One, Vol. 3 Iss.1

Volume 3 Issue 1 November 2013

one

one voice for the rockford area business community

twenty 2013

people you should know

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SPONSOR’S WELCOME Reno & Zahm is honored to return as the presenting sponsor of the third annual People You Should Know. It is our privilege to recognize this group of individuals whose accomplishments fortify the civic, economic and cultural vitality of our community.

The Rockford region is fortunate to possess an extraordinary wealth of talent and human capital across a wide spectrum of industries, all committed to excellence. More than just a list, People You Should Know celebrates some of Rockford’s most influential change-makers.

Recognizing and leveraging the community’s large network of strong business leaders is not only beneficial for our businesses, it also inspires others to dream big and achieve success. People You Should Know helps set the example in the development of the next generation of leaders.

At Reno & Zahm, we recognize the importance of leadership. Creativity. Humility. Integrity.

Expertise. Passion. Mentorship. Perseverance. The People You Should Know honorees possess the characteristics Reno & Zahm has sought out and recruited in our own people throughout our ninety year history. We are proud to support the 2013 honorees and their efforts to foster excellence within our community.

The attorneys of Reno & Zahm wish to sincerely congratulate and thank the People You Should Know honorees. Rockford is inspired by your achievements and is thankful for your valuable contributions.

RENO & ZAHM LLP

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president’s letter “The way of the world is meeting people through other people.”

When you hear “social networking” you automatically think “Facebook.” But Facebook is just one of more than 200 networking sites out there.

In this edition of One, we offer our own “facebook.” We have tagged this year’s group for being the people who have given their time, talent and provided leadership in many different arenas, while also making themselves accessible to others seeking to also provide leadership in the Rockford area.

We were afforded the opportunity to have the photo shoot at one of Rockford’s most gorgeous locations— Nicholas Conservatory. This new jewel in the crown of Rockford showed off its beauty and our group certainly enjoyed being there. Thank you to the gracious staff of the Conservatory!

Please enjoy learning more about our 2013 People You Should Know in their featured profiles in this magazine.

Einar Forsman, President/CEO Rockford Chamber of Commerce EForsman@rockfordchamber.com

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one voice for the rockford area business community

staff Einar K. Forsman, President & CEO Heidi Garner, Executive Assistant to the President/CEO Doug Hessong, Director of Publications & Technology Lynette Jacques, Advertising and Sponsorship Executive Vee Jevremovic, Manager of Education Programs and Events Cyndie Landis, Financial Assistant Joy Moriarty, V.P. Finance Stacy Mullins, Director of Events Diane Navickis, Membership Relations Manager Mary Ann Suprenant, Membership Development Manager Joan Sundvall, Membership Contact Coordinator Visit us online rockfordchamber.com

The Rockford Chamber of Commerce ­publishes One once a year.

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

Rockford Chamber of Commerce, 308 W. State St., Ste. 190 Rockford, Illinois 61101 Periodicals postage paid at Rockford, Ill. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: One, 308 W. State St., Ste. 190 Rockford, IL 61101

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en secrets

ten secrets

ten secrets secrets

ten secrets

by Kara Ohngren

of successful leaders Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A good leader

team understands your goals and mission — and they may. But,

inspires people to have confidence in the leader,

everybody needs to be reminded of where the company’s going

a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” But, becoming a great leader isn’t easy.

Leadership is one of the areas that many entrepreneurs tend to overlook, according leadership coach John C. Maxwell.

“You work hard to develop your product or service. You fight to solve your financial issues. You go out and promote your business and sell your product. But you don’t think enough about leading your own people and finding the best staff,” Maxwell says.

Here’s a list of 10 tips drawn from the secrets of successful leaders.

1. Assemble a dedicated team.

Your team needs to be committed to you and the business.

Successful entrepreneurs have not only social and selling smarts,

and what things will look like when you get there.

