BUSINESS JOURNAL
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O F
M I D C E N T R A L
JULY 2013
twenty under forty 2013
20
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who make a difference in Central Illinois
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BUSINESS JOURNAL
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YOUR CALENDAR
Monday, July 1
Thursday, July 11
Monday, July 22
Decatur Noon Lions Club,Main Place Bar & Grill, 101 S. Main St. Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club, 158 W . Prairie Ave. W omen’s Progressive Club,6 p.m., Greater Northside Baptist Church.
Earlybird Kiwanis,6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility. Senior Resources Network (formerly Mature Resources Network), 11:45 a.m., Keystone Gardens, 1455 W. Mound Road. Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club,noon, Decatur Club. Thursday Noon Toastmasters,Greater Decatur Y, 220 W. McKinley Ave. Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce Ag Cafe,noon, Decatur Club. Scheduled speaker is Garry Niemeyer, afarmer from Auburn who serves as chairman of the Corn Board of the National Corn Grow ers Association. Decatur Area Women’s Network (DAWN), 5:30 p.m., location varies. Lincolnland AMBUCS, 6:30 p.m., Easter Seals’ Building.
Decatur Noon Lions Club,Main Place Bar & Grill. Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.
Forsyth Rotary,7 a.m., Homew ood Suites by Hilton. BNI First Class Professionals,7:45 a.m., Crestview Christian Church. Kiwanianne Club of Decatur,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Decatur Building Construction Trades Council, 10 a.m., IBEW Local 146 Hall. Decatur AMBUCS, noon, Decatur Club. Noon Kiwanis Club,Decatur Club. Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club. Blue Mound Rotary,6:30 p.m., Pleasantview Township shed.
Friday, July 12
W ednesday, July 24
Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility.
Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Decatur Shrine Club,noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.
Tuesday, July 2 Forsyth Rotary,7 a.m., Homew ood Suites by Hilton, 333 W. Marion Ave.,Forsyth. BNI First Class Professionals,7:45 a.m., Crestview Christian Church, 4415 N. Water St. Kiwanianne Club of Decatur,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility, 3909 W. Main St. Prairieland Kiwanis,9:30 a.m., Decatur Civic Center Decatur AMBUCS, noon, Decatur Club. Noon Kiwanis Club,Decatur Club. Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club. Blue Mound Rotary,6:30 p.m., Pleasantview Township shed.
W ednesday, July 3 Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Decatur Shrine Club,noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.
Friday, July 5 Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce First FridayLuncheon, noon, Main Street Church Tea Room, 2000 N. Main St.
Monday, July 8 Decatur Noon Lions Club,Main Place Bar & Grill. Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.
Tuesday, July 9 Forsyth Rotary,7 a.m., Homew ood Suites by Hilton. BNI First Class Professionals,7:45 a.m., Crestview Christian Church. Kiwanianne Club of Decatur,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Prairieland Kiwanis,9:30 a.m., Decatur Civic Center. Decatur Building Construction Trades Council, 10 a.m., IBEW Local 146 Hall, 3390 N. Woodford St. Central Illinois Ad Club,11:30 a.m., Decatur Club. Decatur AMBUCS, noon, Decatur Club. Noon Kiwanis Club,Decatur Club. Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club. Blue Mound Rotary,6:30 p.m., Pleasantview Township shed.
W ednesday, July 10 Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Mount Zion Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Richland Community College. Decatur Shrine Club,noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.
Monday, July 15 Decatur Noon Lions Club,Main Place Bar & Grill. Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club. W omen’s Progressive Club,6 p.m., Greater Northside Baptist Church.
Tuesday, July 16
Tuesday, July 23
Thursday, July 25 Earlybird Kiwanis,6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility. Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club,noon, Decatur Club. Thursday Noon Toastmasters,Greater Decatur Y.
Forsyth Rotary,7 a.m., Homew ood Suites by Hilton. BNI First Class Professionals,7:45 a.m., Crestview Christian Church. Kiwanianne Club of Decatur,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Noon Kiwanis Club,Decatur Club. Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club. Blue Mound Rotary,6:30 p.m., Pleasantview Township shed.
Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. American Business Women’s Association (Monarch), noon, location varies.
W ednesday, July 17
Decatur Noon Lions Club,Main Place Bar & Grill. Decatur Rotary 180, noon, Decatur Club.
Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Christian Women’s Network, noon, Decatur Club. Decatur Shrine Club,noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.
Thursday, July 18 Earlybird Kiwanis,6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility. Decatur Christian Women’s Club,11:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club,noon, Decatur Club. Thursday Noon Toastmasters,Greater Decatur Y. Decatur AMBUCS, 6 p.m., Decatur Club.
Friday, July 19 Decatur Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Noon Women’s Network, 11:45 a.m., Decatur Club.
Friday, July 26
Monday, July 29
Tuesday, July 30
American Business Women’s Association (Amacita), 11:30 a.m., location varies. Decatur Metropolitan Rotary Club,noon, Decatur Club. GFWC Decatur Woman’s Club,1 p.m., First Congregational United Church of Christ, 3465 N. MacArthur Road. Ice cream social. Human Service Agency Consortium (HSAC), noon, Cent ral Christian Church, 650 W. William St. Thursday Noon Toastmasters,Greater Decatur Y. Lincolnland AMBUCS, 6:30 p.m., Easter Seals’ Building.
Friday, Aug. 2 Breakfast Sertoma, 7 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility. Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce First FridayLuncheon, noon, Main Street Church Tea Room, 2000 N. Main St.
To submit items for Your Calendar, contact Scott Perry at (217) 421-7976, at sperry@heraldreview.com, or click the “Submit an Event” link at www.thebusiness-journal.com
BUSINESS JOURNAL Reader Profile: n 63% have household incomes of $60,000 or greater. 36% have household incomes of $80,000 or greater.
WINDOWS ROOFING DECKS KITCHENS RESTORATIONS DOORS SIDING REMODELING PORCHES BATHS
Forsyth Rotary,7 a.m., Homew ood Suites by Hilton. BNI First Class Professionals,7:45 a.m., Crestview Christian Church. Kiwanianne Club of Decatur,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Noon Kiwanis Club,Decatur Club. Noon Sertoma, Decatur Club. Blue Mound Rotary,6:30 p.m., Pleasantview Township shed.
W ednesday, July 31 Decatur Golden K Kiwanis Club,9:30 a.m., Scovill BanquetFacility. Decatur Shrine Club,noon, Scovill Banquet Facility.
Thursday, Aug. 1 Earlybird Kiwanis,6:45 a.m., Scovill Banquet Facility.
LICENSE# 104.016085 105.005542 PROMAXCONSTRUCTION.COM
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July 2013
FROM THE EDITOR In case you haven’t realized it just yet, having a Web presence is pretty important when it comes to maintaining and growing a business. It doesn’t matter whatproducts or services you are peddling, a quality website goes a long waytowardreaching out to current and future customers. By quality website, I mean one that has current, helpful information presented in an easyto navigateformat . Case in point. While researching resortsfor a much anticipated vacation, I had my list narrowed to two choices. One website had just one picture of the resort, a list of services it offers and little more. The second website had the same two elements, along with pages that included pictures of myroom, the view I would have looking out my window,a listing of nearby attractions, a long list ofrestaurants I could choose f rom … you get the point . I’m guessing you can figure out which business is getting a cut of my paychecks. Don’t letyour website be the reason people are passing you by.For tips on maintaining your business website, check out this month’s“Ask a SCORE Counselor” column. On a side note,ifyou haven’t found some time torelax this summer, try and make that a priority,too.
BUSINESS JOURNAL
BUSINESS JOURNAL OF
MIDCENTRAL
VOLUME 19
ILLINOIS
ISSUE 7
601 E. William St. Decatur, IL 62523 217.421.7976 217.421.7965 (fax)
PUBLISHER: Todd Nelson EDITOR: Scott Perry ADVERTISING: Cayla Hittmeier
Scott Perry, editor Business Journal of Midcent ralIllinois
LAYOUT & DESIGN: Ginger Wortman
July2013Contents 19
Standing Features
OUT OF SIGHT Tips for managing your mobile work force
Biz Bites ............ 6 Business Clips ...... 11 Fred Spannaus ..... 14 Free Time calendar .. 18 Health calendar ..... 21
Professional profile .. 17 SCORE counselor ... 15 W endy Gauntt ...... 19
SUBSCRIPTIONS: To order additional copies call 217.421.7931 ADVERTISING: The deadline for ad and ad copy for the August issue is July 16. Call 217.421.7931 for rate information. The Business Journal of MidCentral Illinois is printed monthly and is a publication of Lee Enterprises Inc.
Liz Reyer .......... 20 Office Coach ....... 20
STORY IDEAS: Email sperry@herald-review.com or call 217.421.7976.
Customer’s first C offee Connection and the Decatur Conference Center and Hotelare making changes to grow their business. But the similarities don’t end there. Both are winners ofthisyear’s Chamber Business of the Year honors.
17 GOT FREE TIME? Kelly McCourt Edwards has eventstofillthe void
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. Copyright 2013 Herald & Review All rights reserved for entire content.
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YOUR COMMUNITY
Businesses recognized for beautification Companies spruce ‘W e’re proud and up areas for contest glad to do something to make the town look better.’ By NICOLE HARBOUR
Business Journal Writer
D E CATUR — Easter Seals of Central Illinois was abuzz with local business owners last month as they waited to see how their efforts to spruce up their businesses and m a ke Decatur a little more “bee-utiful” paid off during the aw ards cere m o ny for the third annual Let’s Keep Decatur Bee-Utiful smallbusiness contest. “Every year this contest grow s,” said Jill D avis, one of the founders of Let’s K eep Decatur BeeUtiful, as she addressed the business owners. “This year, we had 82 businesses register, which is a 20-percent increase over last year and a 100percent increase over the first year.” With three categories this year based on how many employees the businesses have, D avis was excited to honor three winners and one honorable mention from each category. In the large-business division, Culver’s on East Aldi Drive took first place. “It feels wonderful,” owner Dan Delatte said, noting that the business received an honorable mention in the contest last year. “It’s great to see the effort put forth to recognize the businesses that take the extra step and take pride in their property.” Chosen as the host site for Thursday’s aw ards cere m o ny, Easter Seals of Central Illinois was proud to receive first place in the medium-business division. “This is our second year to participate and it feels wonderful (to get first place),” said Teri Moore, director of development and m a r keting. She noted that participants in
CARL MUENCH, SPEED LUBE PRESIDENT
Easter Seals’ Camp EARTH, which provides prevocational horticulture training to youths living in Macon County, did much of the landscaping work that increased the organization’s curb appeal. “ We won in more ways than one,” Executive Director Lori Moore said. “We taught the kids about teamw ork and we also wanted to create an attractive presence for our customers. We wanted the outside of our business to reflect the inside.” Beautiful landscaping and a litter-free exterior earned Speed Lube on East Eldorado Street first place this year in the smallbusiness category. “ We’re proud and glad to do something to m a ke the town look better,” said Speed Lube P resident Carl Muench. “We like to provide a clean, friendly atmosphere and make the stores look nice and comfortable for people to visit.” All first-place winners received a $333 gift certificate redeemable at From the Ground Up Landscaping, as well as a window cling and aw ard certificate. D avis said she was impressed by all of the contest’s businesses. “I think businesses are realizing that having a clean, beautiful presence is vital to their growth as a business and Decatur as a community, and it’s humbling to see.”
Business Journal photos/Scott Perry
Culver’s on East Aldi Drive won first place in the large-business division of the Keep Decatur Bee-Utiful contest.
Easter Seals of Central Illinois won first place for medium-business.
