, dust it off, and spruce it up.

Check your contact informa-tion. Make sure that it is com-plete. Do not list a million social hashtags. This is not the time or the place. List only one phone number and one email where the potential employer can reach you. Make sure that your voice-mail is set up. Go in and clean up your voicemail outgoing message now. Take the ringtone song off, and leave a very professional and brief outgoing message. Trust me. This is the best thing that you can do for yourself today.

Check on your education sec-tion of the resume. Make sure you have included everything that you have completed. Do not fudge or lie. Spell these degrees and/or certifications correctly.

Review your work history. Check for correct dates and task listings. Have you included all of your major responsibilities?

Make sure you have a section at the bottom of your resume that can encompass those extras. These will be different for everyone. On my resume, I include committee seats and board participation. I also included volunteer work. These things make you unique and show your commitment to being a productive member of society and a true professional.

Best of luck to all parties involved. Go forth and hire!

anGela holMeS-younG is the author of “Bring It On, The Aspiring Professional’s Guide to Getting a Leg Up on the Competi-tion.” Her book is available at amazon.com and barnesandno-ble.com. Angela is also the corpo-rate recruiter for NRE. She can be reached at [email protected] or @A_Holmes_Young.

Hiring managers need a checklist for reviewing candidates’ resumes

Holmes-Young

✔

S o u t h e r n I l l I n o I S I n d I c a t o r S

Prices at the pumpAverage price per gallon of regular, unleaded gas as of April 27 and March 23, 2014.

consumer credit scoreCredit scores are numeric reflections of financial behavior and credit worthiness and they are based on information included in a credit report. Ranging from 330 to 830, a higher score means a lower credit risk. Scores are from February 2014.

672Local

665U. S.

674State

689Region

Source: experian

Source: aaa

Metro east $3.79 $3.67 $3.71Springfield $3.70 $3.63 $3.73Illinois $3.92 $3.75 $3.89u.S. $3.70 $3.53 $3.50

apr 14 Mar 14 apr 13

222

226

228

D

‘14

212J

214

A S

216

O

218

N

220

J FF M A M

’13

J

224

230

232

234

consumer Price IndexThe CPI measures average price changes of goods and services over time, with a reference base of 100 in 1982-84. To put into context, a current CPI of 194.5 means a market basket of goods and services that cost $100 in 1982-84 now costs $194.50.

U.S. City Average Feb 14 234.8

Midwest Urban Feb 14 223.5

Source: u.S. Department of Labor

95949392919089

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

FA N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J S O N D JS O

’14

A

’12 ’13

u of I Flash Index

The Flash Index is an early indicator of the Illinois economy’s expected performance. It is a weighted average of growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending and personal income. An index above 100 indicates expected growth; an index below 100 indicates the economy is contracting.

Feb 14 106.8

home sales Total units sold, including condominiums

Source: iLLinoiS aSSociation of reaLtorS

alexander 1 6 q83.3% 15 12 p 25.0% $30,000 $15,500 p 93.5%Franklin 82 75 p 9.3% 288 306 q 5.9% $54,000 $43,000 p 25.6%Gallatin 3 1 p200.0% 13 12 p 8.3% $74,000 $75,000 q 1.3%hamilton 1 4 q 75.0% 3 13 q 77.0% $8,000 $59,000 q86.4%hardin 6 3 p100.0% 16 11 p 45.5% $72,500 $46,000 p 57.6%Jackson 63 80 q 22.2% 325 346 q 6.1% $97,000 $98,250 q 1.3%Jefferson 54 65 q 16.9% 306 269 p 13.8% $76,000 $89,000 q 14.6%Johnson 27 19 p 42.1% 103 61 p 68.9% $79,000 $66,000 p 20.0%Massac 32 21 p 52.4% 122 118 p 3.4% $74,000 $69,500 p 7.2%Perry 22 25 q 12.0% 106 92 p 15.2% $44,000 $69,000 p 3.5%Pope 7 3 p133.3% 18 10 p 80.0% $81,660 $42,500 q72.8%Pulaski 1 2 q 50.0% 6 8 q 25.0% $94,100 $300,000 p 284.1%randolph 39 25 p 56.0% 148 130 p 13.8% $75,000 $24,500 p 25.0%Saline 39 30 p 30.0% 136 164 q 17.1 % $46,000 $60,000 q 29.4%union 24 31 q 27.3% 100 93 p 7.5% $80,365 $65,150 p 7.3%Williamson 159 164 q 3.0% 704 646 p 9.0% $82,000 $98,000 q 16.3%IllInoIS 31,507 32,975 q 4.5% 151,720 127,588 p 18.9% $148,000 $134,000 p 10.4%

Q4 13 Q4 12 change 2013 2012 change Q4 13 Q4 12 change

MedIan SaleS PrIce

Source: inStitute of Government anD pubLic affairS, univerSity of iLLinoiS

hotel/motel statsTotal amount of revenue generated in Carbondale by hotels and motels for room rentals only.

new vehicle sales Total cars, trucks sold based on title applications filed. Excludes motorcycles, trailers.

Source: iLLinoiS Secretary of State’S office. LateSt Data avaiLabLe.

Jan 14 Jan 13 change 2013 2012 change

$829,592 $801,312 p 3.5%

$6,716,604 $6,761,219 q <0.01%

oct 13 oct 12 change

2012 change

Ytd totalS

MonthlY totalS

$7,732,810 $7,728,261 q <0.01%

2011annual totalS

100

102

103

104

105

78

90

AS O N D J F M J J A S

98

94

88

86

84

82

81

80

76

M

74

72

70

68

66

64O NA M J J A

’12 ’13

chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing IndexThe CFMMI is a monthly estimate by major industry of manufacturing output in the Seventh Federal Reserve District states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. It is a composite index of 15 manufacturing industries, including auto and steel, that uses electrical power and hours worked data to measure monthly changes in regional activity. It is compared here to the national Industrial Production index for Manufacturing (IPMFG). Base year is 2007. Starting in November 2005, the index excluded the electricity component.