“Entrepreneurs have the vision, the energy, and they’re out there trying to make it happen. But, so often with their staff, they are assuming too much,” says Beverly Flaxington, founder of The Collaborative, a business-advising company. “It’s almost like they think their enthusiasm by extension will be infectious — but it’s not. You have to bring people into your world and communicate proactively.”

4. Be authentic.

Good leaders instill their personality and beliefs into the fabric of their organization, Flaxington says. If you be yourself, not try to act like someone else, and surround yourself with people who are aligned with your values, your business is more likely to succeed, she says.

but also the know-how to hire effectively, says leadership trainer

5. Know your obstacles.

Harvey Mackay, who wrote Swim with the Sharks Without Being

Most entrepreneurs are optimistic and certain that they’re

Eaten Alive.

When putting your team together, look for people whose

driving toward their goals. But, Flaxington says, it’s a short-sighted leader who doesn’t take the time to understand his obstacles.

values are aligned with the purpose and mission of your company.

“You need to know what you’re up against and be able to

Suzanne Bates, leadership consultant and author of Speak Like a

plan around those things,” she says. “It’s folly to think that just

CEO, says her team members rallied around each other during

because you’ve got this energy and enthusiasm that you’re going

the worst part of the recession because they all believed in what

to be able to conquer all. It’s much smarter to take a step back

they were doing. “Having people on your team who have tenacity

and figure out what your obstacles are, so the plan that you’re

and a candid spirit is really important,” she says.

putting into place takes that into account.”

2. Overcommunicate.

6. Create a ‘team charter.’

This one’s a biggie. Even with a staff of only five or 10, it can

Too many new teams race down the road before they even

be tough to know what’s going on with everyone. In an effort to overcommunicate, Bates compiles a weekly news update she calls a Friday Forecast, and emails it to her staff. “My team is always surprised at all the good news I send out each week,” Bates says. “It makes everyone feel like you really have a lot of momentum, even in difficult times.”

figure out who they are, where they’re going, and what will guide their journey, says Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One-Minute Manager. Just calling together a team and giving them a clear charge does not mean the team will succeed.

“It’s important to create a set of agreements that clearly states what the team is to accomplish, why it is important and how

3. Don’t assume.

the team will work together to achieve the desired results,” says

When you run a small business, you might assume your

Blanchard.

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7. Believe in your people.

the example of a small pizza shop in a moderate-sized town that was

Entrepreneurial leaders must help their people develop

killing a big fast-food chain in sales. The big difference between the

confidence, especially during tough times. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Leaders are dealers in hope.” That confidence comes in part from believing in your team, says Maxwell. “I think of my people as 10s, I treat them like 10s, and as a result, they try to perform like 10s,” he says. “But believing in people alone isn’t enough. You have to help them win.”

8. Dole out credit.

chain and the small pizza joint was the leader, he says.

Every week he gathered his teenage employees in a huddle and excitedly asked them: “What can we do this week that we’ve never done before?” The kids loved the challenge. They started texting all their friends whenever a pizza special was on. They took the credit-card machine to the curb so passing motorists could buy

Mackay says a good salesperson knows what the sweetest

pizza right off the street. They loaded up a truck with hot pizzas

sound in the world is: The sound of their name on someone else’s

and sold them at high-school games. The money poured in and the

lips. But too many entrepreneurs think it’s either the crinkle of

store owner never had problems with employee turnover.

freshly minted currency or the dull thud of a competitor’s body hitting the pavement.

“Many entrepreneurs are too in love with their own ideas and don’t know how to distribute credit,” Mackay says. “A good quarterback always gives props to his offensive line.”

9. Keep your team engaged.

Great leaders give their teams challenges and get them excited about them, says leadership expert Stephen Covey. He pointed to

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10. Stay calm.

An entrepreneur has to backstop the team from overreacting to short-term situations, says Mackay. This is particularly important now, when news of the sour economic environment is everywhere.