Other contest winners Large-business n Second place: Homewood Suites (Forsyth) n Third place: Staley Credit Union (North W oodford Street ) n Honorable mention: Imboden Creek Living Center (South Shores) Medium-business n Second place: Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home n Third place: Pastabilities Italian Grill n Honorable mention: Macon County Animal
Cont rol and Care Center Small-business n Second place: The Reserve atLakeview n Third place: Cake Lady Supply n Honorable mention: Carriage House Apartments of Decatur All second-place winnersreceived $200, thirdplace winnersreceived $100 and honorable mentions received $50 gift certificatesto Connie’s Country Greenhouse in Latham. Speed Lube on East Eldorado Street won first place for small-business.
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Seeds planted for Economic Gardening Program provides tools for growth By CHRIS LUSVARDI Business Journal Writer
D E CATUR — Businesses in Decatur are invited to take part in an economic development program designed to help small companies in the area grow . The Greater Decatur Chamber of C o m m e rce announced plans last month to launch the Economic Gardening initiative with the support of other community groups, including the city of Decatur, Millikin University, Economic D evelopment Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, and local banks. The costs of the program are covered by the groups that have pooled funds to make it available free of charge to those selected for the service. “This program provides the tools to help local businesses grow ,” said David Tyrolt, president and CEO of Dunn Co. “All of these organizations have come
together to help them grow .” Similar programs have started over the past three years in 24 states, helping about 1,000 companies, said Jessica Nelson, who works for the Edward Low e F oundation, the nonprofit organization that supports the National Center for Economic Gardening. The consulting process is kept confidential to protect information companies don’t want to make widely known, Nelson said. Consultants will visit the companies that are selected and provide strategic information based on what they find out, she said. Tools are provided related to search engine optimization, social media marketing and geographic information systems. Nelson said the consulting teams spend about 36 hours with each company, and it’s then up to the companies to decide what to do with the information that is provided. Businesses that are already established but are looking to grow will benefit from taking part in the program, ultimately helping to create jobs in the community, said Sharon Alpi, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Millikin.
Applicant criteria Greater Decatur Economic Gardening applicant criteria n Applicants should be a for-profit,privately held company that has been headquartered in Macon Countyfor at least the past two years. n Generate annual revenue or working capital of between $1 million and $50 million, employing between 10 and 99 full-time employees. n Demonstrate growth in employment and/or revenue during two of the past five years. n Provide products or services beyond the local area toregional, national or global markets. n Be referred by a participating economic development or ent repreneur support organization. More information is available by contacting Mirinda Rothrock at(217) 422-2200. “This is a long-term project,” Alpi said. Organizers are hoping to select five businesses to take part in the first round of the program, Alpi said. Applications are due June 30 with review and selection in mid-July, said Mirinda Rothrock, Chamber president. Consultants would start making visits in the months following that, Rothrock said. Helping retain businesses is an important part of what the Economic Development Corporation does, said Craig Coil,
Featured Business:
the organization’s president. Business attraction is just a component of the group’s job, with nearly 85 percent to 90 percent of its work focused on expansion and retention issues. “ We have to take care of our own,” Coil said. “This program can go a long w ay in doing that.” Coil said business owners are often focused on running their operations, so he hopes taking part in the progra m w ould be a good way to get them thinking about expansion and enhancement possibilities.
SCOVILL BANQUET FACILITY
3909 W. Main St., Decatur Contact: Kevin Brewer 421-7470
Accommodates: up to 225 people Award-winning cuisine
DECATUR CLUB
158 W. Prairie Ave., Decatur Contact: Jeff Ingle 429-4200
Accommodates: 300 people Banquets & weddings
DECATUR CONFERENCE CENTER & HOTEL Accommodates: 2,000 people 55,000 sq. ft. functional space, food service available
DOHERTY’S PUB & PINS
242 E. William St., Decatur Contact: 428-5612
Accommodates: up to 80 seating - 150 capacity Full food & beverage service available
HICKORY POINT BANQUET FACILITY Accommodates: 225 w/additional seating on veranda Award-winning cuisine
MAIN PLACE BAR & GRILL Accommodates: up to 100 people 101 Club, business/social functions Full food & beverage service available
MT. ZION CONVENTION CENTER Accommodates: 1,100 people
MT. ZION LIONS CENTER Accommodates: up to 300 people Choose your own caterer, bring your own food Ask about our “value-added service”
PRIDE OF THE PRAIRIE CENTER Accommodates: up to 600 people Liquor facility available
4191 U.S. 36 West Contact: 420-8711
727 Weaver Rd., Decatur Contact: Tina McCarnen 421-6657 101 S. Main St., Decatur Contact: Katy Mize 422-4700
1410 Mt. Zion Pkwy, Mt. Zion Contact: 864-5424 1595 W. Main St., Mt. Zion Contact: Sharon Spinner 864-3100 mtzionlionsclub.com 3700 N. Westlawn Ave., Decatur Contact: 875-0135
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BIZ BITES
Now open E ver wish there was a place where you could try out a new board game before buying it? You can stop wishing now that Kevin and Krystle Callarman have opened Board Knight LLC in Suite B inside The Perfect Pair Antiques and Salon/Designer Finishes at 266 N. Illinois 121 in Warrensburg. The store has tables and seating for 24 people, along with snacks and soft drinks for purchase, not to mention a selection of more than 300 board and card games that range from old favorites people grew up with to the latest gamer favorites. K evin Callarman said he still plays board games with his mother every time he goes home to visit her in suburban Chicago. “It’s important for families and friends to get out from in front of the TV and behind the video game and enjoy a board game together,” he said. “It’s a fun w ay to get out of your box.” The couple hopes the concept will catch on to the point they can open other stores in Decatur, Forsyth and Mount Zion. Tw o percent of all proceeds support Games for Troops, a charitable initiative of the Decatur Gamers. Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday,10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The shop is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Call (217) 413-7734. nnn A new option has been added for those needing transportation in Decatur. Circle City Taxi and Delivery has started serving the city with two taxis providing door-to-door service to get customers where they need to go. Owner Mike Boliard, who is originally from Decatur, saw a need for the taxis in his hometown. “I want to see how it goes here,” he said. “We provide services buses can’t offer.” In addition to providing rides to customers, Boliard said the services the company offers include being a common carrier, meaning it can pick up items at places such as pharmacies and deliver it directly to a customer at their home. The cabs already operate in Bloomington. Different options are available to pay, including some credit and debit cards accepted in the taxis. Drivers are dispatched using a computerized system and vehicles are tracked using GPS, Boliard said. Call (217) 590-7433. nnn SIU HealthCare urologists Dr.Kevin McVary,Dr. Ahmed El-Zawahry,Dr. Alex Gorbonos, Dr.Tobias Köhler and Dr. Bradley Schwartz began seeing patients this week at their new office at 1750 E. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 120, on the campus of St. Mary’s Hospital. M c Vary, professor and chairman of urology for the Southern Illinois School of Medicine, said services for female incontinence, prostate disease and kidney stones will be among those offered. Call (217) 545-8000. nnn Arikah Peacock and Agnes Coverstone have been friends and fellow belly dancersfor years. In March, they finally
got a chance to fulfill a dream when they and seamstress Susan Fortner opened Healing Arts Boutique and Studio at 952 E. Eldorado St., Suite 103. “ We always wanted to do something like this,” Coverstone said. “We had an opportunity to put our stuff together and get this place, and we hesitated because you always go, ‘I don’t know .’” But everything fell into place, Coverstone said, as if it were meant to be. The business includes a dance studio, where Peacock and occasionally Coverstone teach belly dance and yoga. The studio is a sister to California-based F atChance BellyDance and a satellite school to BlackSheep BellyDance, both dances in the tribal style that the wo m e n have studied for years. Peacock is a certified teacher of the two trademarked styles, which emphasize group improvisational dance. The yoga classes, while designed for belly dancers, do not require a dance background and are a fusion of yoga and belly dance, and beginner and advanced dance classes are available. Peacock also heads the Ees’aBella Belly Dance troupe and is reiki master, a Japanese form of handson healing practice. She also can perform henna and glitter body art and hair w raps, and the boutique sells dance w ear. Fortner provides alterations, repairs and custom sewing, including leather, while Coverstone, whose professional name is Amira, makes and designs dance costumes. Call (217) 917-2359 or visit w w w.eesabellabellydance.com.
and jew elry. Hours are generally 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. W ednesday through Saturday, and while w alk-ins are welcome, appointments are recommended. Call (217) 422-1581. nnn Connie’s Country Greenhouse has relocated one of its satellite locations in Decatur. The new location is now at 5695 East U.S. 36 in Long Creek near Central Illinois Auction. Hoursfor the Long Creek greenhouse are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call (217) 864-2438.
New owner Customers can keep buying flow ers at 145 S. Oakland Ave. on into the location’s sixth decade. Sandy Taylor, who graduated fro m Argenta-Oreana High School in 1973, has relocated to Decatur and purchased the former Entler’s Flow ers, allowing Helen Entler to retire after nearly 50 years in business. Using her maiden name, Taylor has dubbed her place W ethington’s Fresh Flowers & Gifts as she realizes a longtime dre a m of owning her own flow er shop. “It’s a big gamble, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I’ve been a floral designer since 1977, and I intend to carry more gift items, different lines of silk flow ers and bring in some companies I’ve worked with in other
states that I know would be new and different for Decatur.” W ethington’s is a full-service florist and able to fulfill any flow er needs. The shop opens at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday, closing at 4 p.m. Monday, 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon Saturday. Call (217) 423-3446.
Downsizing Neal Tire & Auto Service closed its service center at 2150 N. Oakland Ave. The closure has led to the shifting of some employees to other locations, including longtime mechanic Brian McCrary to the service center at 1507 Illinois 121 in Mount Zion. nnn Low er traffic has led Busey Bank to close its branch at 202 E. Ash Ave. in Decatur, but staffing has been increased at its 2505 N. Water St. location and updating is under way at Busey’s main location at 130 N. Water St., so customers can continue to get good service. The decision follow s an earlier one to shutter another location at 1120 Illinois 121 in Mount Zion.
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.
New name D ave, Earleen and Drew Hartrich are still available to meet all your lawn service and landscaping needs, but they will be doing it under a new name and fro m a different location. F ormerly operating as The Natural E d ge Landscaping and Garden Center at 2575 S. Mount Zion Road, the business is now operating as Natural Edge Lawn and Landscape. The name change reflects the decision to get out of the retail side of things and focus their efforts on the primary service aspect of the business, Earleen Hartrich said. With the change came the decision to sell the Mount Zion Road location. Hartrich said customers who have come to count on them for mulch can still contact them to have it delivered. Natural Edge Lawn and Landscape can be reached at (217) 864-2222.
