May Voice 2016

MORGAN MAINTENANCE CLEANS UP PAGE 5

NEW FACE ON AN OLD NEIGHBORHOOD PAGE 16

The Voice is online at rockfordchamber.com

May 2016 | Volume 29 | No. 5

Manufacturers unite for annual celebration Sagar Patel and ANPEC Industries honored

The manufacturing industry has seen its share of ups and downs over the past decade. But the Rockford Chamber of Commerce’s Manufacturing Expo and Dinner is a time to celebrate local accomplishments.

“It’s a really good night to remind people that manufacturing is here, it’s relevant and we’re investing in it as well,” said Einar Forsman, chamber president and CEO. “While manufacturing’s footprint continues to shrink in other historically manufacturing areas, ours continues to be strong.”

PHOTOS BY BRIAN THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY

(left) Eileen McDargh, of McDargh Communications & The Resiliency Group talked about the traits of a resilient leader. (right) Brad Wagner and Doug Allen, ANPEC Industries was named Manufacturer of the Year.

A crowd of 410 manufacturing industry

and

community

leaders

turned out for the April 14 event, which was held at the Garden Hotel and Conference Center in South Beloit.

Before the dinner, attendees visited 50 booths from area manufacturing and related services. The Manufacturer’s Council also hosted seven high schools to promote manufacturing careers to area students. “It’s important to inspire them and encourage them,” said Forsman. “These young people are the future of this industry.”

Visit us online at: rockfordchamber.com ■ online registration ■ keynote speaker video clips ■ event photos ■ list of Chamber events Questions? 815-987-8100

The evening was also special for Sagar Patel, president of Woodward’s Aircraft Turbine Systems, who was awarded the Individual Business Catalyst Award. Patel has more than 25 years of industrial leadership experience and has won many awards for his leadership. He is chairman of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Northern Illinois University-Rock Valley College engineering program.

Continued on page 3

to high school career and technical program curriculums.

CEANCI

Celebration of

LEADERSHIP LU N C H E O N

May 19 • Radisson, Rockford For more info, see page 30 SPONSORED BY

GIRL SCOUTS SEEKS PROFESSIONAL WOMEN FOR CAMP CEO Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois seeks professional women interested in mentoring high-school-aged Girl Scouts who aspire to explore being executive women in today’s world. Camp CEO incorporates the “Discover, Connect and Take Action” keys to leadership. Women can volunteer in a variety of capacities the week of July 17 to 22.

■ A business can sponsor a girl to attend Camp CEO by providing her with a $150 registration fee.

■ Attend the Camp CEO Champions Dinner on July 20 at Hoffman House with Camp CEO Girl Scouts. It includes an honest roundtable discussion and Q&A.

Improving curriculums to meet industry needs

By Barbara Connors

The Rockford Park District released its free, 28-page Summer 2016 Golf Lessons & Tournaments Guide for area golfers of all ages.

Youth tournaments include the Tiger Cub Invitational, Girls Classic, Greater Rockford Boys Golf Classic, Rockford Junior Open Tournament Series, and Rockford Junior Classic Tournament Series.

Adult tournaments include the Mixed Doubles Classic and Aldeen Cup, Greater Rockford Women’s Classic and Men’s Classic, and Greater Rockford Senior Classic.

New this year is a PGA Junior Golf League for ages 8 to 13 of all abilities. Visit www.golfrockford. org, click Tournaments.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Roundtable addresses student skill gaps

Career Education Associates of

Join the Chamber’s LinkedIn Group

Patel Named Individual Business Catalyst

GUIDE TO AREA’S GOLF TOURNAMENTS

supports

education

North Central Illinois (CEANCI) held

programs for students in 15 area high

a Family and Consumer Science Round

schools as well as the professional

Table on Thursday, April 7 at Rockford

development of CTE instructors. It

Country Club to discuss enhancements

Continued on page 29

■ Host a career session at your business with a small group tour and discussion of the professional and educational skills for success in the chosen field.

■ Lead a professional skills workshop; a hands-on, real life experience and look at your profession.

Visit www.girlscoutsni.org or call 1-800-242-5591.

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May 2016

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President’s Message VIEWPOINT

Need Workforce? Understanding Local Workforce Systems The US economy has improved since the Great Recession, yet adults and young people still struggle to succeed and employers continue to have difficulty finding qualified job candidates. In cities and counties around the country, people seek education and skills to improve their job prospects and secure a successful career. Local employers seek workers with the skills necessary to help them operate and grow their businesses. And local leaders seek opportunities to strengthen their economies and communities by building up their workforces and expanding employment opportunities.

To support these efforts, employers can benefit from learning to navigate their local workforce systems, which often involve complex networks of organizations, industry, government policies, and resources.

Employers encounter many challenges in building and developing their workforces. Some local industries may be experiencing rapid growth while others are declining. More workers with specific skills and credentials to support a particular industry may be needed, but local training providers may not offer relevant programs. Large numbers of adults may lack basic skills or have other

personal challenges to work, such as a lack of affordable child care or adequate transportation. Young people may not be getting the college and career guidance or professional experience they need to prepare them for success in the workplace.

There is no single source of information for local employers and other stakeholders to learn what a local workforce system is and how it can support local workforce priorities. Nor is there only one model for how a local workforce system should operate. The best starting place for employers to connect resources in the Rockford region is by starting with the Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance at http://booneandwinnebagowib.org.

A local workforce system can be generally defined as the organizations and activities that prepare people for employment, help workers advance in their careers, and ensure a skilled workforce exists to support local industry and the local economy over time. Local workforce systems include various organizations that often perform multiple functions to serve the adults and youth who may need help preparing for and succeeding in the workforce. Strong collaboration among government, local employers and industry, training providers

and educational institutions, service and advocacy organizations, philanthropy, and other local organizations is often needed to support and deliver effective workforce services.

Building on the public workforce system, some local leaders have begun organizing their workforce development efforts around innovative frameworks, such as career pathways and sector strategies. Career pathways prepare workers for employment and support their advancement within high-demand occupations by aligning the efforts of major education, training, and workforce development programs. Career pathways, which can help local leaders improve education and training options, require strong engagement from key state and local partners and stakeholders. Sector strategies focus on the local or regional workforce needs of a particular industry and are led by intermediary organizations that bring multiple stakeholders together.

The many activities of a local workforce system can be grouped into seven major functions. The overarching goal—preparing people for successful careers and connecting skilled workers with employers to improve economic growth—anchors and informs these seven

major functions: ■■ provide employment services

Einar K. Forsman Rockford Chamber of Commerce

■■ provide education and training ■■ offer supportive services ■■ support employers’ human resources needs ■■ develop and coordinate workforce strategies and policies ■■ provide funding and resources to support the system ■■ improve job quality and access By understanding the local workforce system and the needs of the local workforce and industry, it is possible to identify areas that are addressed well within the current system and others that are not.

This process involves reflection on the priorities of the local workforce system.

With this knowledge, local areas may identify strategies that leverage strengths of the current system and supplement current efforts where they are lacking.

Excerpts from “Understanding Local Workforce Systems” – The Urban Institute

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May 2016

Manufacturing (continued from front page)

“I see potential in this region and I’m happy to be part of the journey,” Patel said. “There are three keys to success: you have to have faith, you have to be willing to collaborate and you must never stop learning.”

“What more can you say about Sagar,” added Forsman. “In the short time he’s been in the Rockford area, he’s been very impactful on many fronts.”

ANPEC Named Manufacturer of the Year The other honoree of the evening was ANPEC Industries, which was named Manufacturer of the Year. Based in Pecatonica, ANPEC was founded in 1968 as a small general machine shop using manual lathes and mills. In 1993, the company was purchased by Brad Wagner and Doug Allen, who’ve worked tirelessly to grow the company.

Their hard work has paid off. ANPEC

has expanded to 26,000 square feet, built a staff of 45 employees and seen sales skyrocket 650 percent.

Wagner and Allen thanked their families and gave credit to their employees, many of whom have been around for more than 25 years. “As a small business owner you experience many long nights,” Allen told the crowd.

“We thank our families for staying by our side. And we’re taking this award back to our employees.”

“ANPEC is a hidden gem in our community,” said Forsman. “They’ve been around a long time. They get it.

Let your Voice be heard The Rockford Chamber of Commerce ­ elcomes and encourages submissions for The w VOICE of the Rockford Business Community.

Deadline is the 15th of the month preceding publication. Send news releases and other ­ items of interest to the business community to: The VOICE Rockford Chamber of Commerce 308 W. State St., Ste. 190 Rockford, IL 61101

For information about advertising contact Customer Service at 815-987-8100.

The VOICE of the Rockford Business Community (USPS 784-120). ISSN number 1086-0630, is published monthly by the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, 308 W. State St., Ste. 190, Rockford, Illinois 61101.

Periodicals postage paid at Rockford, Ill. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The VOICE of the Rockford Business Community, 308 W. State St., Ste. 190, Rockford, IL 61101.

They engage their employees, they support the community, and they’re an excellent model of what a good manufacturer represents.”

Motivational Speech The keynote speaker was Eileen McDargh, chief energy officer of McDargh Communications & The Resiliency Group. McDargh talked about the traits of a resilient leader including adaptability, agility and alignment. “There is nothing more grassroots than manufacturing,” said McDargh, who also praised the Transform Rockford movement.

“We took a different approach with Eileen,” said Forsman. “She took a motivational, provocative approach rather than something directly related to manufacturing. I thought her message resonated well with the crowd.”

Robert Bisconti, general manager of Bisconti Computers, spent the afternoon promoting his business at the expo, especially Bisconti’s digital

signage capabilities. He was pleased with the turnout. “I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “But it was a great way to make connections. I spoke to everyone from hotel management to manufacturing leaders. Everyone seemed excited to be here.”

The expo and dinner was presented

by QPS Employment Group. United Way of Rock River Valley was the awards sponsor. Other sponsors were Rockford Bank & Trust, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl., Wipfli LLP and Thayer Lighting. theVoice

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May 2016

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Member Profile PROFILE

Tom Morgan, co-owner of Morgan Building Maintenance, Inc., with his son, Dan, says he knows that when he exits, he leaves the 40-year-old business in good hands.

Morgan Building Maintenance, Inc. Cleaning up for nearly 50 years

By Paul Anthony Arco

Recession-Proof Business

Tom Morgan thrived as a sales rep for a 50,000-watt radio station in Chicago. But at some point he grew tired of the grind and started contemplating a new career. That’s when his brother, Bob, called.

Four years earlier, Bob had started a janitorial maintenance company called Morgan Building Maintenance, Inc., in the Chicago suburbs. The company got off to a fast start. Tom joined the company in 1971 and opened up a branch in Belvidere. Forty years later, Morgan is still going strong.

“The fact we’ve been in business so long says that we’re doing something right,” Tom said. “It’s a tough business; many companies come and go. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we always controlled our growth. I’ve seen companies overshoot their headlights and the quality goes down. We’ve never taken anything that we didn’t think we could handle. It’s worked out well.”

Morgan Building Maintenance is one of the largest contract cleaning companies in northern Illinois. The company offers cleaning services, from full janitorial tasks to emergency projects. Core services include carpet cleaning, overhead cleaning, waxing and buffing, and bathroom sanitation for commercial properties such as shopping malls, corporate offices and schools.

“We do all the vacuuming, emptying trash and dusting,” Tom said. “We do anything the client needs.”

A majority of Morgan’s clients are commercial. “We’ve cleaned some homes, and we used to sell cleaning products, but we found it wasn’t our thing,” Tom said. Morgan has a client list of 50 and manages more than 650 manhours a night throughout the region.

Most of Morgan’s work is done at night.

“We usually have five people working in a building at one time, but we’ve had as many as 15 on larger accounts. It all depends on the client.”

While based in Belvidere, Morgan Building Maintenance has clients in Rockford, Belvidere, Rochelle and Beloit.

Current clients include Green Giant, Peak Fitness, Joseph Behr and Alpine Bank. “If we do our job correctly, we should never lose a client,” Tom said. “We work with clients to develop a schedule of services.

Communication is important.”

Morgan has 120 full and part-time employees. It’s an ideal job for stay-athome parents looking for additional income, Tom said. “Our greatest challenge is getting good people and keeping them.

We’re looking at creating a fringe benefits program to give our employees additional incentives. Turnover is costly for a small business like ours.”

For Tom, co-owning the business with his son, Dan, has been a labor of love. “I can’t build or fix anything, but sales have always come easy to me,” he said. “I still enjoy the interaction with customers.”

His brother Bob retired a few years ago and now Tom is planning his own exit strategy. But he leaves the company in capable hands. The management team includes Dan, who serves as president.

Paul Gaziano, Tony Wadsworth, and Reyle Cardino make up the rest of the management team. “This organization feels like family,” Tom said. “Working with my son is a bonus. I know when I retire the business will be in good hands.”

“The biggest reward in this business is when a client calls and says you’re doing a good job. This is not a prestigious business; but it is recession proof.

Companies need clean buildings, and we work hard to make customers happy. It’s been a good operation all these years.”

MORGAN BUILDING MAINTENANCE, INC. Owners: Tom and Dan Morgan 1120 Allen St., Belvidere www.mbm-inc.net 815-547-5858

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May 2016

New teaching pathway One of the keys to success in the Rockford Public Schools is ensuring we have outstanding teachers in every classroom.

Increasingly, it has become challenging to attract and retain teachers in the profession and in our school district. So we are developing a partnership with Rockford University (RU) to attract some of our best and brightest RPS 205 students to the profession.

To come up with a plan, we asked ourselves: How do you take talented students who reflect the diversity of race and gender in our student population and encourage these talented young men and women to enter a profession like teaching?

Our answer was a unique partnership with RU that starts the conversation about a career in teaching as early as middle school. It continues with a fully developed pathway in the high schools, all the way through the hiring process and graduate school.

Here’s how it works: As students enter their eighth grade careers class and their freshman seminar course, they are encouraged to enter the RPS

205-RU teaching pathway as an option.

This pathway, which will target about 80 to 100 students, will involve

Keeping our best and brightest

with a talented veteran teacher. Upon completing their degree, these 20 teachers will be among our strongest

This is the kind of partnership changing the way education works through our high school academy model and unique partnerships. mentoring from current teachers and a three-year sequence of courses in the high school. It culminates with a dual-credit, Capstone experience for the senior year in high school, jointly developed and delivered by both RPS 205 and RU educators.

For 20 students a year, the payoff for their interest in urban education would be substantial. They would be admitted to Rockford University at an extremely discounted tuition. For those students with high financial need, the cost would be $5,000 per year; students with no financial need would pay $10,000 a year.

While attending RU, these students will be able to work with our students — in summer school, for example, or extracurriculars. After doing the required coursework, they would student-teach at an RPS 205 school

candidates for teaching positions.

But the benefit doesn’t end there. If hired by the district, they could receive a master’s degree in education from Rockford University, fully paid for.

They could start the spring after they are first hired.

Investing in Future Teachers We feel this long-term investment in our students is the best way to ensure a consistent pipeline of talent, made up of our own best and brightest.

From a student perspective, it sure makes a challenging profession like teaching look more appealing.

The opportunity to receive both a graduate degree and an undergraduate degree at a total cost of $20,000 – receiving, in essence, a $142,000 value for $20,000 – is a very powerful incentive

for our best students to consider staying. And, our school system benefits when these stellar students remain in Rockford and contribute to our community.

This is the kind of partnership changing the way education works through our high school academy model and unique partnerships. It is also fully supported by our partners in the Rockford Education Association.

Teachers see firsthand the immense value in ensuring diverse, talented, homegrown teachers in our ranks.

In time, we’d like to expand these types of pathway initiatives in RPS 205.

We are open to other employers that want to partner with us to keep our best and brightest close to home.

We are excited about starting with education – and engaging young people in a profession that’s truly value-added.

Dr. Ehren Jarrett is superintendent of Rockford Public Schools.

The views expressed are those of Dr. Jarrett’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

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May 2016

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Rockford University PERSPECTIVE

An aversion to inversion A look at the tax code

In early April, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew rolled out policies targeted at the now-infamous corporate inversions.

