September Voice 2017

CRITTER CAMP HOME FOR THE UNWANTED PAGE 3

HONORING A LOCAL LEADER PAGE 5

The Voice is online at rockfordchamber.com

NOMINATE SOMEONE

BY SEPT. 8 FOR THE CONFLUENCE HONORS September 2017 | Volume 30 | No. 9

City forms pro-business advisory committee To advocate and foster a healthy business climate in Rockford

By Barbara Connors The Rockford City Council adopted a resolution proposed by Mayor Thomas McNamara at the Aug. 21 City Council meeting to create an advisory committee to evaluate and recommend best practices and regulations for doing business in Rockford.

“The chamber is very supportive of the formation of this committee,” said Einar K. Forsman, president & CEO of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce. “One of our core missions is to advocate for and foster a healthy business climate, and we think the committee’s recommendations will take us further in that direction.”

The advisory committee will be

chaired by Alderman Joseph Chiarelli, R-14, chairman of the city’s Code and Regulation Committee. The mayor and Chiarelli will appoint six members of the community comprising a representative from the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the construction industry, as well as a design professional and a Rockford business owner.

The advisory committee is tasked with the following goals and objectives: ■ Evaluate and recommend steps to improve customer service.

■ Evaluate and recommend changes to reduce the overall time for departments to process investment request, issue a building permit, and issue a certificate of occupancy or other.

■ Evaluate and recommend areas to educate customers to assure they have information and documents appropriate and necessary for their development request.

■ Evaluate

and

recommend

where

technology may be utilized to improve and advance committee goals and objectives.

■ Evaluate and recommend ways to coordinate with other regulatory authorities affecting investment in the city.

■ Evaluate and recommend steps to foster an ecosystem that encourages small business start-ups and investment.

■ Evaluate and recommend implementation steps to encourage minority- and women-owned businesses.

■ Recommended steps shall be consistent with the goals, objectives and initiatives of the city’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan and sub area plans for the city.

The advisory committee will meet within 30 days of its appointment and facilitate a series of meetings with industry, community and business representatives to seek input on improvement initiatives.

A timeline has been set to formulate and forward final recommendations to the city council within 180 days. theVoice Barbara Connors is editor of The Voice.

Federal funding fuels airport expansion projects

By Barbara Connors

Visit us online at: rockfordchamber.com ■ online registration ■ keynote speaker video clips ■ event photos ■ list of Chamber events

Questions? 815-987-8100

Join the Chamber’s LinkedIn Group

On Aug. 21, Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) hosted a ceremony and tours for the completion of phase one of its terminal building expansion and modernization project.

Improvements over the past two years include an expanded arrival/departure area, new escalators, 460 more parking spots, expanded baggage carousel area, and new public viewing/waiting area overlooking the airfield.

The airport has experienced sustained increases in traffic over the years, including a reported 4.2 percent increase in passengers in 2016.

The airport launched phase two of its passenger terminal expansion, and projected that costs for the three phases overall will amount to more than $35 million, according to a report on the airport’s website.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (IL-17), who attended the Aug. 21 celebration, stated in a news release that they helped secure $18.2 million in federal funding

from the Federal Aviation Administration for the terminal expansion project since 2015, including the $5.5 million in federal funding announced at the Aug. 21 event towards phase two of the project.

“Thanks to continued federal investment, the ongoing terminal expansion and upgrades at RFD will create jobs and ensure we can keep up with increased air travel demands,” Durbin said.

More Parking for Increased Cargo Volume The airport also will receive $5 million in federal funding towards the construction of a cargo apron for additional aircraft parking. This will accommodate a nearly 40 percent increase in cargo volume in the first six months of 2017.

One of the airport’s main cargo carriers, UPS, shifted 13 flights per week to its Rockford operation in July and hired 250 new positions for package handlers, part-time supervisors and tractor-trailer drivers for an additional Continued on page 5

You are invited to nominate a successful individual or organizational partnership that has been instrumental in helping people personally, stimulating business/ community growth or reaching successful outcomes that would not have been possible without the partnership.

The nomination deadline is Sept.

8 for the Rockford Chamber of Commerce’s new Confluence Honors. We’ll honor these partnerships at a special event and tell their stories in the 2017 ONE magazine.

So much of what we do as individuals, businesses and communities relies greatly on these successful relationships, collaborations and partnerships. The chamber wants to know your story of “confluence;” a convergence of forces, people or things. We’ll let you define what is a successful one.

Find the nomination form at www.rockfordchamber. For questions, call 815-987-8100.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Rockford Chamber

BUSINESS EXPO Sept. 21 • UW Health Sports Factory For more info, see page 27 SPONSORED BY

GOVERNOR SIGNS RIVER EDGE EXTENSION State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) was a part of the assembly for the bill signing that continues the River Edge Redevelopment Zone Historic Tax Credit through 2021, on Aug. 18 at Aurora University. Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the bill, sponsored

by Stadelman and several suburban senators, to protect an important economic revitalization tool for downtown Rockford and three other Illinois cities. The program was scheduled to expire Jan. 1, 2018.

“The River Edge tax credit turns vacant buildings into marketable properties, creates jobs and grows the economy,” Stadelman said.

Developers can use the tax credit of 25 percent of the costs to rehabilitate an historic building in designated riverfront areas in Rockford, Peoria, Elgin and East St. Louis. In Rockford, the tax credit has helped make possible numerous urban redevelopment projects, including the $12 million transformation of the Prairie Street Brewhouse.

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President’s Message VIEWPOINT

Small Business Owners Bullish On Growth Despite Economic Jitters America’s small business owners are feeling fairly bullish about their companies right now, with most eyeing revenue growth and many looking to add staff in the coming months. But when asked about the current health of the economy, small employers’ views are markedly less rosy, a new survey shows.

Released in May, the first MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index—a new national quarterly survey of 1,000 small business owners— shows that 60 percent expect their company’s revenue to increase next year and 29 percent are planning to increase their headcount, compared to just 9 percent and 6 percent who expect to see those numbers decline, respectively. In addition, those planning to increase their investments in their companies next year outnumber those planning to pull back.

“Our Index revealed that there is a huge potential for growth on Main Streets across the country,” Suzanne Clark, senior executive vice president at the U.S. Chamber, said in a statement. “Not only are small businesses looking to add employees, but they’re optimistic about growing their revenue and investing back in their companies.”

The Q2 Index produced a reading indicating that roughly 60.6 percent of small employers currently have a positive outlook on their businesses and the environment in which they operate. The Index score takes into account owners’ views about the current health of their company, their take on the economy and other external forces that impact their firms and their plans for the near future.

On questions about the economy, small business owners expressed more mixed views. A quarter of respondents described the current health of the American economy as somewhat or very poor, while only a third described it as somewhat or very good. Owners offered only a slightly more positive take on their local economies, with 42 percent giving a thumbs up and 22 percent giving a thumbs down.

“Even though the economy has been somewhat stagnant, I am cautiously optimistic,” one small business owner in South Carolina said. Another in Kentucky echoed the same sentiment, adding: “The overall U.S. economy has not grown like we would have hoped from a major recession. I am cautiously optimistic.” A third in New Jersey added: “My business is pretty healthy.

It’s not fantastic, but it’s pretty healthy.”

Clark emphasized the importance of reigniting America’s economic growth and giving those small business owners a greater sense of confidence. “Strong economic growth is the key to unlocking the potential of America’s entrepreneurs,” she said. “Now more than ever, it’s important for us to understand their perspectives so we can help them succeed and grow.”

“Small businesses strengthen the fabric of our communities and are the backbone of the American economy, accounting for more than half of the nation’s economic output today,” said James W. Reid, MetLife’s executive vice president for regional and small business solutions.

“Our Index can elevate the voice of the small business owner, and, quarter after quarter, their voice will help us all work towards solutions that translate into small business success.”

In addition to the top-line findings, the Q2 Index added to a mountain of research showing that America’s employers are struggling to find qualified candidates for job openings. One in every four small businesses surveyed rated the quality of recruits for their open positions as poor, compared to only about one in 10 (11

percent) who rated the quality Einar K. Forsman as very good, Rockford Chamber lending further of Commerce evidence to the notion that America’s economic growth is behind handicapped by a yawning skills gap.

“The quality of recruits is on the poor side,” one small employer in Colorado remarked. “They aren’t people I would be really interested in having work for me.”

Also, the Index showed that small business owners are struggling with a growing number of demands on their time. One in four stated that government, regulatory and licensing tasks are taking up more and more of their time. In addition, 30 percent of respondents said they are working more hours today than they did a year ago, while only 6 percent are working fewer.

As one small business owner in North Carolina put it: “There just isn’t enough to do everything.”

To view the complete index go to: https:// www.uschamber.com/sbindex/ Source: J.D. Harrison, Senior Director, Strategic Communications, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

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September 2017

Member Profile PROFILE

Never a boring day at Critter Camp Exotic pets with nowhere to go find a home

Beth Randall mugs for the camera with Wiley, the fennec fox. Randall has three acres set aside outside of Freeport towards her dream of a permanent building to house up to 1,000 animals.

She waits for corporate support to build the facility.

By Paul Anthony Arco

“We really don’t leave our home much.

It’s not like we can have someone come

What started out simply as a research project for her home-schooled children has turned out to be Beth Randall’s calling in life.

Randall is founder of Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary, a nonprofit animal rescue shelter that houses animals, located in her German Valley home.

Randall opened Critter Camp in 2004.

Randall’s two-story farmhouse is filled with furry creatures, from hamsters and ferrets, as well as parrots, doves and lizards. In all, she provides shelter for more than 200 animals from 25 species, and that doesn’t include her own two dogs and 14 cats. “We’re a last resort for these animals,” Randall said.

Unlike an adoption facility, sanctuary shelters accept only domesticated animals that were once pets but for various reasons didn’t work out. “The owners maybe didn’t know what they were getting into at the time,” she said.

“These animals are usually elderly, aggressive or have chronic medical issues and have no place left to go.”

Critter Camp started almost by accident 15 years ago, when Randall was homeschooling three of her four children. The children had cats and dogs but were looking for an unusual critter to add to the mix. “They did their research and all worked together to come up with ferrets. It was also very therapeutic for my son Alex, who has autism.”

But then friends soon started bringing the Randall family other unwanted animals – parakeets, gerbils and others. “I called every place I could think of but no one would take them,” she said. “They were going to be killed.

That’s when we, as a family, made a decision to become a nonprofit and help these animals.”

Randall’s home looks like a miniature zoo. There are enclosures for rabbits and guinea pigs, while fox and tortoise have the run of the house. A spare bedroom contains cages that hold small rodents like rats and chinchillas.

over and let out our pets.”

Open for Tours More than 1,000 visitors find their way to the farm each year. Tours are by appointment with a suggested donation of $10. Others volunteer their time to help with chores or give financial donations. It costs about $600 a week for Randall to feed and care for the animals. Everyone who helps at Critter Camp is a volunteer – there are no salaries and no overhead.

But space remains an issue. Randall gets rescues from all over the country, but still has to turn away about 20 a week. Her dream is to build a permanent building that could house up to 1,000 animals. Thanks to a $50,000 prize she won in a Pepsi contest eight years ago, Randall bought three acres outside of Freeport. The property has already been zoned and now she waits for corporate support to build a facility. “We’re just one big sponsor away.” To help spread the word, Randall has penned dozens of letters to potential donors, and she’s written a book, “Frankie Finds Critter Camp,” that she’s shopping to movie houses in hopes of turning heads.

Some might wonder why this divorced mother of four would take on such a massive challenge, but Randall knows she’s doing the right thing.

“We’re like an assisted home facility.

Many of these animals have had a rough life. We just want to give them a comfortable place for them to live out their years. They just want to be loved.”

CRITTER CAMP EXOTIC PET SANCTUARY Beth Randall, founder 824 Church St. German Valley, Ill. 815-266-1342 www.crittercampweebly.biz

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IGNITE

Young Professionals

Goodbye summer Goodbye IGNITE Cup IGNITE Cup, sponsored by Rock River Valley Blood Center, officially wrapped up its fourth season of competition. As in traditional IGNITE Cup fashion, the competition was fierce and the events ridiculous. A quick recap: Seventeen teams of 10 young professionals each participated in a series of summer events. The season jumped started with our Kick-Off After 5 at Greenfire. May brought bowling at Don Carter Lanes and a rousing game night at University Club of Rockford.