On the move The Little Salon isn’t quite so little anym o re. Amber (Giles) Renfro has relocated her shop from the 300 block of West P rairie Avenue to larger quarters in the Decatur Professional Plaza, 363 S. Main St. Situated in Suite 450, Renfro not only has room for two other stylists — Noelle B owman and Amanda Walker — she has also added a line of women’s accessories, such as purses, scarves, sandals
All you need is: an Earthmover checking account with direct deposit & a household balance of $10,000 in any combination of loans, credit card limits and/or deposits. )$-(( [j]\al daeal$ [Yk` Y\nYf[]k Yf\ ZYdYf[]k ljYfk^]jk Yj] fgl YnYadYZd]$ eafaeme hYqe]fl ak )( g^ l`] ZYdYf[] gj -( o`a[`]n]j ak _j]Yl]j!$ Yf\ hYqe]flk emkl Z] k]l mh gf YmlgeYla[ ljYfk^]j ^jge kYnaf_k gj [`][caf_& HYqe]fl ]pYehd]2 -(( Yl l`] eafaeme hYqe]fl g^ -( ogmd\ Z] hYa\ g^^ af )( egfl`k&
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July 2013
BUSINESS JOURNAL
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YOUR BUSINESS
Conference center receives fresh look Hotel recognized for renovations By CHRIS LUSVARDI Business Journal Writer
D E CATUR — Mae Murphy didn’t always want to stay working at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel for long. H ow ever, after starting nearly 40 years ago, she is grateful to still be a server there as the hotel makes its way out from recent years of uncertainty. “I love this hotel,” Murphy said. “I was in my 20s and I didn’t intend to stay.” Murphy doesn’t know what she would have done had the complex closed or been turned into something other than a hotel before the city of Decatur began efforts to save it in 2007. “I had bills to pay and house payments to make,” Murphy said. “My children w anted to eat, so I was thinking about what to do. I wasn’t sure at my age if I could get another job.” Current owner Steve Horve bought the property from the city for $7.2 million, the same price the city paid to save it from being sold in an auction. Since taking over what is considered the largest hotel and conference center in downstate Illinois, Horve has worked to make renovations that improve its aging appearance. “It was a great value for what we bought it for,” Horve said. “The community is starting to support us. This community needs a place like this.” Horve said business is up 15 percent from last year and it’s being recognized for the improvements being made and the economic benefits it provides to Decatur. The Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce in May named the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel its Outstanding Large Business of the Year. F or those who have long believed in the business, such as accountant Andrea Blakeman, the aw ard provides a sense of pride. Blakeman started working at the hotel shortly after it opened in August 1972. “I always had that glimmer of hope,” Blakeman said. “We stuck it out.” E xecutive housekeeper Shirley MuexG raves said it’s an honor for those on her staff to know what they do really matters and be recognized for their efforts. The staff has become close, w atching their children grow up, MuexG raves said. “It’s like a family,” she said. “It’s what made us stay.” W ork after Horve took over was first focused on the most visible areas such as the lobby,restaurants and Holiday Hall. “Everything was dated,” said Horve, a F orsyth resident who started his career as a home builder. “We wanted to give it all a ‘wow’ effect like you do in a custo m h o m e.” The focus has since moved into the
Business Journal photos/Jim Bowling
General Manager Donna Wickersham was excited to hear the new s that the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel had earned the 2013 Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Large Business of the Year aw ard. complete remodeling of 185 guest rooms in a four-story portion on the east end of the complex. The remaining rooms in the two-story portion on the south side will be given a facelift to freshen their appearance but won’t yet be completely redone. The vision Horve saw when he first suggested to the Decatur City Council to buy the property is starting to be realized. He says the horizon line is in sight. Horve’s ultimate goal is for the hotel to become part of the Hilton brand, likely under the Doubletree name. “With my background, I know what it takes,” said Horve, who currently owns and operates five other hotels in Springfield, Champaign and Forsyth, all but one of which is a Hilton. “We try to impose those same standards as if it’s a Hilton property already.” The room changes have made a noticeable difference in trying to attract customers, said Susan Keane, director of sales. Finishing the first set of 100 rooms has helped, Keane said. “That was huge,” Keane said. “There’s a price tag. The television commercial says something is priceless. It truly is. It’s hard to compete in the market with w ell-loved rooms.” The staff has had to try and market the hotel in the best and worst of times starting when there wasn’t much competition around, said Tina Perryman, reservations and revenue manager. Customers tend to return as the staff gets to know them.
The pictured room is one of many that has undergone recent renovations. “They do come back,” Perryman said. “ We do a good job as a team to provide customer service and create a rapport with them.” Despite operating the complex for m o re than five years, Horve realized a fresh perspective could be helpful as things needed to be done he hadn’t noticed. Among other changes, a new general m a n a ger came on board at the end of
F ebruary to further lead resurgence efforts. Donna Wickersham brings with her 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry, working in places such as Cincinnati, Chicago, Los Angeles and Champaign. Wickersham has held every position at a hotel except executive chef and chief engineer, she said. Wickersham is excited about the
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Continued from page 7 changes taking place and sees a similar potential for its future as Horve. The property improvement plan to convert to a Hilton is “getting there,” Wickers h a m said. “ We hope to bring business levels up,” Wickersham said. “We still have a long w ay to go. This is the place for me.” The room renovations that have been started will be put on hold until after the F arm Progress Show in late August, Wickersham said. In the meantime, plans are under way to make use of underutilized spaces. A group reception area near the Martin Luther King Ballroom will soon be converted into a fitness center that is larger and closer to the front desk than the current exercise area by the swimming pool. A large outdoor field in the back of the property has been cleaned up with the intention to use it for anything fro m weddings to family reunions and concerts. The backyard has about 100,000 square feet of flat, useable space, Wickers h a m said. It features an all-new lighted pavilion, fully-stocked pond for fishing, basketball court, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits, disc golf area, picnic tables and charcoal grills. “Just keeping up with this space is major work,” Wickersham said. “There has never been any seating out here. W e’re trying to make it a more comfortable gathering place.” Murphy and other longtime employees have welcomed the changes that are occurring, helping to renew their enjoyment of a place to which they’ve devoted their careers. Murphy said, in recent years, she would come to work every day having forgotten about the backyard. She now plans to spend time there more often. It’s all part of what she enjoys about w orking for the business. “I like meeting people,” Murphy said. “Sometimes it’s like being on vacation.” Guests have noticed the comfort of the changes,too. “It’s relaxing,” said Lisa Spring of Chicago, who sat outside on a bench reading a book near the “C” door entrance that has a fountain nearby. “I
Business Journal photos/Jim Bowling
Lisa Spring of Chicago reads a book in one of the renovated outdoor areas at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel. could sit here all day.” The employment level for the business has been on the rise. A job fair in April helped fill 50 positions, Wickersham said. It now has 165 employees, with 130 of those working all the time, Wickers h a m said. The others are considered “on-call” as needed to help for various events, she said. “ We’d love to add more,” Wickers h a m said. “What we need is for travelersto be sent to our property.” As business picks up, Muex-Graves said the atmosphere around the building begins to have a familiar feeling like it had when conference and conventions w ere commonly held there. “It was busy,” Muex-Graves said. “It’s exciting to feel that again.”
Register Now FOR FALL 2013
Pay Less, Achieve More. One College Park | Decatur, Illinois 62521 | 217.875.7200 | richland.edu The gazebos at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel have recently been restored.
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Coffee Connection going mobile Store receives award for service By CHRIS LUSVARDI Business Journal Writer
Julie and Trevor Stalets know they could satisfy many customers if they built a second permanent location for Coffee Connection. F or now , their idea of expansion is to bring drinks around Decatur using a newly-purchased mobile truck. “It’s a great concept to take coffee to the customer,” Trevor Stalets said. “Having a truck is something different and unique. We couldn’t pass it up.” The goal is to eventually run the truck on a route with set times to stop at various places each day. Being able to do that depends largely on having the staff to do so, Trevor Stalets said. “ We’ve never ruled out expansion,” he said. “For now , our expansion is a coffee truck. W e’ve had such great support since we opened. We know we’re doing something right if we get requests to expand.” H aving the mobility allow s them to serve drinks at events throughout town. During their four years in business, they have tried to give back to the community as much as possible and various charitable causes. F or their efforts, the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce recognized Coffee Connection as its Outstanding MicroBusiness of the Year. The aw ard is given to a business with few er than 10 employees. “After four years in business, we never anticipated such an honor,” Trevor Stalets said. “It was a huge surprise to be selected out of all the businesses in Decatur our size.” Trevor Stalets credits his wife with keeping the shop running. Julie Stalets w anted to start it after losing her job at National City Bank in 2007 as the recession began to hit. They spent nearly two years researching the idea before opening a small, newly-built store with double drivethrough window s at 2505 N. Main St. Owning and operating a business is different than working in corporate America, Julie Stalets said. “ You do everything,” she said. “I’m w orking more hours now . You don’t get to take time off when you want to.”
Business Journal/Danny Damiani
Julie Stalets holds the aw ard for the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce Micro-Business of the Year in front of Coffee Connection. AT LEFT:Jeanette Lawler of Decatur puts the finishing touch of whipped cream on a blended salted caramel mochachino Through the years, they have focused on developing the lot around the building, adding a patio area with seating and keeping it all clean. The patio has enough space to experiment with musicians playing live music. “It’s a work in progress,” Trevor Stalets said. “We’re trying to do what we can to make it look nice with curb appeal to make a good first impression.” With the typical receipt about $5, the business has had to depend upon building volume in an effort to make money. They have been able to learn the coffee business as time has gone on. The busiest times remain in the morning when customers want a cup of coffee to start the day. “ We had no experience,” Julie Stalets said. “It was learning the entire way. N ow we can say we actually did this.” In starting and running the business, decisions had to be made about everything that went into it, including the type of coffee that is served. Intelligentsia Coffee was chosen partially because it is considered a direct trade product intended to provide the farmers that grow a better life. “ We had to make a decision,” Trevor Stalets said. “That was one of the factors w e chose. On top of it, they offer a highquality product.” The menu includes more than coffee,
Nick Woodcock of Decatur makes an iced coffee for a customer. including baked goods, smoothies, teas and sandwich wraps. The staff that w orks at Coffee Connection goes through training to make sure they’re also knowledgeable about the products that are served. Employees are often the ones coming
up with ideas for new drinks and products to serve. They hope the staff gets to know customers. “ We want them to go beyond knowing what a person drinks and their name,” Trevor Stalets said. “We like to see that interaction.”
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Businesses need to prepare for disasters Plaza TV, Tampasis clean up after tornado hits stores By KARSTEN BURGSTAHLER Business Journal Writer
D E CAT U R — Walt Sroka know s firsthand the destruction a tornado can cause. “I open one door, I open the second door and I stared,” Sroka said. “I stopped and I stared. I could not believe it.” Sroka is the owner of Plaza TV and Appliance, one of the businesses unfortunate enough to be in the path of a tornado that touched down in Macon County on May 31. P acking 90 mph winds, the storm took off much of the building’s roof and twisted the box out of alignment with the cab of the delivery truck out back. Across the street, a dozen mature trees in G raceland Cemetery were uprooted or snapped off, with some of the limbs coming to rest in front of Plaza TV. Tampasis Computer Systems shared the building with Plaza TV at 1920 N. Oakland Ave. and didn’t fare very well, either. Owner Tony Tampasis said the combination of the rain and electricity cooked the hard ware, leaving none of his equipment intact. “The funnel picked up a whole row of concrete blocks at the front of the building and threw them farther back on the roof,” Tampasis said. “Everything I had w as drenched.” With the effects of the recent tornado still evident, emergency officials say now is a good time for business ownersto take time to re-evaluate their disaster procedures — not just for the safety of their personnel, but also for how to recover from the destruction of their buildings or infrastructures. Lt. James Root, Macon County Emergency Management coordinator, said a disaster response plan for employees is crucial. “Employees need to know what that plan is, where they need to evacuate to, how they go about accounting for all of their employees,” he said. “These are all essential for businesses because businesses are responsible for their employees.” R oot said with employee turnover, new hires sometimes don’t receive the training they need to be ready in case of an emergency. “That’s where we find that a lot of businesses tend to relax a little bit, because they have the plan,” he said. “Exercise the plan occasionally. Host a fire drill for your employees, an evacuation drill or a bomb threat, a tornado drill.” It is also necessary that business ow n-
Business Journal/Danny Damiani
The inside of Plaza TV and Appliance in Decatur after heavy storms came through the area M ay 31. ers have a plan to continue operations in the event of building damage. “Say,for instance, (business owners) have the ability to rent a space somewhere else and move their inventory into another building,” Root said. “They need to have the ability (to say) ‘what w ould we take with us if we needed to m ove?’ ” As business owners move customer and operational information onto computers, Root said they should consider a method of backing up information offsite. “A t minimum, they need to create a backup and house that in a different location other than the business — a safety deposit box, the business owner needs to take it home and put it in their safe, or their lockbox at home, so that they’ve got a backup,” he said. R oot said owners also can consider contracting with restoration companies to provide data backups, often online. H ow ever, he said owners should take care to make sure any information they send is secure. “ You’ve always got to be cautious about doing things in a cloud or something like that, because if it’s not a secure backup then you’re putting information out there that you don’t want out there.” H ow ever, while other business owners have a chance to prepare for a potential emergency, Sroka and Tampasis must deal with the storm’s aftermath. Both owners have said the cleanup process is going smoothly. Sroka said his business’ insurance provides him with assistance from Belfor, a w orldwide disaster recovery company. Belfor has moved quickly to seal up the building’s roof to prevent further leaks, he said. “(Belfor’s workers) know what they
are doing,” Sroka said. “They’re moving so fast I’m having trouble keeping up with them.”