Tax inversion, or corporate inversion, is the re-incorporation of a company abroad to avoid paying U.S. taxes. The United States has the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world at 35 percent, and even requires firms to pay that tax on income earned abroad. Firms can delay those taxes by keeping that income abroad and estimates put earnings held abroad in the trillions.

By merging with a foreign firm in a country with a lower tax rate, a company could easily re-incorporate abroad.

The “new” corporation is not even required to bring its executives with them. Its new home can be little more than a street address.

Before this policy change the incentives were clear, a firm with significant earnings abroad will find avoiding paying taxes on them extremely attractive. By merging with a foreign firm in a country with a lower tax rate, a company could easily re-incorporate abroad. The “new” corporation is not even required to bring its executives with them. Its new home can be little more than a street address.

This is not the end of the story. In a process known as earnings stripping, the former U.S. company with operations in the states can dodge its remaining U.S. taxes. The U.S. permits companies to write-off interest due on loans from foreign affiliates.

Let’s review: first, you move your U.S.-based firm under a foreign parent company. Next, you have the U.S. subsidiaries borrow large sums from that foreign entity. The interest on those loans is deductible from taxes on domestic earnings. Just like that you went from being charged the highest tax rate in the developed world on income earned domestically and abroad, to dodging even the taxes on income earned in the states.

All without having to ask your CEO to find a new penthouse in Dublin.

Unsurprisingly, past policy, and the corporate response to policy, has often made things worse. CEOs are often offered stock and options as a significant part of their compensation to link their income directly to the performance of the firm. The goal is to get the CEO to act in the interests of the company. A 2004 law included a tax of 15 percent on restricted

Caleb Lewis stock and Rockford University options held by senior executives when a company inverts. One response was to simply pick up the tax bill for the executive, rendering the policy entirely ineffective. A second approach is to allow these CEOs to vest earlier, creating a windfall for executives and breaking the link between performance and earnings.

Call for Tax Reform Members of both political parties have stated inversions are bad for the country, including calls from both President Obama and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to lower corporate tax rates as part of broader reform. Unfortunately, Democrats and Republicans differ on whether tax reform should result in a net increase or decrease in tax revenue.

Those who agree, disagree on how to use the new funds or address the resulting increase in the budget deficit. In an era of intractable political gridlock the potential for the sweeping tax reform necessary to stop inversions is limited. The result is an effort by the Obama administration to limit inversions through the powers of the Treasury Department. The new policy requires the shareholders of a foreign acquirer to own more than 40 percent of the combined entity and penalizes repeat inverters. It also limits the use of debt from foreign affiliates to lower taxable income, a swipe at earnings stripping.

The short run implications of this policy can be seen in the immediate collapse of the Pfizer-Allergan deal. In the long run, the only thing that is clear is this Band-Aid can only stick for so long. First, the next administration can simply repeal the policy. Second, predictably there will be strong legal challenges. Finally, while we wait for election and lawsuit results, we can be sure corporate tax lawyers will be busy this summer looking for new workarounds.

The reality is disparities in tax rates will always exist. Countries hoping to attract jobs and capital will offer low tax rates. There may be a race to lower taxes rates in the future, a race the United States cannot, and perhaps does not want to, win. What is certain is a tax code, whose high nominal rates and convoluted nature encourage tax evasion, is unsustainable in the long run.

Caleb Lewis is an assistant professor of economics, business and accounting at Rockford University.

The views expressed are those of Lewis’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

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May 2016

Guest Perspective INSIGHT

Five conditions for collective impact

Addressing complex social issues together The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois has funded the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE) at Rockford University since its inception 12 years ago. When the Community Foundation provided startup funding for NICNE, we reasoned that nonprofits would be able to do more over time with a shared resource focused on helping them continually to improve.

This matters, because most of the more than $3 million granted annually by the Community Foundation flows to and through area nonprofits.

Over the year, NICNE has brought nonprofits and community volunteers together to discuss issues, opportunities and best practices through a program called Leadership Café. I recently had the privilege of presenting at a Leadership Café on collective impact.

Complex Social Issues John Kania and Mark Kramer introduced the concept of collective impact with a series of articles in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. “Embracing Emergence: How Collective Impact Addresses Complexity,” published in the Jan. 21, 2013, edition, easily can be found on the Internet. I highly recommend the article to anyone interested in collective impact.

It’s a short read, only eight pages, and I am fond of telling people that everything you really need to know is on page 1.

Kania and Kramer reported that whenever they saw communities successful in addressing complex social issues, five conditions were always present.

■■ Participants had a common agenda.

■■ They agreed on shared measurements.

■■ They were committed to mutually reinforcing activities.

■■ They communicated continuously.

■■ There was always some entity that functioned as backbone support for the initiative.

The five conditions are highly interrelated and all must be present. Kania and Kramer were candid that practicing collective impact poses many challenges, “…the difficulty of bringing together people who have never collaborated before, the competition and mistrust among funders and grantees, the struggle of agreeing on shared metrics, the risk of multiple selfanointed backbone organizations, and the perennial obstacles of local politics.”

Collective impact came to the Community Foundation’s attention as the board of trustees and staff considered how a $24.5 million endowment from Dr. Louis and Violet Rubin best served the people of northern Illinois. We immediately saw the value in the theory of collective impact

Jon Bates Community Foundation of Northern Illinois

as a working definition for collaboration, something the Community Foundation had been encouraging among grant seekers for years. We were convinced that it reduces duplication and improves the return on investment on grant dollars and resources committed by donors, volunteers and nonprofits.

Seeds of Shared Commitment In May of 2014, the Community Foundation sent me to a three-day conference on the funder’s role in collective impact. I talked with representatives from major private foundations such as Gates and Kaiser Permanente and compared notes with other community foundations.

I had seen for myself how the idea of collective impact had taken off around the world, as I had worked with funders from as far away as Israel and New Zealand.

At the conference, I heard good news and bad news. There is evidence that collective impact works, but it takes time and a lot of commitment. One community shared its experience with collective impact after a police shooting and subsequent riots shook the community in 2001. Community leaders came to the conclusion that if they continued to do what they had always done, they would continue to get what they had always gotten. In describing their process of change, a community member said that forming as a community team, working through difficult issues, getting to consensus, and finally making actual progress, took them 10 years.

Some communities at the conference talked candidly about territorialism and how truly difficult it is to get to common agenda. They talked about resistance to real work on shared measurements and lack of transparency. Other communities talked about leadership that was willing to check its ego at the door and roll up its sleeves and get to work.

The Community Foundation has adopted the five conditions for collective impact as basic criteria for evaluating proposals for collaborative work in grant applications. We see the seeds of collective impact thinking in grant applications and in our conversations with community leaders. So far, the Community Foundation hasn’t seen an application from multiple organizations that demonstrates an understanding of and commitment to creating the conditions for collective impact, but we believe we will.

Jon Bates is president of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.

The views expressed are those of Bates’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

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May 2016

The Rockford Region moves

By Michael Nicholas, RAEDC The Rockford Region offers companies a business friendly environment as compared to other areas. Our region is known for being an area of “makers.”

From agricultural equipment to furniture to components for the Mars Rovers, it has continually reinvented itself. Businesses have come to the Rockford Region, grown and prospered.

There is currently $1.5 billion being invested in the Rockford Region by a large number of businesses, realizing it makes good economic sense to do so.

The Rockford Region continues to offer companies the ability to grow and prosper.

■■ Excellent workforce with a great work ethic.

■■ Favorable tax climate.

■■ Very competitive electric power rates as well as competitive rates on other utilities.

■■ Central location, with easy access via several interstates to Chicago, Milwaukee,

Madison and Bloomington-Normal.

■■ Excellent health care providers.

■■ A great supply chain with multiple suppliers in many critical areas.

■■ Excellent quality of life with a world class park district and an ever growing variety of community events and attractions.

These assets are why, contrary to popular belief, businesses are moving to the Rockford Region.

The region continues to advance and build upon its industry clusters in aerospace, health care, automotive and advance manufacturing. It continues to build the manpower pipeline necessary to sustain growth with a new aviation maintenance education program at the airport, a new school of nursing, a new four-year school of engineering, and expanded programs at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

Michael Nicholas is president at the Rockford Area Economic Development Council.

WELCOME GINA MEEKS The RAEDC welcomed Gina Meeks, business development assistant, to its team. Meeks will support the vice president for development, with a focus on Voice of the Customer surveys, and as assistant liaison to the Business Retention & Expansion Solutions Team and the Education for Workforce Development Committee.

Additionally, she will serve as the first point of contact for investors, clients and partners. Her administrative duties include managing the reception and phones, providing assistance with scheduling and meeting preparation, and assistance in overseeing the maintenance of the client database.

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Qualified sites program launches in the region The Rockford Region will launch a qualified site program as the potential foundation for a broader program to be implemented beyond our county borders, regionally and statewide.

Initial Qualified Sites will be located throughout the Rockford Region’s communities of Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Rockford, Rockton, South Beloit and Winnebago. It has been launched through collaboration of many municipal partners and regional developers, and will grow through a widening collaborative net.

Initiated with the funding support of the Emerging Opportunity Fund from the RAEDC Leadership Council, the Qualified Sites Program (QSP) was created to better identify and promote project-ready industrial and commercial sites in the region.

It will be operated in partnership with a new Regional Planning Council, which will independently determine whether sites meet the criteria for inclusion. The Rockford Region QSP combines national site selection standards with the region’s particular strengths and assets, with a focus on targeted industry clusters such as advanced manufacturing, transportation, distribution & logistics, healthcare and medical sciences.

Accelerating Economic Development This program is critical to attracting new business to the region and, as a result, creating jobs. By informing site selectors that key industrial and commercial parks are development-ready, the sites and regions participating will move closer to the top of the list for major business attraction projects.

Site qualification is a critical element in the site selection process and a QSP will assist area developers in being better able to compete for large scale projects.

By participating in the QSP process, developers -- working closely with their local officials, utility partners and consultants -- will be prepared to market their sites with site specific information and community data. With the current program, the area’s developers will have the assistance of the Regional Planning Council’s technical staff and its partner agencies in determining next steps and options for meeting all criteria. With all site due diligence completed and resulting issues mitigated, the site’s development schedule will be accelerated, making the site more likely to attract large projects and bring jobs to the region.

For more information contact Erin Marshall, EMarshall@RockfordIL.com or 815-9694267, or Michael Dunn, Jr., Michael.Dunn@ RockfordIL.gov or 779-348-7627.

RAEDC APPOINTS NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS VICE CHAIR We are pleased to announce that Michele Petrie, senior vice president of BMO Harris Bank, will serve as vice chair/treasurer of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council for the remainder of 2016. Petrie also serves as the current chair of the Rockforward! Leadership Council.

RAEDC joins panel discussion ILLINOIS LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS RETREAT 2016 Stacy Bernardi, vice president for development, participated in a panel discussion at the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Retreat 2016; speaking on place-based economic development. Bernardi provided the audience with a brief description of the RAEDC and history of the Rockford Region, as well as how economic development organizations can play a role in identifying locations and placing training facilities in the area for those that may not have transportation to training or jobs.

The panel also featured Rep. Carol Ammons (Job Creation and Economic Development), who focused on minorities and underserved areas; Dr. Lou Turner, and Dr. Melinda Kelly, Chatham Business Association. Each panel member spoke for 15 minutes and answered questions for another 30 minutes.

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May 2016

A new course for education New look at vocational training Reprinted with permission from The FABRICATOR® A Colorado school district recognized not everyone was destined for college, so it launched a new curriculum approach as a result. The school is going to embrace vocational education.

You don’t have to be a detective to figure out where the vocational classes went in U.S. school districts. They slowly disappeared with parents’ desires to see their children go to college, even if the experience did little to prepare them for a career.

As more students were put on the college track, fewer enrolled in vocational classes. After all, what fouryear university requires class credits in woodworking or welding? With the number of enrollees in these vocational classes dwindling, many school districts shut down the programs to save money.

A 2014 Deloitte report on manufacturing’s perception problem sums up the predicament in which the manufacturing industry finds itself.

The survey revealed that the majority of Americans believe that manufacturing is key for a strong national economy, yet they rank manufacturing fifth out of seven career choices as being suitable for them. Generation Y, who can be defined as those born in the early 1980s to the early 2000s, actually ranked it last. On top of that, only 37 percent of the parents of respondents said they would recommend manufacturing as a career path for their own children.

Meanwhile, manufacturers proclaim they need a new generation of skilled workers to replace the baby boomers who are heading for retirement, if they haven’t done it already. The Manufacturing Institute suggests that 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will become available over the next decade, with 2 million of those likely going unfilled because the right candidates can’t be found.

New Charter School Whether or not you believe those numbers, many in education have been heeding the calls for change. Rob Daugherty is one of them.

Daugherty is the principal of a new

charter school in Colorado Springs, Colo. Part of Falcon School District 49, Power Technical Early College, which will open in August, is not only going to focus on reading, writing and arithmetic, but also on tying those lessons to real-world activities, such as computer-aided design, machining and welding. All students will be required to be enrolled in this curriculum, not just ones that don’t fit the mold of the college-bound honors student.

Daugherty, who studied electrical engineering at Colorado State (leaving just shy of getting his degree) and spent his early work career designing and fabricating heat exchangers and later building powder coating systems, said that schools are “underserving” those students who don’t want to go to

college. They are getting a full-course college prep meal that isn’t much good if the students don’t matriculate at a four-year university.

He and others heard the calls from local businesses that need young people and are respectful of the manufacturing process.

“One thing that we can do is get kids back in the workforce,” Daugherty said.

“That’s what we can do now.”

The key to achieving that is exposing students to more than they are being exposed to now, Daugherty said. It’s just a matter of adjusting the teacher’s typical lesson plan to accommodate a new way of teaching the subject matter. For instance, if a math teacher is covering trigonometry, he or she can tie it to truss manufacturing. From

Rockford Lutheran to launch Project Lead The Way Preparing today’s learners as tomorrow’s leaders

By Mary Cannon, Rockford Lutheran School The April issue of The Voice highlighted the partnership between NIU and RVC to expand opportunities for students to enter engineering in this community. It is vital that our Pre-K to 12 education sets the stage for these students to succeed.

After more than a year in preparation, Rockford Lutheran School will implement the national Project Lead The Way (PLTW) STEM-based curriculum in its 201617 school year.

STEM-Oriented Program PLTW Launch -- grades K to 5.

Students will become solvers and build confidence; putting them on the course for strong accomplishments.

PLTW Gateway -- grades 6 to 8. A engineering, biomedical and computer science curriculum with industry-leading technology will teach students to solve problems and build communication, collaboration,

critical thinking and creativity skills.

Students will apply creative problem solving to real-world challenges, such as cleaning up oil spills and designing sustainable housing solutions.

PLTW Engineering -- high school.

Students will apply engineering, science, math and technology to solve complex, open-ended, realworld problems. These skills in collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving will be invaluable for students both inside and outside of the engineering field.

For those in the PLTW pathway who want to pursue engineering, Rockford Lutheran School is partnering with NIU and RVC to offer a three-year engineering degree through its own dual-credit program.

Students can obtain college credit for classes taken during their high school years. For more information call 815877-9551.

Mary Cannon is director of outreach at Rockford Lutheran School The views expressed are those of Cannon’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

there a science teacher might get involved and discuss alternative materials that Dan Davis can be used to FMA lighten the load Communications, Inc. of the truss and still provide the strength needed to support a roof.

The students, 240 of which are expected to be enroll in the school for the 2016-17 school year, attend classes from 7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. They will have at least 90 minutes to three hours of handson learning in lab classes each day. The school will be designed to accommodate up to 525 students.

Probably the most revolutionary aspect of this school is the opportunity for students to stay with the PTEC program beyond graduation and attend Pikes Peak Community College for free.

They can work on an associate’s degree in machining technology, construction management, HVAC/R technology, CAD, electronics technology or welding.

Daugherty hopes that this scholastic setup can be exported to other schools that want to take a different approach to education. The goal is to produce wellrounded graduates, not unlike students from previous generations who had to take vocational classes to earn their diplomas.