In June, we raced downtown to participate in a Downtown Scavenger Hunt. Later that month, we enjoyed a gorgeous summer evening playing Frisbee Golf at Anna Page Park. July brought more fun as we celebrated the Rockford Chamber of Commerce at the Founders’ Day Block Party and then headed indoors for a fierce competition of Canoe Battleship in the depths of the YMCA pool (special thanks to the YMCA for their help!!). We searched our brains for obscure answers during our Trivia Night at Forest Hills Country Club and celebrated the year with a bonfire & s’mores at Nygren Wetland Preserve in August.

IGNITE Cup 2017 Winners: Rockford Float Club.

What. A. Summer.

It may seem like we did some pretty odd things – a game night? Canoe battleship?

What does this have to do with helping attract and retain young professionals?

Well, actually, quite a bit. IGNITE Cup is a great way for participants to engage in life in Rockford with others. It’s easier to come to an event when you know others will be there participating as well. It’s easy to laugh and start a conversation when destroying others in a fierce game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos because it’s ridiculous. After spending the summer doing ridiculous things with people, it’s

much easier to continue to do things during the off months vs using the watercooler convos as your only source for friends. IGNITE Cup engages young professionals in Rockford life and helps them build a network.

This year, we introduced Penny Wars to the IGNITE Cup Schedule. Each team picked a local non-profit who is a Rockford Chamber member to champion throughout the summer. Coins were worth positive points (put change in your jar) while dollar bills were worth negative points (put bills in other people’s jars). The team who had the most positive points at the end of the summer had the privilege

of donating all of the money collected to Caitlin Pusateri IGNITE their chosen charity.

We are proud to announce that IGNITE members raised $1,000! Because of the generosity of the participants, we were able to share the donations among two non-profits.

Rockford Float Club, our Penny Wars winner will receive $700 to donate to Prairie State Legal Services. PCT 2.0, our runner up, will receive $300 to donate to Rockford Public Schools.

Congratulations to the overall IGNITE Cup 2017 winners: 1st Place (for the 2nd year in a row!): Rockford Float Club. 2nd place: Sunk Your Battleship.

3rd Place: PCT 2.0.

Special thanks to our IGNITE Cup sponsors – Rock River Valley Blood Center (Presenting); Blackhawk Bank, RSM US LLP, University Club (Gold Sponsors), WIPLFi (Silver Sponsor) and Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (Event Sponsor).

Caitlin Pusateri is vice president, leadership development at the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

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Airport Expansion (continued from front page)

daytime package sorting operation. The Rockford operation already employed about 1,200 full- and part-time workers at its Rockford facilities at RFD and 4733 Sandy Hollow Road.

Sen. Durbin and Rep. Bustos called for the release of Illinois state funding already committed to the airport, including $16.3 million for the airport’s midfield improvement project promised in 2014. theVoice Barbara Connors is editor of The Voice.

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

— Legacy of Community Leader —

Brian Scott Anderson, 1954-2017 Brian Scott Anderson, owner of the Anderson Automotive Group, died on June 19 in a traffic crash while vacationing in Bermuda at the age of 63. But his legacy to his family and the Rockford and Loves Park communities lives on.

Brian started his automotive business with his father Gene Anderson in 1970 in Loves Park with the Datsun-Saab franchise, later becoming Nissan and Mazda.

They added the Dodge and Toyota franchises in 1989.

After Gene retired in the early 1990s, Brian grew the family business into one of the largest auto groups in northern Illinois, with 12 new car franchises and five locations in Rockford and Loves Park.

Brian is survived by his father; his wife, Judy Anderson; children Chad Anderson and Stephanie Finney; and five grandchildren. The Anderson Family and business management team will continue to operate the business, carry on Brian’s legacy, and remain involved in the community.

“The greatest gift my father gave us was each other, along with the culture and solid business reputation he created,” said his son Chad Anderson, who serves as General Manager for Anderson Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Rockford. “The employees, customers and community mean everything to our business. And we look forward to being a part of the Rockford area for generations to come.”

Brian also treated the nearly 400 employees and the customers and residents like family, too. During the Great Recession in 2009; a time that tests the true character of

a person, he assured his employees that no one would lose their jobs.

At that time, he also was a key supporter of Alpine Bank, after it declined to seek assistance through the Troubled Asset Relief Program and instead sought investments throughout the community. The bank received $13.4 million in community support, and survived and thrived through the Great Recession.

He also was a proud supporter of Harlem High School, among many other community projects and charitable organizations; asking for little or no recognition.

“Brian was a genuine, straightforward person and had a lot of care for Rockford,” said Einar Forsman, president & CEO of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce. “Anderson Automotive Group has always run first-class facilities and has a strong presence in many areas of Rockford, but it’s also been an organization that’s lent its name out to sponsor many different types of events and activities in the area.”

Among Brian’s favorite hobbies were annual hunting trips with his son and a close-knit group of friends, as well as boating and fishing with his family.

But he was also proud of competing in skeet tournaments across the United States with his wife, Judy. He won numerous awards, including the Arizona State Champion in 2016 and 2017 and several placements at the World Skeet Championships. He mentored many young athletes as a skeet coach in Rockford and Phoenix, and dreamed that one of his athletes would represent the USA in the Olympics.

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Combining student, workforce needs

Creating the multiplier effect in our communities Two Rockford Public Schools appeared this spring in a prestigious list of the nation’s most challenging high schools. Auburn and Guilford are among the top 65 most rigorous schools in Illinois, according to a ranking devised by a veteran Washington Post education reporter.

Jay Mathews’ math is fundamentally simple: It divides the number of graduates in a school by the number of Advanced Placement courses taken.

AP courses are a reliable measure of the amount of rigor students are exposed to.

We aren’t resting on our rankings, though. We expect East and Jefferson to follow on the heels of Auburn and Guilford in the “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” list. As the Post ranking suggests, we are doing a great job in our high schools preparing students for a college experience.

But our rigor extends far beyond AP courses. Our high school academies are national models for how to produce students who are both college and career ready.

Whether it’s taking AP courses, earning college credits while still in high school or earning industry certifications, students have multiple ways in RPS 205 to succeed.

The Multiplier Effect And we’re doing it by aligning student needs with workforce needs.

Working with Alignment Rockford, local industry and other community partners, we have created a Profile of a Graduate — the skill sets our students need to be competitive.

Bringing these two together — what a student needs and what our workforce needs — creates a powerful competitive advantage for our community. Call it a multiplier effect.

We saw a preview of the multiplier effect last spring when Guilford High School students completed the construction of a four-bedroom, twobathroom home just east of Sandy Hollow Golf Course. The home was built in partnership with Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. The students were in Guilford’s Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial and Trades Technology (EMITT) Academy.

Guilford students will build another home this school year.

The home construction isn’t just great project-based learning. It teaches students a skill that is of great value in any profession or walk of life: the ability to learn from your mistakes.

Working with Alignment Rockford, local industry and other community partners, we have created a Profile of a Graduate — the skill sets our students need to be competitive.

As the students assembled the walls of the Habitat home in the Guilford fieldhouse in the spring of 2016, they discovered they installed one of the 44 panels for the home wrong. The panel was inside out. They quickly ripped it from its frame and did it right. “Fortyfour panels and only one mistake?” their teacher, Mark Anderson, said at the time. “That’s not too bad.”

The lesson was possible only because of the collaboration that has occurred in this community, thanks to Alignment Rockford and our high school academies.

“We’re proud to partner with you and look forward to our future together,” Keri Nelson, Habitat executive director, said when the Guilford-Habitat home was dedicated in May. “We’re certainly stronger together.”

Stronger doesn’t always mean faster.

I will tell a Rockford Chamber audience later this month that we are still on the 20-Mile March to improve our schools and provide a quality education for all children.

I still believe the way to do that is to make all of our schools — not just some of them — the first choice for all families.

That brings me back to Keri Nelson’s point: We are stronger together. We will need the coordinated efforts of all of our nonprofit and government partners to build stronger neighborhoods. We will need all of you to help students and families build the better life that’s in reach only through an excellent education.

The march goes on. We in RPS 205 invite you to join us.

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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September 2017

Rosecrance announces intent to merge with Prairie Center Opportunity to create an integrated system of behavioral healthcare

License plate readers contain integrated processors that rapidly process license plate images using optical character recognition that is cross-referenced to a national license plate database.

Village launches automated license plate readers The Machesney Park division of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department announced it is using an automated license plate recognition system to assist officers in locating vehicles of interest, developing investigative leads and solving cases. The village has installed license plate readers on two of its squad cars, for an investment of $41,000 for two years, and plans to expand the use of the system in the future, based upon its success.

“With the use of the license plate recognition software on our vehicles, our officers will be notified if a particular vehicle is stolen, or if the license plates have been suspended or

if the registered owner has a suspended driver’s license,” said Lieutenant Doug Bushman, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, which contracts law enforcement services to the village.

Cameras on squad cars will only be capturing license plate data, but license plates can help the Sheriff’s Department to identify suspicious vehicles as well as taking records of every vehicle that is in the vicinity of a crime scene upon arrival.

The Village of Machesney Park, along with Rockford, Loves Park and hundreds of municipalities throughout the country, are using the license plate recognition system purchased from Vigilant Solutions.

Rosecrance, Inc., and central-Illinois-based Prairie Center announced on Aug. 17 their intent to merge on Jan. 1, 2018. The arrangement is in a due-diligence phase as the two private not-forprofits seek to understand each other’s operations and financial status.

“The greatest single factor to be considered as we go forward is the opportunity to create a truly integrated system of behavioral healthcare,” said Philip W. Eaton, president/CEO of Rosecrance.

“Most Rosecrance service sites offer integrated care, and we strive for the goal that there is no wrong door when people seek help.”

Rosecrance entered the central Illinois region in 2016 when it merged with the former Community Elements agency. It currently provides substance abuse treatment for teens and adults in two Champaign area locations. Prairie Center is a 49-year-old nonprofit substance abuse treatment and prevention center providing residential, outpatient and prevention programs across three east central Illinois counties. Rosecrance is the state’s largest provider of residential substance abuse treatment services for teens, and the adult inpatient campus in Rockford is one of the largest in Illinois.

OSF HealthCare signs Letter of Intent OSF HealthCare and Presence Health have signed a Letter of Intent for OSF to take ownership of Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana, Ill., and Presence United Samaritans Medical Center in Danville, Ill. The organizations are finalizing the agreement, and will seek necessary regulatory and canonical approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018.

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Guest Perspective INSIGHT

Renaissance of a downtown Indoor City Market to play important role

As the Rockford City Market wraps up its 2017 season, construction will start on the long-anticipated Indoor City Market project. Located across the alley from the Rockford City Market pavilion, the Indoor City Market complex consists of approximately 24,000-sq.-ft. of building situated between, and connecting, the alley and Madison Street. Building on the success and popularity of the Rockford City Market, the Indoor City Market will provide a year-round downtown destination and home for growers, artisans, bakers and other vendors and entertainment, expanding the recent momentum and reinvestment in Rockford’s downtown core.

Rockford is not unique when it comes to having a downtown that experienced disinvestment and decline over the last 50 years. In the 1960s, “suburban sprawl” became the trend and our urban centers suffered. Like other cities in America, Rockford is now in the midst of a renaissance, a rebirth due to a surge in interest and investment in our downtown.

Projects like the Indoor City Market are crucial to the growth and prosperity of Rockford and the region. They provide a venue and an opportunity to

reactivate the heart of our city. We’ve seen this increased engagement with the outdoor market on Friday evenings during the summer and other core community events like Dinner on the Dock hosted by Prairie Street Brewing Company.

A city that has an energetic vibe helps breed prosperity and a sense of community. People want to live, work and play in a place that is teeming with an active and spirited atmosphere, and the Indoor City Market will play an important role in enhancing and activating our city’s downtown.

A city that has an energetic vibe helps breed prosperity and a sense of community. with existing spaces, but it’s worth the trouble, both historically and economically. The Indoor City Market, when completed, will be yet another example of taking a once-forgotten property and reimagining it into a destination for future generations.

In addition to the environmental benefits of this project, we expect it to continue to have great economic benefit for the downtown as well.

When Rockford City Market first opened in the summer of 2010, it helped usher in a wave of revitalization and business growth for the downtown area. Thousands of visitors flock to the market each Friday and many vendors have grown their businesses from booths at the market to downtown storefronts.