Most of Sroka’s equipment has been m oved to his temporary location in the former Sim’s Lumber Co. building, 2320 N. Oakland Ave. Sroka said he expects to be in the temporary location for three to four months. Tampasis said even though he lost all of his equipment in the storm, he is already 100 percent operational in his new permanent location at 3777 N. Woodford St., Suite E. How ever, before he could move in he had to finish some clean up around his old building. “ You wouldn’t believe the four days that were involved in getting everything back,” he said. Tampasis said he, along with his friend Sam Johnson and employee Richard Wade, moved six truckloads of d a m a ged equipment out of the building on the first day. “It became so bad during the second w eek of hauling stuff that I couldn’t be in that building anymore,” he said. “The mold and everything else was just horrendous.” H ow ever, Tampasis said he is glad to be up and running again. “The big thing is, you know , we’re back in business,” he said. “We’re here to serve the public.”
The New Era of Illinois Workers’ Compensation 21st Annual Work Injury Conference Thursday, October 10, 2013 Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center 201 Broadway Street, Normal, IL
The 21st Annual Work Injury Conference is the only program of its kind offering discussion and perspectives from every stakeholder in the Illinois workers’ compensation system. Illinois physicians, attorneys, employers and insurers will assemble with national and regional workers’ compensation experts to collaborate in a knowledgeable and transparent manner, while promoting the continuum of health for the workinjured patient. For more information or to register visit www.isms.org/cme or call 800-782-4767 ext. 1634.
Copyright © 2013 Illinois State Medical Society Copyright © 2013 SafeWorks Illinois
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Herald & Review staff win awards D E CATUR — The Herald & Review captured several aw ards in its circulation category at the Associated Press Editors Association and the Illinois Press Association aw ards banquets. First-place honors in both contests went to new sroom artist Jean Zerfow ski for best informational graphic. Zerfow ski The Associated Press Editors also recognized the work of chief photographer James Bowling, m e a nwhile, and the IPA gave top aw ards to the new spaper for best website and in business and economic reporting to Bowling writers Chris Lusvardi and Theresa Churchill for coverage of
the 2012 drought. “It’s always gratifying to be recognized by your peersfor the work we do,” said Gary Saw yer, editor of the Herald & R eview . “We have an outstanding staff, and the number of aw ards illustrates the breadth and depth of talent in our enterprise. “These aw ards are a testament to a lot of hard work by a lot of people, and I’m proud to be associated with such a talented group.” Zerfow ski captured two first-place aw ards in the Associated Press Editors contest, one for an informational graphic “ W hy aren’t we dredging?” and the other for new spaper page design, a category in which she also took second place. B owling won in the best pictorial photo and best picture story categories,for “Trampoline silhouette” and “A doptions of faith,” respectively.
‘It’s always gratifying to be recognized by your peers for the work we do.’ GARY SAWYER, EDITOR
Staff writer Justin Conn took second place in sports breaking new sfor “Hornet’s Heartbreak.” Third-place finishers were Conn for
sports feature for “Seal of approval,” managing editor Dave Daw son for his column, staff photographer Lisa Morrison for her general new s photo “Flag burning,” and staff writer Allison Petty for an enterprise story about the drought. In Illinois Press Association competition, Zerfow ski’s winning informational graphic was a Titanic timeline. The Herald & Review also placed second for new spaper design. Third-place finishers were sports editor Mike Albright for the informational graphic “A roller coaster ride,” Bowling for the sports photo “St. Anthony celebration,” Life editor Jeana Matherly for lifestyle section, and Petty for government beat reporting. Honorable mentions also went to Morrison for her “Shark dissection” photo and to Zerfow ski for single page design.
BUSINESS CLIPS
New staff members Danny Damiani has joined the Herald & R eview as a staff photographer.
da Pippitt has been promoted to associate professor, Staley Library. Randy Reyman has been promoted to professor of music.
Jason Looker has joined Purple Wave A uction as a territory manager.
Bob Swartz has been named a partner with BKD.
Pamela Griggs has joined Sue’s Hair Designers as a stylist.
Damiani
Looker
DeMent
Curtin
Kruml
Magoulias
Jeffery Secord has joined IPI Wealth M a n a gement Inc. as a wealth manager serving the Bloomington area. Brian W. DeMent has returned to Blank, W esselink, Cook & Associates Inc., as lead electrical engineer.
Miller
Page
Stimeling
Boehmer
Forbes
Munoz
Advanced Disposal Services has been named the Mount Zion Chamber Business of the Year. Pippitt
Reyman
Bob Swartz
Hittmeier
Rutherford
Swift
First Busey Corp. has been named among F orbes’ list of America’s 100 Most Trustw orthy Companies for 2013. Jason Warnick of Pristine Inspections & Testing, has been accepted as an certified inspector by the American Society of Home Inspectors. Cathy Coulter and Chris Tuttle of Swartz P roperties have earned their Certified C o m m e rcial Leasing Specialist certification. Tom Swartz of J.J. Swartz Co. has been designated a senior life director of the National Association of Home Builders.
Theresa Rutherford has been named president and CEO of St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham.
Announcements
Achievements Stephen C. Swift of HomeSpec Corp. has been honored by the American Society of Home Inspectorsfor 20 years of membership.
Cayla Hittmeier has been promoted to multimedia retail advertising sales manager for the Herald & Review . She continues in her job as the print retail advertising manager.
W arnick
Tom Swartz
Promotions Millikin University has announced the following faculty promotions and tenure. Nancy Curtin has been promoted to associate professor of communication and aw arded tenure. Susan Kruml, associate professor of business, has been aw arded tenure. Christie Magoulias has been promoted to associate professor of education and aw arded tenure. Alex Miller has been
Tate
Foster
promoted to associate professor of theatre and dance and aw arded tenure. Georgette Page has been promoted to associate professor of education and aw arded tenure. Travis Stimeling has been promoted to associate professor of music and aw arded tenure. Ray Boehmer has been promoted to professor of education. Guy Forbes has been promoted to professor of music. Mark Munoz has been promoted to professor of business. Aman-
Larry C. Tate,product general manager for Caterpillar Inc., was elected chairman of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County Board of Directors. Tim Stone w as elected vice chairman and also will serve as chairman-elect and Ryan McCrady w as re-elected secretary/treasurer. Larry W.Foster,president of Foster Financial Services Inc., attended a Blue Chip Council meeting with MassMutual Financial Group in Geneva, Switzerland. W alther Theological Seminary,founded in N ovember 2010 by Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Decatur, has announced the installation of six faculty and fifteen staff members into its various offices and positions within the seminary.
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.heraldreview.com/app/secure/businessach/
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Big money doesn’t always attract best workers A s the owner of a growing company, Zach needed to find engineering talent, and he needed it yesterday. He knew what he had to do. He asked the compensation experts to discover the top rate for starting engineers in the region. Then he set his pay scale $5,000 higher, and reduced the number of positions to make up the difference. “I won’t need as m a ny of them, because I’ll get the Human Resources best ones,” he boasted. “I’m the salary leader now . They’ll come to me.”
Fred Spannaus
Sounds smart, doesn’t it? So why is it a loser’s strategy? Zach assumes that money is the greatest motivator. His move follow s logically from that assumption. Here’s his logic: “I pay more than anyone else,
therefore I get the best people.” There’s a flaw in there. Zach believes that money is the top motivator for the top people. He thinks that the most talented people will automatically run to the tallest stack of cash. There is the flaw . Money is not the top motivator for everyone. Money is the greatest motivator for those people who are motivated most by money. Yes, I know that the preceding statement sounds very stupid, but it has the advantage of being unassailably true. Zach may not get the most talented people. But he will get people who want to be paid the most. The risk is that he will hire engineers who love the money m o re than they love the work, and much more than they love the company. So, you ask, what attracts the best talent if it’s not the best pay? Well, I answer, lots of things. Of course, you need to pay competitively and offer really solid benefits. No doubt about that. The most talented people are smart (there’s another obvious truth). They are bright enough to look beyond the salary.
What do they want? They want to be trusted. They want to be listened to. They want to work with people who love their work. They want to be given responsibility. They want their jobs to be challenging. They want to keep learning forever. They want to be treated with honesty and respect. And, don’t ever forget this, they want work to be fun. They want to look forward to Monday morning. They want a company that values their contributions. They want a company that will do everything in its pow er to avoid laying them off. They know this: A company that show s no loyalty to its employees will receive no loyalty from them. W h e re should you position yourself?
Ideally you want to be somewhere in the top thirty percent in pay, but you don’t want to sit precariously at the very peak. It won’t be long until someone knocks you off that lofty perch. “Zach, it’s been great working for you,” said the engineer. “I’ve gained a lot of experience, but I have to give you m y notice. See, I met this recruiter, and she got me an offer from another firm that pays better. A lot better,to be honest. Sorry, but I just can’t walk away from that kind of deal.”
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 email at spannaus@ ameritech.net or by phone at (217) 425-2635.
BUSINESS JOURNAL Reader Profile: n 48% share their copy of the Journal with others. n 2 3 % are 35 to 44 years old.
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Use summer months to improve business Take a step back during down time N E W YO R K — Attention small-business owners: It’s time to get ready for the summertime slow down. Business slow s down a bit in the summer as people head aw ay to take vacations. But that doesn’t mean you should flip the sign on the door to “closed,” pull out the bikinis and swim trunks and head to the beach until Labor Day. True,taking out some time to hang out with friends and family to enjoy the better weather is a great idea (check out suggestion No. 6 below). But, the more relaxed summer months are also a good time for company ownersto step back and take steps to improve their businesses. If you don’t own a seasonal business such as an ice cream or surf shop that gets busier when it heats up, here are six things most small-business owners can do this summer to set themselves up for a profitable end to the year.
event, and don’t be afraid to start conversations. “Turn to the person to your right and say ‘isn’t this a great organization or event,’ ” said Witter. Take advantage of people’s lighter summer schedules. Email or call potential clients and see if they are willing to grab a coffee with you. If there’s someone in your industry that you have always wanted to meet, take them out to lunch, they’re more likely to say yes in the summer, said Witter. If you are chained to your desk, improve your digital networking. Connect with people you want to get in front of on social networking websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Just make sure you keep your business accounts separate from personal ones. Witter once landed a new client after a business owner said on Facebook that he was looking for a new public relations company. She messaged him, met him in person, and she was hired. Your down time can lead to new connections,too. You never know who you’ll meet at a barbecue or another summertime get-together. “Never leave home without your card,” Witter said.