“This is what made America great in the first place,” he said. “People had these skills, and they had an entrepreneurial mindset.”

Right now, Daugherty is overseeing the renovation of a 46,000-sq.-ft. building that was once a church. The building’s previous owner only finished 10,000 square feet, leaving the rest of the square footage to be tailored to fit the school’s needs.

Aug. 20 is the start of school.

Hopefully, it’s the start of something great.

Dan Davis is the editor in chief of FMA Communications Inc. The views expressed are those of Davis’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

Manufacturing News is sponsored by FMA

10

May 2016

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

The undeniable importance of identity What quality as a leader would you most like to upgrade?

For what do you want your organization or company to be known?

These are the sorts of questions that truly great leaders and effective companies and organizations ask. While reaching new EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) heights and expanding beyond the wildest projections in the next five years are the focus for many leaders, it is more fundamental work that will keep you great.

Our effectiveness as human beings can be explained by a simple sentence –

It all ties back to identity or character.

My wife and I are in the midst of raising little humans, and I’ve found that guiding the development of a child is not unlike shaping our own character. As we seek to guide children toward becoming high quality adults, we first have to ask the question, “While recognizing their unique gifts, personality and talents, what qualities do we most want them to embody?”

Merriam-Webster defines character as “the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves.” As parents we make a substantial impact on these qualities. One of our family values is to leave something better than

we found it whenever we can. Therefore, we train by habitually redirecting our children to be kind in relationships, take responsibility seriously and pick up after themselves. We base our decision to instill these habits in them on the desire to shape their character in such a way that it will guide their future decisions.

As part of The Anser Group, we are excited to be involved in facilitating the growth of area leaders as part of the Rockford Leadership Alliance. At the February session, James Clear focused our attention on creating habits that stick. On page 17 of his book Transform Your Habits, Clear explains: “The key to building lasting habits is focusing on creating a new identity first. Your current behaviors are simply a reflection of your current identity. What you do now is a mirror image of the type of person you believe that you are (either consciously or subconsciously).”

Reflect on that for a moment.

Who are you really? How do you see yourself?

Stephen M. R. Covey kicked off the RLA and set the theme for the year with his presentation of The Speed of Trust. Covey also identified this central personal quality – character – as indispensable in building trust. If we want others to trust us, we must first learn to trust ourselves. Self-trust is the most important step and is based on integrity.

Covey drew a picture of a tree to describe the four components necessary for building trust. All the expected qualities were there. Results and capabilities were the branches, leaves and fruit – signs of flourishing and provisional life. But these were held up by intent and integrity, which in this graphic composed the trunk and roots. A trunk and roots do not make a tree, but without them the leaves and fruit

won’t last long. Truly great companies and leaders take a deep look into who they are under the surface.

Who we are is at the center of selftrust and creating lasting habits, which determine the results we get. Covey quoted his father who often said, “You can’t talk your way out of a problem you behaved your way into!” I would add that you can’t simply think your way out of it either.

We must choose the right habits ... again and again and again, for the combination of our actions over time develop our character. We cannot hang on to lasting habits unless they are tied to how we see ourselves.

Back to raising little children. It is important that parents are clear about what aspects of character or identity are most important. And then they create accountability around actions in their children that uphold the character quality in focus until these actions become second nature, part of their core identity. Isn’t it the same with us? If we can’t see ourselves as a thoughtful person, we find it hard to think of others first. But if we start asking ourselves, “What do others need in this situation?” on a regular basis and act on the genuine answers, even in small ways, we will come to view ourselves differently.

We will trust ourselves, and others feel that. They will reach out to us as people they can rely on. It just happens. Many

may observe this as a ‘chance happening.’ But in reality being a kind person causes one to have a habit of thinking of others, which Glen Williamson The Anser Group engenders high levels of confidence from those same people.

What kind of leader do you want to be?

What qualities do you want to characterize your business?

Even if you didn’t attend the RLA, why not join us in a simple yet powerful exercise.

In our February session, everyone was given a card with four simple questions.

So I want to challenge you to grab a pen and take two minutes to fill out a similar ‘action card’ below. Then tear it out and post it somewhere as a reminder. You will never change your identity by thinking about it. Do something. Create some accountability around it. Those whom you lead are relying on it.

Glen Williamson is leadership coach at The Anser Group.

Leadership Development news is sponsored by Comcast.

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

11

May 2016

‘Rockford’ becomes ‘Trickford’

Celebrating a city’s hometown heroes More than 20 million records sold. 29 movie soundtracks. Touring internationally since 1973. More than 5,000 shows performed - including four shows the same week they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And, to boot, a newly released album currently number 31 on the Billboard charts – their highest ranking in 28 years.

That’s Cheap Trick in a nutshell.

The band’s home here in Rockford has traditionally been known as a blue collar, working class, manufacturing town. A place where innovators innovated and others led rewarding lives making things.

None of these are easy endeavors.

Neither is music, as it turns out. Just ask the members of Cheap Trick, who have logged millions of miles in planes, trains and automobiles in a career that began in various Rockford garages when they were teenagers in the frenetic, creative Rockford of the 1960s. It wasn’t easy and Cheap Trick was the opposite of an overnight success, but the band has been exporting music and smiles to the world for decades. As they’ve traveled the world, Cheap Trick has brought positive attention to Rockford and the region.

Out there on the road at times, for “the hardest-working live band in the world,” hard work was its own and only reward.

But, like the manufacturing innovators and blue-collar workers who surrounded them in their childhoods, the band had -and has -- a never-say-die attitude.

Even today, Rick Nielsen says, incredulously, “Retire? Nah. We’re too dumb to quit.”

It’s a good thing they didn’t quit!

Forty-three years after they first gathered in Rockford for a handful of rehearsals before their first paid gigs, Cheap Trick is being counted among Elvis, Dylan, Jagger, Richards, Lennon, McCartney, Townshend, Daltrey and a pantheon of others as members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. What a stunning, amazing accomplishment. What an inspiring accomplishment.

The best things we can do as residents of their hometown is to not take Cheap Trick for granted and proudly claim

the our

band

as

John Groh Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

brothers

and heroes (just as the band has always claimed Rockford as home). More so, let’s celebrate their achievements and congratulate them on their success.

The City of Rockford and Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau have made a commitment to do those things and more. On Induction Day, Friday, April 8, 2016, Mayor Larry Morrissey “officially/unofficially”

renamed

Rockford, “Trickford.”

We’re ceremonially renaming the streets on which the band grew up. We’re posting billboards and banners and erecting signs that proudly proclaim, “These Streets Are Patrolled By The Dream Police.” A new “Cheap Trick Trail” and website – www.gotrickford. com – invites residents and visitors to explore Cheap Trick’s Rockford.

And, RACVB has announced that we are working toward culminating our celebrations with a multi-day music festival this fall. In the meantime, we will continue to look for new opportunities and will celebrate everything that makes Cheap Trick such an amazing band, and Rockford such an amazing place to live and visit.

Let’s face it; as a community, not unlike Cheap Trick, we’ve put on some hard miles, too. We’ve suffered our share of defeats. We’ve had to accept hard work as its own reward on a few occasions. But Rockford is on the rise

again,

just like our hometown band.

It’s

time for a party,

and

we’re going to one.

throw As

Roy Wood wrote

in

California Man,

the

tune Cheap Trick made famous, “goin’ to a party, meet me on after school.”

We hope you will join us in celebrating Cheap Trick!

John Groh is the president/CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The views expressed are those of Groh’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

12

May 2016

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

IGNITE

Young Professionals

Won’t you be my neighbor?

Make a lasting impact with INVOLVE When we hear the words, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” most of us are instantly brought back to a time when we were younger, sitting in our living room while eating a bowl of cereal watching a soft-spoken man change into gym shoes — of course the man was Mister Rodgers.

The same kind spirit Mister Rodgers exemplified is the same spirit we want to have within our community.

Several months ago, I was at an event and someone inquired what IGNITE does within our community. I thought back to the many events we have had in the past several years, and most of them that I could speak to were about interaction amongst our members — After 5 events and IGNITE Cup (which the team I was on, Bear vs. Shark vs.

Bigfoot, won the inaugural year — whoop whoop!). Though I believe strongly in the benefits of networking, one of IGNITE’s focuses is to also get involved within our community to make a lasting impact. Thus INVOLVE Committee was created.

Over the past several months, we have planned different ways to immerse ourselves within the Rockford Region.

When I had the pleasure of meeting Matthew Simpson from United Way of Rock River Valley last December, a light bulb went off. United Way already has community impact managers with the goal being strong neighborhoods.

With the help of Matthew and United Way, INVOLVE Committee’s first goal for 2016 is to partner specifically with the neighborhood of Ellis Heights. We will have a concentrated effort in both beautification and school engagement.

Neighborhood, School Engagement Project 1013 is one initiative the INVOLVE Committee plans to help with. Project 1013 currently has an active presence in the beautification of Ellis Heights and is a great story of a grassroots effort in making a lasting impact on our community. The initiative will be held June 22 to 25 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You do not need to be there for a full day. The more hands we have for the project, the greater the results will be.

If you are interested in helping with Project 1013 this summer, please register at www.project1013.org. Complete and email waivers to project1013rockford@ gmail.com. (For the question, “How many people will be coming in your group?” Please enter IGNITE.) Another way the INVOLVE

Melissa Patel IGNITE Rockford

Committee plans on helping the community is through school engagement. One of the ways we want to do this is to work with local schools to do a mentorship program for the 2016/2017 school year. Another option, if people cannot commit to a full school year, is classroom talks where young professionals from IGNITE would go to a school or specific classroom and describe what they do at their job. This would give the class the ability to learn about different career paths in their own community.

Exposure to all opportunities is very impactful for children in elementary and middle school.

If you are interested in either mentoring a student in the 2016/2017 school year or giving a classroom talk at some point next school year, please fill out our survey at https://www. surveymonkey.com/r/involverkfd.

Based on the survey results, we will start to match people to whichever program they are interested.

Since

IGNITE

members

have

mentioned that there is a disconnect with knowing about the different Rockford

neighborhoods,

the

INVOLVE committee will also be engaging in additional communities throughout Rockford in addition to the Ellis Heights neighborhood. We want to spotlight the neighborhoods’ new businesses, housing opportunities and discuss the struggles in the neighborhood.

Our

neighborhood

spotlights will be taking place late spring into summer. We have been fortunate to have this program sponsored by Blackhawk Bank.

If you want to join the INVOLVE Committee and help plan these events and brainstorm new ones, we are always looking for new members! We meet on the second Monday of each month at Greenfire from 6 to 7 p.m. If you have questions specifically on INVOLVE, feel free to reach me at melissap@ fieldfastener.com.

Melissa Patel, FIELD, is INVOLVE co-chair with IGNITE. The views expressed are those of Patel’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

13

May 2016

Guest Perspective INSIGHT

Doing business on the golf course

Considerations before hitting the links As a business professional, you have most likely been asked by your organization to participate in a golf outing to benefit a local cause. Perhaps you have been asked by a vendor or client to take the afternoon off to get in nine holes.

Whether you are a golfer or not, golf is a “business sport.” And whether you are an avid golfer, leisurely golfer or have never swung a club in your life, there are a number of tips you should consider as you hit the links this year.

Tips for Experienced Golfers Practice your swing and putt. Just because you consider yourself a “golfer” doesn’t mean you need to avoid brushing up on your skills when the new season begins. Take time out of your schedule to head to the driving range and don’t forget to practice your putting when you get to the course.

Keep your focus. It’s easy for your mind to wander back to the office with thoughts of the hundred and one things you need to do and the emails piling up in your inbox. Focus on your game and building relationships with your golf partners, and your experience will be much more enjoyable.

Look the part. Remember to wear proper attire when golfing. Leave the jeans and t-shirts at home and instead opt for a golf shirt and khaki shorts or pants depending on weather. Similarly, ladies should wear a golf shirt and skirt, shorts or pants.

Unplug. Put your cell phone away and use this time for conversation. In some cases, your conversation may be business related and other times it may be more social. The nice thing about golf is an 18-hole round usually takes about four and a half hours, so you are able to have a much more in-depth conversation.

Drink responsibly. Golf is a great way

Andy Gramer PrairieView Golf Club

to kick back and relax, but remember that it’s a business function.

Tips for Inexperienced Golfers Schedule a lesson prior to your outing. A lesson will teach you many of the basic fundamentals of the sport.

PrairieView offers adult boot camps that will cover all facets of the game in a two-hour clinic.

Practice your stance, posture and grip. All are very important and can have a great impact on your game.

Remember your equipment. You will need golf balls, golf tees and of course, golf clubs. If you do not own a set, you can borrow a set, or most golf courses will have rental sets available. Golf shoes are recommended, but a pair of athletic shoes or sneakers will suffice, depending upon the course.

Focus on learning new skills. It’s easy to get distracted and worry about what others are thinking, but remain focused. Remember, everyone started somewhere and most golfers will be understanding as you are learning.

Plan to participate. These corporate or fundraising golf events are a great way to network. The typical scramble formats make it easy for a beginner golfer to participate. Even if you are not the best driver of the golf ball, you may excel in putting, which can help your team.

Have fun. Fresh air and good camaraderie is really what counts overall.

Andy Gramer, PGA, is head golf professional at PrairieView Golf Club.

The views expressed are those of Gramer’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

Whether you’re an experienced golfer or a novice, it’s one of the best ways to network and build relationships

14

Businesses on the Move

May 2016

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Local Business on the Move Is it time to consider growing your business? www.entrepreneur.com offers 10 ways that businesses can do that. Read below to find out what some local Chamber-member businesses are doing.

1. Open another location.

2. Offer your business as a franchise or business opportunity.

3. License your product.

4. Form an alliance.

5. Diversify.

6. Target other markets.

Rockford Park District board of commissioners approved the Silent Sports Master Plan for trail development at Atwood Park and Alpine Hills Adventure Park. The park district will partner with the Silent Sports Friends Group to pursue fundraising efforts to realize construction of the trails for mountain biking, hiking, trail running, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, wildlife observation and fat biking.

Per Mar Security Services, based in Davenport, Iowa and with an office in Loves Park, announced in April that it has merged with Northern Wisconsin Security & Sound, Inc., of Arbor Vitae, Wis. University of Illinois Rockford will open the Glenn Netto Health and Wellness Center on May 6 in collaboration with the YMCA of Rock River Valley for faculty, staff and students.

7. Win a government contract.

(Look into the resources of the SBDC, SBA or SCORE)

8. Merge with or acquire another business.

9. Expand globally.

10. Expand to the Internet.

First Midwest Group demolished the former SwedishAmerican clinic in Byron to make way for a new shopping center to be built in coming months.

SwedishAmerican’s new clinic next to the demolition side at 230 West Blackhawk Dr., opened in February this year and offers family medicine, laboratory and x-ray services.

Midland States Bancorp, Inc., announced in April that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined. Midland has applied to list its common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbol “MSBI.”

Crusader Community Health on Alpine has a projected completion date in early spring 2017.

Crusader Community Health held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 21 for construction of Crusader Community Health on Alpine at 1215 N. Alpine in Rockford. The 22,000-sq.ft., single-story facility is projected to serve 4,500 clients within the first two years. Crusader determined there was a significant number of low-income people in the area not served by Crusader. Plans are for a completion date in early spring 2017, at a total cost of $7.1 million. More than 13,000 new Medicaid beneficiaries needing care reside in the Crusader service area overall, in part, due to the Affordable Care Act. FurstSearch transferred ownership to Keri Benhoff as president & CEO. “Keri shares the same values and will carry on the tradition of excellent service

and search expertise,” said founder Tom Furst. Furst said he will continue to be actively involved.

Benhoff, who has been a part Keri Benhoff takes ownership of of the business FurstSearch. since 1997, will be responsible for all aspects of executive search, from client development through placement.

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) selected Rock Valley College to be the host site for the 2018 NJCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament to take place Nov. 8 to 11, 2018. Rock Valley College and Continued on page 15

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Businesses on the Move

May 2016

Local Business (continued from page 14) Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau officials collaborated to submit the bid to make this a reality.