IPMFG Dec 1397.8

CFMMI Dec 1397.4

Source: feDeraL reServe bank of chicaGo

Williamson county regional airport passengers

828 879 q 5.8%

2,274 2,339 q 2.8%

Mar 14 Mar 13 change

2013 change

Ytd totalS

MonthlY totalS

Ytd Feb 2014city 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009% change

09-13

retail sales for Southern Illinois cities

Source: LateSt StatiSticS avaiLabLe from the iLLinoiS Department of revenue. fiGureS are in miLLionS.

labor force Jobless Mar 2014 Feb 2014 Mar 2013 change month change year

unemployment rates for Southern Illinois counties, state and nation

alexander 2,774 316 11.4% 11.5% 10.5% q 0.1 p0.9Franklin 16,626 1,938 11.7% 13.3% 12.5% q 1.6 q 0.8Gallatin 2,398 216 9.0% 10.3% 10.1% q 1.3 q 1.1hamilton 4,201 370 8.8% 10.2% 8.7% q 1.4 p0.1hardin 1,586 165 10.4% 11.4% 12.0% q 1.0 q 1.6Jackson 30,476 2,221 7.3% 8.4% 7.6% q 1.1 q0.3Jefferson 19,694 1,516 7.7% 9.1% 8.5% q 1.4 q 0.8Johnson 5,060 513 10.1% 11.9% 11.5% q 1.8 q 1.4Massac 6,985 549 7.9% 8.4% 9.1% q 0.5 q 1.2Perry 9,100 958 10.5% 12.3% 11.6% q 1.7 q 1.1Pope 1,774 171 9.6% 11.2% 9.8% q 1.6 q 0.2Pulaski 2,664 265 9.9% 12.0% 10.9% q 2.1 q 1.0randolph 14,877 1,157 7.8% 9.6% 8.7% q 1.8 q 0.9Saline 12,228 1,149 9.4% 10.7% 10.3% q 1.3 q 0.9union 7,684 855 11.1% 12.8% 11.8% q 1.7 q 0.7Washington 8,823 549 6.2% 7.5% 6.9% q 1.3 q 0.7White 7,027 545 7.8% 8.9% 7.9% q 1.1 q 0.1Williamson 33,827 2,838 8.4% 9.6% 9.0% q 1.2 q 0.6 .,reGIon 187,804 16,291 8.7% 9.8% 9.4% q 1.1 q0.7IllInoIS 6,534,933 545,157 8.3% 9.4% 9.3% q 1.1 q 1.0u.S. 155,627,000 10,537,000 6.8% 7.0% 7.6% q 0.2 q0.8 Source: iLLinoiS Department of empLoyment Security, u.S. Department of Labor. fiGureS are not SeaSonaLLy aDjuSteD. 10,476 10,170 p 3.0%

2012annual totalS

anna 21.2 121.8 114.1 119.1 120.9 114.5 p 6.4%Benton 15.2 92.7 83.2 86.4 69.5 69.4 p 33.6%carbondale 108.8 594.5 552.4 593.5 598.0 565.5 p 5.1%carterville 6.9 42.8 38.9 42.0 42.2 39.9 p 7.3%chester 8.8 55.7 53.2 55.7 55.3 52.9 p 5.3%du Quoin 16.2 119.1 114.4 113.5 77.1 100.8 p 18.2%harrisburg 38.3 217.0 205.1 214.0 195.0 191.9 p 13.1%herrin 28.4 160.7 152.5 154.0 153.4 147.2 p 9.2%Jonesboro 1.9 12.2 11.8 11.4 11.8 12.5 q 2.4%Marion 120.0 726.7 620.1 686.9 683.1 676.0 p 7.5%Metropolis 14.0 85.3 77.8 84.4 82.0 77.1 p 10.6%Mount Vernon 89.2 519.2 494.9 533.6 507.0 476.7 p 9.0%Murphysboro 23.3 136.2 127.5 135.2 130.6 129.1 p 5.5%nashville 21.1 136.0 116.3 110.3 96.6 107.9 p 26.0%Pinckneyville 6.7 41.7 38.6 42.3 38.5 37.2 p 12.1%red Bud 12.2 82.6 78.4 74.7 75.2 70.1 p 17.8%Sparta 21.6 131.7 120.2 128.2 128.5 126.4 p 4.2%Vienna 6.8 41.6 38.4 40.1 39.9 37.1 p 12.1%West city 16.4 93.2 87.1 88.3 87.8 91.9 p 1.4%West Frankfort 20.2 122.3 70.8 122.5 112.4 111.4 p 9.8%reGIon $597.2 $3,533.0 $3,192.7 $3,436.1 $3,304.8 $3,235.5 p 9.2%IllInoIS $28,053.0 $165,238.9 $152,406.7 $154,650.6 $147,232.0 $139,593.2 p 18.4%

alexander 15 17 q 11.8% 165 128 p 28.9%Franklin 123 104 p 18.3% 1,522 1,134 p 34.2%Gallatin 28 28 0.0% 282 265 p 6.4%hamilton 31 28 p 10.7% 384 278 p 38.1%hardin 5 13 q 61.5% 129 102 p 26.5%Jackson 110 113 q 2.7% 1,705 1,572 p 8.5%Jefferson 83 92 q 9.8% 1,172 894 p 31.1%Johnson 28 47 q 40.4% 500 389 p 31.1%Massac 33 28 p 17.9% 390 240 p 62.5%Perry 62 48 p 29.2% 734 618 p 18.8%Pope 10 8 p 25.0% 106 82 p 29.3%Pulaski 12 20 q 40.0% 199 141 p 41.1%randolph 74 100 q 26.0% 1,115 1,039 p 7.3%Saline 83 75 p 10.7% 1,078 1,056 p 2.1%union 47 57 q 17.5% 601 476 p 26.3%Washington 63 50 p 26.0% 700 493 p42.0%White 50 50 0.0% 796 633 p 25.8%Williamson 181 189 q 4.2% 2,498 2,250 p 11.0% reGIon 1,038 1,067 q 2.7% 14,076 11,790 p 19.4%

