Business Journal July 2016

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2 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | July 2016

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YOU R C A L E N DA R Friday, July 1‌

Tuesday, July 26‌

Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Saturday, July 2‌

Decatur Frontiers Club, 10:30 a.m., Decatur Club.

Kiwanianne Club of Decatur, 9:30 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Decatur Building Construction Trades Council, 10 a.m., IBEW Local 146 Hall.

Noon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.

Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club.

Tuesday, July 5‌

Wednesday, July 27‌

Kiwanianne Club of Decatur, 9:30 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility, 3909 W. Main St. Lincolnland Decatur AMBUCS, noon, Decatur Club.

Noon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.

Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club.

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

Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.

Thursday, July 28‌

Early Bird Kiwanis, 6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon, Decatur Club.

Mount Zion Lions Club, 6:30 p.m.

Decatur Camera Club, 7 p.m., Rock Springs Environmental Center.

Wednesday, July 6‌

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

Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.

Thursday, July 7‌

Friday, July 29‌

Early Bird Kiwanis, 6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon, Decatur Club.

Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Saturday, July 30‌

Friday, July 8‌

Decatur Frontiers Club, 10:30 a.m., Decatur Club.

Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Monday, Aug. 1‌

Saturday, July 9‌

Decatur Noon Lions Club, Diamonds Family Restaurant.

Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.

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

Decatur Frontiers Club, 10:30 a.m., Decatur Club.

Monday, July 11‌

Decatur Noon Lions Club, Diamonds Family Restaurant.

Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.

Altrusa International of Decatur, 6 p.m., location varies

Tuesday, July 12‌

Tuesday, Aug. 2‌

Independence Pointe Building, 2715 N. 27th St. Decatur Area Women’s Network (DAWN), Kiwanianne Club of Decatur, 9:30 a.m., Sco5:30 p.m., Decatur Club. vill Banquet Facility.

Mount Zion Lions Club, 6:30 p.m.

Decatur Building Construction Trades Decatur Camera Club, 7 p.m., Rock Springs Council, 10 a.m., IBEW Local 146 Hall, 3390 N. Environmental Center, 3939 Nearing Lane.

Woodford St. Noon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.

Friday, July 15‌ Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club.

Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill Decatur Chamber Toastmasters Club, noon, Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce base- Banquet Facility. ment meeting room, 101 S. Main St.

Wednesday, July 13‌

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

Mount Zion Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, 11:30 a.m.

Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.

Thursday, July 14‌

Early Bird Kiwanis, 6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Senior Resources Network, noon, Keystone Meadows, 1455 W. Mound Road.

Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon, Decatur Club.

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

Doherty’s Pub, 242 E. William St.

Wednesday, July 20‌

Kiwanianne Club of Decatur, 9:30 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Noon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.

Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club.

Wednesday, Aug. 3‌

Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club, 9:30 a.m., Breakfast, 7 a.m., Decatur Club.

Scovill Banquet Facility.

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

Facility.

Decatur Shrine Club, noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.

Thursday, July 21‌

Early Bird Kiwanis, 6:45 a.m., Scovill Ban- Thursday, Aug. 4‌ quet Facility.

Early Bird Kiwanis, 6:45 a.m., Scovill BanDecatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon, quet Facility.

Saturday, July 16‌ Decatur Frontiers Club, 10:30 a.m., Decatur Decatur Club.

Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club, noon, Decatur Christian Women’s Connection, Decatur Club.

Club.

11:30 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.

Human Service Agency Consortium, noon, Monday, July 18‌ Central Christian Church, 650 W. William St. Decatur Noon Lions Club, Diamonds Family Friday, July 22‌ Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill Friday, Aug. 5‌ Restaurant.

Banquet Facility.

Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.

Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill Banquet Women’s Progressive Club, 6 p.m., Greater Facility.

Saturday, July 23‌ Northside Baptist Church.

Decatur Frontiers Club, 10:30 a.m., Decatur Saturday, Aug. 6‌ Club.

Tuesday, July 19‌ Decatur Frontiers Club, 10:30 a.m., Decatur Kiwanianne Club of Decatur, 9:30 a.m., ScoClub.

Monday, July 25‌ vill Banquet Facility.

To submit items for Your Calendar, contact Decatur Noon Lions Club, Diamonds Family Scott Perry at (217) 421-7976, at sperry@herNoon Kiwanis Club, Decatur Club.

Restaurant.

Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club. ald-review.com, or click the “Submit an Event” Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.

Decatur Landlords Association, 6 p.m., link at www.thebusiness-journal.com M 1

FROM THE EDITOR

‌T

he end of June is just around the corner and I have yet to spend any time on a boat. ‌For those who remember last month’s column, you realize how much this is killing me.

Unfortunately, I brought it upon myself by seriously underestimating how much time it would take to give the SS Duct Tape a much-needed makover. It earned its name once duct tape became the dominant floor covering a few years back.

While I have vented a lot of frustration over how slowly this project has progressed during the recent hot spell (perfect boating weather) to just about anyone who will listen (welcome to the club), there has been a bright side. I have been aided in the project by my wife, kids and a few friends. Through it all, we’ve been able to spend a few quality hours together, learning a lot about tools, wood, fiberglass and much, much more. I’m hoping these lessons will come in handy for my kids some day.

For me, one thing came across loud and clear. I think it’s better that I not attempt to make what is obviously an “easy” bathroom repair at my house.

While I’m sure I can do it, I’m not sure my family would be as forgiving about having our only bathroom under construction for a month.

Volume 21

Issue 7

601 E. William St. Decatur, IL 62523 217.421.7976 217.421.7965 (fax) Publisher: Julie Bechtel

Scott Perry, editor Business Journal of Midcentral Illinois

General Manager: Gary Sawyer Editor: Scott Perry Advertising: AnnaMarie Hanes Cover photo: Lisa Morrison

July 2016 Contents

ADVERTISING: The deadline for ad and ad copy for the August issue is July 15. Call 217.421.7953 for rate information.

STANDING FEATURES

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Biz Bites

7

Biz Clips

20

Fred Spannaus

20

Free Time calendar

16

Julie Shields

21

Health calendar

10

Liz Reyer

18

Office Coach

18

Wendy Gauntt

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19 Emerging Leaders Best of the best Once again, the Business Journal celebrates 20 people under 40 years old who are making a difference in the community. The task of whittling the list of nominees down to 20 is always a challenge, but one that we enjoy. Turn to the special section inside to meet the Class of 2016.

Special section

New group looks to connect newcomers to the community.

15 A side of ambiance There’s something special about dining outdoors.

STORY IDEAS: Email sperry@herald-review.com or call 217.421.7976 SUBSCRIPTIONS: To order additional copies, call 217.421.7931 The Business Journal of MidCentral Illinois is printed monthly and is a publication of Lee Enterprises, Inc. Information published is the responsibility of the author and does not reflect the opinions of The Business Journal of MidCentral Illinois. To submit articles, mail typewritten and 500 words or less to: The Business Journal, 601 E. William St., Decatur, IL 62523. Articles will not be returned.

Any editorial content or advertising published is the property of Lee Enterprises, Inc., DBA The Business Journal of MidCentral Illinois.

Herald & Review All rights reserved for entire content.

4 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | July 2016

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It’s not just location, location, location Quality of life, incentives, available land figure into expansion decisions TONY REID Business Journal Writer‌

‌DECATUR – Here’s the big yellow question: Why is the hungry Caterpillar Inc. weaving its latest corporate cocoon in Tucson, Ariz., and not Decatur?

In case you haven’t been keeping up with current events, Peoria-based Caterpillar Inc. announced in May that it will base its surface mining and technology division offices in Tucson. The state of Arizona says the project will create more than 600 white collar jobs over five years, with average annual salaries of $90,000, but most of those jobs will be transferred from someplace else: Caterpillar operations in Decatur, Peoria and Milwaukee are among targeted facilities losing unspecified numbers of workers. Those workers will begin moving this summer.

On the face of it, Tucson does look like a no-brainer. Plenty of space in its sun-baked downtown and, just 20 minutes away, Caterpillar already has a vast vehicle testing and demonstration area, covering an incredible 6,500 acres, called the “Tinaja Hills Demonstration & Learning Center.” The Mexican border is also only about 60 miles to the south, and Mexico is home to some major component supply operations.

“Tucson proved the best option,” in the words of Caterpillar spokeswoman Lisa Miller, who did say other unspecified sites in Illinois “and across the United States” were considered. “The Tucson and Southern Arizona area is also home to some of our largest customers and mine sites,” Miller added in an email.

But what about good old Decatur? We’re already home to the only factory that builds the most prestigious mining-related product of all, the giant off-road dump trucks. We’ve got a community heritage of skills and expertise for crafting these monster vehicles, the highest-earning products Caterpillar has ever made. And while we don’t have a vehicle proving ground, we’ve got plenty of space to site a much more modestly-sized one, and bags of room for that shiny new surface mining division office.

“Absolutely, there are lots of suitable sites here,” said Tim Vieweg, owner and managing broker of Decatur-based Vieweg Real Estate.

“And if I’m not mistaken, Caterpillar owns 63 acres right in front of their own plant right here in Decatur.”

But he says coming up with 6,000 plus acres for a similar-size proving ground would be a bridge too far cost-wise. “You figure farm ground is, say, $12,000 an acre,” Vieweg added.

“But you might be able to pay as much as for 100 acres of desert land as you do for one acre of farm ground.”

And while all realty is always about location, location, location, money also talks, however, and in corporate movement decisions it doesn’t

JIM BOWLING, BUSINESS JOURNAL‌

From left, Sierra Reed plays with family members Taylor Adams, Clifton Reed and Aleeya Reed at Overlook Adventure Mini Golf. Officials say amenities such as Overlook Adventure Park could increase quality of life in Decatur, which could attract those considering a move. just speak, it gets up on its hind legs and starts baying. Caterpillar’s Tucson deal includes having up to $50 million spent on constructing a surface mining office on the firm’s behalf, the bill to be repaid over a 25 year lease. Caterpillar also gets eight years of property tax abatement and $6 million to defray moving costs in an incentive deal that involves the state of Arizona, city of Tucson and various other organizations.

One of those is the Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District, which is building the Caterpillar headquarters.

Supported by taxes, Rio Nuevo is tasked to “facilitate and participate in the development of a vibrant downtown Tucson.” Fletcher McCusker, a Tucson corporate titan who now chairs the Rio Nuevo board, said he’s learned that putting money on the table shows companies being courted that your intentions are serious.

“First of all, it’s unusual for Tucson to win a competition like that (to get Caterpillar),” he said. “We normally fade typically because we see other cities and states offer more in the way of financial incentives.”

But not this time. Arizona’s new governor, Doug Ducey, started an aggressive courtship

when he bumped into a person described as a “Caterpillar’s site selector” at a governors’ conference in Las Vegas in the fall. This time, McCusker said, Tucson was not going to wind up the jilted bride. “There were just a lot of things we were prepared to do that made it really hard to compete with our offer,” he added.

Could Illinois and Decatur do that? When it comes to money, the Land of Lincoln clearly has issues. We’ve been without a state budget now for a year and have the lowest credit rating of any state in the nation after our 15th downgrade since 2009. But Ryan McCrady, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, said state help is available to scatter incentives in the path of companies like Caterpillar.

“I believe the state of Illinois does have good attraction and retention programs and they are very responsive to me when I call them for help on a project,” McCrady said. He also pointed to a local enterprise zone, which offers substantial incentives, and “we have good velocity to get those incentives approved in a quick manner.”

On the specifics of Caterpillar’s Tucson move, McCrady said his dealings with individual companies must remain confidential and he

LISA MORRISON, BUSINESS JOURNAL‌

Realtor Tim Vieweg said Decatur has many potential building sites of varying sizes that provide easy highway access for companies looking to expand.

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July 2016 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | 5

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would not comment on whether Decatur was ever seriously in the running for the new surface mining division location. McCrady points to Tucson’s proving ground and demonstration center and says clearly, this time, the southwestern city had aces up its sleeve.

He is also cautious, on general principle, about getting into cash bidding wars to lure companies. He notes that Gov. Ducey’s office estimates the new Caterpillar facility as having a $600 million projected economic impact but, while careful to say he is not commenting on the validity of the Arizona numbers, McCrady said experience has taught him the return for taxpayers isn’t always as promised.

“There are some states that throw big cash at these deals and, having worked in government for almost 20 years, I am not always convinced that they can make that cash back up,” McCrady added. “You definitely don’t want to win for the sake of winning.”

As for Caterpillar’s view of the Tucson/Arizona incentive package, spokeswoman Miller said it was obviously a factor. “Incentives were considered as part of the decision-making process, but there were other factors for the project as well,” she explained.

“Quality of life was one of the factors used to evaluate all of the location options – every community evaluated had many positives related to quality of life.”