Rockford Rescue Mission held a dedication celebration on April 29 for Pitney Place, a 25,000-sq.ft. center for women and children who are homeless and seeking to turn their lives around. The mission’s Women’s Crisis Center will be on the first floor and the Women’s Life Recovery Center on the second floor. Pitney Place will provide shelter, meals and services for 120 women and children. Funding for the $7 million project came from area residents, businesses and foundations.

Lindstrom Travel signed a formal partnership with Swedish family business Nybergs buss, Lidköping, via Skype., to provide customized trips overseas to Sweden and Scandinavia. The two businesses were introduced to each other in 2006 while working with the Rockford Area Economic Development Council.

OSF HealthCare launched OSF Ventures, the corporate investment arm that aims to financially back companies with emerging technology that improves patient outcomes and reduces financial burden to the health care system.

“This venture program gives OSF earlier access to viable solutions beneficial to the industry,” said Kevin Schoeplein, CEO of OSF HealthCare. Opportunities are highly vetted with the help of clinical expertise and a committee of C-level executives make final investment decisions. “Our interests include health care IT, diagnostics and medical devices,” said Stan Lynall, director of Venture Investments for OSF. Four investments have been made to-date: Pieces Technologies, Inc., Dallas, Texas; Health Catalyst, Salt Lake City, Utah; Pulse Therapeutics, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., and AVIA, Chicago.

The goal is to invest in up to four to six companies per year.

15

Forecasting for small business growth Strategic thinking brings vision into focus Maintaining the momentum of your business means looking forward while focusing on the present, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. To do this, an effective leader must develop skills in strategic thinking, the process by which a leader turns a business vision into a reality through teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking. Strategic thinking helps a leader confront change, plan for and make transitions, and envision new possibilities and opportunities. It helps a leader develop the story that will guide him in achieving the business’ ideal outcome.

There are five criteria in developing a strategic vision, or ideal outcome, for your business. Use these criteria to develop the steps to turn your business vision into a reality.

1. Organization. The organization of your business involves your employees, the organizational structure of your business and the resources necessary to make it all work. What will your organization look like? What type of structure will support your vision? How will you combine people, resources and structure to achieve your ideal outcome?

2. Observation. When you are looking down at the world from an airplane, you can see much more than when you are on the ground. Strategic thinking is much the same in that it allows you to see things from “higher up.” By increasing your powers of observation, you will begin to become more aware of what motivates people, how to solve problems more effectively and how to distinguish between alternatives.

3. Views. Views are simply different ways of thinking about something. In strategic thinking, there are four viewpoints to take into consideration when forming your business strategy: the environmental view, the marketplace view, the project view and the measurement view. Views can be used as tools to help you think about outcomes, identify critical elements and adjust your actions to achieve your ideal position.

4. Driving Forces. What are the driving forces that will make your ideal outcome happen? What is your company’s vision and mission? Driving forces usually lay the foundation for what you want people to focus on in your business (what you will use to motivate others to perform). Examples of driving forces might include: individual and organizational incentives; empowerment and alignment; qualitative factors such as a defined vision, values and goals; productive factors like a mission or function; quantitative factors such as results or experience, and others such as commitment, coherent action, effectiveness, productivity and value.

5. Ideal Position. After working through the first four phases of the strategic thinking process, you should be able to define your ideal position.

Your ideal position outline should include: the conditions you have found to be necessary if your business is to be productive, the niche in the marketplace that your business will fill, any opportunities that may exist either currently or in the future for your business, the core competencies or skills required in your business and the strategies and tactics you will use to pull it all together.

16

Businesses on the Move

May 2016

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Putting a new face on an established Rockford neighborhood Organizations, residents work to reduce crime, house blight

By Barbara Connors In the late 1990s, when SwedishAmerican Health System decided to keep its hospital in Rockford’s historic Midtown District, its foundation also committed to investing money in the surrounding residential areas, particularly the historic Jackson Oaks neighborhood. While that commitment continues today, the organization also has joined with other organizations, such as the Rockford Police Department, the local Habitat for Humanity and the Jackson Oaks Neighborhood Association, to revitalize homes and reduce crime in the 100-year-old area that once was a destination for Swedish immigrants.

Jackson Oaks is home to a population of roughly 1,800 of mixed ethnicities: Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic. Homes sell at a median closing price of $35,000; half the Rockford average of $75,000. Residents are young, including children and teenagers (31 percent) and young professionals (18 percent); high percentages compared to Rockford overall.

Households sit in the low-income category, with 37 percent earning an annual income of less than $25,000, and 30 percent (the lower-middle-class

category) earning an annual income between $25,000 and $50,000. Property in Jackson Oaks is more likely to be rented (56 percent) than owned (44 percent).

Rockford on average reports the inverse, with rental properties accounting for about 44 percent.

Police ‘Safe House’

Brandon Dillard, an officer with the Rockford Police Department, has an office at Revell House, the area’s first Strong Neighborhood House, with open hours for residents.

In the past few years, the Rockford Police Department has geared its crime prevention efforts toward active partnerships in the community. One of these efforts is in the construction of Strong Neighborhood Houses in Rockford neighborhoods to reduce crime through close relationships with residents.

The police department opened the first Strong Neighborhood House in the Jackson Oaks area, after the SwedishAmerican Foundation purchased and renovated a home at 1233 Revell St., and licensed it to the department at no cost. On May 4, SwedishAmerican, Jackson Oaks Neighborhood Association and the Rockford Police Department celebrate the house’s one-year anniversary with a neighborhood party from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

A second Strong Neighborhood House also opened in December 2015 in the

Midtown District at 908 8th Ave., thanks to a partnership with ZION Development and the United Way of Rock River Valley.

“The police couldn’t turn crime around on their own,” said Laura Wilkinson, director of the SwedishAmerican Foundation. “It’s also up to the people who live, work and shop in the neighborhoods.”

Revell House, a beige single-story, sits on a hill overlooking the Jackson Oaks Neighborhood within sight of SwedishAmerican Hospital. Brandon Dillard, an officer with the Rockford Police Department, has his office inside, next to large common rooms and a kitchen that is available to neighbors and community organizations for events and get-togethers. “We don’t want this to be the Rockford police’s house; it’s the community’s house.”

A parcel of land, adjacent to the house’s backyard, was formerly home to a

brothel that was abandoned five years ago.

The building recently was torn down and currently is green space. Officer Dillard said police are trying to teach residents to recognize signs of this type of activity and report it.

In partnership with agencies like the United Way, the police are transforming Revell House into a neighborhood center by hosting activities such as Fatherhood Encouragement Programs on Wednesday nights, Strong Neighborhood School’s Out Days and a Christmas Tree Lighting.

The most popular event last year was Trunk or Treat, drawing hundreds of people on Halloween to squad cars parked outside Revell House, where officers gave out candy. Whiffle Ball Wednesdays also drew as many as 60 kids to play with the police officers at nearby parks. According to Officer Dillard, police reached out by posting flyers and even gathered kids they

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Businesses on the Move

May 2016

New face

(continued from page 16) saw on the streets for games. “People often think police are robotic, and we want to plant a seed in kids that police are here to help them.”

“We want to give the people in the neighborhood what they feel they want,” he added. With help from the United Way, the police have distributed door hangers surveying neighborhood residents on the kinds of programs they want, the best days and times, and the best ways to communicate.

“Area landlords stop by the house regularly, and citizens are finally starting to come by on a regular basis,” said Officer Dillard. Open office hours are 9 to 11 a.m.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Since the establishment of the house, Officer Dillard said that he’s seen a steady decline in crime. “We were going into the summer of 2015 with the highest violent crime rate we’ve had for the area.” In May last year, the police filed 24 violent offenses for the Jackson Oaks area, compared to 16 in May 2014. Violent crime so far in 2016 appears to be decreasing. In February, the police filed nine violent offenses for the area, compared to 12 in February last year.

The Neighborhood Connection Laura Gibbs Green, secretary of the Jackson Oaks Neighborhood Association (JONA), has lived in the Jackson Oaks neighborhood for eight years and has been

involved with the association for more than a year. She said crime is a major concern expressed by the neighborhood residents who live within the boundaries of Rural, North Prospect, East State and Longwood streets. Monthly neighborhood meetings draw up to 30 residents.

“We will continue to work with the police department,” she said. “It’s huge, the fact that we have Revell House. Residents are going in and chatting with police and telling them what’s going on. We can have neighborhood meetings there. Kids can go in, watch TV and read books.” She added that hosting the trick or treat event and opening the house for School’s Out Days has “helped kids get comfortable with the police.”

Gibbs Green noted that another big concern for residents is the condition of their older homes and their limited resources. “SwedishAmerican has lead a number of reinvestment projects that have made a noticeable difference.”

She said there is a large number of vacant homes in the neighborhood. “I do the mailing for the association meetings, and it’s amazing how many mailings get returned — maybe 100. These abandoned homes lead to crime, and the police department has tagged many to keep an eye on them.” The SwedishAmerican Foundation has supported the association by providing locations and snacks for meetings, helping with mailings that can number up to 800, and printing and mailing the association’s newsletter.

She said the association plans to do a survey to gauge outdoor lighting in the neighborhood, a major contributing factor in the crime level.

One of the biggest improvements she’s seen through neighborhood involvement: “People aren’t as afraid to talk to other neighbors anymore.”

New Face on Older Neighborhood “Our aim is to make these neighborhoods of choice,” said Laura Wilkinson, director of the SwedishAmerican Foundation.

Since 2000, the foundation’s neighborhood redevelopment project, focused on an 81-block area surrounding the hospital, has resulted in new homes, new Habitat for Humanity homes, new apartment buildings and home rehabilitations. The foundation has awarded more than 90 50/50 rehabilitation grants to neighborhood homeowners to help with exterior repainting and new siding, garages and driveways. The City of Rockford also has assisted homeowners within the boundaries of the Jackson TIF neighborhood with money for home improvements.

“My house was in a desperate need of a brand new roof and an outside makeover — a full paint job,” said Jackson Oaks resident Bessie Martin, who received a 50/50 grant in March 2015 to transform the exterior of her home. “I didn’t have the funds to do it right away. My acceptance into the program was a huge blessing and a much needed one.”

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Fourteen local Jackson Oaks residents in all received more than $43,000 in March 2015 for exterior home renovations, and with a 50 percent match, a total of $89,000 went toward improving the neighborhood.

Through SwedishAmerican Foundation’s Home Ownership Grant program, 32 employees have used $5,000 grants toward the expenses of purchasing a home in the area, helping to transform the area from an at-risk, predominantly rental-occupied neighborhood into a stable, owneroccupied one. Since 2000 the foundation has committed more than $4.1 million and rehabilitated 24 existing homes, making 16 of them available for resale to employees. The foundation also purchased and renovated a two-building, 24-unit neighborhood apartment building complex.

“Our 50/50 grant program and home ownership grant program have helped our local neighbors feel a sense of pride in their homes,” Wilkinson said. “Plus, the programs have prompted other neighbors to do smaller projects on their properties.”

The City of Rockford, Habitat for Humanity and the foundation also worked to replace substandard dwellings with more than 23 new Habitat homes. Finally, a partnership with the William Charles Charitable Trust and Kids Around the World resulted in a new playground for neighborhood children without having to cross major thoroughfares and traffic hazards.

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Issues to Watch LEGISLATIVE New Illinois Laws for 2016 Here are some laws related to business, commerce, labor, regulation and licensure that have taken affect this year. For specific language of the laws, visit www.ilga.gov.

BUSINESS, COMMERCE, LABOR, REGULATION AND LICENSURE

Amusement Ride Regulations HB 3359/PA 99-0116 Provides that slides of all sizes operated by an amusement vendor be considered an amusement ride and subject to regulation.

Child-Care Employee Vaccination Requirement SB 986/PA 99-0267 Mandates any child-care facility that cares for children ages 6 and younger to require child-care employees to provide proof of two doses of the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine or provide proof of immunity.

Also requires child-care employees to show proof of having received the tetanus, diptheria and pertussis vaccine (Tdap).

Cigarette Distributor – Retail Prohibition HB 2513/PA 99-0192 Removes a provision that disallows cigarette distributors from also being retailers. A distributor may file a written request with the Department of Revenue to waive the requirement of listing the distributor’s cigarette distributor license number on every sales invoice. Also provides changes made to the training program criteria administered by retailers.

Currency Exchange Clarification SB 1882/PA 99-0445 Clarifies language to provide for a more efficient mechanism to yield services by currency exchanges.

Dental License Application HB 1496/PA 99-0366 Provides that a dental license applicant who did not graduate from a dental school in the United States or Canada must complete two years of general dental clinical training in the United States or Canada prior to licensure.

Elevator Safety SB 718/PA 99-0022 Provides that the Office of the State Fire Marshal shall authorize the issuance of elevator contractor’s licenses, elevator mechanic’s licenses, inspector’s licenses and inspection company licenses. The Elevator Safety Review Board no longer has the power to establish fee schedules for inspections of conveyances. Requires that all injuries caused by a malfunctioning conveyance be reported to the Office of the State Fire Marshal within two business days.

Equal Pay Act Changes HB 3619/PA 99-0418 Provides that the act applies to all employers (currently only employers with four or more employees). Any violation of the act will subject employers to civil penalties. Sets different penalty structures for employees with fewer than four employees and those with four or more employees. Committing public policy violations will subject the employer to a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000.

Equity Crowdfunding HB 3429/PA 99-0182 Allows companies, particularly startups, to build capital by soliciting small amounts of money from many investors over the Internet for the purchase and sale of securities.

Investors may be accredited or non-accredited. The Secretary of State is allowed to establish rules pertaining to issuance of securities, fees and notice requirements.

Home Kitchens HB 2486/PA 99-0191 Provides that a home kitchen operation does not include a person who produces or packages non-potentially hazardous baked goods for sale by a religious, charitable or nonprofit organization for fundraising purposes.

Human Trafficking Notices

HB 2556/PA 99-0099 Creates the Human Trafficking Resource Center Notice Act. Businesses and establishments that are prime “hot spots” for human trafficking are required to post a notice with information about the National Human Trafficking Resource Center and the hotline number.

Illinois Credit Union Amendment HB 2477/PA 99-0149 Codifies federal law by allowing state banks to create “savings promotion raffles.” An out-of-state credit union not registered with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will not impair the collectability of a loan made to an Illinois resident.

Insurance Public Adjuster License SB 810/PA 99-0266 Changes the wait time a prospective public adjuster licensee has until he/ she retake a failed licensure examination from 90 to seven days.

Life Insurance Legal Reserves SB 94/PA 99-0162 Changes standards and calculations required for legal reserves of life insurance companies. Implements NAIC model act on the uniform “Valuation Manual,” including the use of principle-based reserve valuation methods.

Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Changes SB 1571/PA 99-0031 Provides that nothing in the act may be construed to require an employer or a property and casualty insurer to reimburse a person for costs associated with the medical use of cannabis.

Minimum Wage Employers Negotiations SB 38/PA 99-0017 An initiative of the Illinois FOP Labor Council that amends the Minimum Wage Law by allowing a collective bargaining unit to negotiate and contractually exempt themselves from the hourly wage requirements imposed by the act. Instead, the union can agree to an alternate shift schedule as allowed under federal law.

New Business Website SB 659/PA 99-0134 Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to create and maintain a website to help anyone wishing to start a business in Illinois or relocate a business in Illinois.

Private Employment Agencies SB 1859/PA 99-0422 Makes changes relating to the procedures and record-keeping requirements of those seeking to open, or who have opened, private employment agencies. Establishes penalties for violators.

Rental Car Toll Violations HB 3788/PA 99-0214 Provides car rental and leasing companies with additional time to

provide proof that the car is a rental or leased vehicle in the event of a toll violation.

Residential Mortgage License Act Changes HB 3369/PA 99-0015 Amends the Residential Mortgage License Act to improve the efficiency and include modern best practices in the regulation of the act.