#1 most visited news, information and advertisingwebsite in Southern Illinois.

thesouthern.com Monthly Page Views: Monthly Unique Visitors: Monthly Visits:

395,358 842,327Let us help grow your business. Call (618) 351-5014*April 2014 omniture

2,987,066


SCott MCClatCheySBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Are you in your 50s (or 60s) and behind in your retirement planning goals? Don’t fret. You’ve still got time to get your financial plan on track. There are many steps that older investors can take to better pre-pare themselves financially for retirement. Here are some tips that may help you make the most of your final working years.

Catch up. If you have access to a 401(k) or other workplace-sponsored plan at work, make

the $5,500 catch-up contribution that is available to participants aged 50 and older. Note that you are first required to contribute the annual employee maximum, $17,500 for 2014, before making the catch-up contribution.

Fund an IRA. Investors aged 50 and older can contribute $6,500 annually (the $5,500 annual contribution plus an addi-tional catch-up contribution of $1,000). An investor in his or her 50s who contributes the maxi-mum amounts to both a 401(k) and an IRA could accelerate retirement savings by more than $25,000 a year.

Review your investing strategy. Generally, the nearer to retire-ment you are, the less invest-ment risk you should take. However, if you’re still young and have always been a conser-vative investor, you may want

to consider getting a bit more aggressive. Consider reallocat-ing your portfolio to include a little more stock exposure that could give you the potential for more growth.

Consider dividends. If you do not have access to a workplace-sponsored retirement plan, or you already contribute the maxi-mum to your qualified retirement accounts, consider stocks that offer dividend reinvestment. Reinvesting your dividends can help to grow your account bal-ance over time.

Make little cuts. Consider how you can trim expenses while continuing to enjoy life. Some suggestions for quick savings: eliminate or reduce premium cable channels that you do not watch, memberships that you do not use regularly, and frequent splurges on dining out or coffee

runs. An extra $100 a month saved today could make a big dif-ference down the road.

Consider bigger cuts. If you find yourself very deeply in debt, it may be time to make some bigger decisions. Review your spending thoroughly. If you can’t keep up, it may be time to downsize.

Review strategies for postponing retirement. If you are thinking about working longer than you had previously anticipated, you are not alone. Nearly one-quarter of Americans surveyed said they will probably retire later than planned. If working longer for your current employer doesn’t thrill you, explore learn-ing new skills that could increase your marketability to potential employers. Even a part-time job in retirement could reduce your need to deplete your assets.

Most important tip: Don’t give up:

Many pre-retirees falsely believe that there is nothing they can do to build retirement assets and, as a result, do nothing. Remem-ber that you control how much you invest and, in many areas, how much you spend. Make a plan and stick with it. It’s never too late!

SCott MCClatChey is a certified financial planner with Alliance Investment Planning Group, a Carbondale investment firm located at 115 S. Washington St. He can be reached at 618-519-9344 or [email protected]. He also provides investment, retirement planning and insurance services to SIU Credit Union members through the SIU Credit Union Investment Services partnership. Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC.

Retirement approaching? Tips for those over 50Money Matters

McClatchey

MiChael P. tiSonSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

I was glad to see the editorial board members of The Southern Illinoisan address taxes. That they rec-ommend Illinois not let its rev-enue be cut says a lot. I guess they see that our state already is running a deficit, and cutting important services such as education is a bad idea. As a parent of two kids in the Illinois public school system, it has been sad to see them go to a dilapi-dated high school with old text

books. Good thing they have a smart mother who makes them work hard.

It is just that Illinois still is running a deficit even with the “temporary” tax increase. There was likely never a chance it would be temporary in our state. I wish that politicians would be more straight-forward. I wish I was skinnier also. Currently, there are five states with a 5 per-cent income tax. Thirty states have income tax rates higher than 5 percent, and 15 states are lower. The 5 percent maximum income tax for higher income is just fine to keep. Then, you could lower the income tax rate back to 3.5 percent for incomes less than $75,000 a year.

Since Illinois still had a budget deficit with the current revenue, the state needs to both

raise additional revenues and lower costs. I think a good place to raise some additional revenue would be to add 1 percent to the state sales tax. If Illinois does this, the state could raise prob-ably just a little over $1 billion. Some of this additional revenue could be used exclusively for education for the poorer school districts that are getting a bad deal with the current formula.

Additional sales taxes would be a good way to raise some additional revenue. It is consumption-based and causes the people who spend money to have to pay the taxes. This will generate revenue from tour-ists to our state, students who come to the U.S. for the best education in the world and also the underground economy that doesn’t declare income.

The state of Illinois also needs to finally do something about the promises it is still keeping, but can’t afford. I agree with state employees who are relying on the pension promises made to them. What was promised them shouldn’t be cut. It is not their fault our state made prom-ises it couldn’t afford. The state should now move to a hybrid retirement for its employees. One-half pension and one-half defined-contribution plan simi-lar to a 401(k) plan. Our state employees in the future need to be fairly compensated, but our state has to be smarter. Our state over-promised and underfunded its pension. That is a bad com-bination.

Also, on the spending side is the crony capitalism docu-mented in a Nov. 15, 2011, Wall

Street Journal editorial. It defined crony capitalism as raising taxes on everyone, then cutting side deals with those big enough to lobby for special relief. It is the special tax relief and the unnecessary spend-ing on things like bike trails and a high-speed rail between St. Louis and Chicago that are boondoggles our state doesn’t need and can’t afford.