“The media has been hanging black crepe paper since 2008,” he says. “But look at all the phenomenal companies and brands that were born in downturns, names like iPod, GE and Federal Express.” n

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event

2013 People You Should Know pose for a “class” picture.

2013 One “People You Should Know” Reveal Reception Reno & Zahm LLP, Presenting Sponsor Prairie Street Brewhouse • October 17, 2013 One Magazine and Rockford Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 2013 “People You Should Know” award recipients at a special reception, sponsored by Reno & Zahm. More than 350 guests enjoyed appetizers and drinks in the ballroom of the Prairie Street Brewhouse near downtown Rockford. Chamber President Einar Forsman, Jamie Cassel of Reno & Zahm, Rich Walsh, Chamber Board Chairman, and Mike Broski, Chamber Past Chairman announced the awards and recognized each of the twenty recipients.

To see all the Event pictures, go to rockfordchamber.com.

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Honoree Rev. K. Edward Copeland and family.

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Honoree David Schertz is joined by Karen Brown, Paula Carynski, and Dave Stenerson, all from OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center.

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Ron Clewer of Rockford Housing Authority shares his honor with his colleagues.

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Above, Honoree Tyler Smith celebrates with Patti Thayer, Chamber Board Chair-Elect.

2013 PYSK Dr. Fred Sweet and wife Amy take in the evening.

Top left, Honoree Gary Kaatz and wife Tina (center) celebrate with Dennis Oltz and Sue Schreiber of Rockford Health System.

Bottom left, Sarah Vanags (left) and Marty Vanags with Honoree Lauren Vanags Davis and husband, Skyler.

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2011 PYSK Honoree Jeff Fahrenwald catches up with 2013 PYSK Pam Maher.

Top left, 2013 PYSK Paul Logli is joined by wife Jody and United Way staff.

Botttom left, Dr. Ehren Jarrett, 2013 PYSK is joined by wife Christie, a 2012 PYSK along with members of Rockford Public Schools.

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Top, Teresa Beach-Shelow is joined by daughter Nikki Shelow Berg and parents Willie and Sarah Beach, for her honor.

Top left, Honoree Steve Larsen is joined by Rockford Symphony Orchestra supporters.

Bottom left, Tom Budd of Rockford Bank and Trust celebrates with Katryna Kirby, Kimberly Rosby and Cassi Steurer.

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Above, Einar Forsman kicks off the evening’s festivities.

Top left, Honoree Mike Brown is joined by his family and YMCA staff members to celebrate.

Bottom left, many City of Rockford representatives came to celebrate with Sandy Stansell (center) for her PYSK 2013 honor.

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The 2013 Honorees were presented their awards by Rich Walsh, Chamber Board Chairman, Jamie Cassel of Reno & Zahm, and (right) Mike Broski, Chamber Past Chairman. Rev. K. Edward Copeland (center) receives his award.

A crowd of more than 350 attended the festivities.

Jamie Cassel of Reno & Zahm and Rich Walsh, Chamber Board Chairman reveal the 2013 cover of the One publication.

To see all the Event pictures, go to rockfordchamber.com.

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People You Should k

Left page (l to r) back row: David A. Schertz, Steven Larsen, Paul Logli, Jeff Kaney. Middle row: Tyler Barden Smith, Teresa Beach-Shelow, Pam Maher, Mike Brown. Front: Sandy Stansell.

Right page (l to r) back row, descending: Dr. Ehren Jarrett, Tom Budd, Gary Kaatz, Rev. K. Edward Copeland, Jeff Makeever, Brad Gummow.

Middle row, descending: Ron Clewer, Lauren Vanags Davis, Dr. Fred Sweet. Front row, descending: Gordon Eggers, Staci Hoste.

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Steven Larsen Conductor and Music Director Rockford Symphony Orchestra

To a different beat Why should we give elementary age school children a good taste of music? Because the experience produces people like Steve Larsen.

Larsen, conductor and music director of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, grew up near Chicago in a non-musical family.

“My family couldn’t do a decent job of playing the radio,” he jokes.

But in the fourth grade, the self-described “fat, unathletic boy with thick glasses” got a chance to play the trumpet.

One thing led to another. He got a master’s, taught at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago and later joined the staff of Chicago Opera Theater.