As the outdoor city market has already

Christopher Anderson Larson & Darby Group

done for the downtown, the new Indoor City Market will continue to be a catalyst for growing local businesses and other downtown development.

We are grateful to Rock River Development Partnership for having a great vision and a commitment to our community’s vitality and for allowing us to be a part of this important project for our city. The impact this project will have on our community is energizing, and we can’t wait to see it come to fruition in the fall of 2018.

Christopher Anderson is a partner with Larson & Darby Group.

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

Repurposing Historic Buildings Once home to the Smith & Enander Indian Motorcycle & Bicycle Shop and Kegel’s Harley Davidson among others, the complex’s buildings range in age from 91 to 129 years old. The adaptive reuse of these buildings will breathe new life into existing historic structures that have been underutilized for years.

As we rehabilitate these buildings and make them usable again, we will restore historic details and celebrate the history of the place while reshaping it for a new purpose.

It’s not an easy project as there are many challenges in working

The Rock River Development Partnership, a local non-profit organization and founder of the Rockford City Market, has spearheaded the development of the Indoor City Market.

Features of the new market include:

■ Space for seasonal and permanent vendors ■ Shared commercial kitchen ■ Demonstration kitchen ■ Conference space ■ Space for events such as art shows and holiday events ■ Office space for Rock River Development Partnership

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September 2017

 Destination

ILLINOIS, USA

ADDING WEALTH TO THE REGION’S ECONOMY BY GROWING TOURISM

Visitor spending at all-time high Winnebago County tourism exceeds other counties Years ago, the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau had the slogan, “We Make Smiles.”

Well, we are certainly smiling now.

That’s because during 2016, visitor spending in Rockford and Winnebago County reached an all-time high of $353 million, directly creating/sustaining 2,888 jobs with $85.51 million in payroll.

The increase in spending comes not just from our reputation as a sports tournament destination, but also from an increase in leisure visitors who are enjoying our gardens, the region’s culinary scene and cultural attractions. Many people come to spend time with their kids at our family-friendly attractions, outdoor adventure parks, cultural events and more.

That sentiment is echoed by RACVB Chairman David Anderson, who also heads up the operations each day at Anderson Japanese Gardens. Anderson recently said, “The economic impact of tourism on our local economy cannot be overstated. I see the momentum every day at the gardens as I meet visitors from across the country. Visitors are helping to grow our community, and it is great to see the results in the numbers released by the State of Illinois.”

Leader in Growth With the success in 2016, it is important to look deeper into the numbers to see how this trend continues. An analysis of visitor spending since the Great Recession shows that tourism in Winnebago County is growing faster than in other major counties in Illinois. Spending in Winnebago County grew 39 percent since 2009, faster than 11 of the 12 other large counties examined and much faster than the set average of 29 percent. This growth was second only to growth in Chicago/ Cook County.

In 2016, local tax receipts generated by visitors – funds that help local governments pay for services residents rely on – were $6.23 million and state tax receipts were $19.02 million. Compared to 2015, visitor spending was up one percent, employment grew by 2.4 percent and wages grew by 5.6 percent. Importantly, local tax receipts grew by 5.5 percent and state tax receipts grew by 3.2 percent according to numbers released by the Illinois Department of Commerce’s Office of Tourism and US Travel Association.

In addition to overall visitor spending statistics, hotel sector-specific data demonstrate growth with all major hotel sector KPIs (key performance indicators) on the rise.

■■ ADR (average daily rate) reached $81.27 in 2016, up from $64.70 in 2009.

John Groh Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

■■ RevPAR (revenue per available room) reached $49.70 in 2016, up from $32.64 in 2009.

■■ The occupancy rate reached 61.2 percent in 2016, up from 47.0 percent in 2009.

■■ Annual hotel rooms booked in Rockford (demand) grew to 651,000 in 2016 from 507,000 in 2009, a compound annual growth rate of 3.6 percent.

Hotel stays are a leading indicator of visitor volume and growth. By way of example, we had three region-wide sellout weekends this June alone, driving occupancy up to 81 percent countywide.

The health of the travel industry throughout Illinois is vital to Rockford’s success, as well. Statewide, domestic and international travel expenditures reached $37.9 billion in 2016 – a $571 million increase from 2015. This follows the state’s record-breaking domestic Illinois tourism figures released in May, which highlighted an increase of one million travelers to the state in 2016.

Here are a few additional facts about Illinois tourism in 2016: ■■ Every $1 invested in Illinois tourism generates $9 in economic impact.

■■ Illinois welcomed 110 million domestic visitors (an additional one million visitors over 2015). Of Illinois’ 110 million domestic visitors, 17 percent were for business and 83 percent for leisure. In the past 10 years, domestic travel to Illinois has increased by 19 million visitors.

■■ Domestic travelers spent nearly $35.1 billion in Illinois during 2016, a 1.8 percent increase over 2015. In 2016, domestic travelers to Illinois generated $2.6 billion in state and local tax revenue, an increase of $122 million over 2015.

■■ Length of stay per visitor increased by three percent, surpassing the U.S. average of 2.4 percent.

In conclusion, perhaps Winnebago County Board Chairman Frank Haney said it best, “In more ways than one, Winnebago County is at the top in Illinois.

As we work to grow investment and job creation in Winnebago County, let’s not forget that tourism is a quick, clean and efficient form of economic development.

Seeing tourism grow faster here than in all other similar Illinois counties is fantastic and something we should build on.”

John Groh is 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.

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September 2017

R O C K F O R D

C H A M B E R

O F

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

C O M M E R C E

Small Business Enterprise Startups: The engine of the economy

Vying for top FastPitch Competition prize

By Sherry Pritz, NIU EIGERlab

Saving Companies Millions

Twenty years ago, Anthony Valilus’ ACU-track’s patent pending status has father Carl had an innovative idea for a been achieved. Soon the last revisions will ground-breaking product. At the time, creating this revolutionary inventory be implemented, and production-ready control display system was too expensive, merchandise slated for mid-September.

Both a bookstore and Ace Hardware in so the idea went on the shelf.

Minnesota are under contract Today Anthony, as as beta sites for the inventory president of DaVinci control display system.

Industries (DVI), is one of ACU-track will be the first seven partners who is bringing and only display product in his father’s idea, ACU-track, to the market to provide retailers the marketplace. During the with a storefront electronic 2016 Ole Cup Competition, he inventory solution. It could brought home the top prize of Anthony Valilus is one save companies millions by $10,000 and is a semifinalist in of seven partners who solving two fundamental the upcoming Minnesota Cup. is bringing his father’s shoplifting and NIU EIGERlab’s FastPitch idea, ACU-track, to the issues: counting inventory. presenters have unique stories marketplace.

The National Retail to share. Anthony is the lead man of DVI and assists with all facets of Foundation estimates that retail shrinkage the business. Levi Johnston, who handles from shoplifting in 2011 was nearly $45 communications, is Anthony’s longtime billion. ACU-track consistently monitors friend, next door neighbor and person inventory and sends an alert when an item who led them to NIU EIGERlab’s Center goes from 10 to 0, otherwise known as for Product Development. Luke Freeman sweeping.

Walmart spent $2 billion in one year on is chief engineer, who was invited by Johnston to join the team during an personnel to count inventory. ACU-track engineering class. automatically counts the inventory, and

ACU-track, an inventory control display system, is slated to be production-ready by mid-September. the device moves the next product forward for easy viewing. Fifteen years ago, a RFID tag, an essential ACU-track component, was astronomically priced. Today, RFID tags are mainstream and cost a fraction of the original price.

From Idea to Product “Over FastPitch’s 11-year history, we have seen that utilitarian products or ideas — presented with passion — are often the winners. Last year’s winner, Michelle Gast with her recoup BEAUTIscoop worked diligently to expand her business and chalked up sales in all 50 states within six months of winning the competition,” said Sherry Pritz, NIU EIGERlab’s marketing and events coordinator.

How important are startups? According to the Kaufmann Foundation, “When it comes to job-creating power, it is not the size of the business that matters as much as it is the age. New and young companies are the primary source of job creation in the American economy. These firms also contribute to economic dynamism by

injecting competition into markets and spurring innovation.”

This year’s group of FastPitch competitors promises to be as energetic and innovative as ever. All entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs are encouraged to consider presenting — even if they are in the “idea on a napkin” stage. To view the FastPitch Competition marketing video, learn more regarding the competition or download the registration form, visit www. eigerlab.org/fastpitch-competition/.

NIU EIGERlab embraces startups.

Programming and services are in place at both NIU EIGERlab locations to assist startups and existing businesses — entrepreneurs during all phases. To learn more about the programming and services available, visit www.EIGERlab.org or call 815-753-2192.

Sherry Pritz is marketing & events coordinator/ business development at NIU EIGERlab Innovation Network.

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

Caceres joins Illinois SBDC as a consultant

The Illinois SBDC at the Rockford Chamber of Commerce announced that Edward Caceres will join as a consultant. Along with Bo Boger, he will offer services free of charge to aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Rockford area, both chamber members and non-members.

Caceres brings a lot of experience to his position, according to Boger. “I can’t express my enthusiasm for Ed joining in the work of the SBDC.” From 2013 to 2015, Caceres worked as a strategic planning and professional business consultant with the Illinois SBDC, when the program was under the support of Rock Valley College. He helped small business owners to meet their business goals in one-on-one meetings and hosted a series of Spanish-language YouTube videos with WTVOTV, offering advice to the Hispanic business community. He and Boger plan to review and update these videos for republishing.

Caceres, who was born in Peru, is Spanish bilingual. He received his MBA from Rockford University.

ABOUT THE SBDC The Illinois SBDC at the Rockford Chamber of Commerce offers services free of charge to aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Rockford area, both chamber members and non-members. As a partnership between the Rockford Chamber and the Illinois DCEO, it operates out of NIU EIGERlab, NIU-Rockford, 8500 E. State St., and maintains an office at the chamber’s downtown location. For questions, contact Bo Boger, SBDC director, at 815-316-4301.

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

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September 2017

Issues to Watch LEGISLATIVE New Illinois Laws for 2017

Here are some laws related to crime, courts, corrections and law enforcement that have taken affect this year. For specific language of the laws, visit www.ilga.gov.

CRIME, COURTS, CORRECTIONS, LAW ENFORCEMENT

Police Dog Retirement Act SB 3129/PA 99-0817 A police dog that is in use by a county, municipal or state law enforcement agency and is deemed no longer fit for public service shall be offered to the officer or employee who had custody during its service. If that officer does not want the police dog, it can be offered to another officer, non-profit agency or a no-kill animal shelter.

Training for Epinephrine Auto-Injectors HB 4462/PA 99-0711 Expands access to epinephrine to treat life-threatening allergic reactions.

Allows state police and other law enforcement agencies to conduct training programs for officers on how to recognize and respond to anaphylaxis, including administration of an epinephrine auto-injector. Also allows a student to self-administer an epinephrine auto-injector while being transported on a school bus, and allows a school nurse or trained personnel to administer an epinephrine auto-injector on anyone they believe is having an anaphylactic reaction while on a school bus. School districts, public schools or nonpublic schools would be allowed to maintain a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors in a secure location that can be accessible before, during and after school hours.

Appeals after Death HB 4683/PA 99-0778 Allows a criminal appeal to proceed after a defendant’s death through the executor, administrator or successor in interest. Provides for abatement of the case or continuation on behalf of the deceased as if he or she were still alive.

Online Privacy from Employer HB 4999/PA 99-0610 Makes it unlawful for any employer or prospective employer to require, request, access, authenticate or coerce any employee or prospective employee to provide usernames and passwords to their personal online account.

Expungement of Juvenile Records HB 5017/PA 99-0835 Allows a person who has been arrested, charged or adjudicated delinquent for an incident occurring before his or her 18th birthday to petition the court at any time for expungement of law enforcement records and juvenile court records relating to the incident.

Crime Victim & Witness Definition HB 5472/PA 99-0671 Amends the Crime Victims Compensation Act so that a victim also includes a person who will be called as a witness by the prosecution

to establish a necessary nexus between the offender and the violent crime. Changes the definition of witness to include a person who will be called by the prosecution to give testimony establishing a necessary nexus between the offender and the violent crime.