The next revenue problem our state is going to have is the motor fuel tax, which will not be enough to take care of the infrastructure. Cars today are getting way better gas mileage. Some cars are moving to electric power and use no gas at all. We might need to start looking at a national solution so no state has an advantage over any other.

Taxes in Illinois: Raise more revenue, cut the boondoggles

Tison

SEE tiSon / PAGE 17


Vaillancourt launches new website annette Vaillancourt, Ph.D., a Carbon-

dale-based counselor for individuals and couples, has launched a new website,

www.elitesoulmatecoaching.com.The website includes information about

her new live, virtual coaching services, free SoulMate Success newsletter, book,

teleclasses, MeetUps and webinars.

Barwick joins Watermark auto Group

Joni Barwick recently joined the staff of Watermark Auto Group as vice president of corporate responsibility and develop-ment.

Barwick will be responsible for helping to grow certain segments of the business and will act as a representative and corpo-rate neighbor in the communities served.

Watermark Auto Group is based in Marion and consists of dealerships in Illi-nois, Kentucky and Missouri. The group includes Marion Ford-Hyundai, Nissan of Marion, Bluegrass Honda, Bluegrass BMW, Madisonville Ford-Nissan and Hyundai of Cape Girardeau.

aisin receives GM recognition Aisin Manufacturing in Marion recently

received the Certificate of Excellence — Platinum Supplier Status from General Motors. The award is presented to GM suppliers in recognition for outstanding on-time delivery performance.

Aisin Mfg. Illinois, LLC, located in the REDCO Industrial Park area in Marion, manufactures sunroofs and door com-ponents for automotive manufacturers, including Toyota, GM and Subaru.

Businesses sponsor food drive Allied Physicians and Rehab of South-

ern Illinois and Dollar General in Cambria raised more than $200 worth of food for Cambria Food Pantry at two in-store events on Feb. 14 and 15.

Dollar General customers were invited to donate at least three food items to spin a wheel for prizes. Cash donations totaled more than $50.

Marthiens named administrator of nursing center

edgar Marthiens has been named the new administrator at Shawnee Christian Nursing Center in Herrin.

Marthiens comes to Shawnee with 11 years in long-term health care. He earned his bachelor’s degree at University of Florida in Gainesville and master’s degree in industrial engineering (health care delivery systems) from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Patterson awarded for safe driving Maverick Transportation recently pre-

sented driver Paul Patterson of Royalton with his Million Mile Safe Driving Award.

This award is given to drivers who have driven 1 million or more accident-free miles as a professional truck driver at Maverick. Patterson has been with Maverick for nine years and has earned numerous safety accolades.

nagreski attends estate planning course

C. adam nagreski of Nagreski Law, LLC, recently completed an estate planning course through the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

The course covered various topics, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, retirement benefits and life insurance issues.

Nagreski is a Johnston City-based general practice attorney, who serves all of Southern Illinois, and a graduate of SIU School of Law. He can be reached at 618-503-0221 or [email protected].

Johnston joins Korte design team Stacey Johnston has joined the design

staff at the St. Louis-based Korte Com-pany, where she will serve its architectural team as a design support specialist.

Johnston has a bachelor’s degree in architectural studies from SIU. Her design experience includes public safety and educational projects.

onB among world’s most ethical companies

The Ethisphere Institute has recognized Old National Bank as a 2014 World’s Most Ethical Company.

This is the third consecutive year that Old National has been honored with this award, which recognizes organizations that continue to raise the bar on ethical leadership and corporate behavior.

Klump certified to provide Dot physicals

Danielle Klump, a family nurse prac-titioner at Marshall Browning Medical Clinic in Du Quoin, recently passed the certification exam to provide Department of Transportation physicals.

After May 21, all interstate CMV drivers

FaCeS in the neWS

Have you been promoted? Send a photo. Has a colleague at work completed an intensive continuing education program? Send a photo. Others in the business community will want to know it, so please consider passing on your employment news and photos to the Southern Business Journal. Feel free to email the information to [email protected]. Find more business news at www.sbj.biz

Achievements

Askew-Robinson

Mowery

Johnston

Richey

Diemer

Patterson

Klump

Van Meter

Barwick

Nuzum

Keyser

Stork

Hormann

Pauley

Marthiens

Waters

Witt


must have their medical examination per-formed by a certified medical examiner. Appointments for DOT physicals may be made by calling 618-542-1050.

unimin receives safety awards Demonstrating a strong commitment

to employee safety and health, Unimin Specialty Minerals was recognized with Rock Solid Safety Awards at the Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers annual convention April 10 in Springfield.

The company’s mining and process-ing plant in Elco achieved a Gold Award, while the plant in Tamms received a Rock Solid Excellence in Safety Award, the highest honor.

Accepting the awards were John Mow-ery, purchasing supervisor for the plants in both Elco and Tamms, and Jim Witt, plant superintendent in Tamms.

Pauley graduates from Fla institute

Jennifer Pauley, an employee at Mur-phy-Wall State Bank and Trust Company in Pinckneyville, recently graduated from Future Leaders Alliance Institute offered through Illinois Bankers Association.

Pauley and other participants were involved in training, which included attending educational sessions and performing local community service. To meet her goal, Pauley participated in Murphy-Wall State Bank’s job shadow-ing and American Bankers Association’s Teach Children to Save Day.

Silkworm launches online design studio

Silkworm, Inc. now offers an online design studio, a new feature available on its recently redesigned website at www.silkwormink.com.

Silkworm’s new website features an improved navigational experience and updated content.

Gossett recognized as a top financial advisor

rich Gossett, a financial advisor at Old National Investments in Carbondale, was recognized as a top financial advisor and named to LPL Financial Director’s Club.

This distinction is based on an annual production ranking of all registered

advisors supported by LPL Financial.

nuzum completes certification course

anitta nuzum, l.M.t., owner of At Massage on Call in Marion, recently completed a certification course in the Ayurveda Perfect Health Program at Cho-pra University in Carlsbad, Calif.