In 1985, he applied for a job with the Rockford Symphony. His application got no response. In 1990, he applied again. For some reason, he said, “Rockford has always had a strange pull on me.”

The second time, he got the job. Rockford, he admitted, wasn’t a hotbed of culture and the orchestra was in disarray. Which meant, he figured, there was no way to go but up.

Up he went. The concert season has gone from seven performances to 18. He brought fully-staged opera to Rockford in 2006 and 2008, and got the RSO to perform with other local music groups and guest performers.

Twice since 1999, he has been named Illinois Conductor of the Year and the orchestra honored as Illinois Orchestra of the Year.

Larsen is as enthusiastic about his next concert as any in the past, Music couldn’t stir the audience if it didn’t also stir the conductor. That happens frequently to Larsen. At the end of the 2010 July 4th concert which featured photos of Rockford choreographed to the music, “people in the audience were crying,” said Larsen. “I was, too.”

Larsen helped lead the drive to buy uniforms for city high school bands a few years ago, and he continues to crusade for better music education in public schools. All arts have equal value, he believes, but music is “unique in its synthesis of physical, muscular, tactile, auditory, visual, symbolic and aesthetic processes.”

He and wife Marti Bein have three children. Larsen is marking 23 years with the RSO and has no plans to leave.

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ROn Clewer CEO Rockford Housing Authority

New paths If Ron Clewer is right, someday you’ll drive by a public housing project in Rockford and you’ll say, “That looks like a nice place to live.”

Yes, public housing. Yes, in Rockford.

That’s not just a dream, it’s a realistic goal, said Clewer, who came to the Rockford Housing Authority three years ago and was named chief executive officer last year. Clewer sees his job as transitioning the RHA from a public housing agency to a quality housing agency, one that helps people move out of poverty. RHA’s family self-sufficiency (FSS) program shows that it can be done, Clewer said. The program asks families where they want to be within five years, then helps them define the steps to get there.

Families sign a contract to follow the plan and pay 30 percent of their income for rent. The money is escrowed and returned to them if they complete the program. During their last year in the program, the family has to be off all public aid except housing.

So far, said Clewer, the average stay in the FSS program has been 4½ years and the average amount of rent given back is $22,000. Often, the former public housing tenants use that as a down payment on a home of their own. Clewer knows the RHA, and the community, have a long way to go in making such achievements commonplace. Success demands the following, he said: E Close working relationships with community agencies that can provide services tenants need.

E Looking at poverty as a disease that can be treated. A person’s poverty should be given the same attention as the diabetes or heart condition he may have, Clewer believes.

E Ending the practice of telling poor people what society will do for them. Instead, they need the opportunity to decide how they want to live and figure out ways to get there.

“If we are successful, he says, “we make a change not only for our clients, but for the community as a whole.”

Clewer, who worked at William Charles Real Estate and operated his own custom furniture/draperies and restoration business before joining RHA, is married and has four children. He’s largely self-educated, although he recently earned an associate’s degree and will pursue a bachelor’s in January.

By Geri Nikolai

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Sandy stansell Division Administrator Rockford Fire Department/911 Division

Empowering first responders Sandy Stansell is a mother of four with an Italian, Hispanic and Native American heritage who has worked her way through the ranks to serve as Rockford Fire Department’s 911 division administrator. The job entails oversight of the dayto-day emergency and non-emergency operations with a staff of almost 50 employees. Yet her philosophy, “Show compassion when leading others, because no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care,” has driven her to do so much more in improving the way that 911 responds to emergency calls.

It used to be that personnel could only gather information and dispatch paramedics to the scene of a crisis, according to Stansell. “Imagine the sense of helplessness for our 911 personnel in instructing a frantic mother to calm down while her baby was struggling to breathe.” In 1993, she was pivotal in instituting the Emergency Medical Dispatch policy. Now all 911 personnel are trained and certified to provide lifesaving instruction over the phone until emergency medical professionals can arrive on the scene.