What is quality of life? Judging the worthiness of schools, universities, housing and recreational opportunities all comes under that heading. Some of the questions the Caterpillar site selectors had were a little more surprising, however, such as probing the tastiness and variety of downtown dining choices. McCusker said Tucson scored well in all these areas but, hearing him talk about the local climate, some of the al fresco dining options could include frying an egg on your vehicle’s roof.

“It’s 111 degrees outside today,” he said while chatting to the Business Journal in an interview. He explained that the heat is something newcomers from the Midwest are going to find the most daunting.

“When you step off a plane and its 110 degrees, well, it feels like that blast of hot air you get when you open the oven door while you’re baking cookies,” McCusker said.

“We’re in the Sonoran Desert, it only gets six inches of rain a year, and the heat takes some getting used to.”

Golf tee times in the summer start at 5:15 a.m to avoid the worse of the outside blast furnace. But winters, starting in October, are glorious, full of 70s-temperatures and no rain to spoil lots of outdoor activities, like bicycling amid the starkly panoramic desert vistas. “Culturally, we’re part of the southwest,” said McCusker. “We even have school holidays for rodeo, for God’s sake,” he added with a laugh. “But oh those winters, they’re spectacular.”

Decatur, up to its boots in snow in winter and awash in a surrounding ocean of summer corn and beans, can’t lay claim to stunning Sonoran backdrops. And while not every approach to the inner city presents visitors with pleasing views, Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe says her city has made great strides.

“Juan Luciano, the head of Archer Daniels Midland Co., recently complimented me and the city manager on how wonderful the M 1 downtown is,” said Moore Wolfe. She bragged

JIM BOWLING, BUSINESS JOURNAL‌

Christy Johnson, left, and Hannah Quernheim survey menus in the outdoor dining area at Coney McKane’s American Eatery downtown.

Caterpillar Inc. cited access to outdoor dining as one of the things that attracted it to Tucson, Ariz. Decatur has taken steps in recent years to enhance its outdoor dining options. of extensive new landscaping and the rise of outdoor dining locations in a downtown that has hung on to much of its historic character.

She also highlights Decatur’s low cost of living and the recreation activities centered around the lake and the city’s many parks.

She rejects any notion that corporate site selectors, searching for proof of quality of life, would pass over Decatur because it wasn’t pretty enough or appealing enough.

“Just look at our lakefront,” the mayor said. “We are pretty.”

Moore Wolfe said Caterpillar never spoke to her about Decatur being a contender for the new development, and remains disappointed she never got the chance to pitch her city’s strong points. She believes the company had probably set its heart on one leading contender. “I think it was kind of going to be Tucson all along,” she added.

She also says experience has taught her that some of those transplanted Decatur Caterpillar families will come to regret leaving.

“A lot of companies that decided to locate a number of their employees elsewhere, they find out the employees aren’t that happy,” she said. “They enjoyed the lifestyle here in a very welcoming community where they could develop their lives. And then, when they get ripped away from Decatur, they really miss living here.”

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Former Wagner Castings site potential seen City, developer plan cleanup of dilapidated industrial property ALLISON PETTY Business Journal Writer‌

‌DECATUR – Over its decades of operation, thousands provided for their families through jobs at Wagner Castings Co. It was a place where people worked hard, making automotive parts and an honest living. Founded in 1917, it was also a proud part of Decatur’s legacy; about a thousand people worked there in 1990.

But business took a turn. The company changed hands, later becoming known as Intermet Foundry, and closed its doors in 2005.

These days, the 34-acre site off of Jasper Street looks like something out of a movie about the dystopian future.

Brush grows wildly. Trees poke up through the concrete floors of buildings, or the places where buildings used to be.

Trespassers have stripped wires and taken anything of value they could find. They leave things, too: broken bottles, broken windows. Utility crews once discovered pit

bulls chained to a fence and evidence that they were being made to fight nearby.

Not to mention the obvious environmental issues – barrels of unknown substances, piles of material containing asbestos.

How do you even start to fix a mess like that?

Commercial real estate broker Tim Vieweg plans to try. With help from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the city of Decatur, Vieweg wants to clean up the site and develop it for productive use.

“The biggest picture, I think … is trying to figure out how to bring jobs here,” Vieweg said. “I think this is a great piece of land to be able to do that, to build some buildings that get added to the tax base as far as the property taxes and bring jobs.”

The site was sold in 2008 to a group of Pennsylvania investors called 825 North Lowber LLC. They demolished some buildings and sold materials for scrap, but the property eventually fell into disrepair.

Property taxes were owed. The city performed some maintenance work and placed liens on the property. Now, the city is positioned to take ownership, which it can turn

over to Vieweg.

The Decatur City Council voted Monday to accept a deed in lieu of foreclosure on the property. The city will immediately transfer the deed to Vieweg, managing broker of Vieweg Real Estate, who negotiated the deal.

“I’ve been working for two years with (Macon County) trying to figure out how to make this a useable piece of property, and then we got the city and EPA involved,” Vieweg said. “With everybody’s cooperation, we were able to make it happen.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to spend roughly $2 million to remove hazardous materials from the property, a process Vieweg said could begin in the next few weeks. Once they are done, he plans to remove the overgrowth and make the property presentable to potential tenants or buyers.

“I think it’ll be a work in progress, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re not at least talking with folks within a year,” he said.

“We’ll start marketing immediately.”

For all its obvious minuses, the property has a lot of pluses, too. It butts up against rail lines. It is already zoned for heavy in-

dustrial use. It’s in the county’s enterprise zone. The utilities and infrastructure are already in place.

Plus, it’s big.

“This is 34 acres in the center of Decatur.

How often can you put together 34 acres?”

Vieweg said. “You’d have to buy 100 houses to put together 34 acres.”

The city worked with Vieweg, Macon County, Illinois EPA, U.S. EPA and Central Illinois Title Co. for months to resolve the situation, Assistant City Manager Billy Tyus said.

Tyus described the property, which he has toured, as being “in terrible condition” and likely to remain that way unless this type of action were taken.

“We’re excited about the site getting cleaned up, both from an environmental perspective and also the possibility of it being developed into an economic development opportunity that can create job opportunities, that could create economic opportunities, that could help to return that neighborhood to what it once was,” Tyus said. “This has been an eyesore for a while.”

Decatur, contestants up to food challenge THERESA CHURCHILL Business Journal Writer‌

‌DECATUR – Could the Decatur area become the “Silicon Valley” of food innovation?

That’s how high the partners are aiming after coming together last month for Round One of a first-ever Food Innovation Challenge, pairing 10 small businesses from around the Midwest with local mentors in a competition for $100,000 in cash and services for the winning idea.

The cash comes from Archer Daniels Midland Co. and the services from National Foodworks Services, which opened eight weeks ago with ADM’s support, to assist entrepreneurs start or expand food-based businesses.

Ryan McCrady, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, said the city has a history of innovation and is uniquely positioned as a Midwest Inland Port to help businesses get their products to market faster.

“We believe, selfishly, that we can get you to your customers faster than any place in

THERESA CHURCHILL, BUSINESS JOURNAL‌

Alan and Chantal Papousek, co-owners of Sweet Freedom Gluten-Free Bakery in New Hampton, Iowa, prepare to share cupcake samples with mentors Mark Floerke of Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Doug Brauer of Richland Community College during round one of the Food Innovation Challenge last month at Millikin University. the Midwest,” he said. “We can get to nearly a third of the country’s population in a oneday truck drive from Decatur.”

McCrady was among several speakers during an opening session at Millikin University’s Richards Treat University Center to introduce the semi-finalists to their mentors.

The day for the newly linked partners also included tours of Millikin’s campus, ADM’s James R. Randall Research Center and North American corporate headquarters, National Foodworks and Richland Community College’s Culinary Arts Center.

The semifinalists, selected from about 50 applicants, return to Decatur Aug. 9 to present their concepts and business plans and

be narrowed down to three finalists, whose placement in the contest will be announced at an awards dinner Aug. 11.

Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe welcomed all the players to Decatur and reminded them they were sitting in the middle of America’s agri-business center and, quite possibly, the world’s.

“You are all welcome to locate here,” she said. “We would like to be the center for entrepreneurship for the world as well.”

Dena Strehlow, technical director of customer innovation and strategy for ADM, said she has been waiting nine months for the start of semifinalist competition Tuesday in the inaugural Food Innovation Challenge, some-

thing she hopes becomes “a tradition for years to come.”

“In the last couple of years, big food companies have actually been losing sales to small food companies like yourselves,” she said.

“People want local, natural, organic, sustainable products, and many of you are absolutely in that category.”

Tony Caccomo, a managing partner for National Foodworks, said he couldn’t have been happier to meet 10 potential customers.

“We’re entrepreneurs like you are, and our job is to help you grow,” he said. “What’s starting here in Decatur is something the likes of which I don’t think you’ve seen anywhere in M food ever before.”

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July 2016 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | 7

BI Z BI T E S

Now open‌

On the move‌

The wait is over.

Sonic Drive-in began serving its vast selection of burgers, hotdogs, sides, shakes, cones, sundaes, slushes and all-day breakfast to Decatur. As expected, the response was huge, with staffers helping to direct traffic during peak service times (which was all day during the first few days) two weeks after the opening.

“We’ll be ready,” co-owner Gary Haines said prior to the opening, anticipating the huge wave of eager diners to welcome the restaurant to town. It is located at 4851 E. Prosperity Place in front of the Walmart on the city’s southeast side.

Haines had plenty of extra food on hand, and a small army of workers to serve it.

“We know Decatur wanted it,” said coowner Kim Haines, who will oversee the restaurant.

Decatur officials have repeatedly stated that surveys placed Sonic at the top of many wish lists, which helped the couple decide which restaurant to pursue.

Hours are 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday.

If the opening goes as well as the construction – completed in about two months – Gary Haines said it could pave the way for a second Decatur location in the very near future on the north side of town.

He’s already prepared to be bombarded with questions about when and where. *** The type of fast casual burrito restaurant many Decatur diners have been craving has arrived.

Solsa American Burrito Company opened earlier this week in a renovated building at 2805 N. Main St., which most recently was Mancino’s Pizza. The remodeling work started earlier this year and stayed on schedule to open as planned.

Solsa expands the number of possibilities that can be included in a burrito, providing an American twist to its concept.

Its menu includes burritos, tacos, salads, nachos, loaded mac, smothered tots and chips and dips that are prepared fresh and built for each customer. Meals can be created uniquely from the choices of fresh toppings and sauces.

The owners of the restaurant are Paco and Ryan Greenwell, who operate Paco’s Sol Bistro in downtown Decatur. Paco Greenwell said the goal is to provide customers with similar quality products in different settings, as he doesn’t see the two restaurants competing with each other with each being operated separately.

He said they would consider another location for Solsa if all goes well. It’s part of a concept Greenwell has long been interested in but didn’t move ahead with until now as the plans have come together.

Food can be carried out or space is available for dine-in.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. More information is available at www.solsaburritos.com or on Facebook.

Call (217) 330-6309.

Todd Teel was determined to make the move into a new building as smooth as possible so customers could avoid a prolonged disruption from getting their Krekel’s fix of burgers, fries and ice cream.

Krekel’s West finished relocating last month into a new, 3,000-square-foot freestanding building at 1425 N. Oakland Ave. complete with a drive-through window.

It had previously been located just to the south inside the Colonial Mall.

Teel, who is the owner, said the process of building the first Krekel’s in Decatur from the ground up has been entirely worthwhile.

“We’re trying to keep the Krekel tradition alive that my grandpa built,” Teel said.

“We’ll keep doing it the way we’ve always done it.”

Founder Bill Krekel opened the first restaurant in 1953 and Krekel’s currently has four other locations in Decatur and Mount Zion.

Teel said the only new addition at this time to the Krekel’s West menu is a grilled chicken sandwich but more changes could be phased in later. In the meantime, he said it will focus on providing the tasty food it’s come to be known for, complete with the added convenience of the drive-through and outdoor covered patio seating.

Teel has been grateful for the support that the business has received from throughout the community during the construction process. Signs still need to go up on the new building along with a few other finishing touches before the changes are complete, he said.

Lobby hours are 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. with the drive-through staying open until 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The business is closed Sundays. Call (217) 362-0121. *** Dr. John Kefalas, orthopedic surgeon, and the Central Illinois Bone and Joint Center relocated this week from East Lake Shore Drive.

Bill Kefalas, practice administrator, said the bone and joint center’s new home at 2905 N. Main St., Suite G, is more spacious and offers more parking. He added that Dr. Kefalas also will continue to serve patients at HSHS St. Mary’s and Decatur Memorial hospitals in Decatur, as well as Dr. John Warner Hospital in Clinton and Pana Community Hospital.

Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday. For more, go to www.cibjc.com or call (217) 425-2600. *** Dollar General has constructed and opened a new store at 655 E. Pershing Road.

The new, free-standing location replaces one that had been part of a strip mall a few yards away at the intersection of Pershing and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. *** Relocating to East Cerro Gordo Street from West Eldorado has been a good move for LeGrande Flea Market.