Domestic Violence Psychology Training HB 5538/PA 99-0810 Specifies initial recruit training and continuing education for current law enforcement officers in domestic violence victim and abuser dynamics.

The bill also requires law enforcement agencies to consult with community organizations and other agencies with domestic violence expertise.

Medication-Assisted Addiction Treatments HB 5594/PA 99-0554 Prohibits drug court judges from denying medication-assisted treatments, like methadone, for defendants. Provides that such medically prescribed treatment does not violate the terms or conditions of the drug court treatment program.

Unclaimed Savings Bonds HB 5607/PA 99-0556 Provides that U.S. Savings Bonds will be presumed abandoned when such bond has remained unclaimed and unredeemed for five years after its date of final extended maturity.

Juvenile Sexual Assault HB 5771/PA 99-0875 Prohibits mandatory natural life sentencing of juveniles for criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault and predatory criminal sexual assault.

Occupational Licensing with Past Crimes HB 5973/PA 99-0876 The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation may only deny a license based upon consideration of specified mitigating factors for specified felonies directly related to the practice of funeral directing and embalming, roofing contracting or cosmetology, esthetics, hair braiding, nail technology or barbering.

Molly’s Law HB 6083/PA 99-0587 Advances another portion of “Molly’s Law” and extends the statute of limitations in wrongful death cases to five years after the date of death if the death is the result of violent intentional conduct or within one year after the final disposition of the criminal case if the defendant is charged with a homicide offense. However, it only applies to the violent actor and that these changes apply to causes of action that accrue on or after the effective date.

Accelerated Resolution Expansion HB 6190/PA 99-0724 Adds certain traffic offenses and Class 4 controlled substances violations as eligible to be considered as part of the accelerated resolution program. The law creates a faster way for courts and jails to address the indigent accused, who often stay in jail instead of being released on bail simply because they do not have enough money for a bail bond by processing certain non-violent offenders within 30 days.

Juvenile Probation HB 6291/PA 99-0879 Eliminates the five-year mandatory juvenile probation period on all offenses other than first degree murder. This reduces the probationary period for aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery with a firearm, among other crimes. Also prohibits the commitment of minors to the DJJ for Class 3 and Class 4 controlled substances violations, unless for multiple probation violations.

Expungement of Records HB 6328/PA 99-0881 Removes the existing prohibition on

criminal arrest record expungement for those with prior criminal convictions, but allows state’s attorneys to object on the grounds that the records contain specific relevant information aside from the mere fact of an arrest. Currently a person cannot expunge arrests if there is a prior criminal conviction.

FOID Revocation Notice HB 6331/PA 99-0787 Requires the state police to give notice of the revocation of a person’s Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card for being subject to an existing order of protection to all law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction to assist with the seizure of the person’s FOID Card.

Photographic Evidence SB 211/PA 99-0685 Allows law enforcement agencies to use undercover drug money for other purposes while the criminal case is pending, by allowing photographs of the currency to be admissible as evidence in court to the same extent as the currency itself.

Source: Illinois Senate Republicans

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Q4 Strategies and Action Items

September 2017

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Rockford University PERSPECTIVE

It’s all in the ‘A-B-Cs’ Moving from reality to the dream A mentor once told me that as a leader and manager, people will bring all sorts of problems to you. The issues range from simple to immensely complicated. He stated though, that nearly all problems can be broken down into a simple A-B-C.

A = The Present People will understand their version of reality well. They will have a clearly stated position on how they see things.

C = The Dream People will also know how they want the problems to ultimately pan out. This is their dream or vision for the future.

B = The Middle B is where good managers and leaders live. B is why we have jobs. B is all the steps it takes to get from A to C. People rarely bring you problems along with all the steps in B. Learning to break down problems, no matter how complicated, into “A-B-C” was a simple but important lesson for me.

I took two main things away from this lesson, one tactical and one strategic.

Tactically, this simple A-B-C structure can guide our thinking and discussions with common understanding that, yes, things do need to occur in a certain order.

You can’t build a house without leveling the foundation. We can’t jump from today’s problem to an ideal solution without all the

requisite steps in Matthew D. Phillips Rockford University between. Guiding employees to think through total scenarios with a solution-based focus is powerful.

Strategically, it is incumbent on leaders to ensure we communicate our 30,000-foot A-B-C picture to our team: a. A leader must lay out a clear, evidence-based picture of reality and our place in it. Few things are more powerful to a team than honest conversation about where we stand in the marketplace and in the world. Then, and only then, can a real conversation be had about our future. b. Likewise, a leader must lay out a clear vision of where we want to go. This vision can be developed collaboratively within a team, and that vision will likely evolve over time. However, unless your team knows the general bearing, how will they know which steps to build along the way, how will they know which “Bs” to create?

A-B-C is as simple of a mnemonic as one can contrive, but its power is immense. Every time I am faced with a complicated problem where a clear path is not immediately apparent, I turn to the simple A-B-C to structure my thoughts.

Matthew D. Phillips is vice president for enrollment management at Rockford University.

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

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Q4 Strategies and Action Items

September 2017

13

Guest Perspective INSIGHT

Today’s ‘what ifs?’ lead to tomorrow’s innovations Encourage teams to journey into the unknown We often talk about how technology — and more specifically, how the Internet — has changed business, but we don’t often discuss how the Internet has changed leadership. The style of leadership we need today is very different from what worked 50, 20 — or even 10 — years ago.

Just as the Internet enabled a generation of entrepreneurs to experiment with new business models — a massive exercise in “What if?” that has disrupted whole industries — anyone who manages people must also venture into the unknown.

Today’s leaders have to promote innovation, encouraging their teams to find new ways of doing things and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Today’s leaders also need to achieve new levels of transparency and openness. And these leadership traits can never be thought of as finished — a box that’s been checked for good.

As a manager, you too must continue to change and grow.

In the past, leadership was often about issuing orders from the sideline and executing those orders.

We used to describe leadership as a process of “command and control.”

The implication was that we were commanding and controlling people, and that was enough.

But today, in a business like UPS, moving 18 million packages a day around the world from places like Chicago to Shanghai requires a perfect harmony of people, processes and technology. To succeed, we need for our people to adopt a different mindset. We need them not only to think differently, but to act differently.

More and more, we need our employees to ask, “What if?”

Challenging Our Employees In recent years, we’ve challenged our people to think of themselves as United Problem Solvers. Our goal is to have every employee think about our customers’ challenges and opportunities as problems that UPS can help them solve.

We’re training and developing our people to take that same mindset they’ve used to make UPS world-class with our operating model — and apply that same force externally to work with our customers in a much more scalable way than we’ve ever done before.

Our purpose is to make or keep our customers’ supply chains — and their businesses — world-class. We’re doing this because our industry, and the industries we serve, has changed.

If you want to create value, it can’t be done as it was in the past within the typical silos – sales, marketing, operations, engineering, finance and accounting.

What’s valuable now is how it all connects.

Our customers are dealing with levels of market and supply-chain complexity that are unprecedented. Customers expect — and need — us to do far more than before.

Supply, Demand and Value We often talk about how the supply chain is now the “demand chain,” which is really the value chain, and how all those pieces are now interconnected and interwoven.

Nowadays, the value is in the links of the chain rather than the chain itself. More specifically, the value is where the links connect, rather than the links themselves.

If you want to create value, it can’t be done as it was in the past within the typical silos — sales, marketing, operations, engineering, finance and accounting, and so forth. That value has already been captured. What’s valuable now is how it all connects.

The entire value chain process of any business or organization must be as close to totally seamless and transparent as possible to give customers the level of service they need. This requires a relatively flat organization. It doesn’t really matter to me — or the groups I work with — where the input comes from. It’s about what they bring to the table.

You have to encourage everybody to bring their best ideas, so we can cultivate those ideas. We need people who can think outside their original frame of reference — outside the discipline they’ve been trained in.

So it’s not about running the same game plan that you ran yesterday.It’s about what I can add, or what’s adjacent to the game plan I’m running today, that can identify a new opportunity for my customer.

What hasn’t changed is that a good leader has to be a motivator. Of course, in the past that might have meant getting someone to execute a repetitive task well.

Thinking Differently Today, it’s often about bringing out the innovative side of somebody in a much more complex and ambiguous environment.

First, you have to choose people who are passionate about creating meaningful change — and enthusiastic about pursuing initiatives that can transform your business. And when these people come to you with ideas, you let them run with those ideas.

I love when people have ideas. I think that’s an increasingly important trait these days. If people bring me an idea, I turn it right back to them and say, “Yes, let’s try it!” That creates a lot of motivation for folks to make things happen.

To encourage innovation, sometimes that means throwing people into projects that aren’t yet baked. It could mean investigating a new opportunity that we may, in the end, decide not to do. But putting them into those types

Alan Gershenhorn UPS

of projects — nurturing them along the way, encouraging them and giving them frequent feedback — it is the best way to stretch them, and challenge them, in areas they haven’t worked in before. Even if the project at hand, as expected, doesn’t pan out, they and others can often apply what they learn to develop creative approaches to other projects.

Because if an organization asks, “What if?” enough — and empowers its people to act on the “What ifs?” — it will discover new opportunities and new possibilities.

Alan Gershenhorn is executive vice president and chief commercial officer for UPS. Reprinted with permission of Longitudes, the UPS blog devoted to the trends shaping the global economy.

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

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Q4 Strategies and Action Items

September 2017

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Guest Perspective INSIGHT

Drive down catastrophic health claims Seven ways to make a financial impact The 16-year-old boy suffered from a sweating disorder. He would sweat so badly from his hands and his feet that he couldn’t even use a computer.

Anyone could imagine what his social life was like. A new surgery emerged that involved deflating his lungs, snipping a nerve and then re-inflating his lungs.

His parents were hopeful that at least his hands could be cured.

Based on our national research, we were able to get the insurance carrier to cover the new treatment, which delighted his parents and protected the employer’s health insurance plan. It’s a good thing we did. Complications followed the surgery when the doctors failed to reinflate one of his lungs. A two-day stay turned into five and a projected $50,000 hospital bill into twice that much.

In the end, the surgery was a success!

Not only did it cure the young man’s hands, it cured his feet, and the next spring he was on Prom Court.

The next year, we worked with a one hundred life employer group that had the highest single insurance rate we had ever seen. Their costs were being driven by a 3-year old who had endured one bone marrow transplant and was facing another. Negotiated union contracts

precluded the employer from changing any part of the health insurance plan.

Same doctors and hospitals, exact same employee benefits.

We were called after every single insurance market declined. Utilizing aggressive large case management resulted in finding an attractive carrier that met all of the union’s criteria, knocking down the overall health insurance costs and working closely with the family to help them navigate every parent’s worst nightmare.

Risk Management Managing large health insurance claims is an extremely important part of an employer’s overall employee benefits strategy. Coupled with escalating specialty drug costs, one large claim, year over year, can have a devastating financial impact.

Below are seven ways you can lessen the risk to your organization: Become educated on medical conditions that drive high cost claims.

If your medical insurance carrier provides claims information, review this information (or make sure your broker reviews it) on a regular basis.

Spotting a high-cost claim earlier can provide additional time for intervention,

negotiating with vendors and working closely with the employee and his/ her family to lessen the financial and emotional impact to them.

Trigger Diagnosis List. Many carriers have a “trigger diagnosis list.” Training your managers to be alert (or making sure your broker is) to these particular illnesses can provide additional time to intervene.

Case Management.

Insurance carriers typically have nurse case managers who follow large claimants.

Having a strong nurse case manager who can negotiate “out of the box” services for the patient can reduce patient stress, lower costs and improve outcomes Specialty Medications. With specialty medications driving more and more of the overall health care spend, make sure your plan has built-in protections such as step-therapy and prior authorization protocols before expensive medications are dispensed.

Emerging Treatments. Treatments change. New protocols emerge. You or your broker should keep on top of these changes and be aware of their potential impact.

Coverage Gaps. No one likes financial surprises such as a coverage gap in your insurance policy. A large, uncovered

claim could sap a

company’s

profits.

Make

sure you read your

policies

Laurie S. Miller 2HB Human Resources Solutions Group

carefully to avoid uncovered liabilities.

Know Your Workforce. Employees out on FMLA or disability may be facing a large claim situation. Train your managers to be alert. To avoid potential health insurance confidentiality issues, let your broker work with the employee to take the burden of navigating a catastrophic claim on their own.