Serial Number Modification SB 1820/PA 99-0188 Provides for additional record keeping for all items purchased for resale or loan regardless of the source. All material purchased for resale or collateral must have an unmodified serial number.

Smart Phone Theft Protection Act SB 66/PA 99-0327 Creates the Smart Phone Theft Protection Act. Creates new regulations on vendors that buy and resell smart phones. Prohibits minors from trading in smart phones. Defines resale businesses that have 25 of more locations in the state (i.e., AT&T or Verizon) to ensure such business can enter into trade-in agreements for promotions and upgrade offers.

Tattoo and Body Piercing Establishment Registration Act HB 3375/PA 99-0117 Authorizes the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to establish and assess penalties or fines against any person who violates the Tattoo and Body Piercing Establishment Registration Act. Provides IDPH may assess a late fee if the renewal application and renewal fee are not submitted on or before the registration expiration date. Provides that in no circumstance will any penalties or fines exceed $1,000 per day for each day the violation continues.

Temporary Optometry Licensure SB 1504/PA 99-0043 Deletes a section that allowed for a temporary practice license for qualified optometrists licensed in other states who want to practice in a residency program in Illinois. Requires the department to audit renewals of optometrist licenses. Allows an optometrist to use the word “hospital” or “school” in marketing their location if they in fact do practice in a licensed hospital or accredited school.

Title Insurance Fee HB 3910/PA 99-0104 Provides that each title insurance company fee of $3 per policy is paid by the agent or agent’s parent company.

Towing Commercial Vehicles SB 1441/PA 99-0438 Prohibits tow truck drivers from removing commercial vehicles under their own power unless authorized to do so by a law enforcement officer.

Requires all law enforcement departments that patrol highways (excluding Chicago) to create a tow list to regulate towing in their jurisdictions.

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Businesses on the Move

May 2016

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Guest Perspective INSIGHT

Collaborations return Rockford to its former prominence Addressing abandoned properties downtown The City of Rockford has seen its share of challenges over the past couple decades. The numerous companies that fled during the last 50 years due to local and global economic conditions are well documented. Their departure left abandoned properties occupying downtown Rockford; creating a void, leaving the tax base and general aesthetic of the city less than desirable.

With great forethought and planning, some creative funding opportunities and collaboration, the City of Rockford is seeing a resurgence. At the center is the city’s involvement in leading the charge to take back old challenged properties and repurposing them for new uses.

Today, if you drive downtown, you will see development on almost every block, new roadways, a brand new bridge on Morgan Street, a vibrant restaurant community, and a beacon of hope in the shape of the almost complete UW Health Sports Factory.

No turnaround of this magnitude can be attributed to one thing, but rather the collaboration of a number of like-minded groups pushing in a similar direction. Even before the initiatives to revive downtown Rockford had begun, the City of Rockford started to lay the groundwork for the redevelopment of some of the city’s most challenging abandoned properties, including the former Ingersoll, Amerock and Tapco buildings.

Rejuvenating a Downtown Throughout the past 150 years, the former Ingersoll building had been occupied by numerous pump, machine tool, electric component and automotive equipment manufacturers, most recently Ingersoll Milling Machine. Although their contributions led to making the Rockford region a national manufacturing powerhouse, once gone, they left a legacy of old buildings in need of clean-up.

The former Ingersoll building, nearly three football fields in length and owned by the City of Rockford, is being redeveloped into the UW Health Sports Factory, which is slated to open in June. At one point, there was consideration of using the building as an indoor whitewater park, another very unique use for the former factory.

Although this idea didn’t pan out, it is encouraging to see that the city officials and others involved didn’t stop, but rather looked to other options to reuse the location, settling on an indoor sports complex.

The UW Health Sports Factory will provide the community and outof-town visitors with a state-of-the-art

There were a variety of enduse

solutions

Joel Zirkle Fehr Graham

considered for the property, but in the end, demolition and removal was the most cost-effective and environmentally sound solution to create more flexibility in the end-use of the property.

The former Amerock manufacturing facility next to Davis Park will be a $68.5 million hotel and conference center.

The former Tapco building next to Davis Park during demolition.

Rockford has a bright future. The City of Rockford, Transform Rockford, Reclaiming First, businesses and community members are making it happen.

The improved collaborative approach from all parties is the key to our community’s renewed sense of self-worth.

Joel Zirkle is principal and branch manager of Fehr Graham. The firm conducted the environmental assessments and cleanup activities for the former Ingersoll, Amerock

The former Ingersoll building is being redeveloped into the UW Health Sports Factory in downtown Rockford.

and Tapco buildings.

The views expressed are those of Zirkle’s

indoor sports complex that will play host to a variety of sporting events, including amateur sports tournaments.

The venue can accommodate 450 events per year, including 30 tournaments, and is projected to bring in $10 million in revenue annually.

The redevelopment has helped eliminate blight, as well as health and safety threats, and is providing support to surrounding urban restoration projects.

The project has helped spark another major redevelopment in downtown Rockford. The former Amerock manufacturing facility, located across the river from the UW Health Sports Factory and adjacent to Davis Park, is in the early stages of being converted into a $68.5 million hotel and conference center.

The hotel will provide the community and out-of-town visitors with a place to stay that is located within walking distance to the UW Health Sports Factory, high-quality shops, restaurants and entertainment, as well as the popular Rockford City Market which hosted more than 100,000 visitors in 2015.

Adjacent to the former Amerock building and Davis Park is the site that once was occupied by the Tapco building. The 130,000-sq. ft., six-story building had been left vacant after a decline in the textile industry. By the turn of the century, the building had become a major safety threat and liability for the city with concrete from the building falling on South Main Street. In 2012, to prevent possible injury and property damage, the city

closed the sidewalks and a lane of

and do not necessarily represent those of the

traffic with barricades.

Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

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PHOTO BY BRIAN THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY

(l to r) Tom McNamara, Third Ward Alderman; Peter Provenzano, President, Joseph James Partners; Shondra Wandell, Alpine Bank, Branch Manager; Rob Funderburg, Alpine Bank Chairman of the Board; Christie Jarrett, Stenstrom Companies; Bill Roop, Alpine Bank, President & CEO; David Hagney, President, Hagney Architects.

Alpine Bank groundbreaking new branch Doors scheduled to open in the fall of 2016

Alpine Bank held an event Wednesday, April 13, 2016, to dedicate the construction site of its 16th location, located at 1401 North Main Street. This location will be Alpine’s Bank’s first fullservice branch located west of the Rock River, and is the realization of a long-term plan to provide the bank’s growing customer base expanded geographic options.

Alpine Bank’s Chairman of the Board, Rob Funderburg, has long dreamed of opening a branch in the area. Near to his heart, Funderburg grew up in the North End area and fondly remembers it as a vibrant,

bustling neighborhood, full of young families and growing businesses.

In addition to Funderburg, speakers included Peter Provenzano, President of Joseph James Partner, a local real estate developer that has been focused on revitalizing the North End area, and Rockford’s Third Ward Alderman Tom McNamara.

The 2,700 square foot branch was designed by Hagney Architects and will feature three drive-through lanes and one ATM. Stenstrom began construction in late March and the branch plans to open its doors in the fall of 2016.

Financial resources to grow your small business What does U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offer to small business owners? The programs are many and varied, and the qualifications for each are specific.

SBA can help facilitate a loan for you with a third party lender, guarantee a bond, or help you find venture capital.

Understanding how SBA works is the first step towards receiving assistance.

SBA’s Role SBA provides a number of financial assistance programs for small businesses that have been specifically designed to meet key financing needs, including debt financing, surety bonds and equity financing.

Guaranteed Loan Programs (Debt Financing) SBA does not make direct loans to small businesses. Rather, it sets the guidelines for loans, which are then made by its partners (lenders, community development organizations and microlending institutions). The SBA guarantees that these loans will be repaid, thus eliminating some of the risk to the lending partners.

When a business applies for an SBA loan, it is actually applying for a commercial loan, structured according to SBA requirements with an SBA guaranty. SBA-guaranteed loans may not be made to a small business if the borrower has access to other financing on reasonable terms.

SBA loan guaranty requirements and practices can change as the government alters its fiscal policy and priorities to meet current economic conditions. You can’t rely on past policies when seeking assistance in today’s market.

Bonding Program (Surety Bonds) SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee (SBG) Program helps small business contractors who cannot obtain surety bonds through regular commercial channels.

A surety bond is a three-party instrument between a surety (someone who agrees to be responsible for

the debt or obligation of another), a contractor and a project owner. The agreement binds the contractor to comply with the terms and conditions of a contract. If the contractor is unable to successfully perform the contract, the surety assumes the contractor’s responsibilities and ensures that the project is completed.

Through the SBG Program, the SBA makes an agreement with a surety guaranteeing that SBA will assume a percentage of loss in the event the contractor should breach the terms of the contract. The SBA’s guarantee gives sureties an incentive to provide bonding for eligible contractors, thereby strengthening a contractor’s ability to obtain bonding and greater access to contracting opportunities for small businesses.

SBA can guarantee bonds for contracts up to $5 million, covering bid, performance and payment bonds, and in some cases up to $10 million for certain contracts.

Venture Capital Program SBA’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program is a public-private investment partnership created to help fill the gap between the availability of growth capital and the needs of small businesses.

The SBA does not invest directly in small businesses, relying instead on the expertise of qualified private investment funds. The SBA licenses these funds as SBICs and supplements the capital they raise from private investors with access to low-cost, government-guaranteed debt.

With these two sources of capital backing them, SBICs search across the United States for promising businesses in need of debt or equity financing.

SBICs are similar to other investment funds in terms of how they operate and their pursuit of high returns.

However, unlike other funds, SBICs limit their investments to qualified small business concerns as defined by SBA regulations.

Visit https://www.sba.gov.

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May 2016

Regional, National Indicators THE ECONOMY U.S. Indicators

Members Caught on Digital ON DIGITAL Ceremonial ribbon donated by SERVPRO of Rockford.

March 2016 Consumer Price Index



Unemployment Rate Payroll Employment Average Hourly Earnings Producer Price Index Employment Cost Index Productivity U.S. Import Price Index U.S. Export Price Index

0.1 percent 5.0 percent

      

215,000 $0.07 0.1 percent 0.6 percent (fourth quarter, 2016) 2.2 percent (fourth quarter, 2016) 0.2 percent 0.4 percent

New York Life held a ribbon cutting on April 6 at 973 Featherstone Road., Ste. 114, Rockford with Chad DeMarre.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment Rates Region / State / Nation Nov 2015

Dec 2015

Jan 2016

Feb 2016

Rockford

7.5

7.2

8.5

8.0

Chicago

5.4

5.5

6.6

6.8

Illinois

6.0

6.1

6.3

6.4

United States

5.0

5.0

4.9

4.9

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Northern Illinois Money Smart Week had its kick-off event on April 22 at Riverfront Museum Park.

Northern Illinois Money Smart Week announced the winners of the Kid Essay Contest.

Above, left to right: first place winner Donnie Burkholder, Thurgood Marshall; second place winner Mackenzie Forrester, St. Peter Catholic School – South Beloit; and, third place winner Jocelynn Hernandez, RESA Middle School.

State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford), Rep. Robert Pritchard (R-Sycamore) and Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) met with members of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Rockford program at the Illinois Capitol on April 6.

Remedies Renewing Lives held a ribbon cutting on April 7 at 220 Easton Pkwy., Rockford.

Ground Floor Skateboards held a ribbon cutting on April 15 at 333 E. State St., Ste. 50, Rockford.

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Business Briefs BUSINESS BRIEFS healthcare for underserved children in northwest Illinois.

Rockford Chamber members appear bolded. Thank you for your support of your fellow Chamber members.

An annual report showed that visitors to Rockford Park District’s parks, facilities, programs and partner programs increased by two percent in 2015. New programs for the year were: Flapjacks on the Farm & Cottontail Trail at Lockwood Park, golf bikes, golf boards and foot golf at Elliot Golf Course, more than 40 hockey leagues and power skating, and the youth outreach program, First Tee of Greater Rockford.

SwedishAmerican Home Care, part of SwedishAmerican, a division of UW health, received a 4.5-star (scale of 1 to 5) Quality of Patient Care Star Rating on Home Health Compare. The Web site established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aids consumers choosing a home health care provider.

SwedishAmerican Hospital installed a newborn safety system developed

by CertaScan Technologies that captures high-resolution newborn footprints for precise identification; replacing the ink-and-paper method.

The digital footprints and security photos are stored in the newborn’s electronic medical record.

Rock River Valley Pantry announced that BMO Harris Bank and Associated Bank donated funds for milk for kids participating in the Got Milk 4 Kids program. Alpine Kiwanis members will fund a 12-week milk program providing 125 adults over 65 with a gallon of milk, once a month, for the next three months. Kiwanis Club of Rockford gave financial support for a new vehicle for the pantry’s food rescue efforts and food drives.

OSF Northern Region Emergency Medical Services, spurred by Illinois Heart Rescue, trained the Rockford Fire Department on techniques that will double the neurologically intact survival rates of patients in cardiac arrest in transport by EMTs to the medical center. 2015 numbers showed that the OCHA survival rate was 46.2 percent, more than double the highest national average.

KMK Media Group produced a custom jingle and 30-second TV commercial for Siena on Brendenwood. KMK worked with a Milwaukee-based music production company to write the lyrics and music bed, and wrote, shot and produced the commercial.

Family Optical Centre hired Ignition Studio, Inc., to develop a new website.

For the second consecutive year, the national industry magazine, Becker’s Healthcare, included SwedishAmerican in its “150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare” list.

Rockford Roasting Company in downtown Rockford is serving gourmet sandwiches and salads for lunch, in partnership with Prairie Street Brewhouse.

The Rock Valley College Model United Nations team receives an Honorable Mention Delegation award at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City in March. RVC students Justin Brown and Rachael Hiu Ching Lo received the Outstanding Position Paper award in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

During standardized testing season, Spectrum Progressive School gave students and parents the option to participate in the Iowa Assessments given in many area private schools or to take part in “Genius Week.” The week is adapted for students from a program started by Google that allows employees to spend 20 percent of their time on any creative project as long as it may eventually become a new Google product. Google reports that 50 percent of its products were created during this time period.

Marco was named the winner of two 2016 Perfect Image Awards by imageSource Magazine in Dealer of the Year and Outstanding Leadership in Customer Engagement.

US News and World Report ranked UIC College of Pharmacy in Rockford as the sixth college of pharmacy in the nation, an improvement over its previous 14th place ranking.

Chartwell Agency worked with the Rochelle Chamber of Commerce to develop a comprehensive donor informational kit for potential sponsors of the Summer Country Jam event. It trained staff and committee members in refining their presentations to potential donors.

Rockford Art Museum board of trustees launched the I AM RAM campaign to support growth of the museum’s endowment fund, with a goal set for $500,000. Lon and Dick Behr Foundation and the Funderburg Foundation pledged $250,000 and invite the community to donate the rest.

The Law Office of Bradley R. Tengler, Inc., hired V2 Marketing to produce a series of educational video webinars and a website for a webinar series for do-it-yourself divorces. Ultrasonic Power Corporation hired V2 for inbound marketing services, which use the company’s website, email and social media channels and marketing automation to generate sales leads and analyze marketing activities.

The 22nd annual SwedishAmerican Cruise fundraiser in March drew 500 and raised more than $181,000.

First National Bank and Trust for the 19 consecutive quarter earned BauerFinancial Inc.’s highest 5-Star Superior rating for excelling in capital, loan quality and profitability.

KMK Media Group won a bronze Telly Award in the fundraising category at the 37th annual Telly Awards for its production of a video, “Where Dreams Take Flight,” honoring Rock Valley College’s 50th anniversary and featuring prominent alumni including CEOs, actors, bestselling authors and superintendents. View it at https:// youtu.be/Qq9c4x8qPYI. Illinois Bank & Trust’s Galena Banking Center received the 2016 Business Collaboration Award from the Tri-County Economic Development Alliance of Northwest Illinois.