Owner Tiffany LeGrande said customers like the close proximity with the Firehouse

Flea Market and the NFT Underground Flea Market inside Never Forgotten Thymes a few blocks farther east.

“We’ve been busy,” she said. “People don’t seem to be having any trouble finding us.”

Formerly known as the Ice House Flea Market, the business is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday at 140 E. Cerro Gordo St. It features about 20 vendors and is accepting consignments.

For more, find the flea market on Facebook or call (217) 619-6226.

New owners‌ The ownership of Cheddar’s Casual Café in Forsyth has changed.

The new owner is Kevin Wong, who purchased the restaurant at 1340 Hickory Point Drive from Roy Mosser. Mosser has owned the business for almost 22 years.

During that time, Mosser said Cheddar’s has served almost 5 million meals.

Wong will bring with him a combined 25 years in the restaurant industry, including 8 years as an owner, Mosser said.

“With Kevin’s background, experience and enthusiasm, he is an ideal new owner/ franchisee,” Mosser said. “He will not only continue to operate Cheddar’s consistent with the high standards of the past, but expects to lead our management team and employees in a manner that will improve our customers’ overall experience in the

future.”

Cheddar’s is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Call (217) 877-3100.

Expanding‌ National Foodworks Services is proud to announce the launch of its private brand BakeryWorx.

The products that will be offered will include cookies, brownies, blondies and other baked items. They will be distributed to supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations, farmers markets, and festivals throughout Illinois and nearby states.

National Foodworks Services is a commercial packaging, bottling, baking and food innovation center. The facility is among the largest in the state and novel to the Midwest region.

For more information about BakeryWorx or National Foodworks Services, call (217) 330-8512 or go to nationalfoodworks.com.

Biz Bites highlight businesses that are opening, closing, expanding … you get the picture. If you have information for our Biz Bites column, contact Tony Reid at treid@ herald-review.com, Chris Lusvardi at clusvardi@herald-review.com, Theresa Churchill at tchurchill@herald-review.com or call them at (217) 421-6979.

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Busier than ever, firefighters battle decaying stations ALLISON PETTY Business Journal Writer‌

‌DECATUR – At a time when Decatur firefighters are busier than ever, they work in stations with leaky roofs, plumbing backups and other structural problems that could cost millions to fix.

An architectural firm’s report commissioned by the Decatur City Council showed problems in all of the city’s seven fire stations and estimated that it would cost $8 million to solve them all. Some issues are in danger of causing more serious, expensive damage if they are not addressed.

Three stations have too many problems and should be rebuilt, the firm recommended.

It’s not a question of comfort, Fire Chief Jeff Abbott said, or one of aesthetics. The firefighters work hard to maintain their stations and keep conditions as good as possible. After all, they live there when they’re working.

But not addressing these problems could cost the city more in the long run.

“We make do with what we’ve got. There’s just some stuff that is beyond what we can do,” Abbott said. “We just need square buildings that drain water off the roof in an appropriate manner, that’s all we’re looking for, and that the plumbing doesn’t back up every other day.”

Why seven stations?‌ The city’s fiscal woes contributed to the backlog of fire station maintenance and repairs.

There is less money, in part, because there are substantially fewer people living in Decatur than there used to be.

So, do we really need seven fire stations?

Here’s the issue: Declining population did not translate to declining geographical boundaries. Decatur sprawls over 47 square miles.

Firefighters evaluate themselves by how fast they can be there, wherever the emergency is, and they aim to meet national standards of less than four minutes, 90 percent of the time.

Each fire station covers about seven square miles, Abbott said. Eliminating one station would mean slower response times in at least part of the city.

“Where do you close? And who are you going to determine gets the worst coverage, even though they’re a taxpayer in the city of Decatur?” he said.

Compared to other cities, Decatur lags behind.

Springfield, with its 54 square miles, has 12 fire stations, one for every 4.5 square miles.

Bloomington has similar coverage with five fire stations in 22 square miles. In fact, all of Decatur’s comparable communities cover less ground per fire station, on average.

The workload for Decatur firefighters is also greater than ever.

Last year, they responded to a total of 10,317 incidents, according to city records. More than half were emergency response calls. There were “good intent” calls, service calls, hazardous conditions and more than 600 false alarms.

Just 265 of the calls were fires.

Abbott said the number of calls has doubled in 20 years, even as the number of structure fires has decreased. It is not clear why.

JIM BOWLING, BUSINESS JOURNAL‌

Decatur’s aging fire stations are in need of some repairs. Fire Chief Jeff Abbott talks about a wall in the apparatus bay of Fire Station No. 1 after cracks in the bricks were seen.

Because firefighters respond to so many different types of emergencies, their trucks are outfitted with plenty of resources to make them versatile.

“It can answer an EMS call. It can fight a fire.

It can help extricate somebody out of a car accident. It can provide monitors to test your house to see if you have a gas leak or a carbon monoxide leak,” he said. “It’s not just a fire truck.

There’s so many tools that allow us to cover those 10,000 calls.”

Slew of problems‌ The city council hired Dewberry Architects Inc. in November to assess the fire stations and deliver a report. Dewberry sent a team of engineers to each station, with the findings presented to the council in April.

The results were sobering.

In general, there are constant problems with plumbing and heating, ventilation and cooling systems. All of the stations have structural issues and accessibility compliance problems.

Three have leaky roofs.

Some vehicle bays are too small, which makes it impossible for the department to extend the lifespan of certain expensive vehicles by moving them to different stations. Part of the ceiling collapsed in the dorm room of Station 5 last summer, revealing mold that had to be removed.

Dewberry recommended rebuilding three of

the stations: Station 3 in Fairview Park, which is 89 years old and cramped; Station 5 near Brettwood Village, which has several serious issues and also would be more beneficial in another location; and Station 7 at the Decatur Airport, which is not owned by the city and also could be moved to decrease response times.

Firefighters do what they can. Abbott and City Manager Tim Gleason have praised the department’s employees for taking pride in their stations.

“They’ve allowed us to keep our head above water, even though it might be only slightly, and now it’s my turn to get things taken care of, and I am,” Gleason said.

The fire department, like all the other areas of city government, suffered during the budget crisis of the past six years. Only about $40,000 to $50,000 has been allocated for station maintenance each year, and that includes paying water and garbage bills, Abbott said.

When emergency repairs arise, the department has been forced to take money from other line items. The blow has been cushioned by a few grants for equipment, but those can only go so far.

“You’re trying to be a good steward with the money and replace only what needs to be replaced, when you can do it,” Abbott said. “In an unexpected situation like the roof falling down or the furnace going out, when that happens, there’s something else down the line that you then cut out.”

City moves toward fixes‌

Dewberry identified a total of $8.1 million in renovation and rebuilding costs for the fire stations, though $1.8 million would cover the most immediate needs in the next one to three years.

Gleason said he had directed Abbott to identify repairs that are most crucial to be done in the next two years. Beyond that, the city will look to develop a plan for the three stations that need to be rebuilt.

“Do we have opportunities for relocation, given what the city looks like today and what we expect the city to look like 20, 30 years down the road?” Gleason said.

In the future, the council could seek a bond of $8 million to $9 million, for which Gleason said a revenue stream is already in place because of a property tax increase the council approved in December.

Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said it was unfortunate that the problems were not limited to one station.

She said the council did not want to raise any more taxes and would find a way to fix the problems without doing that.

“We need to be strategic in where they’re placed so we can get to businesses and homes and people as quickly as possible, but we have to do our job of making sure they have the facilities they need,” she said. “We’re not talking about the Taj Mahal. We’re talking about leaks in the M roof and things functionally not working.”

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July 2016 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | 9

YOU R H E A LT H

Ways to avoid scary mosquito bites MARTHA ROSS Tribune News Service Writer‌

‌Mosquitoes have always been an annoying part of summer, but suddenly they seem to loom larger and buzz louder.

With the world facing its latest health threat from the mosquito-borne Zika virus, you might be tempted to cancel your summer trip to Mexico or points south, including Brazil — even if you were lucky enough to snag tickets to the Summer Olympics.

Or, in the U.S., you might worry about getting bitten by a Culex mosquito. That’s the species that carries the West Nile virus, which now is endemic in California. While the global village we live in means we can no longer wave off certain diseases as distant epidemics, health officials also say there’s no cause for panic.

Certainly, with the risks of Zika-related birth defects, pregnant women should carefully consider visiting countries dealing with outbreaks.

Still, the rest of us can reduce our risk by using simple precautions.

Travel safely‌ The CDC has issued travel warnings for about 50 countries regarding the Zika virus, including Mexico and in the Caribbean, Central and South America and the Pacific Islands.

Specifics about advisories for each country are available at wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/ zika-travel-information.

If you travel to these countries, try to stay indoors behind screens, or closed doors or windows as much as possible, especially during the day when the mosquitoes are most active. At night, sleep under a mosquito net.

Right clothes‌ The right clothes can go a long way toward reducing bites.

It might seem counterintuitive to don long pants and sleeves in tropical climates, but try to cover as much skin as possible. Clothing with a close weave works best to prevent bites, but layered loose-weave clothing works almost as well, says Joe Conlon, medical entomologist and technical adviser to the American Mosquito Control Association.

And because bugs are attracted to dark colors, go for clothes in white, beige or light khaki colors, he says.

Conlon says you can also buy clothing treated with a repellent called permethrin, which is marketed under the name Insect Shield and can maintain its repellency through 70 washings. The Department of Defense developed this technology decades ago to protect troops in battle from insect-borne diseases.

Right bug spray‌ When it comes to sprays, not all brands are created equal. Consumer Reports found that the most effective repellents for warding off Aedes mosquitoes were Sawyer Picaridin and Natrapel 8 Hour, each of which contains a 20 percent conM 1 centration of the chemical picaridin. Another

good one is Off! Deepwoods VIII, which contains 25 percent of the chemical DEET. Not only did these products keep mosquitoes from biting for about eight hours, they are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, which means they are evaluated for safety and effectiveness.

Consumer Reports cautions against using many so-called “natural” repellents, using citronella, clove, lemongrass or rosemary oils.

These products might smell nice, but they won’t keep mosquitoes away for long, and many aren’t registered with the EPA. An exception in the plant oil category is Repel Lemon Eucalyptus, which contains 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus. This repellent warded off mosquitoes for seven hours.

The CDC says DEET products are safe for pregnant women to use, but parents should avoid using picaridin or lemon eucalyptus sprays on young children because they can cause a rash.

Consumer Reports also suggests that insect repellent wrist bands that have been marketed as being safer because you don’t have to rub anything on your skin don’t do much good. When testers stuck their arms into a cageful of mosquitoes, while wearing bands with citronella or geraniol oils, the bugs started biting immediately.

nization says men and women returning from Zika-affected areas — especially pregnant women and their partners — should practice safe sex, including using condoms or abstaining from sex, for at least eight weeks.

This recommendation, doubling the abstinence period previously recommended, came recently after scientists found that the virus lingers longer than previously thought in the blood or other body fluids.

If the male partner has symptoms, a couple should practice safe sex or abstain from sex for six months.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier also said that couples in Zika-affected areas should consider delaying a pregnancy.

The latest‌ How scary is Zika? While Zika has spread through the Americas over the past few years, most people with Zika don’t get sick. For the one in five who develop a fever, rash, joint pain and other symptoms, the symptoms are usually mild and last about a week. Still, Zika has been implicated in more than 4,000 cases of infants in Brazil born with microcephaly, an unusually small brain. Health officials also are investigating Zika’s possible role in Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disease affecting the nervous system. The two species of Aedes mosquitoes that

carry Zika are already in California, according to Vicki Kramer, chief of the vector board disease section at the California Department of Public Health. The bugs have been detected in 12 California counties, including in Alameda and San Mateo counties. But as of late May, there had been no documented cases of mosquito-bite transmissions in the United States, though that could change in the coming months. Of over 600 confirmed Zika infections in the continental United States, all involve people who had traveled to other countries.

Pregnant women most at risk: Health officials have confirmed that the virus, passed from an infected mother to her fetus during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises pregnant women to avoid traveling to some 50 countries listed on their website.

West Nile Virus still here: “West Nile virus is here to stay,” says Kramer of the state public health department. “People will become ill from this illness, and people will die from it. It’s happened every year since 2003.” The Culex mosquito, like the Aedes, also likes hot weather. The insects pick up West Nile from feeding on infected birds. Unlike Zika, the risk of mother-tochild West Nile transmission during pregnancy is extremely rare. But like Zika, few people who get West Nile virus will develop serious symptoms, and 80 percent won’t suffer any symptoms at all.

At home‌ To steer clear of the West Nile-carrying Culex mosquitoes, it’s best to stay indoors at dawn and dusk when they are most active.

To eliminate mosquito breeding grounds from your yard, dump or drain water that’s been standing for several days in flower planters, pet dishes, birdbaths, neglected swimming pools and remove old tires, tin cans or buckets.