To learn more about her services and the classes she teaches, call 618-751-5740.

Waters named regional executive Baptist Health recently named Jim

Waters Jr. as regional executive for ser-vice line development for Baptist Health Paducah and Madisonville.

Leadership responsibilities include cardiac, imaging and oncology services at Baptist Health Paducah.

Wells Fargo advisors promoted Ginger Murray and alesia Patterson,

both financial advisers with the Carbon-dale branch of Wells Fargo Advisors, have been promoted.

Murray has been named senior vice president-investment officer. She has been with Wells Fargo for 25 years and has 36 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Patterson has been named first vice president-investment officer. She has been with Wells Fargo for 25 years and has 31 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Diemer joins Cape Physician associates

Jean Diemer, M.D., a native of Anna, has joined Cape Physician Associates in Cape Girardeau as a medical partner and pediatrician.

Diemer attended SIU and earned her medical degree from University of Illinois School of Medicine. Board certified in pediatrics, she has a special interest in newborns, childhood obesity and preven-tive care for children and adolescents.

Keyser named top franchisee Jesse Keyser of Carbondale was named

Sport Clips Haircuts’ top franchisee during the franchise’s recent National Huddle in Houston.

Sport Clips is a men’s and boys’ hair care provider, soon to have 1,200 stores across the United States. Keyser’s nine Sport Clips Haircuts are in Carbondale, Marion, Champaign, Glen Carbon and Springfield, along with Caledonia and Grand Rapids, Mich., and Cape Girardeau.

askew-robinson named VP at SCC Jipaum askew-robinson has been

named vice president of Student and Administrative Services at Shawnee Community College.

She last worked as director of cultural diversity at West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah. The Atlanta native earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and master’s in business administration from Florida A&M University.

local teachers attend conference Three teachers from Unity Christian

School in Energy recently attended a teacher-training conference at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C.

Christy Quaglia, Bridget Douglas and Kelly Dover attended the two-day seminar to view the new curriculum, meet the authors of the curriculum and discover the best methods of implementing it at UCS.

Studio 212 opens in Coulterville Studio 212, a hair salon, recently

opened at 212 E. Grant St. in Coulter-ville.

Owner/stylist alex hormann works with two stylists, hannah Stork and Sierra Van Meter, both of Pinckneyville. The full-service salon is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Tues-day and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Call 618-758-1401 to reach the salon.

richey honored for sales achievement

Peggy r. richey of Pittsburg, a rep-resentative of Modern Woodmen of America, has been named to Modern Woodmen’s President’s Club.

This distinction recognizes Richey’s high achievement in life insurance sales among the organization’s representa-tives nationwide. The local Modern Woodmen office is at 12203 Poordo Road in Pittsburg. Richey can be reached at 618-982-2679.

Sorensen recognized as top chef lasse Sorensen, proprietor of Tom’s

Place in De Soto, has been named as a Best Chef again in 2014.

Achievements

Provided The Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale is pleased to announce American Eagle Outfitters as their Business of the Month for April!

Boys & Girls Club Business of the Month


CaVanauGh l. GraySBJ CONTRIBUTOR

In 1887, Frances Wisebart Jacobs, the Rev. Myron W. Reed, Msgr. William J. O’Ryan, Dean H. Martyn Hart and Rabbi William S. Friedman recognized the need for cooperative action to address the city of Denver’s welfare problems. Their initial efforts were the foundation for the United Way that in 126 years has held true to its mission of education, finan-cial stability and the promotion of healthy living.

According to The Chronicles of Philanthropy, the United Way took in more than $3.9 billion in donations in 2013 — a far cry from the $21,000 the organization took in its first year. Many nonprofits since have relied upon the good nature of its donors to sur-vive at the outset. However, with increased funding cutbacks, competition from other nonprofits and the emergence of social enterprises, nonprofits have been forced to function more like for-profit entities.

organizing your nonprofit effortsIn 1996, I set about the process of orga-

nizing my first nonprofit organization and felt overwhelmed throughout much of the process. The sheer amount of information that needed to be read, synthesized and organized slowed my efforts considerably. That analysis paralysis cost me several months of unnecessary lag time.

Step 1: Complete your respective state’s Articles of Nonprofit Incorporation. It’s the first step in formally establishing your organization, and you’ll need it to set up a bank account and apply for tax-exempt status.

Step 2: Submit an application for an Employee Identification Number (EIN) on behalf of your organization. Think of your EIN as a social security number for your nonprofit. You’ll need it to establish a bank account and apply for tax-exempt status.

Step 3: Write a one-page general descrip-tion of the organization’s core mission, goals and objectives, the population being served and the members of your organiza-tion. Also, most nonprofits are started for one of the following purposes: religious, charitable, educational, etc. Know which

one best applies to you. The more detailed you are at the outset, the easier the appli-cation process will be later on.

Step 4: Completely read Publication 557 Instructions for filing for Tax Exempt Status. This 70-plus page document can be cumbersome to navigate, but at least you’ll be in the know. Be sure to take plenty of notes.

Step 5: You’re now ready to start on Form 1023: Application for Recognition of Exemption. Make it a point to read it once completely before attempting to fill out the application.

tax-exempt application considerations

One of the key benefits of obtaining tax-exempt status is the ability to accept finan-cial support at a tax benefit to the donor. However, missteps in the application process can spoil your chances of obtain-ing that coveted 501©3 status. For starters, organizations can misclassify themselves as a public organization, private foundation or private operating foundation. It’s best to state your case and let the IRS make its determination. Applicants should be aware of which tax return to file (990-EZ, 990, 990-E, etc.) and their related deadlines.

establishing organization bylawsAlthough not required by the IRS to

apply for tax-exemption, a set of well thought-out guidelines or bylaws will greatly benefit your organization and help you better navigate the application process.