A team of ten AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps members spent weeks at Stronghold Camp and Retreat Center removing invasive vegetation species and creating six ecosystem monitoring sites to allow indigenous plants and local wildlife to flourish. The 360 acres of primarily undeveloped forest is a significant regional environment and ecological laboratory for the Oregon area.

In March the Center for Sight & Hearing received a three-year accreditation from CARF International for assistive technology therapy, low vision therapy and vision rehab therapy.

Rockford Memorial Hospital received a 2016 Women’s Choice Award® after being named to the list of America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Safety by WomenCertified, a consumer advocate group that recognizes hospitals that meet the needs and preferences of women.

Mercy Hospital in Janesville, a part of MercyRockford Health System, also received the award.

The MDRT Foundation awarded a $1,000 grant to Crusader Community Health to provide timely access to

Savant Capital Management celebrates its 30th anniversary of helping clients work toward achieving their financial goals. In March, Savant awarded a grant to Rosecrance as a part of a $30,000 grant-making fund it established with Charles Schwab at the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. Savant will grant $2,500 each month to 12 eligible nonprofits.

Competitive golfers, ages 13 to 17 and 12 to 19, are invited to sign up for Rockford Park District’s Blueprint Golf School at Alpine Hills Junior Golf Club. Sessions begin April 9 and address the power of positive thinking, goal setting, how champions think, course management, rules and etiquette, and tips on practicing more efficiently and correctly. Visit www. golfrockford.org; click Lessons.

Patients now can schedule their own appointments, instead of calling a clinic, using SwedishAmerican’s free online patient portal, MySwedes Chart, 24 hours a day at www.myswedeschart.swedish american.org.

A former student in the Rock Valley College’s CIS-280 course (Programming iOS Apple Mobile Devices) was hired to work on the app development team at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

She’s the first student to land a job at Apple as a part of RVC’s iOS Developer University Program launched in 2012.

The female student’s name can’t be released, due to Apple’s privacy policies.

Rockford MELD was named the local non-profit for this year’s “SHARE THE LOVE” Subaru event and will receive more than $15,000 from Subaru sales or leases at Napleton Subaru of the Rockford area.

The National Association of Sports Commissions named Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau as Sports Tourism Organization of the Year. At the 2016 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism, the RACVB received Best Social Media Marketing for Stroll on State, which attracted more than 60,000 attendees, and Best Visitor Guide Publication.

The 2016 MELD Mother’s Day cards and note cards are available for purchase April 7 to May 9 at many local businesses. Note cards feature Tom Heflin’s artwork. Visit www. rockfordmeld.org.

The 2016 Winnebago County Plat Book with newly updated landownership maps now is available from Rockford Map Publishers at RockfordMap.com or at Waterside

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May 2016

Business Briefs BUSINESS BRIEFS Center, 124 N. Water St. The new plat book accurately displays parcel boundaries, acreage data, roadways, waterways, railways, section lines, municipal boundaries, recreational areas, and an index to landowners. An aerial map lies opposite each township parcel map for a quick gauge on the usage of a particular parcel.

Van Galder Bus Company earned a premiere rating by Transportation Safety Exchange, which investigates, reports and monitors the safety of motor carriers in North America, for meeting or exceeding standards of excellence for passenger and freight motor carriers.

Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center will host a free, 30- to 45-minute concert at noon on the last Friday of every month at Mendelssohn Hall, 406 N. Main St., featuring its grand Möller pipe organ and the compositions of Bach, César Franck and Louis Vierne.

Midway Village Museum opened a new exhibit through August, “100 Years of Changing Lives,” featuring Rosecrance’s 100-year history.

Illinois Bank & Trust sponsored Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for children in Jo Daviess County. Families can register their child for the program starting at birth, and Imagination Library sends an age-appropriate book

once a month until the child’s fifth birthday.

Rock the Ice – Team Rockford, the first area competitive high school figure skating team, which was formed by Rockford Park District and Rockford Skating Club, finished a very successful inaugural season.

For the second year, Associated Bank will sponsor the Bow Tie Guy. The 2016 Bow Tie March/Run takes place on June 11.

Colorwave Graphics, LLC installed huge wall graphics, fabric and rigid printed displays at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago for the Boston Consulting Group Concilium. It also installed a one-of-a-kind donor appreciation wall display at Remedies Renewing Lives’ new location.

SwedishAmerican Hospital joined more than 120 other leading healthcare organizations across the country in the AMGA Foundation’s Diabetes: Together 2 Goal campaign, which aims to improve care for one million people with Type 2 diabetes in the United States by 2019.

Ethnic Heritage Museum opened its newest exhibit, “Celebrating the 100 Years of Booker T. Washington Community Center,” in its African American Gallery open Sundays, 2 to 4 p.m., until September.

Get to Know Your Ambassadors Name: Chad A. DeMarre

Company: New York Life Insurance Company Position: Financial Services Professional

How long have you been an Ambassador?

Three years

What do you like most about being an Ambassador? I like being an ambassador because it allows me to meet new people, get to know what’s going on with businesses in the Rockford area, and exchange good ideas on how we, as a group, can better engage those businesses that are vitally important to the success of the Rockford area. I love the changes in the group this year, because it allows me the opportunity to actively meet business owners, which helps my business, but also helps to strengthen the Rockford Chamber’s presence in those businesses. It’s a win-win situation!

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the News IN Members THEin NEWS

1. Heather Kelley

2. Jan Hagenlocher

3. Greg Jury

4. Steve Schou

5. Rich Walsh

6. Stephen K. Ernst

7. Amy Ott

8. Mike Fadden

9. Thomas Weightman

10. Mark Leach

11. Dr. Timothy Swain

12. Dr. Manjusha Anna

13. Paul Arco

14. Vince Chiarelli

15. Linda Kuchenberg

16. Phyllis Oldenburg

Rockford Chamber members appear bolded. Thank you for your support of your fellow Chamber members.

BOARD APPOINTMENTS Heather Kelley (1), principal, V2 Marketing Communications, served as chair of the National Student Advertising Competition in the American Advertising Federation (AAF) District 6 in April in South Bend, Ind. SwedishAmerican Foundation welcomed Jan Hagenlocher (2), Greg Jury (3), Steve Schou (4) and Rich Walsh (5) to its operating committee.

Rockford Mass Transit District appointed Stephen K. Ernst (6) for a four-year term on its board of trustees; replacing Michael Wilcop, who served for 23 years.

Amy Ott (7), the first president of Boylan Catholic High School, was elected to the Northwest Bank board of directors in January.

Rockford Anesthesiologists Associated, LLC, announced the re-election of its physicians for two-year terms on its internal board of managers: Dr. W. Stephen Minore, president; Dr. Timothy Starck, secretary, and Dr. Randall Correia, member at large.

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, RETIREMENTS Dickerson & Nieman hired Mike Fadden (8) as an experienced broker at its Rockford office.

Thomas Weightman (9) was named associate vice president investment officer at the Gummow Wealth Advisory Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. Mark Leach (10) joined First National Bank and Trust as executive vice president, trust and investment officer.

Rachel Wilson joined Dickerson & Nieman Realtors as an agent at its Rockford office.

Rockford Health Physicians welcomed Timothy Swain, M.D. (11), cardiothoracic surgeon, and Manjusha Anna, M.D. (12), cardiologist, to the Heart and Vascular Center.

Paul Arco (13) joined OSF Healthcare as community relations coordinator for OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center.

Vince Chiarelli (14) joined First Midwest Group as senior accountant.

Linda Kuchenberg (15) joined First

National Bank and Trust as a residential loan originator.

Blackhawk Bank promoted Phyllis Oldenburg (16) to senior vice president operations and technology, Mathew Reynolds (17) to vice president retail banking and Kevin Busker (18) to vice president, retail administration.

Illinois Bank & Trust hired Kyle York (19) as the banking center manager for the Harrison and East State Street Banking Centers, Lucas Leonard (20) as senior personal banker at the Route 173 Banking Center and Mary Craft as personal banker at Harrison Banking Center.

Michelle Gorham (21), CFRE, joined YMCA of Rock River Valley as chief advancement officer.

Allen Jacque (22) joined Wipfli LLP as a litigation support and claim preparation expert based in the Northbrook office.

Gregg Rice (23) joined First National Bank and Trust as vice president and commercial banking officer.

Wesley Willows promoted Erica Figurin to director of Kirk’s Place Memory Care Center at Wesley Willows after completing specialized

training in memory care and dementia services at Rush University Medical Center.

Robert Marshall, M.D. (24), MPH, joined Rockford Health System’s Corporate Wellness program, which has expanded to include occupational health.

Rockford Memorial Hospital welcomed Evelyn Oteng, M.D. (25), as the newest member of its pain management team.

Midland States Bank hired Cristina Ciorna as training director.

EMPLOYEE/COMMUNITY RECOGNITIONS, AWARDS Rockford native Elizanne Hanitz Lewis, 96, was honored in March for her lifetime achievements in girl scouting by Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois.

Dr. Chris Kramer (26), associate professor of philosophy, received the Rock Valley College Faculty of the Year award for 2016.

Brian Oster, president, OC Imageworks, and his team received nationwide coverage as the March cover story in Sign Builder Illustrated, for a 40-foot history wall and 80 feet of other creative wall (continued on page 25)

17. Mathew Reynolds

18. Kevin Busker

19. Kyle York

20. Lucas Leonard

21. Michelle Gorham

22. Allen Jacque

23. Gregg Rice

24. Dr. Robert Marshall

25. Dr. Evelyn Oteng

26. Dr. Chris Kramer

27. Lochana Seenappa

28. Davidy Cyrs

29. Andy Huftalin

30. Steven Larsen

31. Sen. Dave Syverson

32. Kyle Sauders

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May 2016

the News IN Members THEin NEWS

33. Michael Montana

34. Kelly Krider

35. John Cook

41. Karla Rodgers

Continued from page 24 designs for the Brad Manning Ford dealership.

Lochana Seenappa (27), student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, master’s in medical biotechnology program, won the Laurette Kirstein Scholarship for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Michelle Dittbenner, project engineer; Robert Dreyer, superintendent, and Brandin Keltner, project manager, Ringland-Johnson Construction, earned certification from the Winnebago & Boone County Soil & Water Conservation Districts’ Sediment & Erosion Control Workshop.

David Cyrs (28), an independent financial advisor affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network® and sr. partner and owner of CYRS Wealth Advisors LLC, achieved Commonwealth Summit Club status for 2016.

Mark Frakes, fourth year medical student, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, had an abstract accepted for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2016.

Brandon Erdmier and Joshua Pfluger, Entré Computer Solutions, completed the ComTrain Tower Climbing Safety and Rescue Class, which will allow Entre to install and climb towers for advanced peer-to-peer wireless installations.

Andy Huftalin (29), project engineer, McClure Engineering Associates, Inc., obtained his certification for construction documentation from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Steven Larsen (30), music director, Rockford Symphony Orchestra,

36. Terri Eklund

42. Jimmy Rozinsky

37. Christie Dunkin

43. Phil Thompson

38. Jessica Bettner

44. Karl Arvidson

Thomas S. Johnson

Senior Partner, WilliamsMcCarthy concentrated his practice Thomas S. Johnson, in trust and estate law a senior partner with and received the highest WilliamsMcCarthy, died recognition in his specialty unexpectedly at his home by being named as a Fellow on Feb. 15. A Rockford of the American College of native, Tom graduated Trust and Estate Counsel. from Rockford College in Tom was instrumental in 1964 and then received his the growth and success of law degree from Harvard WilliamsMcCarthy LLP Law School in 1967. He and was president of the served in the U.S. Army Thomas S. Johnson law firm from 1987-2002. from 1968-1970, where he received the Meritorious Service He was known for his incredible Medal. Tom then returned to Rockford speaking ability and keen wit and to join the law firm founded by his his influence reached well beyond mentors, Karl Williams and John C. Rockford. Tom was unwavering in his McCarthy and began a distinguished support of the firm, his colleagues, his legal career that lasted 46 years. Tom community and the legal profession.

Saint Anthony College of Nursing students and faculty received poster awards at the Stateline Nurses Network 2016 Nurses Expo at Giovanni’s: Cynthia B. Kelling, Wearing equestrian helmets: Surveying the attitudes of riders; Sarah Linder, The relationship between depression scores and readmission rates in CHF patients, and Fiona Okoroti, Telemedicine program for chronic wound management: An integrative literature review.

State Sen. Dave Syverson (31) received the Legislative Champion award from the Illinois State Alliance of YMCAs. Kyle Saunders (32), water treatment supervisor, City of Rockford, received the Illinois Section AWWA YP Excellence Award at the Illinois Section American Water Works Annual Conference and Expo. Michael

40. Brandon Latino

45. Matt Honson

— IN MEMORIAM —

was named 2016 Conductor of the Year in the professional orchestra category by the Illinois Council of Orchestras.

39. Bonnie Arrington

Montana (33), senior engineering technician, received first place in the poster competition.

Brent Brodeski, chief executive officer, Savant Capital Management, was named to Barron’s 2016 Top Financial Advisor List for the third year in a row.

board member and contributed his expertise in landscape design and interest in quality treatment programs.

Comfort Keepers, northwest Illinois announced the following awards: Terri Eklund, (36) February Caregiver of the Month; Christie Dunkin (37), March Caregiver of the Month; Joann Weaver, Caregiver of the First Quarter 2016, and Jessica Bettner (38), Rookie of the First Quarter 2016.

OF GENERAL INTEREST Bonnie Arrington (39), Brandon Latino (40), Karla Rodgers (41) and Jimmy Rozinsky (42), Spectrum Insurance Agency, attended a cyber continuing education class by IIA of IL, and Phil Thompson (43) an ethics class by Servpro in March.

Philip R. Schalow, owner, Upper Cervical Care Center - Rockford, 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C., published an abstract in the March 2016 volume of Journal of Chiropractic Education. “Upper cervical chiropractic management of overuse syndrome in a violist” also was presented as a poster at the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Research Agenda conference in March.

Christine Emmert, registered dental hygienist, Crusader Community Health, was the 2015 recipient of the IFLOSS Coalition Oral Health Champion Award.

Karl Arvidson (44) and Matt Honson (45), Thayer Lighting, Inc., traveled to San Diego to attend LIGHTFARE International 2016.

Students Sarah Bunch and Ben Weger received the U.S. Public Health Service Award at the 21st annual Research Day ceremony in April at the University of Illinois Rockford.

Jody Perrecone, certified nutrition consultant and facilitator of the CHIP Wellness program, presented “Combating Stress with Foods” for the students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine’s Wellnessdays.

Kelly Krider (34), wide format specialist, was named Meridian’s Employee of the Month for March.

Rockford landscape architect John Cook (35), owner, John R. Cook Associates, received the Castle Award at the Rosecrance Foundation Benefit. He’s been a

Pamela Murphy, REALTOR®, MurphyRealty, Inc., Rockton, participated in the Illinois REALTORS®Capitol Conference and REALTOR® Lobby Day, April 5 in Springfield.

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May 2016

Rockford Chamber members appear bolded. Thank you for your support of your fellow Chamber members.

Sunday, May 1

The Barbara Olson Center of Hope hosts its second-annual Spring Tea, 1 to 3:30 p.m., at Forest Hills Country Club, 5135 Forest Hills Road, Rockford. “An Afternoon in Wonderland,” is emceed by Whitney Martin, WIFR-TV 23, and includes teas, finger sandwiches and desserts; items for sale, and an auction and style show with unique up-dos from area salons. Register at 815-9649275, ext. 265, or visit www.b-olsoncenterofhope.org.

Monday, May 2

Illinois Bank & Trust’s Gear Street Branch, 971 Gear St., Galena, will display a traveling exhibit from the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Dinosaurs Unearthed, May 2 to 16, featuring “Shorty” the Dilophosaurus.

Wednesday, May 4

SwedishAmerican, Jackson Oaks Neighborhood Association and the Rockford Police Department host a free Strong Neighborhood House first-birthday celebration, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., at Revell House, 1233 Revell St., Rockford. Call 779-6964339 for questions.