Grow your network
Refresh your website
Get out and meet new people.“All my business leads and clients came fro m networking and word of mouth,” said Jennefer Witter, the CEO and founder of The Boreland Group Inc., a public relations firm that represents small businesses and real estate developers. Go to a conference or networking
First, if you don’t have a website,it’s time to build one. “People will Google you before they call you,” said Melinda E m e rson who consults with small businesses on their social media strategies. W ebsites such as Weebly.com and Yola.com let you create basic websites for free. If you don’t want to be bothered
The Associated Press
with doing it yourself, hiring a developer to create a simple website shouldn’t cost m o re than $1,500, said Emerson. M a ke sure your website simple to navigate. The address and phone number for the business should be easy to locate, said Emerson. And the website must be readable on mobile devices. “People are traveling, and there will be new people in your town who have never been there before,” said Emerson. “If they can’t find you on a mobile device, you are toast.”
Get staff on track Give your employees a break fro m daily duties, and train them one on one. Love and Quiches, a dessert and baked goods seller, brings the company’s salespeople, who are scattered around the United States,to its Freeport, N.Y. headquarters. Vice president Joan Axelrod schedules two daysto talk to each of them about how they can reach their goals for the rest of the year — and help correct any mistakes.
Assess your goals By the summer, you should know if your business is on track to reach its goals for the year. Take out the list of goals and plans you wrote down at the beginning of the year and make sure you are sticking to them, said Brian Moran, founder of Brian Moran & Associates, a consultancy that works with small-business owners. So you don’t think you will meet your
goals by the end of the year? Well, set up time to work on them, said Tracy Benson, the CEO and founder of On The Same Page, a company that helps companies with their internal communications. She meets with her company’s leaders through the summer. They discuss what the company needs to do to meet its goals, said Benson.
Use automation P utting aspects of your business on autopilot can save time and money. For example, if your website lets potential customers email you to ask for an estimate, setup your email so that it automatically responds with a list of rates, said Carrie Wilkerson, a business consultant and author. Chances are the email program you’re already using allow sfor automation, said Wilkerson. Use the slow er summer months to read your email program’s instructions or watch tutorials on YouTube. You can also use the auto m ation function to email coupons or information about sales or new products, said Wilkerson.
Get away from it all Getting small-business ownersto take a break is hard, but getting aw ay will recharge your batteries and help you w ork better. Go on a trip, have a picnic or just stay home a few days and read a book that has nothing to do with your industry. “Many small business owners are raging workaholics,” said Emerson.
ASK THE SCORE COUNSELOR Q: What are some tips to follow regarding my business website?
G OT A QUESTION?
A: Lisa Barone, vice president of strategy at Overit, a Web design and development firm where she oversees the company’s marketing consulting, social media and content divisions, writes about this in the Illinois Small Business D evelopment Center Network’s Weekly Connection publication. She says your w ebsite is the face of your business on the Web.It’s what greets your customers when they decide to check you out or get m o re information. It conveys your message, show s them what you’re about, and is often their first point of contact with your brand. To follow are some things your website should do: Tellyour story.A visitor to your website is looking for information about your product or services to make a more informed business decision. But that’s not all they’re looking for. They’re also looking for you. The messaging, visuals and types of content/features you put on your website play a vital part in telling potential customers who you are and reveals your brand story. Customers will be on your site hunting for cues as to why you are the company they should support. Your website needs
For new and potential business owners, SCORE is offering an 11-week course covering a variety of business ownership topics beginning Sept. 5. An informational meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday,Aug. 15, at Millikin University. To learn more about this course,for help building a successful website; for one-onone,face-to-face business counseling; or to submit a question for the “Ask the SCORE Counselor” column, contact SCORE Chapter 296, Millikin University,1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522 or call (217) 424-6296.
to answer WIIFM (“what’s in it for me”) while giving them something to relate to and support. Maybe it’s that you excel in customer service. Maybe it’s that you donate 10 percent of your profits to a particular cause. Maybe you’re a familyowned business. All of that information is going to be taken into account when a potential customer makes a decision. Address core business goals.M a ny times in the excitement/rush of putting up a new w ebsite, business owners grab a template, throw together some content, and let it loose without giving much thought
to the purpose of the site or what they’re trying to accomplish. They think having a site that just exists is better than having no site at all. But what’s the point of having a marketing tool if you’re not benefiting from it? It’s a wasted resource. Your website should be looked at as an extension of your company, and tasked with achieving the same type of goals that surround your business. The goal of your site may be straight lead generation. Or it could be to get someone to pick up the phone or fill out a form. You need to identify what your core goals are so that a solid conversion path can be created and built into your site. Educate.Outside of the other goals identified before, one of the main benefits of your website will be to educate your audience. Your site will stand to not only inform them about your services, but to provide knowledge and insight about your industry or topics related to whatever it is you do. By doing this you’ll be able to establish yourself as a true resource. You may choose to educate your audience through status updates, through a blog, a new sletter, creating videos or just sharing links to thirdparty websites. Whatever it is, work tow ard building your site up as a place for industry education.
Show offyour assets.Don’t hide interesting qualities that make you unique. When you work hard to create aw esome stuff, show it off. Do you attend industry conferences where you speak on topics related to your business? Show people this. Do you create video tutorials designed to w alk people through common problems? M a ke sure people can find it. You could be sitting on a goldmine of content assets that you don’t even realize. Create an experience.Ultimately, this is what everything above leads to — creating an experience around your brand that your consumers will enjoy. If people enjoy their interaction with you, they’ll be back. If they don’t … they probably w on’t. — Carol Harding, SCORE counselor
Meet a SCORE counselor Myung Kim is a business consultant and retired engineer fro m Tate & Lyle North America Inc. His counseling specialties are engineering and manufacturing. He has been a SCORE member for 14 years and has served as chairman Kim for 10 years.
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YOUR FREE TIME
Meet Kelly McCourt Edwards Events coordinator for the village of Mount Zion Hometown: Decatur Family: I am widow (was married to Mike Edwards). I have a daughter, Mikkenzi (11), and our one-eyed wonder dog, Gracey. Mother, Ruth McCourt, and sister, Kathy McCourt Cox. Education: Millikin University and the University of Illinois at Springfield My “I’d rather be …” bumper sticker would read, “I’d rather be on the back of a Harley-Davidson than in this Volvo!” Hobbies/interests: I enjoy performing arts, fine arts, photography, fishing, motocross, antiquing, history,travel, all types of music, performing vocally-theatrically, Christian concerts, volunteering, creating and hosting events, interior design and seasonal design, jew elry design, floral design, boating. … and the list goes on. My first job: W as at the age of 15, working in guest relations and the concession stand at Baker Wood’s Swim Club. Fun job! I also worked a second job as a shampoo girl and a third job as a visual display artist for a local company.I w orked three jobs all the way through high school and college. Why I do what I do: Because “I am who I am.” Those words which God spoke to Moses often ring in my ear. You would have to ask God. He definitely is the designer of my creative mind and heart. I have a yearning heart that wants to m a ke a difference in this window of opportunity that has been given to me.I have full trust in him. I feel he blesses me with the ability to create and has provided me the perfect canvas. I have never fit into the box. There is always something dangling out. Being quirky, unique, bold and willing to take risks is something that has grown within me. As I’ve traveled through my journey, I have cherished every moment because you only live once. My passion to create has always been a driving force of why I do what I do. I have been blessed to have w orked for some remarkable people who have believed in me, including my current co-workers who have welcomed the K E L LY -TORNADO and have taken the plunge with me. I am thankful for them each day I aw ake. Personal approaches to challenges: First and foremost I pray for direction. I always face challenges head-on. There’s no other w ay to face them. I always think before I react and my journey has given me the coping skills to get through difficult challenges. Being prepared and doing your h o m ew ork really helps. I try to make the right choices, but I am human. Admitting you are wrong and revisiting your approach is vital. Planning is great, but
Business Journal/Danny Damiani
remember to prepare for the bumps. Being flexible, clever,resourceful and accepting of change is the key to success. I try to create a plan A, B, C and sometimes have to slide into D through F. Community involvement: I am a new m e mber of the Illinois Society of Association E xecutives, Mount Zion Chamber of Comm e rce,stage coordinator for the Decatur Celebration Kids’ Block, parent volunteer for Mount Zion Intermediate School, praise team member at First General Baptist Church, prophetic vocalist for Decatur House of Prayer, a member of the Great Banquet family, Leukemia Society,founder of the Young Widow and Widow ers Support Group of Macon County. So, what does an events coordinator do? A n event coordinator creates and designs customized events for the community and for privately booked events held at the Mount Zion Convention Center and Fletcher Park. I assist with room design, field calls and questions,research new trends, work with a variety of people (bands, promoters, companies, consumers) and provide the customer with resources that will fully meet all their w ants and expectations. You have to mul-
titask and I currently have 15 projects on the table. You must be able to look at the needs and desires of the community and m a ke the venues a setting that people can’t wait to come to. Most importantly, you must appreciate all your co-workers and supporters who help you make things possible. Without them it would not be possible to reach the goals ahead. Does Mount Zion really need one? Mount Zion is becoming a big city within a small village. It is amazing to see the beautiful venues that the Mount Zion community has available for a variety of cultural events. The need and want has grown, thus creating the need for a coordinator. What have you done in the past that has prepared you for the job? My entire life has been built around the fine arts, education, project planning, event coordinating and marketing. I feel that my experience has provided a strong foundation to build this position one step at a time.It has given me the ability to envision and to produce. I am learning new things every day, this position pushes me to become better at what I know and forces me to learn new things I never thought, at 50, I could learn.
What are some of the pros, cons of being the first person to hold the position? On the pro side, I get to do what my heart has always longed for. I finally get to say “I know what I want to be when I grow up!” I get to unleash the creative inner me.I get to be creative and responsible for m a ny firsts in the community. Most of all I feel like this is a gift to make a difference and to bring moments of happiness to our community. Having the community support is one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. Working with an amazing team makes impossible things possible. On the con side, I have to blaze my own path. There is no model for this position and I have to rely solely on my instincts. So, if my gut is wrong everyone is affected. I have to learn swiftly. This type of position consumes you. Something is always popping up in your mind so shutting it off is tough. The hours are sometimes tough when you are a single mom. Why is it important for Mount Zion to provide community activities? Community activities are a quality of life issue that separates
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The Arts Anne Lloyd Gallery: “Norway: The Marilynn and Dean Madden Collection” featuring art and artifacts from Norway. Call (217) 423-3189. www.decaturarts.org
Gallery 510: W atercolors featuring still life and flow ers by Shirley Buescher. Opening reception from 5-8 p.m. Friday, July 12. Call (217) 422-1509. Decatur Airport: W atercolros by Marianna Anderson.
Decatur Public Library: A crylic landscapes by Sharon Zimmerman. Blue Connection: Stop by and view the w ork of Erica Reese, summer artist in residence.
W atch or play Rodney T. Miller Lakeside Triathlon, Sunday, July 7, Nelson Park. The kids race will be held Saturday, July 6. www.decaturtriathlon.com Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament returns to Decatur on Saturday and Sunday, July 13-14, at the SkyWalker International Sports Complex. For more information, call (217) 520-4447. USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic,July 29A ug. 4, F airview Park Tennis Classic. w w w.ursulabecktennis.com Macon Speedway.Dirt track racing at its very best every Saturday night. Special events include the Herald & Review 100, July 11. www.maconracing.com
Continued from page 17 a good community from a great community. The events bring activities that are educational, bonding, fun and feeds the soul of community. It seems like people are always on the run, while still complaining there is nothing to do. What’s the biggest challenge when trying to come up with ideas for new events/activities? One is making sure that you are offering events that will appeal to all audiences, selecting dates that work around other community activities in our area and finding financial backing to bring larger events into community. CHILL on the HILL is your breakout event. Tell us about it. It is a summer music series on Thursday nights made possible by a long list of local sponsors that has been designed to appeal to all ages. It is an evening that is affordable to all and gives back to a nonprofit organization in our community. It lets us show case local talent and share a night of chill’n. A dmission is $3, with $1 going to the Mount Zion High School Poms and Mount Zion Junior High Sound System show choir for their help with the gate and grounds duties. Gates open at 6 p.m. ad the music is from 7 to 10 p.m. Food vendor’s start serving at 6 p.m. and the
Calendar of events For a complete list ofevents,goto www.herald-review.com/go/
Music
at the Lincoln Square Theatre box office.