Establish a donations policy, keeping in mind that amounts over $75 need a dis-closure statement, and that donors can’t deduct amounts of $250 or more without a written statement.

Lastly, develop a Conflict of Interest Policy that clearly defines business ethics in relation to your organization’s busi-ness dealings.

CaVanauGh l. Gray ([email protected]) is the director of business development for The Entrepreneur Café, L.L.C. (877-511-4820). For more information on nonprofits or to read a chapter from his book, “The Entrepreneurial Spirit Lives: 25 Tales to Help Entrepreneurs Start, Grow, and Suc-ceed in Small Business,” log onto www.ecafellc.com. For more information on how to start, grow and succeed in small business, ‘Like’ on Facebook, ‘Follow’ on Twitter @TheECafe or ‘Connect’ on LinkedIn.

Baby steps are needed to establish a lasting nonprofit

Gray

Looking for a

smaLL business Loan? buy or build a new facility

expand Your Current Location Purchase Hea machinery

877-BEST 504www.growthcorp.com

our Current LocationPurchase Heavy machiner

BEST

borroWer aDVanTages• Long-term fixed rate• Low down payment• Improves cash flow• Payment stability• Preserves capital

GROWTH CORP

110 N. Taft St., PO Box 151 • West Frankfort, IL

618-920-2472

Two City Place Drive, Suite 200 • St. Louis, MO

314-409-6909


Tison: Taxes in Illinois: Raise more revenue, cut the boondogglesFroM page 12

Solutions could start as a tax whenever a car gets re-titled or a tax on new tires. Tires are always on the road. Electric cars shouldn’t be exempt.

Lastly, on the revenue side, our state might be missing some

opportunities. I know Texas has about double the population of Illinois. What I don’t understand, and maybe the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute can figure out, is why the difference is so large in the following states’ 2014-2015 budgets.

Look at the comparison on sales tax revenues: Texas sales tax, $54 billion; Illinois sales tax, $7.8 billion.

The tax rates are similar, and I can’t believe the Texas economy is that much stronger. Texas must collect taxes on items that Illinois

does not.This material is being provided

for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation to buy or sell any investment. Any opinions are those of Michael P. Tison and not necessarily of Raymond James.

MiChael p. tiSon is a registered principal/financial advisor with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Raymond James has offices in Marion and Harrisburg at 37 S. Main St. He can be reached at 618-253-4444.

Jonathan FaheyThe AssociATed Press

NEW YORK — Whether to allow more exports of U.S. oil and natural gas has become a matter of political debate in Washington. But to economists, the answer is clear: The nation would benefit.

The vast majority of econo-mists surveyed in April by The Associated Press say lifting restrictions on exports of oil and natural gas would help the economy even if it meant higher fuel prices for consumers.

More exports would encourage investment in oil and gas produc-tion and transport, create jobs, make oil and gas supplies more stable and reduce the U.S. trade deficit, they say.

As domestic energy production has boomed, drilling companies have pushed to be allowed to sell crude oil and natural gas overseas,

where they can command higher prices. Such exports are restricted by decades-old energy security regulations.

Those opposed to opening trade say exports could make it more expensive for Americans to heat their homes and fill up their cars.

But even economists who think exports might increase fuel prices for U.S. consumers — an open question — say the overall benefit to the economy would outweigh any possible harm. It would be better to allow the exports and use tax breaks or other methods to help those struggling with higher prices, they say.

“The economy in general is better off if we can sell something to someone and bring money into the economy,” said Jerry Webman, chief economist at Oppenheimer Funds. “I’d rather deal with any side effects directly than limit our ability to do business with the world.”

The AP survey collected the views of private, corporate and academic economists on a range of issues. Of the 30 economists who participated, nearly 90 per-cent responded that more exports of oil and gas would help the

U.S. economy.Oil and gas export restrictions

went largely unchallenged for decades because consumption in the U.S. — by far the world’s biggest consumer of oil and gas — was rising while production was falling. Imports were increasing, and few thought the U.S. would ever be in a position to export oil or gas.

But new techniques have allowed drillers to tap oil and gas in formations once thought out of reach, and U.S. production has soared.

The U.S. still consumes far more crude oil than it produces. But oil companies are producing a light sweet crude that foreign refineries covet and that many U.S. refineries are not equipped to handle. The companies and some politicians have called for lifting oil export restrictions. Propo-nents concede.

Economists back increased US oil and gas exports

AP In this March file photo, workers tend to a well head during a hydraulic fracturing operation at an Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. gas well outside Rifle in western Colorado.

Building permits

Marion casey’s retail co., 2314 W. Main st.,

$190,000

Metropolis Gwen’s d.e.F., 1120 Johnson st.,

$115,000Project hope humane society, 1660

10th st. W., $74,100Gary Graham, 909 ophia st., $3,000

Mount Vernon Joe ilbery, 2307 Benton road,

$12,500Jefferson county shriners, 11675

illinois 37, $0Baldwin enterprises, inc., 222

Potomac Blvd., $50,000Maxine Lockeby, 2909 s. 13th st.,

$47,000Maxine Lockey 2909 s. 13th st., $0Goodman Networks, 123 s. 10th st.,

$19,000henry Mannen, 2005 casey, $0rue 21 (Times square Mall), 100

Times square Mall, $100New dimension Builders, inc., 801

1/2 s. 18th st. (trailer only) $0rue 21 (Times square Mall), 3917

Broadway, No. 43, $200,000Jim stanley and sherry Perkins,

1302 s. 24th st., $0hallmark store (King city square),

417 s. 42nd st., $4,400Phil and Betty Bauer, 405 s. 19th st.,

$9,500Norman Fowler, 1101 conger, $0doris Meredith, 705 s. 17th st.,

$69,130

Big Lots (Times square Mall), 3925 Broadway, $8,200

Big Lots (Times square Mall), 3925 Broadway, $300

Kingdom seed Ministries, 118 s. Ninth st, $4,810

Mount Vernon dream homes, 11884 N. rye Grass, $23,000

Mount Vernon raceways 11670 N. Wells Bypass, $1,000

Neeya Auto sales, 1415 salem road, $450

Murphysboro darryl Jones, 12 N. 13th st., $7,000earl summers, 1921 Logan st., $10,

618Leslie Williams, 1133 roberta drive,

$80,000clarence sherman, 907 N. 22nd st.,

$2,000Jeff Vincent, 921 N. Ninth, $4,685dane And Laura Grammer, 2135 clay

st., $3,583Bert VanGilder, 508 N. Bill drive, Lot

76, $400

Fine Print


Now introducingLimeade andBlack Cherryflavors.These two new flavorsgive you just the rightamount of kick to get youready for anything thenight brings your way.