Community Events COMMUNITY

Friday, May 6

Rockford MELD hosts a Wine Tasting, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Artale Wine Company, 6876 Spring Creek Road. Visit www.rockfordmeld.org or call 815-963-6353, ext. 10, for more information.

Sunday, May 8

Celebrate Mother’s Day with free admission for all mothers and grandmothers during Museums for Moms, 2016, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pick up a passport at one museum, then visit three more to be entered in a drawing for free memberships to all five: Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden, Discovery Center Museum of Rockford, Burpee Museum of Natural History, Rockford Art Museum and Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens.

Tuesday, May 10

The Rock Valley College Music Department hosts its 2016-2017 Music Scholarship Auditions, May 10 and 11, with more than $40,000 awarded for the upcoming school year in the Performing Arts Room on campus. Visit rockvalleycollege.edu/ musicscholarship.

Wednesday, May 11

Thursday, May 5

The annual Rosecrance Flower Day takes place 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Gensler Gardens, 8631 11th St., New Milford; and 102 Orth Road, Loves Park.

BetterLife Wellness, formed by SwedishAmerican and the YMCA of Rock River Valley, presents the free event Aromatherapy for Healthful Beauty, 5:30 p.m., with certified aromatherapist Jodell Gabriel at the I.D. Pennock Family YMCA, 200 Y Blvd., Rockford. Call 779-696-9700 or visit www.swedishamerican.org.

Thursday, May 12

The Beach Boys perform, 7:30 p.m., at Coronado Performing Arts

Center, 314 N. Main St., Rockford.

Tickets at Ticketmaster.com or call 815-968-0595.

Saturday, May 14

RAMP presents its 11th-annual BAD PROM Theme Boone County Wheel-A-Thon at the Doty Park Pavilion along the Kishwaukee Riverfront Path, 365 W. Locust St., Belvidere. Registration at 8:30 a.m.; Kids Fun Run, 9:30 a.m.; Wheel-AThon & 5K, 10 a.m., and award presentation and refreshments, 10:45 a.m. Register at www.classy.org/ boonecountywheelathon.

The 13th-annual Rockford Football Training Camp, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Auburn High School stadium, 5110 Auburn St. Guest speakers/ instructors include Kyle Fuller, Chicago Bears, and former Green Bay Packer player LeRoy Butler.

Stadium opens at 8:15 a.m. Register at www.rockfordparkdistrict.org/ youthsports.

Sunday, May 15

The African American Gallery of the Ethnic Heritage Museum, 1129 S. Main St., Rockford, hosts a special program at 3 p.m., in conjunction with the opening of the exhibit, “Celebrating the 100 Years of Booker T. Washington Community Center.”

Visit www.ethnicheritagemuseum.org.

Tuesday, May 17

Edward Jones presents a workshop, My Brain Made Me Do It, strategies to help you make better decisions, 6 to 8 p.m., with Jennifer Reisinger, at 4949 Harrison Ave., Rockford, lower level community room. RSVP to 815-397-5157 or Pamela.elliott@ edwardjones.com by May 13.

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Friday, May 20

Remedies Renewing Lives hosts its ninth-annual Golf Play Day at Aldeen Golf Club with a 10:30 a.m. bag drop, 11 a.m. free practice range, 11:30 a.m. lunch and 1 p.m. shotgun start.

Register at 815-966-1287, ext. 239, or www.remediesrenewinglives.org.

Kiwanis Club of Rockford presents the third-annual Budding Artists Fundraiser, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club, 5151 Guilford Road, Rockford. Live music at 6 p.m.; live auction from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets at www. kiwanisclubofrockford.com through May 7.

Saturday, May 21

Rockford Park District presents Get “Lost” in the Woods, 1 to 3 p.m., at Seth B. Atwood Park, 2685 New Milford School Road. Learn the basics of using a map and compass and join in a few activities. Free. No registration required.

Saturday, May 28

Rock Valley College presents an “Hour of Code” Workshop, 9 to 10 a.m., at Woodward Technology Center 152, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford. Includes a code tutorial and raffle drawing for door prizes.

Register at hourofcodeworkshops. eventbrite.com.

Tuesday, May 31

The WWE SMACKDOWN TV will broadcast to the world from Rockford for the first time in three years, 7 p.m., at BMO Harris Bank Center, 300 Elm St. Register at the box office, www.ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

Membership Renewals Thank you to members who renewed with the Rockford Chamber of Commerce in March, 2016.

A-1 Dry Cleaners & Laundry Above and Beyond Associates Alpha Controls & Services Alpine Bank American Driveway Maintenance, Inc. Arthritis Foundation, Heartland Region – Northwest Illinois Office AT&T Ballard Companies, Inc. Barbara Olson Center of Hope BMO Harris Bank BMO Harris Bank Center Bradford Systems Corporation Brightbill/Ericson Eye Associates Chartwell Agency Coca-Cola Refreshments EGS Customer Care Inc. Electrical Workers Union/ Local 364 IBEW Employers’ Coalition on Health (ECOH) ESCO Grinding & Supply Company Gambino Realtors Home Builders, Inc. Guler Appliance Company

Guyer & Enichen – Attorneys at Law Hayes Beer of Rockford Highcrest Centre HolmstromKennedyPC Hooters of Rockford Integra Business Systems, Inc. Kent Feeds, Inc. Klaas Financial Asset Advisors, LLC Lamar Outdoor Advertising of Rockford LaMonica Beverages, Inc. Manpower Mark Pack Inc. MegaFab MercyRockford Health System Meridian (Starwood Dr.) Meridian (N. 2nd St.) Midwest Scale Company, Inc. Missman, Inc. Modernspace Studio/ Techline-Rockford New Leaf Remodeling Northern Illinois Building Contractors Association

Northpoint Benefit Group Inc. NTS Technical Systems P. A. Peterson Center for Health Paper Recovery Services Corp.

PCI Pharma Services Pepper Creek/Fourth Street Greenhouse Pepsi-Cola of Rockford Perryville CRASH1 Preservation Pointe Condo Association Quimby & Co., P.C. Rock River Training Corp.

Rock River Valley Pantry Rockford Charter Coach Rockford Consulting & Brokerage Rockford Health Council Rockford Mass Transit District Rockford Mass Transit District/ Paratransit Rockford Mercantile Agency, Inc. Rockford Public Library Rosecrance Health Network Seguin RCA

Sems and Specials Inc. Sikich LLP Sjostrom & Sons, Inc. Sprinkmann Sons Corporation Stanley Steemer of Rockford Superior Joining Technologies, Inc. SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Health SWITS, Ltd. Transformations Plastic Surgery UNION Savings BANK Village of Machesney Park Visions Lighting and Accessories Voss Metals Company, Inc. Willett Hofmann & Associates, Inc. Williams-Manny Insurance Group WilliamsMcCarthy LLP Winnebago County Medical Society Wipfli LLP WQRF-TV/WTVO-TV Youngberg Industries, Inc. Zion Development Corporation Zuba and Associates, P.C.

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Membership: 101 101 MEMBERSHIP

Build your pro-referral business network

One main reason members join the Rockford Chamber is to connect with fellow business owners and organizational leaders. Leverage your business or career by seeking and making referrals and generating positive word-of-mouth for fellow chamber members. SCORE offers these suggestions for creating an environment for business referrals.

1. Be active in two different types of associations.

Choose an association that is related to your industry or field, and another that has more of a general business focus. You’ll meet experts in your specific market and mix with successful entrepreneurs from all areas.

2. Share your knowledge freely.

To increase visibility, showcase your expertise and generate good will by considering giving presentations at no charge to local chambers of commerce or other associations. Donate samples of your product or service to fundraisers. Volunteer to write articles for smaller publications that reach your target audience.

3. Provide referrals yourself.

This should generate in-kind referrals from colleagues and associates for whom you’ve generated business.

4. Recruit cheerleaders.

Build a team of supporters for your business — friends, family and colleagues who not only cheer you along, but sing your praises and spread the word about your business.

5. Create an informal advisory board.

Establish a group of professional advisors you can call on to help with planning and problem solving. Build this group through people you meet at trade shows or conferences or volunteer with.

Be prepared to give strategic assistance to their businesses as well.

6. Do a good job for your clients.

Seems obvious, but this is the most powerful strategy of all. Clients will not only bring you repeat business, but send other businesses your way.

7. Maintain visibility at the local level.

Be an active member in your local business community.

Volunteer for nonprofits aligned with your field, attend chamber of commerce mixers and participate in local activities. These personal bonds fuel new business opportunities.

8. Put technology to work.

Leverage your time and reach with technology — everything from voice mail, cell phones, desktop publishing, email and Internet.

9. Have a backup network.

If circumstances result in you not being available or able to complete a customer’s work, have a backup system to ensure that the work gets done on time. Your customers will appreciate your professionalism and reliability — and send more business your way.

10. Ask. Train yourself at the conclusion of a successful project to ask for your client’s business again, and suggest that they pass your name along to others.

Written by Terri Lonier, author of Working Solo, for Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).

New Chamber Members MEMBERS ALLSTATE - J ELLIS AGENCY

JONES’ NATURAL CHEWS

It’s our mission to be the Good Hands - to help protect customers and be a force for good in our communities.

4855 E. State St., Ste. 19, 61108 Jill M. Ellis-Craig 815-226-0202 www.allstateagencies.com/24957

Manufacturers of Natural Dog Bones and Chews. Grown and Made in the USA. Chews and treats to accommodate all sizes dogs.

4960 28th Ave., 61109 Robert L. Jones 815-316-6635 www.jonesnaturalchews.net

ANDCO KITCHENS & BATHS, INC.

LECHTENBERG & ASSOCIATES LLC

We provide cabinetry and countertops designed for new and remodeled kitchens and bathrooms.

540 S. Perryville Road, 61108 Paul Johnson 815-398-1550 www.andcokitchens.com

Immigration and Employment Attorneys/Human Resources Matters 1235 N. Mulford Road, Ste. 208, 61107 Penelope M. Lechtenberg 815-222-6727 www.lechtenberglawfirm.com

ART CASTING OF ILLINOIS

ROCK RIVER DEVELOPMENT We are a bronze foundry specializing PARTNERSHIP in fine art sculpture.

P.O. Box 394 Oregon, IL 61061 www.harryspell.com

COOKIES BY DESIGN Say It With Cookies. Our cookie bouquets are hand decorated and personalized just for you.

6415 E. Riverside Blvd., 61114 Tasha Nafranowicz 815-282-5400 www.cookiesbydesign.com

GEOSTAR MECHANICAL Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, Food Service Equipment Contractor P.O. Box 7896, 61125 Dan Blocker 815-494-9090 www.geostarinc.com

GROUND FLOOR SKATEBOARDS Skateboard Retail Shop in Downtown Rockford 333 E. State St., Ste. 50, 61104 Alicia Neubauer 815-979-9265 www.groundfloorskateboards.com

TMR ASSOCIATES LLC Business Performance Improvement, Sales Consulting, New Customer Development, Market Intelligence Michael Wentworth 815-593-1746 www.tmrassociatesllc.com

TRIANGLE METALS USA Specializing in Stainless Steel Fabrications. Triangle Metals has over 60 years of experience in the creation of high quality sheet metal parts and weldments.

2500 Harrison Ave., 61108 Gino Rigitano 815-398-0280 www.trianglemetalsusa.com

May 2016 Member Anniversaries Thank you to the members celebrating their anniversaries with the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

35-YEAR MEMBER

10-YEAR MEMBERS

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

Hilton Garden Inn Meg’s Daily Grind

30-YEAR MEMBERS FurstStaffing William N. Georgis, MD, SC Van Sickle & McLaughlin, CPA’s

25-YEAR MEMBERS Johnson Controls Inc. L/J Fabricators, Inc. SupplyCore, Inc.

15-YEAR MEMBERS

www.rockfordchamber.com

Bringing business and people together to create place. We are entrepreneurial and experiential market makers.

124 N. Water St., Ste. 303B, 61107 Cathy McDermott 815-977-5124 www.rrdp.org

Comfort Keepers Mainstreet Financial Group North Park Rental Service, Inc. Rockford Linear Actuation, Inc.

5-YEAR MEMBERS Danfoss Power Electronics Harlem Community Center LSP Industries, Inc. New Leaf Remodeling Rock River Valley Pantry SundogIT

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theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Rockford makes progress on one crime list Neighborhood Scout in April released its “Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities” for 2016, and Rockford finished 31st on the list.

It’s a straightforward statistical ranking with cities with more than 25,000 residents ranked “based on the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Violent crimes include murder, rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault. Data used for this research are 1) the number of violent crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city.”

Using what appears to be 2015 data, Neighborhood Scout’s statistics showed that 12.67 people out of every 1,000 were victims of a violent crime and that your chances of being a victim was 1 in 79.

The 10 most dangerous cities on the Neighborhood Scout rankings were:

Bringing everyone to the table

By Alex Gary There is no shortage of groups wanting to get involved with one of the most vexing issues facing Rockford and many other communities – how to best help those returning from jail or prison.

This year, Transform Rockford has held four meetings of groups that are providing some sort of reentry services, whether it be case management, training or referral services. Each meeting has drawn between 40 to 50 people.

That interest is encouraging, but the meetings also illustrate a different problem. At least eight different organizations do case management, more than a dozen offer training programs, even more offer referral services. It’s a dizzying mix of groups with no unified plan.

According to Rockford Assistant Deputy Chief Mike Dalke, there are between 800 and 1,000 parolees in the Winnebago County community each day. Many are facing the same issues: difficulty finding housing, even more difficulty finding work, and unable to shake off their past. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates men with criminal records account for about 34 percent of all nonworking men between the ages of 24 and 55.

“When someone walks out of jail, they’ve had housing, food, their time filled,” Dalke said. “Now, unless they have a support network they have to figure these things out for themselves.”

Reentry Into Society For the past couple of years, the lead agency for helping people navigate their way back into society was Lutheran Social Services, through a contract with the City of Rockford. The contract

however, expired last year and wasn’t renewed. City and county officials then signed a tentative deal with Rockford Reachout Jail Ministry to develop a reentry program. Rockford Reachout is known more for ministering to men and women within the jail, but the group also has a mentoring program for those who have left jail and prison.

That deal was never ratified by the Rockford City Council, and that brought Transform Rockford into the mix. The early meetings have included mapping out what services are available and by what groups, breaking the attendees into work groups and listening to a presentation from the Racine Second Chance 5-Year Strategic Plan. The goal is to have draft recommendations and implementation steps ready by the end of June.

Tommy Meeks is community liaison for Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen and works with at-risk youth as well as adults coming out of jail or prison. He said the littlest things become big hurdles.

“Just getting proper documentation is hard,” Meeks said. “You need an I.D., but it’s hard to get transportation.

You can’t apply for jobs or get housing without proper documentation. And getting a job when you have a record.

You’ve done your time, but in this town it follows you forever. People who run companies have to find it in their hearts to hire one, two or three of these guys.

You got to give these guys opportunity, hope.”

Alex Gary is president of Alex Gary Communications Inc. The views expressed are those of Gary’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

1. East St. Louis, Ill. 2. Camden, N.J. 3. Detroit, Mich.

4. Alexandria, La. 5. Wilmington, Del. 6. Memphis, Tenn.

7. Flint, Mich.

8. Saginaw, Mich.

9. Oakland, Calif.

10. St. Louis, Mo. The fact that Rockford made the list is the bad news. The positive would be that Rockford improved.

Here is where Rockford was ranked in the past four Neighborhood Scout lists: 2012 - No. 26 2013 - No. 32 2014 - No. 30 2015 - No. 20 So Rockford had been heading in the wrong direction. Progress has to start somewhere.

Tax refund encourages home sales in Rockford In 2015 one out of three homes sold in Rockford was a foreclosure or short sale, according to the Rockford Area Association of Realtors. This drag on real estate values has dropped the typical sale price from $98,500 to $47,500. The tough real estate market also has nearly eliminated the demand for new singlefamily home construction, with fewer than 10 single-family building permits issued each year in the last four years.