If you want to enjoy your patio or deck in the evening, Conlon suggests illuminating it with yellow “bug lights” instead of incandescent white lights. While the yellow lights don’t necessarily repel mosquitoes, they don’t attract them as the white lights do.

Creating a breeze with strategically placed floor fans can push weak-flying mosquitoes away and also dissipate the olfactory clues they use to locate prey, he says.

Citronella candles have a mild repellent effect but are no better protection than Tiki Torches or other candles that produce smoke.

Your needs are local.

So are our solutions.

Safe sex‌ Men can spread Zika to a female partner through sexual transmission, as has been demonstrated with 11 U.S. Zika cases. However, it’s still uncertain if women can pass the virus onto male partners, or which modes of sexual transmission are most risky.

Until more is known, the World Health Orga-

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Burning questions: How to pick the right sunscreen ALLIE SHAH Tribune News Service Writer‌

‌Summertime means picnics, jumping off the dock, boat rides and lots more outdoor fun in the sun.

But those long hours spent soaking up rays can lead to painful sunburn — or worse. Melanoma rates have tripled over the past three decades, according to the National Cancer Institute. And just a few bad sunburns in childhood can double your risk of getting skin cancer later in life.

Using a good sunscreen can help protect skin from exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays. But with about 750 sunscreens on the market, the choices are daunting.

To help us better navigate the sunscreen aisle, we turned to the Environmental Working Group. The consumer watchdog organization just released its annual sunscreen guide (ewg.org/sunscreen), finding that nearly three-quarters of the products tested this year offered inadequate protection or contained ingredients that may harm the skin.

But with some careful label reading, it’s possible to pick an able sun-blocking partner to help you and your family stay safe this summer. Here are the answers to common questions about sunscreen: Q: How much should I use?

A: More than you think. The SPF values listed on the product labels are measured using a very thick coating of the product, explained Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst with EWG. “Unless you’re putting on a lot, you’re not going to get close to the value on the bottle,” she said.

Recommended amounts vary depending on the size of the person and skin exposure, but in general, an adult wearing a swimsuit needs the equivalent of a shot glass full of sunscreen.

Just as important as how much to use is

how often to apply it. Because sunscreen tends to rub or wash off — there’s no such thing as a waterproof sunscreen — it’s best to reapply every two hours.

Q: What about products that combine bug spray with sunscreen?

A: Not recommended.

The reason, said St. Paul dermatologist Dr. Pierre George, is that sunscreen should be applied every couple of hours. Insect repellents typically contain DEET, a strong chemical that could reach toxic levels if applied to the skin as frequently as sunscreen.

He suggests using two separate products, rubbing the sunscreen on first. Then add the bug spray — and it’s better to apply it to clothing rather than directly onto the skin.

Reapply separately, as needed, being careful not to overdo it with the bug spray.

Q: What level of SPF protection do I need?

A: Many sunscreens claim they have SPF values of greater than 50. But the EWG report took issue with those claims, noting that other countries have banned products with SPF values higher than 50.

“No sunscreen can reliably protect you for more than two hours,” Lunder said, “so nobody needs an SPF value of higher than 50.”

Q: At what age can I start putting sunscreen on my child?

A: Six months. Children younger than that have very tender skin. “Kids overheat quickly at that age,” Lunder said. “It’s much better to cover them up and keep them out of the sun.”

Q: Spray or lotion?

A: Sprays are popular, especially with parents who know how hard it is to get complete coverage on fidgety kids. But Lunder said lo-

tions offer better coverage than sprays, which provide only a light coating of protection. He also warned that with spray cans, it’s easy for you or your child to accidentally inhale the chemicals emitted as you apply it.

Q: What else can I do to protect my skin from sun damage?

A: Think of sunscreen as a last resort.

Seeking shade and staying out of the direct sun during peak hours — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — offers the best protection. Another foolproof method: Cover up. Wear a hat, sunglasses and lightweight clothing.

“Wearing a light shirt offers better and more stable protection from UV rays than sunscreen,” Lunder said. “Our goal is for people to have a more realistic expectation of what kind of protection sunscreen offers – to not rely on it as a first line of defense.”

6 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, Decatur Memorial Hospital, Classroom A. Call (217) 876-2496.

Diabetes support group, 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 20, DMH Diabetes Education Center. Call (217) 876-2699.

Parkinson’s disease support group, 1 p.m.

Thursday, July 21, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1360 W. Main St. Call John Kileen at (217) 620-8702.

Renewal bereavement support group, 6 p.m.

Monday, July 25, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Education Classrooms, 210 W. McKinley Ave. Register online or call (217) 876-4735.

Us TOO prostate cancer support group, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Education Classrooms, 210 W. McKinley Ave. Register online or call (217) 876-4735.

Widowed support group, 11:30 a.m. Thursday, July 28. Monthly lunch gathering. For location or to register, call (217) 428-7733 for location and information.

Lyme-MTHFR support study group, 6 p.m.

Thursday, July 28, Call (217) 429-1555.

Classes‌

COMMUNITY HEALTH CALENDAR

Support groups‌

Growing Through Grief, 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 5, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Education Classrooms, 210 W. McKinley Ave. To register, call 876-4735.

TOPS Club IL 49 Decatur, 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Main Street Church of God, 2000 N. Main St. (enter from Garfield Street). Weight loss support. Go to www.topsclub.org or call Chris Granda at (217) 521-2420.

Grief support group, 12:30 p.m. Friday, July 1, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Conference Room G18.

Call(217) 464-2074.

Bariatric support group, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 5, DMH Specific Performance Enhancement Center, 2122 N. 27th St. Call (217) 876-4249.

Breastfeeding support group, 10:30 a.m.

Monday, July 11, and July 25, Baby TALK, 500 E. Lake Shore Dr. To register, call (217) 464-2334.

SHARE support group, 7 p.m. Monday, July 11, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Room G18. Support group for those who have experienced the death of a baby during pregnancy, at birth or early infancy.

Call (217) 464-2045.

Epilepsy support group, 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Assisi Conference Room. Call (217) 853-1655.

Facing Cancer Together, 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Education Classrooms, 210 W. McKinley Ave. For cancer patients and their families. Register online or call (217) 876-4735.

Pink Link breast cancer support group, 6 p.m. Thursday, July 14, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Education Classrooms, 210 W. McKinley Ave. Call (217) 876-4377.

Brain tumor support group, 10 a.m. Saturday, July 16, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Education Classrooms, 210 W. McKinley Ave. Call (217) 8764735.

Postpartum emotional support group, 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 18, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Assisi Conference Room. Call (217) 464-2334.

Breath of Life support group, noon Tuesday, July 19, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Room 561. Speakers available to answer questions from those with breathing problems. Call (217) 464-2603.

Cardiopulmonary rehab wellness group,

Sibling class, 5:15 p.m. Monday, July 11, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Assis Conference Room. Children 3-12 learn about being a big brother or sister.

To register, call (217) 464-2334.

Infant CPR class, 7 p.m. Monday, July 11, Decatur Memorial Hospital, OB Classrooms, third floor.

Register online or call (217) 876-3100.

Cardiopulmonary rehab nutrition, 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, July 14, Decatur Memorial Hospital Classroom B. Heart-healthy eating with an emphasis on reading labels. Call (217) 876-2496.

Cardiopulmonary risk factor education, 11 a.m. Friday, July 15, Decatur Memorial Hospital, Classroom B. Call (217) 876-2496.

Newborn Care and Breastfeeding Basics, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, Decatur Memorial Hospital, OB Classroom. Registration required online or call (217) 876-3400.

Breastfeeding class, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Assisi conference Room. M 1 To register, call (217) 464-2334

July 2016 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | 11

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T E C H TA L K

Don’t forget about your office network ‌U

nless there’s a problem, you probably don’t pay much attention to your computer network: the equipment and cabling that keep all your data moving between computers, servers and the internet, both wired and wireless. ‌Network gear, once installed, tends to be fairly stable, so many companies operate in a “set it and forget it” mode.

The problem is they simply expand their network as needs arise, with no master plan in mind.

This approach can lead to performance Technology issues, unnecessary costs, and high risk outages that will be tough to track down if your network cabling looks like a big mass of colorful spaghetti.

Wendy Gauntt

Increasing needs‌ The average company’s network has vastly increased demands on it compared to just a few years ago. Your computers still connect in like they always did, but so do a plethora of additional devices: VoIP phones, smartphones and tablets, just for starters. Your staff may bring in their own tablets or laptops. You may have other equipment too: access control systems such as badge readers or door locks, security cameras, monitors for manufacturing equipment, digital signage and TVs, even thermostats and HVAC equipment. All of these network-connected devices place new demands on your infrastructure. Anything that streams audio or video will have an especially heavy load because there is so much data being transmitted. Aging network gear with limited capacity just can’t keep up.

service (QOS). This prioritizes traffic on your network so calls don’t get dropped and videoconferences run smoothly. The inventory will help you identify whether your equipment has these capabilities.

For potential cost savings, compare your inventory list to your maintenance subscription fees. You are probably paying maintenance on your primary switches and firewalls, and you should confirm that you are only paying fees on equipment that is still in service. Unless you cancel maintenance on a device, you’ll continue to receive an annual bill for it.

You can uncover additional cost savings by checking with your internet service provider (ISP) to find out the latest rates. Even if you are only partway through a current contract, they will often upgrade you to a better speed and adjust rates to keep up with market pressures.

Trends to watch‌ Software defined networking (SDN) is a relatively new network technology that you’ll want to watch over the next few years. It essentially virtualizes your network, much like you can virtualize your servers today. It also enables network automation – a way to streamline management and expansion of your network.

The technology is gaining traction because it is efficient, flexible and cost-effective. In some

cases you can layer it on top of the equipment you already have, giving you vastly expanded capabilities without the need for expensive new equipment purchases.

Security remains a critical area, and your network is a hacker’s point of entry. Firewalls must be monitored and kept up-to-date.

Require VPN for any remote workers who connect into your network. Wi-Fi must be encrypted; set up a separate SSID for guests to prevent access to company data. Talk to your IT people about how to keep up with the latest security measures as they are evolving rapidly.

Wi-Fi continues to improve. The latest wireless standard in common use is 802.11ac, which became widely available in the last couple of years. It uses the 5GHz spectrum for transmission instead of the more crowded 2.4GHz spectrum, which means there’s less interference on your network.

Although manufacturers claim gigabit speeds, you’ll only get that under ideal circumstances. However, in the real world it’s still easily two or three times faster than 802.11n and, of course, it’s lightning fast compared to older standards. If you have an old, slow wireless system, this may be a smart upgrade. Be sure to look at how many devices will connect, including smartphones, tablets, employee-owned devices and guest devices, if appropriate, so that you can select a system with

What’s next?‌ If your equipment is up-to-date and everything is running smoothly, use this information to start planning for the future, and be sure to look for any cost savings you can take advantage of now. If you have older, slower equipment, now is the time to redesign your network, before you experience serious issues, so that you can start the upgrade process and manage it according to your budget and timeline.

Wendy Gauntt is president of CIO Services LLC, a technology consulting company that specializes in small business solutions. Go to www.cioservicesllc. com for more information, ideas and free resources.

KITCHENS & BA BATHS DECKS & PORCHES WINDOWS & DOORS ROOFING & SIDING

Take an inventory‌ A good starting point is to inventory all your network gear. This may feel like a scavenger hunt as you track down cables from your server room or electrical closet to all the end points where people plug in, or access points where people connect wirelessly. If you find lots of inexpensive hubs connecting cables from one part of the office to another, consider alternatives: better quality switches, longer cable runs, or even wireless connections. At the very least, keep a few spare hubs on hand so you can do a quick swap next time one fails.

As you perform the inventory, check the speed of each device. Gigabit speeds are preferred, but older, cheaper equipment will be slower. That may be OK for devices with just a few connections, but consider an upgrade for any equipment that has many connections or is a core part of your network.

If you have phones or use videoconferencing, your network should be segmented into M 1 VLANs – virtual LANs – for better quality of

sufficient capacity. Otherwise people are likely to complain of connection problems.

Even network cabling technology is changing. In large new buildings, many use passive optical networking (PON). Fiber optic cables, which have enormous capacity, are used instead of traditional network cabling (e.g.

CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6). They can be run longer distances, which means fewer switches and less space needed for electrical closets to house the equipment. In new construction, there are significant cost savings with PON, and you get better, more expandable technology that will last far into the future.

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4995 Cundiff Court

12,000 SqFt Warehouse For Sale 24’ ceilings, Clear Span Insulated, Heat, Drive-in and Dock Door

1414 W Grove Road

Plus 2 great tenants Call for details!