While you or your family members may never endure a sweating disorder or face a bone marrow transplant, your company may face a catastrophic health claim that impacts your bottom line. Early intervention and aggressive management are key to protecting both you and your employees.

Laurie S. Miller is president of 2HB Human Resources Solutions Group.

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

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Q4 Strategies and Action Items

September 2017

Guest Perspective INSIGHT

Place your bet on marketing to improve your brand Being in business can be a gamble for a variety of reasons, from uncertain economic conditions to state budget concerns.

We all know there are many aspects of business you can control. And as we approach the fourth quarter of the year, it is the perfect time to review your current goals, identify goals for the upcoming year and evaluate the ongoing and potential marketing efforts that help you get there.

First, let’s talk about audience. Are you reaching the customers and clients who are important to you? What about internally? Do your top administrators and your entry-level employees understand the mission and vision of your company or organization, and can they all communicate your message accurately?

I can’t underscore the importance of messaging enough. At Chartwell Agency, that is where we start with new clients and what we rely on for existing clients: clear, focused language that reflects their hard work and goals. Don’t play your cards too close to the chest. Talking to your employees about the “why” of what you do helps get them excited and enthused. All your employees indirectly are members of your marketing team.

If you are a company based on the fiscal calendar, the fourth quarter is a good opportunity to consider doubling down on efforts that help consistently and accurately market your brand. That can help you finish out the year strong and move forward confidently into 2018.

If goals were not met for the third quarter, and you are off track for 2017, your first instinct may be to cut or trim the marketing and communications budget.

Or even if you did meet your third-quarter goals, you might be thinking that you can get away with spending less in that area.

Instead of following one of those paths, I suggest going all in with a plan that includes the three-legged-stool approach of owned, earned and paid digital media.

Digital Media: Three Types 1. Owned media refers to what you can control the most: Your website and social media extensions of your site such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Websites constantly need to be updated with fresh, relevant content to improve search engine optimization (SEO). You also need to invest the money to update your website (as sites have a typical “shelf life” of only a few years) and make sure the mobile version of your website is user-friendly. Evaluating your audience is important when determining which social media channels to join – meaning, don’t spread yourself too thinly

Rebecca Epperson Chartwell Agency

by joining all of them if your customers and clients aren’t using them.

2. Earned media includes some of the activity that happens on your social media channels, whether people are sharing, liking, retweeting or reposting your content. A thorough plan for the year can help you prepare weekly content, bolstered by real-time events and news within your industry to which you can respond or share.

3. Paid media is an area that continues to evolve, particularly as platforms such as Facebook switch up their algorithms, which affects who is seeing your posts.

Paying to play is necessary to help boost your content and build your audience – the good news is that boosting posts can be affordable, and there are many ways to target your content.

Building Reputation What these definitions tell you is that the wheels keep spinning whether you invest in marketing or not. Customers happily (or unhappily) leave reviews on a variety of websites, and sites such as Facebook generate a page with reviews for your business even if you don’t “own” it. Owned/paid media help build your brand: Those strategies share with audiences who you are and what you do, but they don’t build reputation, because consumers are smart enough to know that you are controlling and managing that message. Earned media develops reputation because it is third-party and more objective. Ultimately, you need a combination of all three.

I urge you to combat the instinct to cut marketing, and I share with you a story of one of our clients who – like everyone else – was struggling during the market crash of 2007-2008. This company decided to double down and spend a little more money, time and effort on building its brand because the rest of the industry was quiet.

They hit the jackpot, of sorts, and have increased their business about four times over. They paid attention to what their competitors were doing – looking for tells – but didn’t fold. Instead, they were authentic in their intentions but still aware of what the market was demanding.

Rebecca Epperson is president of Chartwell Agency.

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

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September 2017

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Not all problems should be solved I recently made a visit to my dentist.

It was a routine cleaning. But I didn’t like what I heard. The health of my gums would require additional effort on my part. Not only would I need to brush and floss daily, as I am in the habit of doing, but I would need to begin using a water flosser.

What? My teeth already receive enough attention in my otherwise full life. I didn’t want to create a new strategy of hygiene and bring a new instrument into my bathroom.

For a moment, I considered asking my dentist to pull all of my teeth and fashion a full set of implants. Problem solved!

Then I realized an increase in hygiene activity is the cost of caring for an aging mouth and keeping my original teeth. This tension of giving up more freedom to care for my physical needs is not going away.

You may be chuckling at my reluctance to embrace a small change in my life for the long-term benefit of dental health, but how often in our lives and work do we treat tensions that must be managed as problems to be solved?

What if opposing views or agendas could be used to our advantage? We are differentiated from most other mammals because we have opposing digits.

Our thumbs move in the opposite direction as the rest of our fingers, which provides great dexterity in our ability to handle objects. What if opposing opinions and competing needs could enable us to proceed in life and business with more clarity and intentionality? Maybe annoying tensions could actually become tools to use to our advantage.

I was first introduced to this idea through a talk that Andy Stanley gave at The Global Leadership Summit in 2010 titled The Upside of Tension. Intrigued by this idea, I stumbled upon Dr. Barry Johnson’s book Polarity Management: Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems (2014) in which he focuses on the power of harnessing the tension of paradoxes within organizations.

Centralization vs. Decentralization. Individual vs. Team Contribution.

Dr. Johnson points to the practice of identifying the strengths of each side (“pole”) and then playing to those strengths. There is a path to maximize these tensions for the betterment of teams and us as individuals.

Is It Always Either/Or? Are under-performing employees a tension to be managed or a problem to be solved? Either/or thinking drives employers to fire and find a more qualified replacement. Problem solved, right? Well, I could be wearing dentures right now as well, but would that be the best option for my dental health? What if an employer utilized the tension between necessary results and the responsibility to develop employees in order to craft an environment that sought to develop its people without compromising standards of performance?

In our leadership coaching work at The Anser Group, this juncture is where we often find a breakdown. Organizations tend to favor throwing employees into the proverbial “deep end of the pool” and keep those who don’t drown, or they retain people far beyond their useful service to the team after much investment.

This paradox of pursuing stellar performance while investing in lagging team members creates an opportunity to be more intentional about providing performance feedback while truly developing employees. When it is discovered that employees won’t (will) or can’t (skill) perform to the necessary level after intentional investment, then the morale of a team is actually lifted by this sort of termination. The hope is that the development efforts will succeed and performance and moral will both benefit.

The Third Way Parents wrestle with the tension between furthering their career and personally investing in the development of their children or family identity.

They would be well served by considering the strengths of both agendas and focusing on these in order to make smarter choices for the greater well-being of their family. Either/or thinking can derail a healthy process of considering the “upside” to tension.

I challenge you to sit down and make a list of problems to be solved and tensions to be managed in your world. Then look again at the list and consider whether some of the problems really consist of healthy tension that should be maximized.

What are the strengths of the opposing sides that create the tension?

How could you maximize the strengths of both to create a more ideal third way?

Next, plan a course of action that honors this third way and get started.

We often don’t start because we want to do something perfectly or intuitively know it will take a lot of effort.

Leadership Development news is sponsored by Comcast Business.

Remember inertia from physics? The definition reads: a property of Glen Williamson matter by The Anser Group which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force.

“Inertia is the reason we never start the process of change. It takes extraordinary effort to stop doing something in our comfort zone (because it’s painless or familiar or mildly pleasurable), in order to start something difficult that will be good for us in the long run” (Marshall Goldsmith, Triggers).

There are dilemmas all around us in life and business. The key is discovering which of these are problems to be solved and which are healthy tensions to employ as a means of creating a better future and then working a thoughtful plan that will help us get there.

What is the upside to the tension in your life? Where can you employ this tension to find a better way? As a result, what do you simply need to start?

For my part, I am going to go figure out how this water flosser works.

Glen Williamson is managing partner & leadership coach at The Anser Group.

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

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

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September 2017

Rockford Chamber, Transform Rockford host Civility in Business workshop Increase productivity; the bottom line

Will new leadership commit to work together?

Opportunity to strengthen our regional approach

By Alex Gary It was a hectic summer in terms of logistics if you routinely drove in the Rockford area. Several major roads, from West State Street, Harrison Avenue, North Main Street and Alpine Road, were closed or partially shut down for major rebuilding projects.

These were city, county projects where local lawmakers control the money. In July, after more than two years, the state of Illinois passed a budget. That clears the decks — eventually — to passing a capital spending plan. Is Rockford ready to lobby for its fair share when it does?

Back in 2015, Transform Rockford brought in Tom Clark, head of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, to talk about how adopting a regional approach has helped Denver become one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the United States.

Clark’s group is the economic development arm for 70 counties, cities and economic development group. In Denver, these municipalities live by a few simple rules: ■ They sell “Metro Denver” first, and individual projects second.

■ If a business wants to relocate from one municipality to another, the one in danger of losing the business is contacted to give them a chance to win them back.

■ Cities and counties can compete for projects, but once a site selector knocks them off, they stay off.

■ At no time can one group solicit a fellow member’s prospect.

■ Cities and counties cannot “sell against” other Metro Denver members by insulting other areas.

The Rockford metropolitan area hasn’t done anything formally to

strengthen its regional ties since that talk in June 2015. The area though does have a rare opportunity to push a more regionalistic approach. This year there are new mayors in Rockford (Tom McNamara), Loves Park (Greg Jury), Machesney Park (Steve Johnson), Winnebago County (Frank Haney) and even the Rockford Park District (Jay Sandine).

All are familiar with each other, and there are no long-standing grudges that developed over time between the prior leaders.

“One thing that has been very encouraging to me as a new mayor is the amount of collaboration with our area partners,” Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said in an email. “One such way this collaboration has been evident is through the creation of the Regional 1 Planning Council. The council allows us to sit at the same table to set priorities.”

Haney said leaders are moving to a regional approach on transportation through the Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Planning (RMAP), where that agency scores projects and creates a priority list. Haney agreed the region must work together more on workforce development.

“We must grow our human infrastructure as well as our physical infrastructure,” Haney said in an email.

“This impacts every municipality with the county and region. There must be more discussion and alignment around this critical issue. This includes, but is not limited to, securing state and federal funding.”

Alex Gary is communications manager for Thinker Ventures.

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

Sherry Harlan Civility, or the lack thereof, whether Attend the Hinshaw & at home, work, school or in our Seminar Culbertson LLP government has been a “hot topic” On Oct. 10, of late. We see examples daily of incivility, ranging from poor driving in Regents Hall at Rockford University, habits and ranting Facebook posts and the Rockford Chamber and 815 Choose tweets to egregious and hateful acts Civility are co-hosting a seminar with occurring at public assemblies. Our Lewena Bayer on the topic of how to 815 Choose Civility Initiative, a project implement the practice of civility that of Transform Rockford, could change your bottom is our regional attempt to line. You will not want to encourage citizens to act in miss this seminar as I and a manner that is honest and my colleagues had the respectful, even towards privilege of hearing Bayer those with whom they speak at National Civility disagree.

Day in northwest Indiana Let me be clear that in April of this year. She this initiative is not a is dynamic and full of “Pollyanna” approach to Lewena Bayer methods and factual data get everyone in peaceful harmony. Our nation was on how civility will improve founded on public discord and our your business. She has written 10 Constitution confirms this right, but books, including the recent “The 30% as a goal we can conduct our work Solution” and speaks internationally meetings, public events and discussions on the topic of civility in the workplace. among ourselves in a respectful manner.

You can review her credentials at www.

Fortunately, this topic has resonated civilityexperts.com. with many and the 815 Choose Civility During the seminar, Bayer will team has been able to share tools and tips for practicing civility beyond the provide tools for businesses to use initial step of taking the 815 Civility to: 1) identify and adopt a practical

Pledge. We have had many requests for training, specifically from businesses, to delve further into what it means to be civil in the workplace, and the positive impact it may have within an organization, such as the potential for increased profit and overall workplace satisfaction in terms of retaining employees and decreasing absenteeism.

This topic could not be timelier, specifically with the advent of the most recent survey results of 3,066 U.S. workers by the RAND Corp., Harvard Medical School and the University of California at Los Angeles, which found that the American workplace can be grueling, stressful and hostile and that good working conditions do matter.

definition of civility for their workplace, 2) assess the extent to which incivility is impacting the bottom line, and 3) understand how training plans can be implemented to engage in core competencies that foster civility in the workplace.