Decatur Park Singers.F or a schedule of summer performances, go to w w w. decatur-parks.org.
On Stage
Decatur Municipal Band: W eekly concerts during June and July featuring contemporary and traditional music Sundays from 6-7 p.m. in the Fairview Park Large Pavilion and Mondays from 7-9 p.m. in Central Park (or alternate downtown location pending park improvements). CHILL on the HILL in Fletcher Park, Mount Zion. Vendors open at 6 p.m. Band plays from 7-10 p.m. See schedule in the story below . Blues in Central Park: Thursday, July 18: Selwyn Birc h wood Band; Thursday, Aug. 15: Rick Estrin & The Nightcats. Vendors open at 6 p.m. Band plays from 7-10 p.m. Sounds of Summer Concert, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, July 12, in Central Park. P erformances by Decatur park Singers, Young park Singers and B.O.S.S. performers. Box lunches for sale to benefit arts at the Decatur Park District. Here Come the Mummies will return to Decatur for a special Celebration Kick Off Concert on Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Lincoln Square Theatre. The show will be ticketed, with $15 to $40 tickets on sale
selection is great. Upcoming performers are Rosetta Stone (July 11); Matt Carter with opening act Third-Shift (July 18); Out of the W oods (July 25); Retrospect (Aug. 8) with a special guest performer. Tune into 105.1 Jack-FM for clues that will reveal our guest performer. Call (217) 864-5424, “Like” us on Facebook or go to w w w.mtzion.com to find out more. What’s next? What other events, activities are you hoping to bring totown? W e have some great things coming. The Village Idiot-Comedy Club at the Mount Zion Convention Center, featuring Mike Armstrong on Sept. 3; The Midnight Swinger, in the Guinness World Book of Records for longest stand-up comedy routine, Oct 6; and Bob Zaney on N ov. 7. Tickets go on sale July 18. Go to w w w.mtzion.com for ticket information. Other events include “The Boy’s are Back” Labor Day Music Fest featuring Third Shift and The Matt Carter Band on Sept. 1 in Fletcher Park; Hallow een Masquerade Ball (costumes required) featuring Kid Cadlillac on Oct. 26 at the convention center; Christmas Craft Show on Nov. 8 and 9; Christmas in the Village tree display and breakfast with Santa on Nov. 16; Christian artist Mark Schultz’s Unique Solo Night on Dec. 6; and The Great Gatsby Casino Night Gala on Dec.31.
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 “The Aristocats KIDS” at 7 p.m. Friday, July 26, and 2 p.m. Saturday, July 27. B.O.S.S. Sr. participants (grades 5-9) will perfo r m a show at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 28. A free preview performance will be a noon, Friday, July 12, in Central Park. Little Theatre-On the Square: “A nything Goes,” July 3-14; “Will Rogers Follies,” July 17-28; and “Monte Python’s Spamalot,” July 31-Aug 11. www.thelittle theatre.org.
Charity events Relayfor Life Macon County,F riday, July 19 at Richland Community College. An overnight event to celebrate cancer survivors and to raise money for research and programs of the American Cancer
Society. www.relayforlife.org/maconil The Miranda Jess Softball Outing, to benefit Easter Seals, will be Saturday, July 20, at the Northwest diamonds. There is a double elimination tournament and a noncompetitive fun games format. For m o re information call Easter Seals (217) 429-1052.
For the kids Children’s Museum ofIllinois is host to a variety of activities throughout the summ e r. For information, go to w w w.cmofil.com or call (217) 423-5437. ScovillZoo: Ice Cream Safari, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, July 21. Find all the ice cre a m stations hidden around the zoo. Call (217) 421-7435. Movies in the Parks:W atch movies on a huge inflatable screen at South Shores, July 10; Fairview , July 13; Sinawik, July 17, and Fletcher Park in Mount Zion on July 26.
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 w w w. maconcountyconservation.org and click on the Programs and Activities tab for a complete listing.
ASH AVENUE
Suite 385 A is 3,084 sq. ft. Move-in ready featuring large training room, private offices, reception/waiting area with counter, two accessible restrooms, and breakroom. On-site parking, landscaped grounds, signage, and local management. A UPS drop box is on the premises.
Suite 415 D is 3,720 sq. ft. Move-in ready featuring large conference room with vaulted ceilings, 11 private offices, oak trim, large reception area, break room, accessible restrooms, and lots of storage. On-site parking, signage, and local management.
FOR LEASE RATES CALL Shirley Henrichsmeyer (217) 433-2547 1110 W. Arbor Dr., Ste. D, Decatur, IL 62526
Cindy Bachmann (217) 521-4955
www.GlendaWilliamson.com
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TECHTALK
Managing a mobile work force Nearly every business owner will tell you it’s hard to find good people. Here’s one way to attract great employees to your company: use technology that lets your staff go mobile, so they have the flexibility to work anytime, anywhere.
Why go mobile? F ew people stick to a strict 9-to-5 schedule these days. They check email on their smartphones, they work fro m h o m e, they travel for business … the list goes on. Providing the technologies to support these efforts will m a ke your team m o re productive. A more important benefit is that flexibility like this tends to create a very loyal work force, because they Technology can better balance w ork and life. Allowing mobility also requires trust, and good employees thrive in a high trust environment. You m ay see low er absenteeism, as people who might have to take off a day of work now have the flexibility to manage their schedule better and can still fit work in around family emergencies and the like. Sick employees can stay home longer to recover, so they get better faster and don’t infect other members of your team. Staff in the field will make few er trips to and from the office, which can reduce car and gas expenses. With few er people in the office, you may be able to use your office space more efficiently, saving on rent and other office expenses. In larger offices, “hotelling” systems allow for shared space that is flexible depending on who will be in the office on any given day. In addition, for those of you with an environmental focus, telecommuting reduces the company’s overall carbon footprint since staff will be driving to and from the office less.
W endy Gauntt
Tools needed If your IT infrastructure is partially or fully cloud-based, you are already set up for remote access. Anyone connecting from your office to a cloud-based service, such as web-based software (e.g. Salesforce.com or similar), is already connecting remotely. Connecting from home or out in the field is really no different. Most companies still have onsite infrastructure as well: servers that allow file sharing, additional software progra m s, email and other services. For your team to access those, you will want a VPN connection, which stands for virtual private network. This creates a secure, encrypted tunnel across the Internet, between your office and the person con-
necting in. You may want additional technologies that will improve perfo r mance, such as Microsoft Terminal Server or a Citrix Server, which create a virtual desktop. Many programs run faster this w ay than over VPN alone. Instant messaging options such as Microsoft Lync or Google Chat make it easy for your team to stay in touch throughout the day. Options are even available to use these chat programs on a smartphone or tablet. As for phones, cellphones are an easy option. In addition, many VoIP (Voice over IP) phone systems allow you to take a phone home or make calls directly fro m your PC, just as if you were in the office. You will face some increased technology challenges — the need for tighter security, management of more devices outside the office,remote access environments, etc. — but these are all items that can be easily addressed by the right team. The benefits of mobility far outw eigh the costs of the additional technology and resources that may be needed.
Managing staff One of the biggest challenges managersface is learning how to manage people who aren’t in front of them. Managers have to focus on managing results rather than managing activities. Training is available that will help you make this transition. It is true that it’s always easier to keep an eye on someone dow n the hall than someone working fro m another location, but everyone know s that the people who always appear busy aren’t always the ones getting the most done. Managing to results is actually a m o re effective management style.It doesn’t matter where someone is working as long as they are getting their work done. Just be sure to put checks and balances in place so that there is regular communication, and set company goals that everyone understands and can embrace in their day to day activities. There will always be a few employees who abuse the privilege of mobility, but that’s a management issue and should not prohibit you from exploring the possibilities within your own company. A ddress problem employees as you would in any circumstance: be direct, explain your concerns and set clear expectations on the changes you wish to see. Odds are you can already predict who on your team might be a problem if given more freedom to work with minimal supervision. Technology isn’t the problem, the person is, which means management and communication are the solution. If necessary, curtail their privileges and bring them back into the office where they can be more closely overseen.
have employees who are out in the field on a regular basis, consider deploying new lightweight laptops or tablets. If you have staff who would benefit from a flexible work schedule, set up technology that will make it easier for them to work from home. Look into BY OD plans — “bring your own device” — that allow employees to work on their own computers,tablets and smartphones. W ork with your HR leadership to set clear policies and expectations,for managers and staff. Set boundaries for the trial, as well as measures of success. M a ke sure that your IT team know s the end results you wish to achieve so that they can put the right tools in place and monitor performance. As you move forw ard, put checkpoints into place to ensure that the trial is going according to plan, and to address any issues. With care and attention, you will be able to create mobility for your team, generating staff loyalty and high productivity that will benefit you and your business.
Wendy Gauntt is president of CIO Services LLC, a technology consulting company that specializes in small-business solutions. Visit her website at www.cioservicesllc.com for more information, ideas and free resources.
Did you know? Internet gains Five new words in the Oxford English Dictionary 1. LOL (laugh out loud) 2. TMI (too much information) 3. BFF (best friends forever) 4. FYI (for your information) 5. OMG (oh my God) First seen in a British admiral’s letter, 1917 — Source: Family Circle magazine
Fill in the … First and second Google Autocomplete suggestions for six male names 1. William — “Shatner,” then “and Mary” 2. Bill — “Maher,” then “Gates” 3. Johnny — “Depp,” then “Cash” 4. Patrick — “Swayze,” then “Stump” (singer, Fall Out Boy) 5. John — “Deere,” then “Wayne” 6. Simon — “Cow ell,” then “and Garfunkel” — Source: www.google.com
BUSINESS JOURNAL Printed with environmentally safe w ater-based ink
Where to start To get started, consider running a trial, maybe three to six months. If you
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YOUR CAREER
Work on changing your communication style Q: I’m a pretty shy and quiet person, and as such prefer to deal with people at w ork via email or instant messaging. My boss is pushing me to call people or stop by their desks instead. Do you think he is being reasonable? A: Take your boss’ advice and broaden your communications skills; it’ll serve you well short and long term. Technological tools for communicating are valuable, but need to be used for the right purposes and in concert with more personal methods. Take some time to think more deeply about your communications preferences. Do you find the same pattern in your personal life? What feelings come up when you’re dealing with people more directly? For
Liz Reyer
example, you may be concerned about being put on the spot and falling short (at least in your own mind). To counter this, think about times when you’ve had enjoyable and productive conversations and consider what made those work for you. Now ,take some deep breaths and let the negative feelings you might experience arise, and release them with your breath. Teach yourself to recognize them and not let them control your behavior. Think about other people’s points of view . If you avoid direct communication, you may seem unfriendly or uninterested. Not only does this take a great deal of potential joy out of the day, it can also seriously impede progress on work matters. Also recognize that personal style plays a part in these preferences, and learn to build skills where you need to. F or example, if you’re an introvert, you m ay need more time to think through questions rather than thinking on the fly. If that’s the case, spend extra time planning before phoning someone with a question.