HUGE $$ REDUCTION

601 S 27th Street 5 bldgs w/60,000 S.F. 8.63 Acres Fenced

Cindy Bachmann

Office or Retail Shop Space with overhead doors New roof & paint throughout

225 S. Main St. - Suite 200• Decatur, iL 62523

521-5224

Stephanie Heise 791-0112

200 Spitler Park Dr. OFFICE COMPLEX, 3 units totaling 4,200 Square Feet. Only $339,000

Wildwood Plaza, Mt. Zion

Church ready for new congregation, 7,200 SF. Only $349,000

Historically, Fully Leased Investment Property New Metal Roof Stop Light Corner w/ 14,000VPD

1515 E Pershing Rd.

1945 S. Twin Bridge Rd.

FOR LEASE, 3,750 SF office with large lot.

High Traffic Count Pylon Sign Available

1006 W Harrison Ave

Jack Blickensderfer

520-5661

Built as Day Spa & Salon Furniture and Fixtures Available Paved Parking, ADA, Recent Listing

Southtowne Plaza Suite

End Cap of Busy Center For Lease Up to 4300 sqft Available Smaller Suites also Ready

534 N. Jasper Street

Ideal Contractor or Service Business Location Warehouse Office Showroom Fenced Area Easy to get to, Additional land available

217-450-8500

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Shirley Henrichsmeyer 433-2547

Kirt Holder 521-3207

Chelsea Mohn 853-7593

Hank Norris 474-3444

945 S Jasper

344 W Cerro Gordo St

Well established Church Ready for new Congregation Call or Text Hank at 474-3444

35,100SF Warehouse w/offices Drive-in & dock doors.

1335 N 21st St.

5,000 SF Warehouse w/ office Space. 2-12x14 o.H. Doors.

Asphalt parking for 8

849 S Rt 51, Forsyth (Former Eyemart) 1500-3000 sq ft for LEASE.

391 W. Weaver Rd, Forsyth

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Kelli Kerr 433-8950

Suites A&B Design/Build opportunity Ideal for Medical or office Located just off Rt. 51 Call Cindy 521-4955 or Shirley 433-2547

200 Lewis Park Dr, Mt. Zion office, Showroom & Warehouse 25,605 SF on. 3.71 acre site.

City Plaza Suites

Several Suites Available For Lease 1200 Sqft. to 9000 Sqft. Downtown, Great visibility & parking

Mt. Zion Car Wash

Profitable ongoing Business Busy Corner on IL Rt-121 Keep as Car Wash or Re-Develop

Chelsi Ross 791-9192

Heather Saffer 620-5351

John Stock 619-2578

Park 101 Industrial Park

Bldg #8 - 27,000 SF of warehouse available!

Bldg #3 - office/warehouse space available 2,700 SF-office & shop with dock 3,600 SF-all office

385 & 415 Ash Avenue

Medical and Professional office Space for Lease Across from Wal-Mart 1372 to 7500 sq. ft.

Call Cindy 521-4955 or Shirley 433-2547

220 N. State Highway 121, Mt Zion

Stacey Wenskunas 519-3977

Bev Whipple 454-6613

1070 W Southside Dr.

Professional Building with one unit Available.

1050 sq ft. Available

1201 E Wood St

13,600 SF w/open floor plan Former Walgreens & grocery store

3130 Kandy Lane

Car Lot, Service Business opportunity 1080 SqFt Building w/ office and Garage Area 2/3 acre Lot with 6000 Vehicles per Day

5,000 SF office & Warehouse FoR LEASE Drive-in & Dock Door

Downtown Cafe

230 S Main Street, Moweaqua

New Price!

Business opportunity Established Downtown Eatery

ViewegRealEstate.com

unique Modified “A” Frame For Sale 3200 SqFt Main Level for Business 1800 SqFt upper Level to Call Home

14 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | July 2016

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YOU R F R E E T I M E

All aboard for a good time Decatur couple offers land, lake recreation options ALLISON PETTY Business Journal Writer‌

‌DECATUR – “Ask not what your country can do for you,” John F. Kennedy famously said, appealing to the better angels of his countrymen.

Standing in Nelson Park on a sweltering June day, David and Shirley Hardin have a similar philosophy.

“We’re all sittin’ back, waiting on, ‘Oh, what can the city do for us? What can the park district do for us? What can the county do for us?

What can the state do for us?’” David Hardin said. “What can you do for them? We’ve got a city that the factories have left, some of the amenities, amusement parks have left. What can we do as citizens?”

The Hardins own Tandemonium Bike Rentals and Macon Waves Pedal Boat Rentals, both businesses they conceived and brought to the Decatur Park District for approval. They offer the rentals at comparatively low prices, in part, because they wanted to create the same recreational opportunities they had as children growing up in Decatur.

Both work full-time jobs at the Macon County Courts Facility, David as a security officer and Shirley as a deputy clerk in the Macon County Circuit Clerk’s Office. David Hardin also has a second job, working night security about 30 to 35 hours a week.

Yet still, they find time for both side businesses. They typically offer the bike rentals from 5:30 p.m. to dusk in Fairview Park on weekdays.

Boat rentals are available from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in Nelson Park.

Both businesses have Facebook pages that are updated with schedule changes, and the Hardins try to return all phone and online messages.

“It beats just sitting around the house doing nothing. We’re doing something for the community and that makes me feel good, especially when they enjoy it,” he said.

The Hardins opened the bike rental business in Fairview Park in 2012. Their fleet now includes nine tandem bikes, four regular bikes, one adult tricycle and three quadricycles. The most popular quad, which holds up to five people, has been temporarily down for repairs.

David Hardin said he tried suggesting the idea for pedal boat rentals to others. No one followed through, however, and one day he came home with a pedal boat he had bought at Farm and Fleet.

The two worked up a business plan to present to the park district and acquired $2 million in liability insurance. Now, they’re off and floating, so far to rave reviews. One woman traveled from Champaign after seeing a news report about the offering.

Park district Executive Director Bill Clevenger praised the entrepreneurial spirit of the Hardins.

“They are so positive. They are a good ex-

PHOTOS BY LISA MORRISON, BUSINESS JOURNAL‌

David Hardin, co-owner of Macon Waves Pedal Boat Rentals and Tandemonium Bike Rentals, launches Brian Arnold, Adam Heidrich and Brandon Field on their trip on Lake Decatur, ample of that customer-driven focus,” he said.

“They found a niche and I think they think about that customer and creating that experience every day.”

The park district keeps 5 percent of the gross revenue from both businesses. The partnership allows for amenities that the district otherwise might not be able to provide, Clevenger said.

It also allows people who aren’t boat owners to enjoy the lakefront, which has been a park district focus for years.

“We had talked about continuing to enhance the lakefront experience, and that fit right in,” he said.

The Hardins have five pedal boats and, because of their popularity, are currently limiting rides to an hour and a half. That’s plenty of time to pedal far along the shoreline, either with the canopy up or down.

Although the boats technically hold up to five people, any group with more than two adults will likely have to split up into multiple boats.

Everyone who is riding must wear a life jacket.

Monica Cummings and her 19-year-old son, Shaughn, were among the happy customers on a recent Saturday.

Cummings said they were excited to try the boats and, eventually, the bike rentals in Fairview Park.

“I’m like, finally, something that I feel like is family-oriented or for couples to bring people to Decatur to do something fun and exciting,” The beach area in front of The Beach House restaurant is the starting point for those wanting to she said. take a peddle boat out on Lake Decatur.

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Customers have an appetite for outdoor dining Restaurants encouraged to offer option to boost city’s appeal, character RYAN VOYLES Business Journal Writer‌

‌DECATUR – With Lake Decatur glistening in the background, Karen Schwartz can’t think of many places better to share a cocktail with friends.

As she and some friends enjoyed a weekend meal on the deck of the Beach House, Schwartz said the perfect dining experience goes beyond the food and drink.

“There’s something about the ambiance of sitting out here, feeling a breeze and taking in the sight,” she said.

Tapping into this aspect of customer satisfaction has prompted more Decatur businesses to take advantage of the outdoors and put an emphasis on outdoor seating options.

The businesses that provide the outdoor dining option include such places as Lock Stock & Barrel and Donnie’s Homespun Pizza near Millikin University, to the aforementioned Beach House in Nelson Park and an increased number of restaurants in the downtown area.

Beach House owner Todd Mason is reminded of the appeal of the option every day.

“We get phone calls every day, people are asking ‘can we sit outside? Can we sit out?’” he said.

After last year’s renovations to the restaurant’s deck, the capacity for the outdoor dining area of the Beach House is about 150, though it currently has chairs for just 60 patrons. Mason said outdoor dining accounts for about 30 percent of the restaurant’s noncatering business.

It’s not a make-or-break aspect of the restaurant — especially with the area’s cold winters and blistering hot summers — but Mason said the al fresco dining options are more important for the restaurant than just helping its bottom line.

“It’s hard to put a value on it,” Mason said. “It’s just something we feel is important for us and is important for the community. You cannot go to Springfield, Bloomington or other places nearby and get what you can experience here.”

That value to the community is something that city officials have spent several years emphasizing to restaurant owners.

Whenever a restaurant in the area has the option of having outdoor dining, Patrick Hoban, Decatur’s economic development officer, said it is something they encourage restaurants to explore. Aside from the potential increase in seating for customers, Hoban said the societal aspect is one that can have a positive impact on the community.

“It’s a total quality of life issue,” he said.

“It’s one thing to be out and about eating inside, but when you’re outside it’s just M 1 more of a social thing,”

LISA MORRISON PHOTOS, BUSINESS JOURNAL‌

The Beach House restaurant recently expanded its deck, creating more room for diners to enjoy a meal and drinks outdoors. Decatur officials encourage restaurant owners to consider offering an outdoor dining option since businesses often equate outdoor dining with an improved quality of life in a community.

Kristina Langford delivers meals to patron on the deck of the Beach House.

The city’s recent downtown streetscape enhancement project included widened sidewalks that encourage restaurants to consider adding outdoor dining.

One of the restaurants that took advan-

tage of the widened sidewalks was Coney McKane’s American Eatery, which added 14 seats outside its restaurant on East Prairie Avenue in 2010. Last year’s renovations to the restaurant, which increased inside

seating from 42 to 100, has lessened the fiscal importance of the outdoor seats, but owner Lea Stukins said for a time it helped add about 20 percent additional income for the restaurant.

Stukins said outdoor seating is a hit whenever there’s activities in Central Park like the Decatur Municipal Band’s weekly summer concerts. It’s also something Stukins said adds some character and appeal to the downtown area.

“Whether or not people are even dining out there, it makes the downtown area look more inviting and pedestrian-friendly,” she said.

The effort to add outdoor dining options goes beyond making the area more ‘inviting” to locals looking to chow down on a meal. Outdoor dining also could lead to businesses moving to the area or expanding their existing business.

Ryan McCrady, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, said one of the major things discussed with potential employers looking to move to Decatur is quality of life. And one of the quality of life issues near the top of the list is having unique outdoor dining options.

“It may not seem like it is a big deal, but …. It really is,” he said. “The appeal of outdoor dining is really important for people.”

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YOUR FREETIME CALENDAR

The Arts‌

Anne Lloyd Gallery: International arts experience featuring works from Cuba. Call (217) 4233189. www.decaturarts.org Gallery 510: Photographs by Doug Bergeron.

Call (217) 422-1509.

Decatur Airport: Works by Jim Clark.

Decatur Public Library: Works by Sharon Zimmerman.

Watch or play‌

BANQUET UET

Rodney T. Miller Lakeside Triathlon, Sunday, July 10, in Nelson Park. Athletes gather to swim, bike, run and remember Rodney T. Miller, a state police officer killed in the line of duty. New this year is the addition of a duathlon adult race. The kids race will be held July 9. www.decaturtriathlon.com The annual Decatur Games, set for July 11-21, put a variety of skills to the test for a shot at community glory. Call Rachel at 429-3472.

Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Saturday and Sunday, July 16 and 17, at the SkyWalker International Sports Complex, Decatur. For more information or to register, go to www.macker.com.

USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic, Aug. 1-7, at Fairview Park Tennis Classic. Players from around the world converge on Decatur to compete. www.ursulabecktennis.com Decatur-Forsyth Classic, Aug. 12-14 at Hickory Point Golf Course. The dates for this major tournament for the Symetra Tour, the developmental tour of the LPGA, have changed from its usual start-of-summer spot. This 54-hole event attracts top female golfers from around the world. www. symetratour.com Macon Speedway: Dirt track racing at its very best every Saturday night. Gates open at 5 p.m.

Racing begins at 7 p.m. www.maconracing.com

Music‌

Decatur Municipal Band: Weekly concerts featuring contemporary and traditional music Sundays from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Fairview Park Large Pavilion and Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. in Central Park.

Greater Decatur Youth Band performs July 6 at the Millikin University Quad, July 20 at the Kiwanis Park Ice Cream Social, July 27 at Cresthaven Park and Aug. 3 at Dreamland Lake in Fairview Park.