In any event, I hope you will join us on Oct. 10 to learn how a culture of civility in your workplace can foster trust and increase your worker engagement and satisfaction, while ultimately increasing business profits as a goal.

Sherry Harlan is partner with Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP and a member of the 815 Choose Civility Team – Transform Rockford.

CHOOSE CIVILITY SEMINAR: How to Implement the Practice of Civility that Could Change Your Bottom Line

Co-sponsors: Rockford Chamber and 815 Choose Civility Speaker: Lewena Bayer Tuesday, October 10, 8 to 11 a.m.

Regent’s Hall, Rockford University, Rockford

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September 2017

LIP BALM & MARKETING As we approach winter, I am reminded of a yearly struggle and the importance of relevance. For twoyears I have been telling my son to wear lip balm. I have bought different flavors and different brands hoping something would click. We have the same conversation over and over.

Mom: Wear your lip balm. If you don’t your lips will chap and eventually crack.

Son: I like having cracked lips.

Mom: They will also start to bleed and make it hurt to eat and drink.

Just wear it, please.

Son: I don’t care if it hurts, I can handle the pain. And I don’t care about scabs.

For two years, we had the same conversation, until last winter. After purchasing yet another brand and flavor we have this conversation; Mom: Wear your lip balm. If you

don’t your lips will eventually crack and bleed, making it hard to eat.

Son: I like having cracked lips. I can stand the pain.

Mom: It will hurt so much you won’t be able to play your saxophone.

Son: Oh, ok. I’ll wear it.

All it took was to relate the information to something that was important to him, directly and personally. Marketing is the same way. Your company may have the best product, best price, and still not reach your audience because the message hasn’t been tailored to be relevant to their needs. In 2017 evaluate your products, evaluate your current and potential customers, then establish a message that is directly relevant to the customer’s needs.

— Erin Marshall, RAEDC

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Our region ranks #1 again

Figure 1 Did you know our region has the highest concentration of cold forming employment in the United States?

The Rockford MSA (metropolitan statistical area) includes Winnebago and Boone counties. The region is competing against other metropolitan statistical areas much larger than ours and demonstrating the ability to provide this specialized form of manufacturing on a world-class level.

See Figure 1.

Cold forming, also known as cold heading, is the process of shaping metals at room temperature. In cold forming, metal is forced into dies at high pressure and at high-speed. This multi-step process shapes the metal from wire into a screw or rivet, which are the most common form of fasteners made using this process. The process results in a higher-strength fastener with little to no waste material generated.

In our region, there are 39 companies that provide cold forming or cold heading

services (see Figure 2), and an additional 26 companies that provide metal treating and coating services after the cold forming process. This is known as downstream processing.

The RAEDC supports and promotes the region’s strength in providing training that is relevant to our employers and industry sectors. Relevant to cold forming and cold heading, there are NIMS-credentialed training programs and apprenticeships at Rock Valley College through the Tech Works program.

The region’s bloodline of manufacturing and innovation has positioned itself as a leader in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, as well as establishing industry-relevant, customized workforce solutions. The cold forming manufacturing industry in the region demonstrates these capabilities and abilities.

We are still a Fastener Hub in the USA — We are #1!

Figure 2

Screw Capital of the World Rockford is known by many nicknames the Forest City, Reaper City, Furniture City, and the Screw Capital of the World.

More accurately, it should be known as the Fastener Capital of the World, but where is the fun in that?

The Rockford Region became known as the screw capital of the world around the same time the furniture-making industry was dying off in the 1940s. The demand for fasteners rose along with the demand for wartime machinery.

For decades, production in the Rockford Region was heavily supported through U.S. government contracts from the First World War all the way through the Cold War due to the region’s production and manufacturing capabilities.

By the late 1960s the Rockford Region was ranked as the fifth largest manufacturer of fasteners in the nation. Leading to the self-proclaimed nickname “Screw Capital of the World.”

— Rockford Area Economic Development Council

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

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September 2017

What is Manufacturing Day℠?

Manufacturing Day℠ is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. It occurs on the first Friday in October. This year it’s Oct 6, 2017.

The inaugural Manufacturing Day was held on Oct. 5, 2012, and featured events hosted by 240 manufacturers in 37 states that drew 7,500 people.

Manufacturing Day has grown into a national celebration. The fifth-annual event in 2016 included 2,807 events in all 50 states and Puerto Rico; drawing nearly 600,000 participants.

Visit www.mfgday.com to host a MFG DAY event.

Words from President Barack Obama’s Proclamation of National Manufacturing Day in 2016: “The growing maker movement has played a role in encouraging manufacturing. Through our Nation of Makers initiative, we have worked to give students, entrepreneurs, and all Americans access to new technologies so they can design and build anything they can dream of. The democratization of tools required to create products has been critical for supporting entrepreneurship and has led to a renaissance of American manufacturing—and we must continue to foster the culture of making and entrepreneurship. Our economic competitiveness in domestic manufacturing depends on critical investments in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. If we make the necessary investments to help students and young people experience hands-on STEM learning, we can spark a deep interest and help them develop the passion and creativity they need to excel in the 21st-century economy.

“Now, Therefore, I, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 7, 2016, as National Manufacturing Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with programs and activities that highlight the contributions of American manufacturers, and I encourage all Americans to visit a manufacturer in their local community.”

Source: The American Presidency Project™

Rockford Systems hosts open house, Oct. 6 Celebration of National Manufacturing Day℠ Rockford Systems LLC will participate in Manufacturing ℠ Day, a national initiative meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.

It will welcome students, educators, and community and business leaders to learn about machine safeguarding and its important role in the manufacturing process at its open house on Friday, Oct. 6, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Headquarters Training Center, 4620 Hydraulic Road. It is estimated that less than 50 percent of manufacturing machinery currently in use in the United States meets federal safety regulations.

The event will include: ■■ Five, two-hour sessions with a

machine safety presentation and interactive demonstration with safeguarding specialists. Experience 15 safeguarded metal-working machines operating under power.

■■ Attendees will be invited after the presentation to network with safeguarding specialists and participate in the #selfieforsafety community service campaign, designed to raise student awareness on the importance of machine safeguarding. Funds will go towards upgrading safety equipment in the machine shops of several public high schools in Rockford.

Register at www.mfgday.com/ events/2017/rockford-systems-llc or www.rockfordsystems.com.

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September 2017

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

the News IN Members THEin NEWS

1. Leslie Anderson

2. Shawn Murphy

3. Laura Rivord

4. Matthew Vitner

5. Dr. Koren Ganas

6. Micah Seymour

7. Jennifer Zedan

8. Dr. Migena Betz

9. Dr. Rotimi Johnson

10. Dr. Kyle Pfeifer

11. Dr. Gurdeep Atwal

12. Don Hatton

13. Andrew Wall

14. Andrea Mehlbaum

15. Dr. Mazen Hadid

16. Florence Haley

17. Todd Martinovich

18. Chris Owens

19. Steve Marcum

20. Jason Fields

21. Sherry Pitney

22. Lisa McClenthen

23. Bruce Graham

24. Jakob Loescher

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

BOARD APPOINTMENTS The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors – Rockford Chapter elected Leslie Anderson (1), State Farm, as its president of the board.

Stephen Nelson, director of educational architecture, Larson & Darby Group, was appointed to the Illinois Association of School Boards, Kishwaukee Division Executive Board, and as Resolutions chair.

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, RETIREMENTS Shawn Murphy (2) joined Blackhawk Bank as assistant vice president, business banking, and Laura Rivord (3) promoted to teller supervisor for the Janesville banking center slated to open later this year.

Rockford Park District hired Dan Jacobson as superintendent of operations.

Missman, Inc., hired Matthew Vitner (4), PE, as its new regional business development manager for the Rockford/Chicago region.

University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford welcomed Koren Ganas, Psy.D. (5), as a research assistant professor in the department of health science education and a clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry.

Fehr Graham hired Micah Seymour (6) to provide technical support to client Anchor-Harvey.

Specialty Screw Corporation hired Jennifer Zedan (7) as quality assurance manager.

Mercyhealth welcomed specialty radiologists, Migena Betz, M.D. (8), Rotimi Johnson, M.D (9)., and Kyle Pfeifer, M.D. (10), and pediatrician and neonatal-perinatal physician Gurdeep

Atwal, M.D. (11), to its staff at Mercyhealth Hospital-Rockton Avenue.

Digital Hive Mind welcomed Don Hatton (12) as director of client services.

Per Mar Security Services hired Andrew Wall (13) as director of human resources.

SwedishAmerican, a division of UW Health, welcomed Andrea Mehlbaum (14) as an advanced practice nurse with Rockford Vascular Surgery and Mazen Hadid, M.D. (15), as an interventional cardiologist.

Rock Valley College hired Florence Haley (16) as its new vice president of human resources.

Todd Martinovich (17) joined the Commercial Lines Team of Spectrum Insurance Agency Inc.

EMPLOYEE/COMMUNITY RECOGNITIONS, AWARDS Sean Connelly, Chris Owens (18),

Steve Marcum (19) and Jason Fields (20), certified techs, Entré Computer Solutions, completed the Nimble Introduction and Administration.

Sherry Pitney (21), executive director, Rockford Rescue Mission, celebrated 35 years of service.

Meridian named Lisa McClenthen (22) as Employee of the Month.

Bruce A. Graham (23), Spectrum Insurance Agency, Inc., received a certificate for completing Pekin Insurance, “Protecting Your Agency 2017.”

Jakob Loescher (24), financial advisor, Savant Capital Management, was named to Forbes’ list of America’s Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors.

OF GENERAL INTEREST Mohammed I. Ahmed-Khan, M.D. (25), board certified internal medicine, hospice and palliative care physician, spoke at Premier Inc.’s Breakthroughs

(continued on page 21)

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September 2017

the News IN Members THEin NEWS

25. Dr. Mohammed Ahmed-Khan

26. Matt Quinn

Continued from page 20 Conference and Exhibition, in June in Washington D.C., on “reducing hospital readmission rates among advanced illness disease patients.”

Karla Rodgers and Brandon Latino, Spectrum Insurance Agency, Inc., attended “Commercial Casualty 2” by Williams Manny in June.

Matt Quinn (26), community relations coordinator, Rosecrance, appeared

27. Chris Kelley

on the Dr. Duffy Undue Anxiety Podcast on July 28. The topic, “On Teen Marijuana and Alcohol Trends,” included a conversation about teen drug and alcohol use, brain development and legalization.

Chris Kelley (27), marketing strategist, V2 Marketing Communications, presented “Enhancing Your Social Media Publishing” to the Rockford HubSpot User Group at Rockford University.

Rockford Statistics

In August, the City of Rockford debuted new infographics to help residents and businesses understand the key metrics by which the City measures its performance. City departments use dozens of statistics to track the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of critical city services. Slide presentations of these key metrics are posted monthly on the City website and released to the media and public.

You can view the graphics here and view the full presentation deck on the City website: https://rockfordil.gov/news/rockstat/

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September 2017

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

SEPTEMBER, 2017 Saturday, September 2

OrthoIllinois and RAMP present a Half Marathon, 5K Run, 3K Walk/ Wheel and free Kids Fun Run to benefit RAMP. Registration at 6:30 a.m., at City Market Pavilion, 202 Market St., Rockford, or www. runrockford.com.

Monday, September 4

Sen. Steve Stadelman presents HoopStars, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for third to eighth grades, noon at UW Health Sports Factory, 305 S. Madison St., Rockford. Free.

Register by Sept. 1 at www. senatorstadelman.com/hoopstars.

Wednesday, September 6

Rock Valley College hosts an Hour of Code Challenge for ages 4 and up, at the RRStar building, 99 E. State St., room 2108, Rockford. Features Apple’s new “Hour of Code.”

Attendees will use iPad Mini and learn Swift code. RSVP at www. rvchourofcode.com/rsvp.html or email Chuck Konkol, c.konkol@ rockvalleycollege.edu.

Thursday, September 7

SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Health, hosts a Paramedic class at its EMS office, 4120 Charles St., Rockford, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 21, 2018. E-mail ems@swedishamerican. org or call 779-696-6082.

University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, College of Pharmacy hosts an Information Session for students interested in pharmacy, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., on Sept.

7 and Oct. 9 at the UIC Health

Sciences Campus-Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave. Contact Rachel Van Den Broek, 815-395-5749 or rachelv@ uic.edu.