WEEKLY TIPS G et weekly career tips from Liz Reyer at w w w.thebusiness-journal.com. If you haven’t done so, ask your boss about this topic. It may be causing performance issues, or could just be that he’s interested in supporting your development. It’s worth being clear on his motivations. In terms of behavior, start practicing the new approach. Start on something easy — if you have a quick question for your co-worker, instead of messaging, w alk over and ask (it’s good to get up from your desk any way) or pick up the phone. Set goals for yourself so that you’re interacting directly more and m o re each day. And when you reach these goals, make sure that you have a rew ard waiting. Start to notice when email or messaging is counterproductive. When you’ve
gotten into a back-and-forth exchange to clarify a point or set up a meeting, it’s time to call. R eflect on the change, particularly noting when/if you have anxiety in the interactions, and what the triggers are. It’s important to challenge yourself to grow; how ever, you’ll want to do it mindfully so that you increase your chances of success. Ask your boss for his support, both as someone to strategize with on waysto communicate effectively, and to help hold you accountable for changing your behavior. Sometimes it seems easier to avoid people, but you’ll be more successful in the end when you build more people skills.
Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at liz@deliverchange.com.
Griping about younger co-worker could backfire Q: Half the employees in our department are young people in their 20s, while the rest of us are over 40. The younger folks are definitely a different breed. Their ringleader, “Mike,” is rude, arrogant and disrespectful. He likes to order people around and create unnecessary drama. In staff meetings, he does all the talking. Several of us complained to our m a n a ger about Mike, but she didn’t do anything. When w e went to human resources, they just referred the issue back to our boss. N ow Mike has been promoted to team leader and struts around the office Office Coach like he’s running the show . Most of the older employees have been here for many years and would like to retire from this company. But we are tired of working with an office bully. Do you have any suggestions for dealing with this kind of person? A: I do have some suggestions, but you probably won’t like them. Your young colleague’s cocky, self-centered attitude is undoubtedly annoying, but you’ve offered no evidence to support labeling him a bully. Bullies are cruel and intimidating. Mike just sounds like a jerk. Despite his jerkiness, Mike has recently been promoted, which is a clear sign of management support. Continuing to
Marie McIntyre
gripe about him could easily backfire and damage your own career. When one co-worker has difficulty with another’s personality, management often view s the complainer as the source of the conflict. You also fail to indicate how Mike’s aggravating behavior creates any actual business problems, which makes me w onder exactly what you have complained about. Complaints to management should alwaysfocus on work-related issues, not personal irritations. Finally, you and the other long-termers appear to be promoting generational w arfare. Branding the younger group as a “different breed” sounds like dangerous and divisive stereotyping, which is anything but healthy. If one of these youngsters should eventually become your boss, that attitude will not serve you well. Q: The team I lead was recently given an aw ard in a companywide meeting. During the presentation, our group’s accomplishments were never described at all. We were just called to the stage, handed the aw ard and congratulated by m a n a gement. Then we went back to our seats. This lack of appreciation was devastating to my team members. After the meeting, one employee commented that she felt like an unw anted stepchild. How can I motivate the group after such a big letdown? A: Seriously? Your employees are “devastated” after receiving an aw ard in front of the entire company? Since you offer no logical reason for this peculiar response, I can only conclude that you
WEEKLY TIPS Can't get enough advice from the Office Coach. Get weekly column updates at w w w.thebusiness-journal.com. are supervising a bunch of narcissistic whiners. As the leader of these malcontents, you need to understand that managers often have the pow er to influence the perception of events. Whereas an immature supervisor might further damage m o rale by echoing the group’s complaints, a mature leader would try to lift their spirits by injecting a dose of reality. F or example: “Even though our accomplishments weren’t specifically described in the meeting, I can assure you that management is aw are of them. After all, that’s why we got the aw ard! You should really be proud of yourselves, because everyone has been impressed with your hard work this year.” Carefully consider whether your ow n reaction to this event may have contributed to your team’s unhealthy attitude. If so, then you should immediately take steps to undo that damage. Q: Whenever my employees have a complaint about a co-worker, they ask me to handle the problem without mentioning their name. If the issue is trivial, I tell them to talk with the other party directly, but sometimes there are policy matters that I need to address.
Because I did not personally observe these transgressions, I always have to explain how I learned about them. This puts me in an aw k ward position, since the accused co-worker immediately w ants to know who told me. How do I handle this without breaking any confidences? A: When confronted with performance issues, employees frequently try to throw their manager off track by changing the subject. “Who said that?” is a common diversionary tactic, typically delivered in a highly indignant tone,follow ed by “I have a right to know who’s complaining about me.” In reality, how ever, the person has absolutely no right to know who brought the problem to your attention. After all, this is a coaching discussion, not a trial. So you must quickly deflect this diversion and get back to the topic at hand. F or example: “I can understand why you want to find out who brought this up. That’s just human nature. How ever,I keep those conversations confidential, just as I keep certain conversations with you confidential. The real issue here is the policy violation, not the person who noticed it.” H aving made this definitive statement, you must return to your coaching agenda without further debate. Should this prove to be difficult, that’s a sure sign that you need to strengthen your managerial spine.
Marie G. McIntyre is a workplace coach and the author of “Secrets to Winning at Office Politics.” Send in questions and get free coaching tips at www.yourofficecoach.com, or follow her on Twitter @officecoach.
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YOUR HEALTH
Community health calendar Screenings
Art Therapyroom, 210 W. McKinley, Ave. Register online or call (217) 876-4750.
Kidney Disease Screening, July 1–5, at DMH Express Care locations. The July 4 screenings will be offered only at Express Care North, 3131 N. Water St. Cost is $20. For more information, call (217) 876-5320.
Pink Link breast cancer support group, 6 p.m. Thursday,July 11. Toregister,call (217) 876-4377.
Bone density screening, 9to 11 a.m. W ednesday,July 10, Women’s Health and Breast Center, 302 W. Hay St., Suite 117A. Screening to check your risk for osteoporosis. Register online or call (217) 8764377. Cholesterol screening, 7to 10 a.m. Thursday,July 11, DMH Corporate Health Services,2120 N. 27th St., and 8 to 10 a.m. Thursday,July 25, Family Medical Center, 4775 E. Maryland St. Cost is $20. Toregister, call (217) 876-4377.
Support groups Grief to Hope: Grief Education Group, 6 p.m. Tuesday,July 2, St. Mary’s Hospital, Room G24. For more information, contact Chaplain Marla at(217) 544-6464 ext. 41850. Growing Through Grief,6to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday,July 2, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Complementary Education Classroom, 210 W. McKinley Ave.Toregister, call (217) 876-4735. TOPS Club IL 49 Decatur,5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Main Street Church of God, 2000 N. Main St. (enterfrom Garfield Street). Support group for Real People seeking Real Results with weight loss.For more inform ation, go to www. topsclub.org or call Chris Granda at(217) 521-2420. Breastfeeding support group, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday,July 8 and 22, Baby TALK, 500 E. Lake Shore Dr.Toregister, call Flo Folami at(217) 464-2334. SHARE support group, 7 p.m. Monday,July 8, St. Mary’s Hospital, Room G24. Support group for those who have experienced the death of a baby during pregnancy,at birth or early infancy.For more inform ation, call (217) 4642045. Facing Cancer Together, 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, Cancer Care Center of Decatur,210 W. McKinley Ave. Register online or call (217) 876-4750. Helping Hands Bereavement for Children, 3:30 p.m. Thursdays,July 11, 18 and 25, Cancer Care Center of Decatur,
Breath of Life support group, noon Tuesday,July 16, St. Mary’s Hospital, Room 561. Speakers available to answer questions from those with breathing problems. For information, call (217) 464-2603. Cardiopulmonary rehab wellness group, 6 p.m. Tuesday,July 16, DMH Classroom A. Register online or call (217) 876-2496. Parkinson’s disease support group, 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday,July 18, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1360 W. Main St. For information, call Kathy Broaddus at (217) 820-3096. A New Season young widowed group, 6 p.m. Thursday,July 18. For information, call Dawn Follow ell at(217) 864-2799. Diabetes support group, 11 a.m. to noon Thursday,July 18, DMH Wellness Center, 2122 N. 27th St. Call (217) 876-4249. Essential Tremor Support Group, 2 p.m. Sunday,July 21, St. Mary’s Hospital, Assisi Room. For more information, call Don Klinker at(217) 423-9667. Renewal bereavement support group, 6to 7:30 p.m. Monday,July 22, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Complementary Education Classroom, 210 W. McKinley Ave. Register online or call (217) 876-4750. Us TOO prostate cancer support group, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Complementary Education Classroom, 210 W. McKinley Ave. Register online or
call (217) 876-4750. Widowed support group, 6 p.m. Thursday, July 25. Monthly dinner gathering. For location or toregister, call (217) 428-7733.
Classes Art therapyfor cancer patients and families,8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Fr iday, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Complementary Medicine Art Rooms,210 W. McKinley Ave. Clay, paint watercolor, acrylic draw, print make, collage, weave and more.For information, call (217) 8764700. Freedom from Smoking. This seven-week course, led by American Lung Association t rained facilitators can help smokers ident ify their addiction and provide waysto break their habits. The first class is Tuesday,July 2, St. Mary’s Hospital, Room 561. Toregister, contact Tracy Crew s at tcrew s507@yahoo.com. Infant CPR Class,7 p.m. Monday,July 8, DMH OB Classrooms,third floor. Register online or call (217) 876-3400. Eat Right to Help the Fight, 1to 2 p.m. Monday,July 8, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Education Classrooms,210 W. McKinley Ave. Nutrition class for cancer patients. Register online or call (217) 8764750. Look Good, Feel Better,6 p.m. Monday, July 8, Cancer Care Center of Decatur, Cancer Care Specialists of Decatur Classrooms,210 W. McKinley Ave. A progra m that teaches beauty techniques to female cancer patients in activetreatmentto help them combat the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment.Toregister, call (217) 876-6600. Real Dads Rock!, 6to 8:30 p.m. Thursday,July 11, DMH Cafe Classrooms 1 and 2. Program teaches new fathers how to handle, feed, burp, change, clean and respond to a baby’s needs. Register online or call (217) 422-6294. Cardiopulmonary education session, 1:30 p.m. Friday,July 12, and 1 p.m. Friday, July 19, DMH Cardiac Rehabilitation Department.For information, call (217) 876-2496.
More Community Health Lecture Series, Decatur Public Library,6 p.m. Tuesday,July 16, Decatur Public Library. The St. Mary’s Hospital community health lecture service provides an informational lecturefrom a local health care provider.For more information, call (217) 464-5125.
Avoid unsatisfying snacks McClatchy-Tribune New s Service
A low-calorie snack can backfire if it doesn’t fill you up, nutritionists say. “It’s more important to choose something that will satisfy longer than to go for a snack simply because it may be low er in calories, which could leave a person looking for another snack an hour later,” said Crystal Witte, a registered dietitian with the Riverside Wellness & Fitness Center in Newport New s, Va. Some tips: n Be wary of100-calorie snack packs.They’re good for controlling portion size but tend to be high in refined carbohydrates and low in fiber. So even those that aren’t inherently “unhealthy” won’t keep hunger at bay for long. n Include protein, fiber and healthyfats.S o m e good combinations: fresh fruit with reducedfat mozzarella string cheese or a half cup of low-fat cottage cheese, vegetables dipped in h u m m u s, air-popped popcorn with a handful of nuts or rice cakes with one or two teaspoons of natural peanut or almond butter. n Avoid most crackers and cookies.They’re generally just empty calories. Tw o exceptions are Melba toast and reduced fat, whole-grain wheat Triscuit crackers; you can top off either with a thin spread of natural nut butter or hummus. n Go for Greek yogurt. Most brands are high in protein, and therefore filling. If you don’t like the texture or taste of Greek brands, mix low-fat, fruit-flavored yogurt with plain lowfat yogurt to cut the sugar content. n Choose granola bars carefully.To avoid getting a bunch of sugar without much else, look for a bar that provides at least three grams of fiber and five grams of protein. n Create diet soda alternatives.A dd an orange slice or some frozen berries to fruit-flavored sparkling water for a fizzy drink with no artificial sweeteners, which studies have show n can cause cravings for sweet foods.