Available now from

KICKSTARTyouR nIghT

nEWpepsimidamerica.com1.800.827.7020

e now from

pepsimidameric

Availabl


Fine PrintBankruptcies

Chapter 7Robert E. and Patricia A. Paddock, 409 W.

Main St., McLeansboroDebra L. Rice, 5495 Peony Road, CoultervilleCatherine J. Dale, 302 Frank St., Du QuoinSuzanne Y. Gates and David C. Gates, 223 S.

Leonard St., Du Quoin Eboni M. Perkins, 1200 E. Grand Ave., Apt.

17-3A, CarbondaleWilliam Ray Ashley, 3014 North Ave.,

MetropolisClay D. Hanks, 507 E. North St., Du QuoinDaniel L. Nutter, 1215 Waters Road, ViennaRobert J. and Wanda V. Schleper, 17 S. Peach

St., Du QuoinEric S. and DeAnn T. Bennett, 2520 N. 13th

St., HerrinRodney D. and Darla J. Bilderback, 13750

Christmas Tree Road, Johnston CityRandall J. Tolbert, 817 Dewey St., EldoradoJason RW Richard, 201 Paula Lane, Lot 10,

CartervilleWilliam E. Gore, 2782 Sharp Lane, West

FrankfortScott Anthony Barringer, 169 Gaskin Mine

Road, HerodKathy Lynn Reiss, 169 Gaskin Mine Road,

HerodKalen and Jordan Gibbs, 1104 Gent Ave.,

Johnston CityCharles R. Sanders, 527 E. Monroe St., Du

QuoinCurtis J. and Tammy I. Kish, 1531 Beech

Road, Du QuoinTrymon C. and Christie M. Hawkins, 2403

Perkins Ave., Mount VernonJanine S. Mitchell, 10631 Country Club Road,

Apt. 1, West FrankfortGeorge D. and Linda K. Brooks, P.O. Box 722,

ShawneetownGladys A. Dozeman and Tammy L. Rowden,

11007 Stotlar Road, Johnston CityEmilia Y. Hafertepe, 202 Douglas Drive, AnnaLoretta M. Rose, 1005 E. Elm St., West

FrankfortJeffrey Lee Mitchell, 405 N. Park St., MarissaDeOndra L. Myles, 1637 Gartside St.,

MurphysboroMichael Shane Pind, P.O. Box 7, Wolf LakeAlan L. Richard Sr. and Becky A. Richard, 201

Paula Lane, Lot 10, CartervilleSteve A. and Hazel B. Swain, 600 S. Division

St., CartervilleMeagan D. Anderson, 97 Reichrath Drive,

MurphysboroJerry M Hart, 151 Hoffman Road,

MurphysboroTyrant C. and Shaniece A. Mackins, 409 Elm

St., Mound CitySamantha L. Voelker, 303 N. East St., Apt. 26,

Norris CityDavid R. and Joyce M. Smith, 4474 Old

Illinois 13, CartervilleAnn T. Hargan, 207 E. Church St., BentonHarvey D. and Rose I. Bushue, 1455 Cutler

St., BentonRandy Allan Denton, 12346 Curie Lane,

MarionJeremy R. Prentice, 1200 Barham Ave.,

Johnston CityJamila N. McIntyre, 1404 N. Robert A. Stalls

Ave., CarbondaleMatthew Carson Mason, 130 Brookview

Drive, Apt. 5, Red BudLura L. Oakley, 1348 Dallas Road,

MurphysboroNathan R. and Jennifer L. West, 24 W. Homer

St., HarrisburgMindy S. Williams, 104 Lime Kiln Apartment

Drive, AnnaKelly C. Futrell, 2993 N. Reed Station Road,

Apt. 1, De SotoGayla Welch, 1108 N. Fair St., Apt. B, MarionDennis P. and Donna J. Sminchak, 10358

Gass St., West FrankfortVirginia L. Bennett, P.O. Box 3103,

CarbondaleJoseph C. and Juliana Woodsides, 415 N.

Vine St., Du QuoinRamona Lynn Cox, 164 Hickory Road, Titus,

Ala.Pamela S. Baker, 1211 N. Courtney St.,

MarionMarcus W. and Cassandra A. Rush, 600 S.

Emma St., Christopher Carissima Burnetta, 1610 Pine Ave.,

Johnston CityHank D. and Elizabeth M. Isbell, P.O. Box 506,

HerrinJeremiah S. and Melissa D. Farlow, 711

Ruggeri Drive, HerrinLarry D. Swain Sr. and Lisa K. Swain, 8220 E.

Alex Road, DixChristina M. Poirer, 2150 Dutch Ridge Road,

CarbondaleLacy F. Reams, 533 E. Monroe St., Du QuoinLenola K. Corker, 416 W. Sycamore St.,

CarbondaleValerie R. Flint, 1341 Harsy Road, Du QuoinChol M. Ajoksis and Ayen R. Kok, 305 E. Elm

St., Apt. 305B, CarbondaleRonald Burmeister Jr., 708 E. Fourth St.,

West FrankfortJames Lee Lewis, 5065 Park St., MulkeytownSheree A. Randle, 1601 New Era Road, Apt.