Saturday, September 9

Discovery Center Museum hosts Bubble Festival, 9 a.m., 711 N. Main St., Rockford. Visit www. discoverycentermuseum.org.

Tuesday, September 12

NIU EIGERlab hosts Innovation Tuesday Meetup, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at NIU Rockford, 8500 E. State St. Andy Dahl, University of WisconsinWhitewater, will present “Developing a Digital Marketing Content Strategy. Call Sherry at 815-7532192.

The University of Illinois Extension offers an Illinois Food Service Sanitation Manager Certification class, 9 a.m., Sept. 12 and 15, at the Stephenson County Farm Bureau, 210 W. Spring St., Freeport.

Preregistration required at 815-2354125 or web.extension.illinois.edu/ jsw.

Saturday, September 16

Rockford Symphony Orchestra in honor of National Star Wars Day performs Star Wars & More-The Music of John Williams, 7:30 p.m., at Coronado Performing Arts Center, 314 N. Main St. For tickets contact 815-965-0049 or www. rockfordsymphony.com.

Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful hosts a Medication Collection, 9 a.m. to noon, at South Beloit Fire Station, 429 Gardner St., and Mercyhealth Winnebago Clinic, 102 Landmark Dr., and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Practice Velocity, 8777 Velocity Dr., Machesney Park. Keep in original packaging and cross out patient information, leaving

medication name and dose. Visit www.knib.org or 815-637-1343.

The Alzheimer’s Association® hosts its Walk to End Alzheimer’s, 10 a.m., at Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford. Register at alz.org/walk.

River District Association hosts its second-annual fundraiser, Picnic en Plein Air, 6 to 9 p.m. The upscale, picnic-style dinner takes place on Water Street along the Rock River near the City Market Pavilion and Millennium Fountain park in downtown Rockford. Visit www. riverdistrict.com.

Tuesday, September 19

Upper Cervical Care Center – Rockford hosts an interactive Nutrition Workshop, focusing on strengthening the immune system, 6 p.m., at 4519 Highcrest Road, Rockford. Free but RSVP required at 815-398-4500.

Thursday, September 21

RAMP hosts a Special Education Youth Conference, 8:30 a.m., at Faranda’s, 302 Grove St., DeKalb. For workshop topics or to register, visit Give.classy.org/SEYC.

Friday, September 22

Midway Village Museum presents World War II Event School Day, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Sept. 22 at 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford. Space is limited. Reserve by Sept. 14 at kristen.hoeker@midwayvillage.com.

Behind the Lines With General Patton, a behind-the-scenes tour and special dinner activity, takes place Sept. 22, 5 to 8 p.m. Call 815-3979112 for tickets by Sept. 15. World War II Days take place Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sept. 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit www.midwayvillage. com.

Ambassadors on the move

Saturday September 23

University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford hosts a New Orleans Casino Night Fundraiser, 7 to 11 p.m., at the UIC Health Sciences Campus-Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave. Fundraiser for MERIT. Call 815-395-5649 or email prrockford@uic.edu.

Saturday, September 30

First National Bank and Trust, 1795 Madison Road, Beloit, hosts a free Electronic Recycling Drive, 9 a.m. to noon, in partnership with Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois and Wisconsin Stateline Area. Donate cell phones, computers, printers, small appliances, VCRs, DVD players and stereos. For a complete list, visit www.goodwillni.org/donations.

Rock Valley College hosts a Learn Coding with Robots workshop, 10 a.m. to noon, on Sept. 30, Oct. 28 and Nov. 25, in the Woodward Technology Center, 3301 N. Mulford Road. Buy tickets at rvchourofcode. com/coderobots. For questions email Professor Chuck Konkol at c.konkol@ rockvalleycollege.edu.

OCTOBER, 2017 Wednesday, October 4

Rock Valley College hosts an Hour of Code Challenge, “Coding with Minecraft,” for ages 4 and up, at the RRStar building, 99 E. State St., room 2108, Rockford. RSVP at www. rvchourofcode.com/rsvp.html or email Chuck Konkol, c.konkol@ rockvalleycollege.edu.

Friday, October 6

Rockford Systems hosts an Open House for National Manufacturing Day, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at its Headquarters Training Center, 4620 Hydraulic Road. Five, two-hour sessions include a machine safety presentation and interactive demonstration with safeguarding specialists. Free. Register by Oct. 2 at www.rockfordsystems.com.

Saturday, October 7

American Red Cross hosts Sound the Alarm, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 727 N. Church St. Rockford. Call Emily Barrile at 815-963-8471, ext. 8819, or emily.barrile@redcross.org.

Sunday, October 8

Mischief Live – America’s Most Wanted Magicians Bringing TV’s Funniest Magic to Rockford, takes place at 7 p.m. Coronado Performing Arts Center, 314 N Main St. For tickets visit the BMO Harris box office, ticketmaster.com or 815-9685222.

The Chamber Ambassadors toured the Graham-Ginestra House as part of their monthly luncheon in August. The networking and hospitality group visits a different Chamber member every month and enjoys lunch from one of its many Chamber caterer members.

WWE Live takes place at 5 p.m., BMO Harris Bank Center, 300 Elm St., Rockford. For tickets visit the box office, www.ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

September 2017

Business Briefs BUSINESS BRIEFS

The SwedishAmerican Foundation donates 24 backpacks to its neighbors at Jackson Charter School. Rockford Police Department community service officers and Girl Scouts Jayla and Monte from local Girl Scout Troop 1848 helped assemble and deliver the backpacks to students.

Chartwell Agency and Ignition Studio completed a website redesign for WilliamsMcCarthy LLP at www. wilmac.com.

Mercyhealth was named one of the nation’s most wired health systems in 2017 by Health and Hospitals Networks magazine.

V2 Marketing Communications organized, promoted and facilitated an eight-day workshop and banquet event for Chicago National Association of Dance Masters in Oak Brook, Ill. It completed a tradeshow display for Erisapedia, a complete study for ERISA professionals working with defined contribution plans. OrthoIllinois hired V2 to produce a new TV commercial promoting OrthoIllinois Spine Care.

Woodward, Inc., announced that its board declared a cash dividend of $0.125 per share for the quarter, payable on Sept. 5, 2017, for stockhold- In August, 56 first-year medical ers of record as of Aug. 22, 2017. students arrived at the University of Savant Capital Management was Illinois College of Medicine Rockford recognized by Financial Advisor, for the first time in its history. The “M1s” Financial Times and InvestmentNews as will be the first to complete all four years one of the leading Registered of medical school in Rockford.

Investment Advisors in the nation and Upper Cervical Care Center –

by Accounting Today magazine as one Rockford hosted “Ready for Your of the nation’s leading CPA firms by Future Day” at St. Mark Lutheran assets under management.

Church for ages 3 to 14, on fire safety, Northwest Bank of Rockford’s learning, creativity, spinal balance and Community Outreach Awareness Team kitchen safety. hosted a bank-wide fundraiser for Gigi’s Rockford Symphony Orchestra held Playhouse; raising $1,269 between an open house on Aug. 17 for its fundraising and an anonymous expanded executive office space. Some donation. rooms previously were occupied by The City of Rockford Human Services WNIU Public Radio, which consolidated Department and the Rock River its facilities in DeKalb. The area includes Homeless Coalition anticipates about a music library, RSO-archived perfor$107,742 in new funding from the U.S. mance listening room, recording studio Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Continuum of Care and practice rooms, and was funded in competitive grant program for part by a grant from the Community Winnebago and Boone counties. The Foundation of Northern Illinois.

CoC provides funds to nonprofit Rockford Area Convention & Visitors providers to quickly re-house homeless Bureau announced that visitor individuals, families, persons fleeing spending in Rockford and Winnebago domestic violence and youth.

County reached an all-time high during KMK Media Group was hired by 2016 of $353 million, directly creating/ Medical Pain Management Services in sustaining 2,888 jobs with $85.51 Rockford for a marketing strategy to million in payroll. Tourism in Winnebago communicate new treatment options for County is growing faster than in other chronic pain, including alternatives to major counties in Illinois; increasing 39 opioids. It was hired by Ipsen, Inc., to percent since 2009. This was faster develop a promotional video highlighting the company’s heat-treating than 11 of the 12 other large counties examined and second only to Chicago/ solutions and innovations.

Cook County.

SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Health, announced the construction of Bureau announced that the Illinois two new state-of-the-art clinics in Middle School Basketball Rockford on North Main Street and Championship put on by State another on Bell School Road, near the Regional Cancer Center campus.

Basketball Championship will come to Rockford next year, March 16 to 18. The Rockford Park District’s free 100-team tournament will be played at Therapeutic Recreation Fall 2017 UW Health Sports Factory and East Program Guide is available at Park District Customer Service, facilities and High School. Expected economic impact is 1,025 hotel rooms filled during downloadable online at www. rockfordparkdistrict.org/tr. the weekend for a value of $184,500.

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Regional, National Indicators THE ECONOMY U.S. Indicators July 2017



Consumer Price Index Unemployment Rate

0.1 percent 4.3 percent

      

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

209,000 $0.09 0.1 percent 0.5 percent (second quarter, 2017) 0.9 percent (second quarter, 2017) 0.1 percent 0.4 percent

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment Rates Region / State / Nation April 2017

May 2017

June 2017

July 2017

Rockford

6.8

6.1

5.8

---

Chicago

4.2

4.1

5.1

4.8

Illinois

4.7

4.6

4.7

4.8

United States

4.4

4.3

4.4

4.3

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

U.S. & World Population United States: 325,690,827 World: 7,415,680,400

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

Membership Renewals Thank you to members who renewed with the Rockford Chamber of Commerce in July, 2017.

KP Counseling Management, LLC Arachnid - Bullshooter Auto Clinic of Rockford Inc. Maciano’s Pizza - Columbia Parkway Berg Industries, Inc. Midway Village Museum Bill Doran Company Midwest Roofing Supply Biscotto Computers Inc. Modernspace Studio/Techline-Rockford Black & Jones Attorneys at Law Montessori Private Academy Blake Oil Company Northwestern Mutual BMO Harris Bank NyClo Screw Machine Products Brian Thomas Photography, Inc. Parker Hannifin Corporation Broadway Florist PNC Bank C & H Design Center Prairie State Legal Services Inc. Cicero, France & Alexander, P.C. Print Jet Comfort Inn of Rockford R.J. Bowers Distributors, Inc. Community Foundation of Northern Rasmussen College Illinois RK Dixon Comprehensive Prosthetics & Orthotics Rock River Tower LLC Custom Training Resources Rock River Training Corp.

Dale Carnegie Training of Greater Illinois, Rock Valley College Inc. Rockford Association for Minority Danfoss Power Electronics Management DHS Division of Rehabilitation Services Rockford Christian Schools Discount Tire Rockford Electric Equipment Company Ethnic Heritage Museum Rockford Local Development Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center Corporation First Northern Credit Union Servpro of Rockford Focus Financial Advisors, Inc. Sinnissippi Apartments Inc. Forest City Gear Co. Spectrum Insurance Agency, Inc. Gleason Cutting Tools Corporation Stateline Realty/Stateline Rental Gordon Flesch Company, Inc. Properties Heritage Woods of Rockford Stewart & Associates, Inc. Hooters of Rockford Stockholm Inn Howe Freightways, Inc. The Brian Boyer Group - State Farm Humana Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Northern Illinois (IMEC) The Olive Garden Rockford Illinois Material Handling The Ridge Condominium Association Ingenium Aerospace LLC The UPS Store J & M Plating, Inc. Westminster Presbyterian Church K&J Finishing, Inc. William Charles, Ltd. Kelce & Company Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden WinMan LLC

September 2017 Member Anniversaries

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Aug. 19, 2017

Illinois 11th Best School Systems in 2017 WalletHub’s analysts compared school systems across the 50 states and the District of Columbia using 21 key measures, from pupil-teacher ratio to dropout rate to median standardized-test scores, to determine the best in America.

Good news is that Illinois rated #1 in median SAT score and 11th overall.

Thank you to the members celebrating their anniversaries with the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

25-YEAR MEMBERS

10-YEAR MEMBER

Dale Carnegie Training of Greater Illinois, Inc. Midwest Roofing Supply

Auto Body Specialist Inc.