Chill on the Hill in Fletcher Park, Mount Zion: July 7, The Hitmen; July 14, Kilborn Alley Blues Band; July 21, Hurricane Ruth; and July 28, Backroad Anthem. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Band plays from 7 to 10 p.m. For more information, go to www. mtzconventioncenter.com or call (217) 864-5424.

Shake the Lake Concert Series in Nelson Park. Shows set for July 4 and 22. Concerts begin at 6 p.m. Go to www.decatur-parks.org for band list and details.

Blues in Central Park featuring Lazer Lloyd on July 21 and the Joanna Connor Band on Aug. 18.

Vendors open at 6 p.m., show from 7 to 10 p.m. decaturmagazine.com Lincoln Square Theatre: Elvin Bishop, 3 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 28. For tickets and more information, go to www.lincolnsquaretheatre.com

On Stage‌

Best of Summer Stock: Musical theater performance by area students at the Decatur Civic Center.

B.O.S.S. Jr. participants (grades 1-4) will present “Annie KIDS” at 7 p.m. Friday, July 15, and 2 p.m.

Saturday, July 16. B.O.S.S. Sr. participants (grades 5-9) will perform “Xanadu” at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 16, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 17. Free preview performance at 5 p.m. Monday, July 4, in Nelson Park.

GUIDE

Little Theatre-On the Square: “Chicago-The Musical,” through July 10; “All Shook Up-The Music of Elvis Presley,” July 13-24; “Sister Act,” July 27 to Aug. 7; and “Shear Madness,” Aug. 10 to 28. This summer’s youth attractions are “How I Became Pirate,” July 1,2, 5 and 7 to 9; and “James and the Giant Peach Jr.,” July 29 and 30 and Aug. 2 and 4 to 6. For tickets, call (217) 728-7375. www.thelittletheatre.org.

Decatur Underground Theatre Musical Showcase Dinner Theatre, 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at the Decatur Club. Enjoy a dinner theatre show featuring Broadway musical favorites. For tickets, go to www.decaturunderground.com or call (217) 791-1966.

61-mile bike rides and a Family Fun ride. The event kicks off at 7 a.m. in Nelson Park. For more information, go to www.decatur-parks.org.

Misc.‌

The Rock Springs Nature Center hosts a long list of mini camps, family adventures and classes.

So many, in fact, that there are too many to list.

Go to www.maconcountyconservation.org and click on the Programs and Activities tab for a complete listing.

Decatur Celebration, Aug. 5-7, in downtown Decatur. Headliners include .38 Special, Morris Day and The Time, Thompson Square and Colton Dixon. Returning events include the Macon Country Queen pageant, an adorable baby contest, the fifth Charity events‌ Heinkel’s hot dog eating contest and the Land of Summer Splash to benefit Gallery 510, 6 p.m. Lincoln Credit Union 21 Film Project. www.decaFriday, July 15, at the Decatur Conference Center turcelebration.com and Hotel. This year’s event is extra special since in marks the 25th anniversary of the group. The event For the kids‌ includes music by The Boat Drunks, hors d’oeuvres Children’s Museum of Illinois is host to a and silent auction. Cost is $40. Call (217) 422-1509. variety of activities throughout the summer. For Relay for Life Macon County, Friday and Sat- information, go to www.cmofil.com or call (217) urday, July 15 and 16, Richland Community College. 423-5437.

Scovill Zoo: Ice Cream Safari, 1 to 4 p.m. SunAn overnight event to celebrate cancer survivors and to raise money for research and programs of day, July 17. Find all the ice cream stations hidden the American Cancer Society. Www.relay.acsevents. around the zoo. www.scovillzoo.com. Call 421-7435. org/ The Big Obstacle 3k, to benefit Decatur Park Movies in the Park‌ District youth sports and the United Way of Decatur Watch movies on a huge inflatable screen on July and Mid-Illinois, on Saturday, July 23. Fairview Park 20 (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) in Fairview will be transformed into a 1.8 mile maze of climbing Park, south of Pavilion 1; and Aug. 10 (“Zootopia”) walls, tube tunnels, strength/endurance challenges in Nelson Park by Overlook Adventure Mini Golf. and inflatable obstacles. Go to www.decatur-parks. All shows begin at dusk. org or call (217) 422-8537.

Got an item you’d like considered for publication Tour De Paws, to benefit the Macon County in the Your Free Time calendar? Send the informaAnimal Shelter Foundation and Scovill Zoo, on tion to Scott Perry at sperry@herald-review.com or Saturday, July 30. This event features 25-, 43- and 601 E. William St., Decatur, IL 62523.

Featured Business:

HicKory Point Banquet FaciLity

727 Weaver Rd., Decatur

Accommodates: 225 w/additional seating on veranda

Contact: Tina McCarnen 421-6657

Weddings, meetings and special events

Decatur civic center Accommodates: 2 to 3,000 People Assistance with catering, cash bar, & Dj Service available

#1 Gary K Anderson Plaza, Decatur Contact: Nick Burge 422-7300

Decatur cLuB Accommodates: 300 people Banquets & weddings

158 W. Prairie Ave., Decatur Contact: Jeff Ingle 429-4200

Mt. Zion convention center Accommodates: 1,100 people

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Decatur Accommodates: 550 people Contact: Monica Anderson Bring your own food/choose your own caterer 875-0135 Full bar available email: staff@maconcountyfair.com

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JIM BOWLING, BUSINESS JOURNAL‌

Trent Rosenkranz, front left, of Macon, Zach Lilly, front right, and others play in a Yu-Gi-Oh! card game tournament at the Hidden Lair in Mount Zion.

Lair ‘hidden’ in plain view Mount Zion shop allows players to stretch wings RYAN VOYLES Business Journal Writer‌

‌MOUNT ZION — With a new location prominently placed in front of the Mount Zion Convention Center, the Hidden Lair does not exactly live up to its name.

But with spacious areas set for retail and for up to 100 gamers to gather, store Manager Andy Still is not too concerned.

After two years in a tiny, 1,300-square-foot facility just a few miles south, the Hidden Lair has unveiled its new, 3,000 square feet of space off Illinois 121 that serves as a calling to all those interested in games that span the board, card and role playing types.

That extra space not only allows for 700 square feet to be dedicated to retail items, but also an area that, once fully set up, will allow M 1 up to 102 people to play, Still said.

It’s a nice change of pace from the previous location, where customers and regulars could almost get too close for comfort.

“Some of the regulars tell me, ‘I remember when you could be standing at the counter and talk in a normal volume and I could hear you,’” Still said.

While that was a fun memory, the tight space was not as enjoyable when it began to affect business.

With an area that could barely squeeze more than 40 people into the store, Still said it was not unusual to see potential customers stand at the door and soon walk out after seeing the sheer number of people during gaming events.

“They would come back a couple of days later when the store was not as busy and say, ‘We came in on Sunday, but it was just hard to come up to the counter,’ ” Still said. “So we just wanted to alleviate that.”

When inventory began to overtake the store as well, Still said it became time to move.

So after purchasing its new location at 1460 N Illinois 121, it became time to smash their way through the original infrastructure.

Where before the longtime customers would come to play games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! or Warhammer 40k, the put their electrical and demolition skills to good use.

“We had a few players help with the demo and the wiring,” Still said. “It was very much a family affair.”

The new location has been a nice change of pace for those such as Andrew Tempel, who was among more than a dozen who came out on a Wednesday night for a Yu-Gi-Oh card game. After playing at the last location, Tempel said the new one was more convenient.

“It’s a lot better gaming, more space here than before,” he said. “I was happy to see this for the first time. It could get crowded to game in the last space.”

Hidden Lair has helped give a face lift to the northern entrance of Mount Zion, as the corridor of Illinois 121 also has welcomed the

Ruff-Inn-It suite hotel for cats and dogs.

Aside from the positive presentation of new businesses on the highway through the village, the boom of businesses creates a “fever” to the existing businesses to improve themselves, Village Administrator Julie Miller said.

“When a new business comes in and turns an old, dilapidated area into something bright, new and shiny, even the existing businesses get excited,” she said. “They start putting up new signs and looking at the exteriors of their businesses and thinking, ‘I want to make this look better.’ ” As they put the final touches to settle the Hidden Lair into its new home, Still said they hope to make the Lair a location where regional tournaments can be hosted and games can regularly be rotated in to give gamers variety. With its proximity, Still said he has had conversations with the Mount Zion Convention Center about hosting major tournaments.

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YOU R C A R E E R

Managing the stresses that come with summer ‌Summer is great — warm weather, sunny skies, vacations. Yet there are many stresses that go with the season.

For example, if you have kids, you are faced with finding summer care for younger ones, and perhaps worries about unsupervised teens. If you are taking time off, you have the challenge of covering your work and making sure co-workers and customers get what they need. Then there’s the nice problem of so many fun things to do and not enough time.

Serious to minor, these all can cause stress to increase.

Liz Reyer

WEEKLY TIPS Get weekly tips from Liz Reyer and the Office Coach at www.thebusiness-journal. com.

There are practical steps to manage your life.

And they will help. Yet, having an adaptive perspective that helps roll with the punches underlies all of it. For me, this comes from cultivating a day-to-day sense of presence and gratitude.

Before going any further, take a moment to experience the contribution that noticing your blessings can provide. You can do this wherever you are — no one else will see.

First, take a few deep, calm breaths, feeling the air moving in and out, appreciating the oxygen flooding your cells. Now, think about people in your life you appreciate, picturing their faces and remembering good things

about them. Finally, look around you, noticing something beautiful in your environment, no matter how simple. A few more breaths, and you are done.

Use this as a strategy to calm yourself down any time stress starts to mount. It won’t make your problems go away, but it will free up mental and emotional energy that you can direct toward problem solving.

Then think preventively. You can develop more resilience by supporting yourself internally through presence and gratitude. Here are some approaches to try.

During your commute, have a nature moment, looking at the weather or the leaves on the trees. Look carefully, making a point of really noticing what you see. Even if you are in a car or on a bus, this connection with the natural world will refresh you. Notice other things, too.

If you are into architecture or cars, for example, use your time to savor the variation and actively enjoy what the world has to offer.

Give yourself a gratitude binge. How many things that you are grateful for can you list in one minute? If this is difficult, remember that even the smallest things count, like a good cup of coffee or an unexpectedly cheerful encounter. Be silly with it, or challenge yourself to find a reason to be grateful for the less pleasant situations you face.

Build in real nature time. As humans, it’s important to our well-being, and being outside, regardless of your activity, will help keep you grounded.

Let others know you appreciate them. It’s good for you and good for them.

These steps won’t make all the chaos go away. You may still be too busy, juggling too many things. But you will be able to do them with a lighter heart, more energy, and more success.

Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience.

Clearly define roles to avoid conflicts ‌Q: One of my colleagues seems unable to separate my duties from his own. “Henry” constantly interferes with my work and makes critical comments about the way I do my job. When I offer friendly explanations for my decisions, he dismisses them by saying “that’s just your opinion.”

Henry and I work in different areas but have overlapping responsibilities.

Although his constant meddling is Office Coach driving me crazy, I’m not sure how to address this or with whom. We report to the same manager, but I haven’t discussed this issue with him. Any advice?

A: Many co-worker squabbles are inaccurately labeled “personality conflicts’” when the real cause is that roles have been poorly defined. If the boundary between jobs is fuzzy, people inevitably step on each other’s toes. Therefore, to solve this problem, you must first clarify your responsibilities.

To accomplish this, you will need to agree with your boss on the scope of your position. Start by drafting a detailed job description with particular focus on the areas of overlap with Henry. Describe your duties as you think they should be and then request your manager’s input.

Marie McIntyre

For example: “Henry and I often seem to be working on the same things, which can be very confusing. To avoid this, I’ve drafted a more detailed description of my role and would like to get your opinion. I believe that clearly defining my responsibilities will help to prevent future misunderstandings.”

Having delineated your boundaries, you are now ready to begin managing communications with your annoying coworker. Previously, your “friendly explanations” only served to reinforce Henry’s intrusive behavior and encourage him to continue. So if you want him to change, you will need to provide a less rewarding response.

When Henry launches into one of his critical commentaries, do not attempt to justify your actions. Simply state that he’s entitled to his opinion, but these decisions are yours to make. After that, just go on about your business and ignore any further remarks. *** Q: I’m not sure how to explain my recent employment history. After working as a clinical scientist in a local hospital for 14 years, I was offered a different job in a large medical center. Since this looked like an opportunity to expand my skills, I decided to accept.

Unfortunately, this proved to be a poor decision. I soon learned that my new boss had been forced to hire me and was not happy about it. Because I was never able to please him, I chose to return to my former employer in a part-time position.

I am now looking for a full-time job in my original field. On my resume, how

should I describe my reasons for leaving the medical center and going back to the hospital?

A: Actually, your resume is not the place to explain or justify your employment decisions. Resumes are typically used to provide a concise summary of qualifications, so a narrative explanation might seem odd to some employers.

However, you should definitely be prepared to answer these questions during interviews.