The City of Rockford launched the Homebuyer’s Property Tax Refund Program to boost investment in Rockford neighborhoods. Purchasers of foreclosed or short-sale and newly built single-family homes in the city will receive a property tax refund for three years, issued at the end of each tax year in a lump sum to cover up to 100 percent of the owner’s property tax bill, if all taxing bodies approve the program. Homebuyers must be under contract by Dec. 31, 2016.

Quick Facts ■ An estimated 100 homes in Rockford on the market today qualify for the program. They range in price from $8,300 to $170,000. In 2015, roughly 650 homes sold in 2015 would qualify for the program.

■ For a house valued at $100,000, the annual refund might total up to $4,000, assuming all taxing bodies approve. Buyers may qualify if they are under contract for sale and purchase the day the initiative is approved by the governing bodies or any time until Dec. 31, 2016.

■ The purchased home must be the buyer’s primary residence. There will be a required annual proof of residency.

■ Participants do not need to be first-time homebuyers, and they don’t have to currently live in Rockford to participate.

To view the existing properties, visit www.homebuyerstaxrefund.org.

— Barbara Connors

ILLINOIS TENTH IN INCOME TAXES PER PERSON The Tax Foundation, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit, released its annual look at the states that collect the most in income taxes, and unfortunately Illinois made the top 10.

The Tax Foundation tracks state and local combined individual income tax collections per persons.

The rankings were based on 2013 figures, the most recent available.

On average, state and local governments collected $1,070 per person from individual income taxes in 2013.

Top 10 Taxes Per Person New York . . . . . . . $2,550 Connecticut . . . . . $2,172 Maryland . . . . . . . . $2,061 Massachusetts . . . $1,919 California . . . . . . . $1,739 Minnesota . . . . . . . $1,651 Oregon . . . . . . . . . $1,594 New Jersey . . . . . . $1,359s Virginia . . . . . . . . . $1,318 Illinois . . . . . . . . . . $1,283 Seven states, Alaska, Washington, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota, Texas and Florida, do not charge a state income tax and New Hampshire and Tennessee tax interest and dividend income only.

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CEANCI Roundtables

O’Shea officially Rockford’s new police chief

(continued from front page)

Dan O’Shea, former commander for the Elgin (Ill.) Police Department, was sworn in as the new chief of the Rockford Police Department on April 18 at city hall. O’Shea replaces former Rockford Police Chief Chet Epperson, who retired last November.

Dan O’Shea According to a comment made by Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey to the Chicago Tribune, O’Shea’s philosophy of community policing will fit in well with the Rockford Police Department’s mission of “reducing crime and enhancing the quality of life through an active partnership with our community.”

The 48-year-old has been in law enforcement for 27 years and with the Elgin Police Department for 17.

Door-to-door scams Prepare to say no!

When the weather warms, con men begin their annual trek through neighborhoods pushing their door-to-door scams, according to the Better Business Bureau, which warns that now is the time for consumers to be on their guard.

Common door-to-door scams include: Magazine Sales. Often it’s a young person who appears at your door with an offer to sell subscriptions to magazines.

They will lead you to believe it’s a great deal, but often the prices are as much as three times the regular price. You pay with cash, check or credit card, and then you receive nothing in return.

Utility Slam. Companies hire salespeople to knock on your door and tell you that you can save you money on your electricity or gas bill. They’ll ask to see your bill so they can point out all the ways they can help you save. Their goal is not to help you save, but to switch your service provider.

Many times, they’ll offer you a low introductory rate before the company jacks the price up months later. The real danger here is you don’t even have to agree to anything – if they see your account number, they can take it and switch you to a different company without your permission.

Home repair scams. Someone offers to do yard work or make repairs in or around your home. You want to save money and really need the work done, so you give it a shot. He or she takes a cash payment from you upfront … and never returns.

Alarm System Scams. Scam artists comb neighborhoods looking for signs posted in yards warning that the home has a security system. They knock on the door and tell you the system needs to be upgraded. Once inside they give you the bad news that the system cannot protect you against today’s modern theft techniques and offer to “upgrade” your system. In reality they are disconnecting your service provider and installing a

system from their company. If you agree to the “upgrade” and sign their agreement, you could be locked into a multi-year contract that can end with a costly penalty if you try to break it.

Storm Chasers. Spring can bring severe weather, leaving behind haildamaged roofs. And following the storms are fraudsters known as “storm chasers.”

They sell themselves as roofing contractors.

They go town-to-town, door-to door, taking money for work, underperforming or not performing at all, and then moving on to the next town before the homeowners can get their money back.

Follow These Tips ■ Don’t let anyone come into your home unless you have a prescheduled appointment. You have the right to refuse to open your own door.

■ Don’t show your bill to anyone who comes to your home claiming to be with a utility company or other service provider.

■ Confirm any necessary work, upgrades or special offers with your service provider — using the number on your bill or their website.

■ Never sign any agreement where you feel pressured to do so.

■ Do not sign anything that you have not read thoroughly.

■ If the cost of the subscriptions is $25 or more, you must be informed of your threeday right to cancel. If they do not, assume it is a scam.

■ Get a written contract that specifies the price and the work to be done and a time frame. In Illinois, state law requires a written contract with all costs enumerated for home repair or remodeling work over $1,000.

■ Pay by credit card, if possible. You may have additional protection if there’s a problem. Otherwise, pay by check. Never pay in cash.

collaborates with businesses and higher learning to offer services to improve achievement for students enrolled in automotive technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing, culinary arts, child development, graphic arts technology, health science, business and technology, and agriculture programs.

“Our goal is to support program improvement, curricular and instructional change, and alignment to local industry needs,” said Margie Hartfiel, system director at CEANCI.

Need for Credentials, Soft Skills A mix of roughly 55 industry leaders and CTE high school instructors attended the April 7 roundtable and ranked the soft and basic skills, skillsets and certifications employers in culinary arts and child development look for in prospective new hires.

In meeting the needs of employers in child development, the group concluded that high school students with Early Care Education (ECE) were more likely to be hired. More considerations included the attainment of associate’s degrees, CPR First Aid classes, and certifications in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS).

The group suggested offering a technology etiquette class, as they found

A mix of roughly 55 industry leaders and CTE high school instructors attended the April 7 roundtable and ranked the soft and basic skills. employees’ usage of technology to be a problem. Soft skills they found lacking were in teamwork and confidence.

Employers in the culinary arts said that their pet peeves in regard to new hires were in not being on time, overconfidence in applicants and employees, lack of energy and enthusiasm, and inappropriate appearance. Skills they suggested the curriculum sharpen were in customer service, personal presentation, teamwork, communication, math, certifications, and code of conduct for technology.

“The outcome, as usual, was a huge success,” said Beth Mead, community outreach coordinator for CEANCI. Many business partners signed up for the CEANCI Career Cruising/ unite! business portal. “This allows students and industry to participate in many activities together, which in turn strengthens our workforce,” Mead said.

Career Exploration Activities include mock interviews, mentors, classroom speakers, career fairs, company tours and internships. theVoice

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May 2016

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

EVENTS

Upcoming Chamber Events MAY, 2016 Tuesday, May 3

Business Women’s Council, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Rockford Country Club, 2500 Oxford St. Penny Lechtenberg, Lechtenberg & Associates, presents Navigating Your Road to Success. She will share her 20-plus years of employment law experience on overcoming obstacles in a career path. Sponsored by MembersAlliance Credit Union.

Friday, May 6

Ribbon Cutting, Glenn Netto Health and Wellness Center, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave., 10 to 11 a.m.

Tuesday, May 10

Chamber 101 with Speed Networking, a quarterly member orientation, 4 to 5:15 p.m., Rasmussen College, 6000 E. State St., fourth floor, Rockford.

Sponsored by MembersAlliance Credit Union (presenting) and Rasmussen College (hospitality).

Presented by:

Wednesday, May 11

Breakfast Buzz, 7:30 to 9 a.m., Rock Valley College, Woodward Technology Center, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford. Ron Giordan, Mid‑West Digital Marketing, presents Social Media Strategies.

Sponsored by RSM.

Friday, May 13

Government Affairs Council, 7:30 to 8:45 a.m., Stockholm Inn, 2420 Charles St., Rockford. Jennifer Morrison, executive director, Transportation for Illinois Coalition, will offer an analysis on the state of our transportation infrastructure.

The coalition is attempting to keep the need for increased transportation investment on the state’s public policy agenda, despite its fiscal and political challenges.

Sponsored by AT&T.

Wednesday, May 18

People You Should Know (PYSK) Talk, noon to 1 p.m., Rockford University, 5050 E. State St. (5100 building along State Street). Dr. Lamata Mitchell presents.

(continued on page 31)

It doesn’t matter how long your drive is or if you have to yell “Fore”, it is time to get out and golf. Gather up co-workers, clients or prospects for the Rockford Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Classic. Always a great day to network and connect with potential new clients. This first-class event is one of the business community favorites. Last year was a sell-out event so please, register today!

• 11:00 AM Registration / Lunch • 12:00 PM Shotgun start • Dinner and Prizes Immediately Afterward

May 23, 2016

Charges: $165/player or $660/foursome*

Forest Hills Country Club 5135 Forest Hills Rd Rockford, IL

Sponsorships available, including tee-box sponsors Lunch-only and Dinner-only registration available for non-golfers Gift Sponsor:

Photo Sponsor:

Greens Sponsors:

For more information or to register, please visit: rockfordchamber.com or call 815.987.8100 *The Chamber Golf Classic is a rain or shine event. In the event of inclement weather that causes the golf course to be closed during the event, any postponements or replaying of the round will be subject to the policies of The Forest Hills Country Club.

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

EVENTS

Upcoming Chamber Events Thursday, May 19 11:30 am - 1:15 pm Radisson Hotel & Conference Center 200 S. Bell School Rd., Rockford

Celebration of Leadership LUNCHEON

Keynote speaker is Kika Young, Forest City Gear, and alumna of Leadership Rockford.

Sponsored by PNC Bank (presenting), and Associated Bank, FIELD, OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, RSM US LLP, and SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Health (business).

Wednesday, June 8

Breakfast Buzz, 7:30 to 9 a.m. New location! PURI Business School building, Rockford University, 5050 E. State St., room 124. Becky Riojas, Townsquare Media; Scott Picken, News Director - WQRF-TV/WTVO-TV; Dave Smith, 23 WIFR, and John Chadwick, WREX, presents News Coverage Update for 2016. How has the explosion of distribution channels affected the operations of broadcast television and radio news?

Sponsored by RSM.

Thursday, June 9

Monday, May 23

Rockford Chamber Golf Classic, 11 a.m., Forest Hills Country Club, 5135 Forest Hills Road, Rockford.

Sponsored by SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Health (presenting); Blackhawk Bank (gift), OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center (photo), and The Alliance and General Mitchell International Airport (greens).

Thursday, May 26

Business After Hours with the Phantom Regiment, 5 to 7 p.m., Rockford University, 5050 E. State St., Rockford.

JUNE, 2016 Wednesday, June 1

People You Should Know (PYSK) Talk, noon to 1 p.m., Rockford University, 5050 E. State St. (5100 building along State Street).

Carm Herman presents Finding Your Passion.

Tuesday, June 7

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May 2016

Business Women’s Council, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Rockford Country Club, 2500 Oxford St. Jennifer Whiteford, managing partner and leadership coach, The Anser Group, presents Makeover Your Leadership Brand - Part 2. She leads an interactive experience on how to think and act like a brand in your career, business and life. Sponsored by MembersAlliance Credit Union.

Advertisers Index ADVERTISERS

Alpine Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MembersAlliance Credit Union. . . . . . . . . . 4 Blackhawk Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Mercy Health System/ Rockford Health System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Brian Thomas Photography. . . . . . . . . . . 12 Northern Public Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Broadmoor Agency, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 OSF HealthCare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Comcast Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Panino’s Restaurant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dickerson & Nieman Realtors. . . . . . . . . . 17 RACVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Rockford Bank & Trust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 First National Bank Rockford Chamber of and Trust Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 23, 29, 30, 32 FurstSearch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 RSM US LLP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Illinois Bank & Trust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Stillman Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 John Morrissey Accountants, Inc.. . . . . . 16 Thayer Lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Klaas Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Van Galder Bus Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m., Klaas Financial Asset Advisors, LLC, 4707 Perry Ridge Lane, Loves Park.

Friday, June 10

Government Affairs Council, 7:30 to 8:45 a.m., Stockholm Inn, 2420 Charles St., Rockford. Sponsored by AT&T.

Wednesday, June 15

People You Should Know (PYSK) Talk, noon to 1 p.m., Rockford University, 5050 E. State St. (5100 building along State Street). Kristina Reuber, Golden Apple Foundation, will present.

Ribbon Cutting, Rotary Labyrinth Dedication, 4 to 5:30 p.m., southwest corner of Avon and West State streets, Rockford.

Thursday, June 23 10:00 am - 1:15 pm Giovanni’s 610 N. Bell School Rd., Rockford

Women in Business

EXPO & LUNCHEON A panel of women business owners and leaders will dialogue on growing pains and stories on their pathway to success.

The event includes the announcement of the Woman Business Leader of Tomorrow, Woman Manager of the Year, Woman Business Owner of the Year, and the Athena PowerLink awards.

Sponsored by MercyRockford Health System (presenting), OSF Healthcare (gold), Northwest Bank of Rockford (WomenIn-Business awards) and PNC Bank (AthenaPowerLink).

Chamber Staff / Call 815-987-8100.............................................. Direct Line Einar K. Forsman, President & CEO.......................................... 815-316-4304 Heidi M. Garner, Chief Operating Officer.................................... 815-316-4312 Doug Hessong, Director of Publications & Technology................... 815-316-4338 Lynette Jacques, Vice President, Member Investment.................... 815-316-4317 Caitlin Ludwig, Vice President, Leadership Development.................... 815-316-4337 Stephanie Mathews, Administrative & Finance Assistant .................... 815-987-8100 Stacy Mullins, Director of Events.............................................. 815-316-4302 Doug Rand, Accounting Manager/Controller............................... 815-316-4316 Sue Boyer, Member Relations................................................. 815-316-4315 Mary Ann Suprenant, Membership Development Manager.............. 815-316-4336 Joan Sundvall, Membership Contact Coordinator......................... 815-316-4320

Chamber Board of Directors & Officers EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairman of the Board Patti Thayer Thayer Lighting, Inc. Chair Elect Richard Zumwalt OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center Vice Chair Michele Petrie BMO Harris Bank Treasurer Amy Ott Boylan Catholic High School Immediate Past Chair Richard Walsh Zimmerman & Walsh, LLP

DIRECTORS

Andrew Benson Benson Stone Company, Inc. Jan Bowman TLC Construction Joe Castrogiovanni Giovanni’s, Inc. Dr. Carmen Coballes-Vega Rock Valley College Dr. Rena Cotsones Northern Illinois University Jean Crosby Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Crosby Starck Real Estate Don Daniels SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Health Rebecca Epperson Chartwell Agency Darlene Furst FurstStaffing

JUNE VOICE SPECIAL SECTIONS:

Golf Playdates & More Retail Therapy (Shop Local) Summer Adventures & Patios/Restaurants For information on advertising, call 815

987-8100

Ira Grimmett UTC Aerospace Systems

Dan Ross Williams-Manny Insurance Group

Dr. Robert Head Rockford University

Henry Seybold MercyRockford Health System

Tim Honquest Honquest Family Funeral Home Jeff Hultman Illinois Bank & Trust Michael F. Iasparro Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Kris Kieper YWCA Northwestern Illinois Paul McCann Stanley Steemer of Rockford Patrick Morrow Alpine Bank Mike Paterson Mid-West Family Broadcasting Mark Peterson CBL Associates CherryVale

Patrick Shaw RSM US LLP Laura Williamson Rockford Park District

EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS Einar K. Forsman President & CEO, Rockford Chamber of Commerce John Groh Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Michael Nicholas Rockford Area Economic Development

Let your Voice be heard Do you have news to share?

Send news releases and other

items of interest to the business community to:

The VOICE, Rockford Chamber of Commerce 308 W. State St., Ste. 190, Rockford, IL 61101

DEADLINE IS THE 15TH OF THE MONTH PRECEDING ­PUBLICATION