5-YEAR MEMBERS

20-YEAR MEMBERS

Cremation Society of Illinois Tree Care Enterprises, Inc.

Healthcare Plus Security First Title Company ServiceMaster Restoration by DSI

15-YEAR MEMBERS

Absolute Fire Protection, Inc. Colorwave Graphics, LLC

Quality & Safety of Schools in Illinois (1=Most; 25=Avg.) 27th Reading Test Scores 1st

OCTOBER VOICE SPECIAL SECTIONS

Median SAT Score

25th Median ACT Score

24th Percentage of Licensed/Certified Public K–12 Teachers 22nd Dropout Rate

21st Bullying Incidence Rate

25th Percentage of Threatened/Injured High School Students Source: wallethub.com

Living Well (360-Degree Health) Senior Living For information on advertising, call 815

987-8100

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

25

September 2017

New Chamber Members CW BUSINESS SERVICES, LLC THE FRAME SHOPPE (ZANCO FRAMING INC.) Bookkeeping, Payroll, Benefits Administration Carol Walters 815-703-4883

DISCOUNT MED DIRECT A discount mail order prescription service 129 S. Phelps Ave., Ste. 213, 61108 Jeannie Shawver 779-203-9993 www.discountmeddirect.com

Custom picture framing using only quality conservation material. True craftmanship.

1641 N. Alpine Road – Edgebrook, 61107 Mary Ellen Zanocco Jansen 815-398-8400 www.theframeshoppegallery.com

MACO-SYS, LLC

CONFLUENCE

EASTERSEALS

Our purpose is to change the way the world defines and views disabilities by making profound, positive differences in people’s lives every day.

8301 Mitchell Road Machesney Park, IL 61115 Ryan Jensen, 815-965-6745 www.eastersealschicago.com

Builds controllers for manufacturing equipment 4317 Maray Dr., 61107 Emma Robbins 779-888-3263

TEE LEE POPCORN INC.

Growing, Processing and Packaging quality popcorn for over 60 years.

Promotionals by Primetime helping businesses of all sizes and industries promote their company in a unique and effective way.

101 W. Badger St. Shannon, IL 61078 Ken Weaver 815-864-2363 www.primetimepromotionals.com

The Rockford Chamber of Commerce’s

Confluence: A convergence of forces, people or things

Confluence Honors Celebrating Partnerships Who do you know that can be recognized for their work on an impactful partnership?

This year, the Rockford Chamber of Commerce will be celebrating the partnerships in our business community who contribute to growth and success of the area. The Confluence Honors will celebrate those people and organizations who come together for greater impact.

Working together allows teams to maximize productivity and allow each to reach individual — and group — potentials. We see it every day. A great example of a Confluence in our community is the Friends of the Coronado.

Nominate companies, organizations and individuals for this recognition honor.

A group of concerned citizens came together to investigate renovating

Nomination forms can be found on the rockfordchamber.com website.

of renovation, restoration and reopening of the historic Coronado Theatre.

the Coronado Theatre. The City of Rockford jumped on board, followed by many local companies, and the result was an $18.5 million capital campaign Smaller partnerships can be found within organizations or in formal (and informal) business partnerships. Potential categories for recognition may

Nomination deadline is September 8, 2017.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

include (but are not limited to): Business Partnerships

Community Partnerships

Business/NFP Partnerships

Public/Private Partnerships

Internal Business Teams

Neighborhood/Business

External Business Teams Working Pairs – Getting it Done

Partnerships Education Partnerships

Nominate companies, organizations and individuals for this recognition honor.

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September 2017

theVoice rockfordchamber.com

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

Judson University celebrated with a ribbon cutting as the two organizations cut the ribbon on their state-of-the art campus inside the YMCA of Rock River Valley on July 26.

Rasmussen College holds a ribbon cutting and open house on Aug. 9 for its surgical technologist program at 6000 E. State St., Rockford. Enrollments begin in October 2017.

Northern Illinois Vein Clinic holds a ribbon cutting and open house on Aug. 10 at 2990 N. Perryville Road, Ste. 3400 (Perryville Place), Rockford.

KFACT holds a ribbon cutting on Aug. 15 for its new GIRLS Space from a Club Blue grant at 227 N. Church St., Rockford.

SwedishAmerican, a division of UW Health, celebrates 815 Day on Aug. 15 with the groundbreaking of its new $4.1 million clinic in southwest Rockford at 815 Marchesano Dr. It will feature primary care, obstetrics, laboratory and imaging services and add roughly 75 construction jobs and permanent healthcare jobs. Construction is slated for completion in 2018.

SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Health, holds a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration on Aug. 18 for Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness at 1401 E. State St., Rockford.

The new, 4,500-sq.-ft., on-site clinic provides primary care, women’s health services and mental health services (via telepsychiatry), scheduled to begin in November.

Rock House Kids holds a ribbon cutting on Aug. 24 at 1325 7th St., Rockford.

Rock Valley College Health Sciences Center holds a ribbon cutting, open house and tours of the new Health Sciences Center and remodeled Classroom Building I on Aug. 25 at 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford. The new center will house the allied health programs: nursing, dental hygiene, surgical technology, respiratory care, nursing assistant, phlebotomy, fire science/EMT and medical terminology.

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27

September 2017

EVENTS

Upcoming Chamber Events

2HB Human Resources & Benefits Solutions . . . . . . . . . 12

SEPTEMBER, 2017 Friday, September 1

Ribbon Cutting, 3 p.m., Choice Furniture, Inc., 199 Deane Dr., Rockford.

Tuesday, September 5

Ribbon Cutting, 4 p.m., Discount Med Direct, 129 S. Phelps Ave., Ste. 213, Rockford.

Wednesday, September 6

Ribbon Cutting, 1 p.m., Rockford Star Tours at Windstar Lines, Inc., 3510 Merchandise Dr., Rockford.

Thursday, September 7 11:30 am - 1 pm Radisson Conference Center 200 S. Bell School Rd., Rockford

Education Outlook LUNCHEON

Dr. Ehren Jarrett, Rockford Public Schools, shares progress toward advancing educaiton success for all students.

Sponsored by BMO Harris Bank (presenting), Humana and SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Health (gold) and Rockford University (silver).

Thursday, September 7 Ribbon Cutting, 2-3:00 p.m., Thrive Café, 6731 Broadcast Pkwy, Loves Park.

Friday, September 8

Government Affairs Council, 7:30 to 8:45 a.m., at Stockholm Inn, 2420 Charles St., Rockford. City of Belvidere Mayor Mike Chamberlain will be presenting. Sponsored by AT&T. IGNITE Golf Outing, 1 to 5 p.m., at Elliot Golf Course, 888 S. Lyford Road, Rockford.

Wednesday, September 13 7:30 - 9 am NEW LOCATION Rockford University Burpee Center 5050 E. State St. Regents Hall, 2nd Floor, Rockford

Breakfast BUZZ Patti Thayer, Thayer Lighting, Inc., presents “Building Your Business Through Strategic Networking.”

Sponsored by RSM US LLP.

Wednesday, September 20

SBDC’s First Steps to Your New Business, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Pecatonica Library, 400 W. 11th St., Pecatonica, IL. Thursday, September 21 12:30 - 1:45 pm Inside OwlyOop Sports Pub 305 S. Madison St., Rockford

ROCKFORD CHAMBER

EXPO LUNCHEON Master-certified coach Tom Kelly presents “The Attraction Principle: How to Shift from Working to Get Clients to Attracting Them Effortlessly.”

Advertisers Index ADVERTISERS

Alpine Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 13 Thursday, September 21 2 - 7 pm UW Health Sports Factory 305 S. Madison St., Rockford

Blackhawk Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

ROCKFORD CHAMBER

Comcast Business . . . . . . . . . . 16

BUSINESS EXPO

Join us at the 10th Annual Rockford Chamber Business Expo and launch your business contacts.

Sponsored by Ticomix (presenting); Comcast Business and Mercyhealth (gold); Thayer Lighting, Inc., (silver); Meridian and The Morrissey Family Businesses (Business After Hours).

BMO Harris Bank . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Brian Thomas Photography . . . 23 Honquest Family Funeral Homes with Crematory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Illinois Bank & Trust . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Illinois Small Business Development Center . . . . . . . . . 10 Klaas Financial Asset Advisors, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Northern Illinois Health Plan . . . 15 Northern Public Radio . . . . . . . 25 Northwest Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 OSF HealthCare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Quartz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Rockford Bank & Trust Co. . . . . . 3 Rockford Chamber of Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 25, 28 RSM US LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Stillman Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Thayer Lighting, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 9 Widmer Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Thursday, September 21

Speed Networking Session at the Rockford Chamber Business Expo, 3 p.m., UW Health Sports Factory, 305 S. Madison St., Rockford.

Friday, September 22

Chamber Staff / Call 815-987-8100 ............................................. Direct Line

Harold “Bo” Boger, IL Small Business

Development Center Director ............................................................. 815-316-4301

Ribbon Cutting, 11 a.m., Rockford Remade at Rockford Rescue Mission Ministries, 611 W. State St.

Sue Boyer, Member Relations ................................................ 815-316-4315

Thursday, September 28

Doug Hessong, Director of Publications & Technology .................. 815-316-4338

Ribbon Cutting, 4:30 to 6 p.m., Mary’s Market., 4431 E State St., Rockford.

Ribbon cutting, 4:30 p.m., followed by open house.

OCTOBER, 2017 Wednesday, October 11

Breakfast Buzz 7:30 - 9 a.m., at Regents Hall, 2nd Floor, Burpee Center, Rockford University, 5050 E. State St., Rockford. Joe Daguanno, Mid-West Family Marketing Will Present: “What is the Zero Moment of Truth and Are You Winning the On-Line Game.”

Sponsored by RSM US LLP.

Friday, October 13

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

hEALTH iNSURANCE

Thursday, October 19 11:30 am - 1 pm Franchesco’s Ristorante 7128 Spring Creek Rd., Rockford

HEALTHCARE Industry Update With so much change anticipated at the federal level for 2017, what can businesses expect when it comes to healthcare?

Sponsored by BMO Harris Bank (presenting), and Humana, Rosecrance Health Network, SwedishAmerican, A Division of UW Health, and Employers’ Coalition on Health (ECOH) (gold); Schmeling Construction Co. (bronze).

Thursday, October 26

Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m., Rock River Valley Pantry, 421 S. Rockton Ave., Rockford. Tours include the 28 raised-bed organic garden, and music by Harlan Jefferson. Sponsored

by Associated Bank.

Einar K. Forsman, President & CEO ......................................... 815-316-4304 Heidi M. Garner, Chief Operating Officer ................................... 815-316-4312 Lynette Jacques, Vice President, Member Investment ................... 815-316-4317 Doug Mark, Membership Development Executive .............................. 815-316-4336 Stephanie Mathews, Administrative & Finance Assistant ................... 815-987-8100 Stacy Mullins, Director of Events ............................................. 815-316-4302 Caitlin Pusateri, Vice President, Leadership Development .................. 815-316-4337 Doug Rand, Accounting Manager/Controller .............................. 815-316-4316 Joan Sundvall, Membership Contact Coordinator ........................ 815-316-4320

Chamber Board of Directors & Officers EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

DIRECTORS Andrew Benson Benson Stone Company, Inc.

Chairman of the Board Richard Zumwalt Z Resource

Jan Bowman TLC Construction

Vice Chair Michele Petrie Wintrust Bank

LaVonne Brown Savant Capital Management

Vice Chair Dan Ross Williams-Manny Insurance Group

Paula Carynski OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center Samuel J. Castree Staff Management, Inc.

Treasurer Amy Ott Boylan Catholic High School Immediate Past Chair Patti Thayer Thayer Lighting, Inc.

Joe Castrogiovanni Giovanni’s, Inc. 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

Patrick Shaw RSM US LLP

Ira Grimmett UTC Aerospace Systems

Karl Swanson Rockford Bank & Trust Co.

Tim Honquest Honquest Family Funeral Home with Crematory

Jon Thompson Butitta Brothers Automotive

Jeff Hultman Illinois Bank & Trust Michael F. Iasparro Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Kris L. Kieper Machajewski YWCA Northwestern Illinois Patrick Morrow Alpine Bank Mike Paterson Mid-West Family Broadcasting Mark Peterson CBL Associates Cherry Vale

Laura Pigatti Williamson

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

John Schuster Rosecrance Health Network

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