Since any discussion of your unhappy boss might raise a red flag, keep the focus on your desire to return to clinical science. Fortunately, your previously stable work history should eliminate any job-hopper concerns, and your need for full-time work requires little explanation. *** Q: A staff member recently informed me that I have enemies at work. This was both surprising and distressing, because I try to be professional and friendly with everyone. However, on stressful days, I will admit that I have been known to lose my temper.

As a supervisor in an elder care facility, I am responsible for a unit with 95 residents. Sometimes everything seems to go wrong at once, making it hard to remain calm. Despite this, I have never sensed that anyone felt angry or resentful towards me.

My employee is reluctant to identify the people who are upset, so I don’t know how to resolve the problem. What should I do about this?

A: Under different circumstances, I might think your staff member was being

a bit snarky. But given your admitted fits of temper, these “enemies” could easily have been created by your previous outbursts. Adults who throw tantrums typically underestimate the residual effects of their anger.

Once an emotional storm has passed, the perpetrator immediately moves on, but those subjected to yelling, cursing, or belittling tend to have much longer memories. So even if your normal demeanor is “friendly and professional”, intermittent bouts of rage can still wreak havoc on relationships.

For a supervisor, these explosive reactions are even more reprehensible, because they constitute an abuse of power.

Despite the sad fact that many top executives fail this test, managers should always be expected to act like mature adults, even during difficult times.

If remaining calm seems impossible, consider whether you ever direct these tantrums at your boss. If not, this shows you can control them if you try. And for the sake of your department, you really must try, because unrestrained venting just transfers your stress to everyone around you.

To begin correcting the damage, list colleagues who have faced your wrath, then plan on making an apology tour. But first, be absolutely sure that you’ve mastered anger management, because apologies mean nothing without a change in behavior.

Marie G. McIntyre is a workplace coach and author. Send in questions and get free coaching M tips at www.yourofficecoach.com.

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YOU R BUSI N E S S

New group looks to engage community members CHRIS LUSVARDI Business Journal Writer‌

‌DECATUR – Area business leaders trying to recruit top talent to Decatur hope they find the community an attractive and welcoming place to live and work.

The goal of a recently launched group, called Decatur Emerging Leaders, is to assist area businesses in providing that opportunity, particularly for young professionals ages 21-45, said Paula Heinkel, interim president of the group.

Heinkel “Companies have bright rising stars,” said Heinkel, a community relations coordinator for Ameren Illinois. “We’ve got them here in Decatur. We want them to get involved and welcome them to the community.”

The group is seeking to offer opportunities for recreation, education and giving back to the community, Heinkel said.

“It will be a mix of all three of those,” Heinkel said. “It’s crucial they become involved. We’re fortunate to have a welcom-

ing community.”

Part of the idea behind creating the group is to connect the efforts of young professional groups already established at employers including Ameren, Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Caterpillar Inc., Heinkel said.

Nicole Bateman, who is the community marketing manager for the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, remembers what it was like to be new to the community when she moved to Decatur 10 years ago. She quickly set out to become established in the community and joined groups to feel more at home.

In part through the City Limitless community marketing initiative, Bateman is hoping others find what Decatur and Macon County has to offer.

She talked about her experience during a “My Story” gathering at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Forsyth, one the Decatur Emerging Leaders’ first organized events. The “My Story” meetings are designed for community leaders to share their experience.

“Decatur has really blossomed in the last 10 years,” Bateman said. “It’s time to get connected. It’s a really awesome time to be in this community.”

The people in the community have really made the difference, Bateman said. Finding opportunities for those in the young professional age demographic is important to future success, she said.

“We need more of us in the community,” Bateman said.

She said the City Limitless campaign is focused on changing perceptions and addressing key issues, including job opportunities, education options, entertainment options, housing for young professionals and the safety and security of the community.

Another Decatur Emerging Leaders event, a bags tournament held at Hickory Point Golf Course, was well attended,

Heinkel said. More events are being planned, with at least two or three per month, she said.

Sip and Socialize will be offered for young professionals to eat, drink and mingle with others in a casual atmosphere.

Rise Up will be a professional development opportunity and DEL Cares involves volunteering and making a difference in the community.

Events will be held at different times of day, not just the evening, to accommodate as many different schedules as possible, Heinkel said. Table for Ten is an activity intended to provide a chance for 10 young professional to have lunch together at local restaurants, she said.

Although other efforts to maintain a communitywide young professional group haven’t lasted, Heinkel is hoping this one will be sustainable.

Elections for board members will be held this fall and members are asked to pay a $35 membership fee.

More information is available at www. decaturchamber.com, email decaturemergingleaders@gmail.com or call (217) 422-2200.

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YOU R BUSI N E S S

You’ve been served. Now what?

‌E

ditor’s Note: After taking a break the past couple of months, it’s time to resume our series on equal employment enforcement. ‌May I speak directly to you, Mr. or Ms. Employer?

Your company has been charged with unlawful discrimination. This morning’s delivery brought you a scary packet, via certified mail. The cover letter was signed Human Resources by me, in my contractual capacity as the city of Decatur’s human rights investigator.

The language is ominous. It alleges that your firm fired an employee unlawfully – because of their race or gender or disability or some other protected factor.

“The above-mentioned charge is of great concern to the City of Decatur Human Re-

Fred Spannaus

lations Commission,” it reads. “As the Human Rights Investigator for the City of Decatur, it is my responsibility to investigate the charge and if possible, assist the parties in reaching a resolution.”

What to do? Three things.

First thing: Don’t panic. Don’t get angry. This is not the end of the world. The charge is only an assertion. It may be true, or it may be false. It might be that you or one of your managers committed unlawful discrimination. Or it might be that an unhappy ex-employee is using the process unfairly, to vent their frustrations.

The truth of the charge has not been determined.

At this point, we can say only four things about the charge: The alleged act occurred within the Decatur city limits. It occurred within 180 days of the time the person filed the case. If the allegations are true, they might constitute a violation. And the person has at least some minimal evidence to support their accusation.

Understand that it’s very early in the process, and that the process might drag on for several months, depending on how

complex the case is.

Also, please understand that I am not your enemy. I am a neutral party; my job is not to take sides but to ascertain the facts.

Second thing: Unless you’ve had experience, don’t handle this on your own. Get help. If you have an HR staff, turn it over to them. If you or your HR people need outside assistance, secure an experienced consultant or employment attorney.

This is better for you, and it’s way easier for me to deal with someone who is familiar with the law and the investigative process.

Plus it often removes heated emotions from the process.

Third, and most important thing: Respond. Do not ignore the packet or let it lie on your desk. Wishing won’t make it go away. Think of it as your best chance to tell your side of the story. Don’t let it pass you by, and don’t rush it.

You have 30 days to file your response.

Use those days wisely. The packet contains a large number of questions that you must answer, and it’s smart to start gathering the data right away.

If you ignore the charge, the Human

Relations Commission must accept the allegations as true. That’s the law. If you let it go till the last minute and compose your response hurriedly, you will forfeit this opportunity to present your best evidence.

It’s a good idea to get in touch with me soon after you receive the packet and give me the name of your primary contact – the one person with whom I can communicate regarding this case.

Of course, the best advice of all is this: Don’t discriminate. In a future column, I’ll give tips on how to minimize the chances of ever being charged.

But know this. Even the best of companies, the most progressive organizations, the ones that do everything right, are at risk. You can lessen your risk, but someone may still accuse you of unlawful discrimination. That’s their right.

Fred W. Spannaus, principal of Spannaus Consulting, is a senior professional in human resources. He loves feedback to his columns.

Fred can be contacted by e-mail at spannaus@ ameritech.net or by phone at (217) 425-2635.

BIZ CLIPS

New staff members‌ Judy Hogan Dougherty has joined the law firm of Fuller & Quigg as an associate attorney.

Bridget Dutcher has joined the Decatur Family YMCA as its youth and family director.

Abigail Rainey-Netterville has joined Rainey Nursery Co. as residential account Dutcher manager.

RaineyNetterville

Young

Clevenger

Webster

Promotions‌ Andrew Young has been promoted to assistant vice president, commercial loan officer, at First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust.

Matt Dausman has joined National Foodworks Services as the director of finance.

Achievements‌ Stephen P. Clevenger, assistant vice president and trust officer at Soy Capital Bank and Trust Company in Decatur, has been earned the certified financial planner designation.

Patrick Hoban, economic development officer for the city of Decatur, has earned the certified economic developer designation.

First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust was named 2015 Central/Southern Illinois Community Lender of the Year Award by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Joseph Webster, of Webster & Associates, is the recipient of the 2015 Swango Award, which recognizes the best article published in “The Appraisal Journal,” for

Dausman

the article titled “A Discussion of Excess Land Concepts and Theory.”

Announcements‌ Staley Credit Union’s advanced online banking features were featured in a case study

by Fiserv, one of the nation’s leading financial technology companies.

Business Clips are abbreviated versions of paid Business Achievements which appear on Mondays in the Herald & Review. For more information about Business Achievements, go to www.thebusiness-journal.com and click on the Submit a Business Achievement link.

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July 2016 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | 21

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Lessons learned while visiting Japan ‌I

recently took a business trip to Japan.

My traveling companions and I visited a number of business establishments.

One of our stops was in Naruto and a young entrepreneur took us around the sites for a couple days. ‌Our guide, Masashi (Masa) Yoshinaga, is a talented photographer, went to school in L.A. and speaks English very well. (Check out his work at Technology Entrepreneurship www.masashiyoshinaga.com). In addition to testing out Japanese sweets everywhere, we visited many places and learned new twists to old lessons:

Wendy Julie Gauntt Shields

Know your market‌ We ate a delicious lunch at Tokushima Marche’. It is shop that sells organic and locally-sourced fruits, vegetable and food products with a target market of Japanese millennials. The products are all grown or made within Tokushima Prefecture.

They also serve high-quality meals from a small kitchen attached to the market.

Mushrooms that sell for $20 in Tokyo sell for less than $5 at the market because of the commitment to high quality and reasonable profit. Did I mention their target demographic is Japanese millennials? The message of reasonable profit, quality over quantity, and supporting local businesses goes over well with their demographic.

Best kept secret‌ We also visited a “secret noodle house.”

The restaurant — a little house — was nestled between other little houses next to a modest stream on a not-even-onelane road. There were about 15 seats in the restaurant, and we took the last four open seats at a counter facing the wall. The noodles were amazing. But how secret was it?

It has been in business continually at the same location for over 100 years. For being a little place, they have apparently done a terrible job of keeping it a “secret.”

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Making a Digital Marketing Plan Q A

Surviving the tide‌ The tourist industry around Naruto is lively, in part, because of the powerful whirlpools created by the changing tides rushing over the 25-meter variance between the Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The government built an enormous bridge to complete a quick passage from Kobe to Shikoku Island, and the bridge sits right over the whirlpools. For a fee you can walk under the bridge a quarter of a mile to a viewing area. The whirlpools are so powerful that they snap the backs of fish that get caught in them. But this doesn’t always result in death. When the fish are caught years later, sushi chefs know the survivors because their spines show extra calcification where they were broken.

Peace of mind‌ Religious endeavors are also booming business in Japan. There are 88 temples on Shikoku, which are part of a pilgrimage that takes about three months to walk.

(There are also bus tours for those who are not up for walking). Pilgrims can buy maps, tokens and all manner of accouterments along the way. We also observed parents and their 20-something daughter get a new car blessed by a priest at the Oasahiko Temple where a 1,000 year old tree stands. “Three hundred dollars,” Masa interjected, “for the blessing.” It’s just another kind of insurance, right?

Masa and I talked about common trends in entrepreneurship in Japan and the U.S. But when we started discussing building a business with the notion of a successful exit strategy, this is where there seems to be a cultural divide. Starting a business in Japan is a part of the family legacy. There isn’t a desire to sell or exit.

They value the 1,000-year old tree and the 100-year old secret noodle shop.

However, given the shifting dynamics represented by millennials and globalization pressures, I have to wonder if that will change. Will they embrace pivoting and re-imagine what legacy means? Do they truly need to? In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy these Japanese sweets and noodles and appreciate my new Japanese friends.

Cayla Hittmeier Digital Specialist Herald & Review

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I have a great website and want to start digital advertising, but I don’t know where to start?

The answer to this question depends on MANY variables. To find the answer, first YOU have to answer the following: 1) What is your marketing objective? Is there a certain product/service on which you’d like to focus? Do you want to increase brand awareness, increase website traffic, increase foot traffic? You have to determine your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), in order to measure the success of your campaign.

2) Who and Where are you trying to reach? What are your key demographics and geographic areas? These answers will help you determine the best way to reach them based on behavior or media use trends.

3) What will your message be? Will it be a branding message or will it have a specific call-to-action? Answering this will also help you to determine your KPIs for the campaign.