503, CarbondaleDonald M. Hasty, 240 W. Herrin Road, HerrinJames Bernard Hillesheim, 522 E. First St.,

Addieville

Donna S. Eudy, 504 Breezeel School Road, Benton, Ky.

Viola S. Rosenow, 1004 W. Monroe St., HerrinThomas E. and Corina R. Haskell, 505 N.

Eighth St., ElkvilleScott H. and Shannon J. Headlee, 109 Cherry

Drive, Mount VernonStanley and Debra Tanner, 2532 Tyler Bridge

Road, Creal SpringsRyan A. and Danielle M. Corbett, 65 Beech

Drive, Mount VernonGloria R. Marshoff, 714 N. Mill St., Carrier

MillsJyreece V. Foulks, 516 S. 19th St., Mount

VernonTehavis A. and Dara D. Davis, 16709 Liberty

Road, Mount VernonJeremy A. and Aimee B. Pickett, P.O. Box

204, Mound CityMary J. Mason, 95 Renshaw Road,

GrantsburgKenneth A. Donoho Jr. and Tammy L.

Donoho, 5 Angus Lane, AnnaBrenda L. Lence, 715 N. 16th St., HerrinCharles W. and Karen S. Davis, 602 E. Elm

St., West Frankfort

Chapter 13Trent D. Kimberly, 215 Redrow, Apt. C, MarionHarlan C. and Etta Sue Holt, 601 Heritage

Drive, HerrinStephen R. Fink, 605 N. Almond St.,

CarbondaleShadley J. Bigham, 1220 Midway Court,

MarionDavid and Connie K. Morris, 475 E. Caledonia

St., OlmstedDiane J. Belcher, 145 Belcher Road, Wolf LakeFrager H. and Delores Pollard, 1425 Old West

Main St., Apt. 520, CarbondaleDavid M. McKenzie, 1300 Marion St.,

CartervilleJon W. Melvin, 407 E. Elm St., West FrankfortMarci A. Foy, 709 W. Sloan St., HarrisburgScott Luther and Cecelia Jean Dagner, P.O.

Box 193, SteelevilleMatt J. Gramse, 2116 E. Walnut St.,

CarbondaleAngela L. Alexander, 105 W. Marion Drive, Lot

40, MurphysboroStephen W. Coulom, 305 E. Smith St.,

BentonDeborah Ann Lundstrom, 231 S. Court St.,

Lot 24, BentonJ.R. and Luciana Seymour, 9147 U.S. 51,

AshleyJennifer Lynn Ridings, 1612 Swanwick St.,

ChesterPhillip Shawn and Rhonda E. Gossett, P.O.

Box 576, MulkeytownTimothy H. and Carla J. Spowart, 10336

Karnes Road, West FrankfortJessica A. Browning, P.O. Box 44, ViennaKeith E. and Erica L. Harris, 1214 N. Hickory

St., Du QuoinToby J. Warner and Brittany L. Warner, 17723

Clank Road, TammsDavid F. Halstead, 2249 Makanda Road,

MakandaJames Eric Osteen, 21212 No. 9 Blacktop,

ThompsonvilleMatthew S. Denbow, 107 W. Lincoln St.,

HarrisburgScott A. and Tanya E. Nokes, 611 Ann St.,

ChesterMichael W. and Karla J. Holland, 826 W. Lillie

St., HarrisburgSteven R. King and Denise M. Couty, 805B N.

Washington St., MarionVanessa A. Burgess, 17345 Log Cabin Road,

EwingJames M. and Melody A. Sarensen, 312 N.

Sims St., RoyaltonDavid W. and Kendra G. Tharp, 404 S. Powell

St., Norris CityCarol J. Sweikousky, 2737 McReynolds Lane,

West FrankfortDarryl D. Rash, 2417 First St., EldoradoDayna S. Garner, 412 E. Marion St., MarionNoel M. and Melanie J. Wright, 180 Maple St.,

New Burnside

Building permits

Carbondale Diane Roseman-Tipton, 311 E. Chestnut St.,

$30,000Carbondale School District 95, 925 S. Giant

City Road, $33,920Carbondale School District 95, 1025 N. Wall

St., $22,466Carbondale School District 95, 1150 E. Grand

Ave., $78,106Quad County Redi-Mix, 2000 N. McRoy

Drive, $350,000Roger Spaugh, 407 W. Elm St., $147Maxine Rendleman, 706 N. Springer St.,

$27,769Marsie Davis, 305 E. Larch St., $34,000Emily Clerk, 806 N. Carico St., $36,061Bobby McDaniel, 304 E. Fisher St., $34,500Joel Eggers, 502 S. Skyline Drive, $500Habitat for Humanity, 416 E. Oak St.,

$70,000Parrish Enterprises, 106 S. Rod Lane,

$70,000Johhny Jackson, 305 E. Birch St., $500Kelly McGuire, 502 S. Dixon St., $1,800Lawrence Carrico, 921 E. Main St., $13,000Studio Day Spa, 515 S. Illinois Ave., $1,500Land Trust 1, 301 N. Illinois Ave., $53,389


As Carla laid in a coma the doctors told her family to brace for theworst. Then something miraculous happened—Carla woke up. Butthat’s only the beginning of Carla’s amazing rehabilitation journey!

Only Southern Illinois Healthcare has a long-standing alliance withthe Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) giving you access toexpert care. RIC has earned the ranking of “Best RehabilitationHospital in America” by US. News &World Report for 23consecutive years.

Who could be such a partner? Only SIH.Learn mOre at:SIH.net/CARLA

Conveniently located:• Herrin• Carbondale• murphysboro• anna• Logan Park

800-597-5790

Southern Business Journal

Documents

Transcript of Southern Business Journal