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YOUR MONEY
Millennials more financially cautious Studies show young adults use credit cards less By EMILY ALPERT McClatchy-Tribune New s Service Writer
Ringed by the posh shops of Los A n geles’ Beverly Center, Tim Ratliff said no — he didn’t have a credit card. He didn’t need one. “I just hear so many horror stories about people being in debt,” said R atliff, 21, who studies psychology at Ohio State University. “When you have a credit card, you feel like you have a lot of money when you don’t.” R atliff is like many young adults, emerging data show . His generation, dubbed millennials by academics and m a r keters, grew up during the boom and bust cycles of the U.S. economy over the past decade and a half — crises that appear to have reshaped their attitudes tow ard spending and debt. Millennials, who range fro m teenagers to people in their early 30s, are more financially cautious than the stereotype of the spendthrift twentysomething, several studies suggest. M a ny embrace thrift. Some experts say their habits echo those of another generation, those who came of age during the Great Depression and forged lifelong habits of scrimping and saving — along with a suspicion of financial risk. “Both generations had a childhood memory of wealth and then saw that w ealth yanked out from under them” in or around their teenage years, said Morley Winograd, who has co-written
several books on the millennial generation. Though the pain was much more severe during the Depression, “Both generations are very conservative spenders,” Winograd said. During the economic downturn, while older households ran up credit card debt, younger households whittled it down, a Pew Research Center analysis of federal data found earlier this year. M o re young households had no credit card debt in 2010 than was the case in 2001, the data show . Among those who did ow e on their credit cards, the median amount fell from roughly $2,500 to less than $1,700. Maria Garcia, 30, said she gave up her credit card seven years ago. “The fees — they get you,” said Garcia, a mother studying Web development at Los Angeles Harbor College. Her attitude these days is, “If I can do without it, I’ll do without it.” Other studies hint that Garcia is not alone in that attitude: Young adults w ere less likely to report using a credit card for everyday expenses than the average adult, a National Foundation for Credit Counseling survey found. Another survey from the Corporate E xecutive Board, a business advisory company,found that millennials with credit card debt feel worse about it than older adults do. “They’re keenly aw are that the decisions made by their parents, politically and economically, have put them behind the eight ball,” said Michael D’Antonio, co-author of “Spend Shift,” which draw s upon an international opinion survey about values and spending. “This is the screw ed generation — and I think they know it.” M a ny young adults have forgone big purchases. Millennials buy few er cars and own few er homes, federal data show .
‘It’s not that we’re more pious about saving money. It’s more that we have no idea what the future looks like. We’re not sure if we’ll have our jobs in six months.’ NONA WILLIS ARONOWITZ
They cook from scratch more often than older adults, are more likely to try homemade beauty treatments, and are m o re apt to use coupons to find deals, the market research firm Information R esources Inc.found in a survey last year. In recent years, Bureau of Labor Statistics data reveal, young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 spent less annually on entertainment than those ages 65 to 74. E ven as they cut back on spending, millennials started saving for retirement earlier than older generations, according to studies by Merrill Edge, Fidelity and TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. “It’s not that we’re more pious about saving money,” said Nona Willis Aronowitz, a 28-year-old Pipeline fellow with the progressive Roosevelt Institute who writes about generational issues. “It’s more that we have no idea what the future looks like. We’re not sure if w e’ll have our jobs in six months.” Aronowitz added that many millenni-
als who went to college also are burdened by ballooning student loans, making them loath to load up more debt. Yet despite their thinned wallets, young adults were more likely than any other group — including households making $90,000 or more — to say they w ere happy with their standard of living, a Gallup survey found two years ago. In another Gallup survey last month, they were more likely than adults ages 30 to 64 to say that their financial situation was good or excellent — which nearly half of them asserted. In some quarters, thrift has become cool, reflected in the do-it-yourself stylings of hipsters and economical new applications and websites. “As a kid, if you had a patch on your jeans it wasn’t cool — people made fun of me,” said Jonaya Kemper, a 27-yearold preschool teacher who grow s her own vegetables and sew s her own sundresses. “Now they ask, ‘Can you teach me?’ ”
Young adults paying down debt rather than saving Retirement plans lower priority By PARESH DAVE McClatchy-Tribune New s Service Writer
M o re than half of millennials — 54 percent — surveyed by a Wells Fargo & Co. retirement unit said their “biggest financial concern currently” was longerterm debt, mainly student and credit card debt. With the cost of college continuing to rise, about 64 percent of the 22- to 32year-olds surveyed said they paid for school with loans. And 42 percent of the millennials said their debt was “overwhelming,” twice the rate of baby boomers who were surveyed for com-
parison. The $1 trillion in outstanding student debt and low wages in the weak econom y are causing the latest rounds of college graduates to put aw ay less money for retirement. More than half of the young adults surveyed said they hadn’t begun planning for retirement. They find themselves stymied in putting money aw ay for retirement because of their collective $1 trillion in outstanding student debt and the typically low w ages they’re earning in the weak econo my. Still, nearly two-thirds, or 61 percent, of the young adults considered themselves to be savers, the survey found. The first thing that 49 percent of them said they would do with a financial windfall is pay down student debt or credit card debt. Daily expenses, vaca-
tion, health care and retirement and other short-term debts were low er priorities. Despite the new burdens, young adults are optimistic. Tw o out of three of them said they would end up better off than their parents. Three out of four said they have confidence that they could find a similar job if they were fired today, even though the nationwide unemployment rate for young adults is almost 4 percentage points higher than that of the overall population. “ We see a lot of optimism among millennials and a belief in their ability to create a good future,” said Karen Wimbish, a Wells Fargo director of retirement. “The key for this generation is to put a financial plan into action, so their beliefs become a reality.” The survey also show ed that a majori-
ty of young adults rely on the advice of their parents when it comes to handling m o n ey. In line with other surveys, most millennials called themselves frugal compared with their parents’ generation.
BUSINESS JOURNAL Reader Profile: n 48% share their copy ofthe Business Journal with others. n 23% are 35 to 44 years old.
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Gen X, Gen Y falling behind parents’ wealth Trend could weaken economy By MEAGAN PANT McClatchy-Tribune New s Service Writer
F or young people today, the American dream of working hard, saving money and becoming richer than their parents m ay be out of reach, according to a recent study. Americans in their mid-30s and younger have accumulated less wealth than their parents did at that age more than 25 years ago — a trend that threatens to weaken the economy overall, according to the study by the Urban Institute, which investigates and analyzes the country’s social and economic problems. Stagnant wages, diminishing job opportunities and lost home values are behind the issue and have kept young Americans from saving even as the econo my doubled from the early 1980s, the study found. “ Young people are falling behind,” said Caroline Ratcliffe, one of the authors of the “Lost Generations?
W ealth Building Among Young Americans” report. “A cross different generations and ages, what we tend to see in this country is that each generation is better off and w ealthier. That fact that this group is falling behind is very different,” said R atcliffe, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. If young Americans cannot accumulate wealth over their lifetimes, such as people in prior generations, they will be less able to support themselves when they retire, Ratcliffe said. And her study points out that despite the relative youth of those in Gen X and Gen Y — people born since 1966 — they may not be able to make up the ground they have lost. University of Dayton alumnus Rebecca Young said she has benefited from her parents’ strong savings, and she hopes to one day do the same for her future children. A t age 23, she is working tow ard a master’s degree and stocking what she can in a rainy day fund she has had since high school. But, she said, it can be difficult to save, especially for those young people who take out large student loans during college.
Customers may be overpaying on phone bills Money wasted on wrong data plans By TONY REID Business Journal Writer
D E CATUR — The combined team salaries of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals represent a lot of money. But a consumer watchdog group analysis claims Illinois consumers are ringing up a bill four times bigger than all those salaries — $1.4 billion — by paying for data plans they don’t need on their cellphones. Announcing its findings during a stop at the Decatur Public Library, the Citizens Utility Board said families in the Decatur area alone are overpaying by m o re than $8 million a year. Statewide, individual phone users are spending $194 overpaying for usage plans on their smartphones and about $30 a year on the older types of wireless phones. Nationally,it’s estimated that Americans are w asting more than $52 billion a year on plans they don’t need or excess fees. CUB has now launched a free online tool, called SaveLoveGive, that allow s usersto plug in their cellphone bills and have them analyzed to see if they are on the wrong data plans. It is estimated
that switching to the right plan could save AT & T, Sprint and Verizon customers an average of $300 a year. “For the most part, the U.S. cellphone m a r ket is in ‘supersize’ mode, with many customers chained to plans that give them more data than they need,” said D avid Kolata, CUB’s executive director. “As a result, megabytes are taking a bigger and bigger bite out of our budgets.” The specialist firm Validas analyzed thousands of bills for CUB. Some customers did pay extra in overage fees because they exceeded their data plans, but CUB said the vast majority were paying for capacity they couldn’t use. “The Validas report smashes the stereotype of smartphone users as ‘data hogs,’ ” said Jim Chilsen, CUB’s director of communications, who presented the report’s findings in Decatur. “For most customers, just the opposite is true.” The SaveLoveGive title of the online savings tool refersto a feature that allow s happy consumers who have discovered new savings to make a charitable donation, but Chilsen stressed the tool is free and family savings are the focus. “$1.4 billion wasted in Illinois,” he said. “This is money that could go tow ards college tuition, to the mortgage, to medical bills,to food,to rent and it could be sparking the Illinois economy rather than being burned on cellphone bills.”
“People in my generation are of the opinion that it’s okay to take out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans,” said Young, who graduated in May. “That puts them in debt right aw ay.” And with that money in their checking accounts, they do not take into account that they are spending borrow ed money, Young added. Student loan debt has increased in recent years and recently passed $1 trillion (more than credit card debt). Ratcliffe said those large loan burdens can have a ripple effect, delaying young people from being able to build a savings or buy a house. Americans in their 20s and 30s who w ere homeowners were among the hardest hit by the housing crash, because their mortgages were large compared to their home values and they could not take advantage of low er interest rates, R atcliffe said. The wealth of those ages 29 to 37 suffered the largest fall, dropping 21 percent compare to people of that age in 1983, according to the study. N ow , young people’s concerns about being worse off could have a long-lasting effect on their expectations, Ratcliffe said.
“The idea of moving into the suburbs and having a big home, maybe that changes for this generation,” she said. R atcliffe said if young people cannot catch up to previous generations, they will be more likely to rely on social safety net programs because they will be less able to support themselves during retirement. She said some of the government programs that support long-term asset building must be redistributed to help low-income and young households. On their own, Ratcliffe said young people should start saving by transferring even just $10 every month automatically into a separate account. Wittenberg University sophomore M a rston Garceau said his parents always encourage him to save, keep his receipts and create a budget for the m o n ey he earned working three jobs over the summer. But most students, he said, will spend instead and “go out to eat when they don’t need to or buy video games, like me.” “ We’re living in the here and now and not thinking about the future, where my parents are all about the future — which I am thankful they are or I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
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