There are many digital marketing options including; Search Engine Optimization, Google AdWords, Social Media, Targeted Digital Display Ads, Contesting, Email Marketing and more. The answers to the questions above will help point toward one or more of these because each offer benefits that can lead to specific goals.

Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t…consider this, the marketing models of large companies like McDonald’s always focus heavily in one area for at least a quarter and then shift to another the next. This allows them to do the campaign well, with maximum focus. Additionally, this model allows them to know exactly what is working. Trying to do everything at once makes it difficult to determine which one is working best and also spreads the penetration too thin.

The best news for you, you don’t have to figure it out alone. I’m here and I’m ready for the challenge. Call me, let’s meet soon.

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Julie Shields is director of Millikin University’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

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YOU R MON E Y

Millennials staying longer with parents ‌WASHINGTON (AP) — Many of America’s young adults appear to be in no hurry to move out of their old bedrooms.

For the first time on record, living with parents is now the most common arrangement for people ages 18 to 34, an analysis of census data by the Pew Research Center has found.

And the proportion of older millennials — those ages 25 to 34 — who are living at home has reached its highest point (19 percent) on record, Pew analysts said.

Nearly one-third of all millennials live with their parents, slightly more than the proportion who live with a spouse or partner. It’s the first time that living at home has outpaced living with a spouse for this age group since such record-keeping began in 1880.

The remaining young adults are living alone, with other relatives, in college dorms, as roommates or under other circumstances.

The sharp shift reflects a long-running decline in marriage, amplified by the economic upheavals of the Great Recession. The trend has been particularly evident among Americans who lack a college degree.

The pattern may be a contributing factor in the sluggish growth of the U.S. economy, which depends heavily on consumer spending. With more young people living with their parents rather than on their own, fewer people need to buy appliances, furniture or cable subscriptions. The recovery from the 200809 recession has been hobbled by historically low levels of home construction and home ownership.

Jennifer Post, 26, has been living with her parents in Villas, N.J., since dropping out of law school two years ago.

A law career wasn’t a good fit for her, Post decided, and now she’s seeking a job in digital media or marketing. There aren’t many opportunities in Villas, a beach town.

Even living at home, she said it’s been hard to save for a move to a bigger city after she was laid off from a baking job in March.

Post spends her days on her laptop, sending resumes and refreshing LinkedIn and other job sites. To her parents, it looks as though she’s slacking off.

“It’s definitely a generation gap,” she said.

“I think they literally think I just sit down and watch Netflix all day.”

As recently as 2000, nearly 43 percent of young adults ages 18 to 34 were married or living with a partner. By 2014, that proportion was just 31.6 percent.

In 2000, only 23 percent of young adults were living with parents. In 2014, the figure reached 32.1 percent.

The proportion of young adults living with their parents is similar to the proportions that prevailed from 1880 through 1940, when the figure peaked, Pew found. Yet in those decades, the most common arrangement for young adults was living with a spouse rather than with parents.

“We’ve simply got a lot more singles,” said Richard Fry, lead author of the report and a senior economist at Pew. “They’re the group much more likely to live with their parents.”

The typical U.S. woman now marries at 27.1 years old, the typical man at 29.2, according to census data. That’s up from record lows of 20.1 for women and 22.5 for men in 1956.

“They’re concentrating more on school, careers and work and less focused on forming new families, spouses or partners and children,” Fry said.

The shift may also be disrupting the housing market. One mystery that’s confounded analysts is why there aren’t more homes for sale. The lack of available houses has driven up prices and made it less affordable for many would-be purchasers to buy.

Nela Richardson, chief economist at real estate brokerage Redfin, says one explanation for the sparse supply is that many baby boomers aren’t able to sell their family homes and downsize for retirement because they still have adult children living with them.

Redfin surveyed homeowners ages 55 to 64 and found that one-fifth still have adult children at home.

“It’s having a big effect on the housing market,” Richardson said.

Among young men, declining employment and falling wages are another factor keeping many 18-to-34-year-olds unmarried, Fry said. The share of young men with jobs fell to 71 percent in 2014 from 84 percent in 1960 — the year when the proportion of young adults living outside the home peaked.

Incomes have fallen, too: Wages, adjusted for inflation, plunged 34 percent for the typical young man from 2000 to 2014.

Other factors contributing to more millennials living with parents range from rising apartment rents to heavy student-debt loads to longer periods in college.

Many analysts had expected that as the economy improved, younger adults would increasingly move out on their own. That hasn’t happened. Jed Kolko, a senior fellow at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, says soaring rents are discouraging some from leaving their parents’ homes.

Median rents nationwide were surging at a 6 percent annual pace as recently as August, though they have slowed since. In fast-growing cities like San Francisco, Denver, and Portland, Oregon, rents rose last year at a double-digit pace.

Heavier student debt loads have sent more young people back to their parents’ nests, according to research by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Other economists aren’t convinced that student debt plays a dominant role. They note that the proportion of young adults without college degrees who live with parents is especially high: Nearly 39 percent of those with only a high school degree were living with a parent in 2014, up from around 26 percent in 2000.

That compares with just 19 percent of young adult college grads living at home in 2014. That figure, though, is up sharply from 11 percent in 2000.

Tips for taking control of student loans GAIL MARKSJARVIS Tribune News Service Writer‌

‌If you’ve just finished college and are heading to a new job, avoid the extremes.

In other words, don’t panic about your student loans, but don’t ignore them either before locking yourself into huge expenses like rent and car payments.

With so much attention on student loans in the news, college students tend to get alarmed when financial aid offices force them to look at their loan responsibilities just as they leave the hallowed halls. The typical student with loans leaves college with $35,000 in debts.

But rather than worrying about loans, many graduates take the opposite approach, said Shannon Schuyler of professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Students leave college without thinking ahead, and they get themselves into a financial mess, according to research by George Washington University’s Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center that was funded by PwC. That research shows most millennials “don’t have basic knowledge” about handling money and consequently dig themselves into a hole

shortly after finishing college, said Schuyler.

About 28 percent of those with college degrees have ended up taking emergency payday loans or selling possessions to pawn shops, she said.

The size of student loans, alone, however is not necessarily the problem.

A rule of thumb for college loans is to keep the loan payments to 8 percent of your salary.

So for $35,000 in loans at recent interest rates, a person would need an annual salary of about $53,250. But college finance expert Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Cappex.com, said people should be OK if they simply make sure their total college loans don’t exceed their annual pay.

People with federal student loans have 10 years to pay them off, so payments on $35,000 in loans charging an average interest rate of 4.05 percent would be $355 a month.

If your first job pays too little to cover loan payments, you may qualify for a government program that reduces monthly payments while your income is low. It’s called “income-based repayment.”

And if you still don’t have a job when your loan payments start six months after graduating, you can ask for a deferment, which means

you don’t have to pay your loans yet.

Keep in mind, however, that deferring your payments or reducing the monthly payments while your income is low doesn’t free you of the responsibility indefinitely. Eventually, you will have to pay both the interest and principal unless you can’t finish all the payments within 20 years.

Kantrowitz advises graduates to avoid extending loans beyond 10 years of repayments because extra years add a lot more interest.

Even if you pay off $35,000 in loans in 10 years, you are going to be paying $7,622 in interest, or a total of $42,622 based on the $35,000 principal plus the interest payments. And if you pay off a $35,000 loan, with a 4.05 percent interest rate over 20 years, you will be spending $16,123 on interest, or $52,123 in total. Think of what $16,123 could buy if it wasn’t going toward interest. A car? The start of a house down payment?

“Always pay as much as you can each month” so you keep your interest charges as low as possible, Kantrowitz said.

To do that, think of the rest of your spending.

Overspending on rent, a car, or anything else

could disrupt your future.

Consider keeping within a 50-30-20 budget. Fifty percent of your income is devoted to necessities: housing (rent, utilities), food, transportation, required payments on student loans, credit cards or other loans, phone, internet, even gym payments if you sign a one-year contract. Thirty percent goes for entertainment and choices you could skip: clothing, restaurants, gifts, travel. Twenty percent goes toward saving. Saving for emergencies and retirement is essential.

An emergency fund will help if you lose your job or have expenses like flat tires. Without emergency funds, people tend to use credit cards, fail to pay them off each month, and get into a spiral of paying interest. Saving for retirement on your first job is essential because your early life savings give you a huge head start. Assume you are 21, earning $35,000, and you put 7 percent of pay in your 401(k) at work, and your employer gives you 3 percent through a company match. That’s about $1,050 in free money. If you keep on saving like that until 65, you will have about $1.1 million for retirement M if you earn 8 percent on average each year.

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July 2016 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | 23

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Coming clean with financial baggage 42 percent of couples admit to financial infidelity SARAH SKIDMORE SELL AP Business Writer‌

‌It’s wedding season and as many couples get ready to say their vows, they may want to have a talk about fidelity — financial fidelity.

A study by Harris Poll for the National Endowment for Financial Education finds that two in five Americans who have combined finances admit to lying to their partner or hiding information about money matters. And it’s on the rise — 42 percent of those surveyed admitted to financial infidelity compared to 33 percent just two years ago.

It could be something as minor as hiding a recent purchase or something more significant, like hiding a bank account. There are sometimes pleasant surprises, such as money set aside for a gift or trip, but those who study the matter say it’s typically more devious.

And experts warn that financial deception, no matter the scale, can cause damage — or even end — a relationship.

NEFE found that the most common offense is that of hiding something: 39 percent have hid a purchase, bank account, statement, bill or cash from their partner. A smaller percentage committed more serious deception: 16 percent have lied about the amount of debt they have or even how much they earn.

“When you agree to combine finances in a relationship, you are also agreeing to a certain degree of cooperation and transparency in your money management,” Ted Beck, president and CEO of NEFE said in a statement.

“Yet we’re seeing the implicit promise of collaboration destroyed by financial game playing.”

It’s easy to conceal the information in the digital age — receipts can be texted and credit card statements can be emailed, leaving less of a paper trail.

While that is a component, NEFE spokesman Paul Golden says it’s difficult to say exactly why financial infidelity is on the rise.

What the organization does know is that it’s more likely to occur in relationships where finances are combined and only one person assumes responsibility for managing the money. Golden said having both people involved creates a system of “checks and balances.”

The issue of deception appears to run across the board. About 46 percent of men have committed an act of financial deception and 38 percent of women. And while it happens at all ages, the practice appears more common among younger adults, with 61 percent of those ages 18 to 34 admitting to the act.

The problems often don’t surface until a major event, like buying a home, car or refinancing, forces it out. Some respondents didn’t find out about hidden spending habits till their divorce proceedings and or after the death of their partner.

The NEFE found that most of the time the deception undermines the relationship — causing arguments, mistrust and even divorce. Although a small percentage of respondents said it brought them closer because it forced them to face their financial issues together.

Money is a common topic for arguments in relationships, notes Sonya Britt, an associate professor of personal financial planning at Kansas State University who specializes in financial therapy, which she suggests for all soon-to-be wed couples. Her research has found that arguing about money is one of the top predictors for divorce.

“We are socialized to not talk about money,” Britt said. “When (couples) are dating, they are not having the conversations they need to about money. So when they are sharing a household they are facing it more intensely.”

As with many things in relationships, com-

DANI SIMMONDS‌

munication is key.

Whether a couple is just getting started or is trying to recover from a financial infidelity, the recommended steps are similar: Start with an open conversation, get on the same page and follow up regularly.

That’s not to say that couples need to report every dime they spend. NEFE says each couple needs to find a budgeting and money-management system that works for them.

And the threshold for what can be spent without checking in with the other varies with each couple.

There is some good news for recent newlyweds. Research by credit reporting bureau Experian found that couples who have gotten married after the recession are more apt to talk about finances early on. But Sandra Bernardo, manager of consumer education at Experian, says they still aren’t talking to the extent they should. “(Money is) a major dynamic in a marriage and you need to think about your goals,” she said. “And sooner or later you need to talk about it and address it, and it’s better to do that sooner.”

Recovering from financial infidelity THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

‌ inancial infidelity — lying about or hidF ing money — can cause major problems in a relationship. The National Endowment for Financial Education has a few tips on how to deal with these issues.

Talk: Talking about money can be stressful. But approach the situation knowing what you want to get out of the conversation and with the attitude that you are working together toward a solution. Try not to be judgmental. When people are put on the defensive, conversations become strained. Broach M 1 the topic at a time that is good for both of

you.

Get a plan: Decide how you want to manage your money together and how you plan to share information going forward. Establish what the threshold is for spending autonomously, which will vary greatly by couple.

Rebuild trust: If you or your partner has come clean about some financial deception it may take time to rebuild trust. It takes continued transparency, a commitment from both sides to stick to the goals and good communication to help heal.

For more tips on how working together as a couple, visit www.smartaboutmoney.org/

Of course we do car loans, but we also do jet ski, boat, RV, & motorcycle loans. Whatever your summer plans, we have the loan to fit your needs. Just stop in, call, or apply online.

24 | BUSINESS JOURNAL | July 2016

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