Several years ago, Stansell also was appointed chairman of the newly formed Illinois Training Standards Board Committee and was a key player in developing the Standardized Basic Training curriculum for all 911 centers in Illinois, using Rockford 911 as the test site.

Showing the community how 911 really runs is important to Stansell, and she invites neighborhood and community groups to tour the center. Citizens can watch operations live through a viewing window and watch a video.

“There is nothing more fulfilling or gratifying than working in a profession that serves as a vital link; connecting citizens in need to police, fire or EMS personnel.”

Stansell reaches out through her involvement in many events, such as co-chair of the Rockford Fire 911 3K Run, and activities such as National Night Out, Rockford Area Minority Management, Rockford Deaf Awareness, Pink Heels Tour to benefit breast cancer patients and Project Facelift.

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jeff makeever Patent Attorney Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren P.C.

Engineering success Jeff Makeever has always had a love for math and science. So it made perfect sense that he became an engineer. The Ohio native moved to Rockford in 1987 to join Sundstrand as a research and design engineer.

Makeever was part of the design team for the McDonnell Douglas MD-12, a superjumbo aircraft that was to be similar in size to the Boeing, 747, but with more passenger room. However, the MD-12 received no orders and the project was canceled.

Contemplating his next move, Makeever received a call from his company’s legal department, who was impressed with his presentation skills, and asked him to join the legal side of the aerospace business. For the next four years, Makeever commuted to Chicago at night, earning his law degree from The John Marshall Law School. “I give my wife, Billie, all the credit,” he says. The couple has four daughters, and also raised a niece. “I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Shortly after receiving his law degree, Makeever left Sundstrand and went to work for a private practice. Then, in 2005, he and a partner left that firm to open a Rockford office for Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, where Makeever is the chairman of the firm’s intellectual property practice. He provides legal counsel to local, national and international clients regarding patents, trademarks and copyright law.

Makeever also is the president of the Winnebago County Bar Association, and is involved with the 17th Judicial Circuit Court’s lawyer to lawyer mentoring program.

In addition, he has served as president of the boards of the Discovery Center Museum, the Riverfront Museum Park, and the Winnebago County Bar Foundation, and as a board member of the Montessori Learning Path and Forest Hills Country Club.

“To make our community better, it takes volunteers,” he says.

“If not you, than who? Someone has to step up. If I want my kids to do it, then I have to show them how. It’s called leading by example.”

By Paul Anthony Arco

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tyler barden smith Founder and President Tyler’s Landscaping Services, Inc.

Free spirit and entrepreneur Whether in starting his landscaping company or in jumping off a high platform and skiing barefoot on the Rock River as a part of the Ski Broncs water ski show team, Tyler Barden Smith can best be described as a “free spirit,” a “risk taker” and a “man of adventure.”

The father of two started Tyler’s Landscaping Services, Inc., in 1987. Since then, he’s expanded his business into a full-service nursery and is a highly respected developer of the area’s natural habitat, using native plants and incorporating sustainable designs in his outdoor creations. His family’s Smith Charitable Foundation has lead to substantial in-kind donations of landscaping service and materials.

Drivers along Spring Creek Road at Parkview Ave., might notice his whimsical “upside down trees” planted with colorful flowers, and other special seasonal decorations.

Since 2003, Smith has committed to donating 10 percent of his time and income – and some years he’s exceeded it. “It was instilled in me by my parents. You have to give to the community that supports you. It comes back many times over.”

He’s been board president of the Natural Land Institute and Rockford Park District Commissioner since 2009. In May, 2013, he unanimously was elected to serve as board president. His involvement in a study of downtown Rockford by the LIVE, LEARN, WORK, PLAY Group consultants helped kick off the first season of Rockford City Market, which draws many to the heart of the city on Fridays.

As a Green Business award winner for Winnebago County, Smith has taken a proactive role in promoting the green industry model, which implements green initiatives in landscaping. A motto he lives by, “We’re not given the earth by our parents, we’re loaned it by our children.”

As a champion for his industry, he’s served on the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association board for 12 years, and as president. Through the establishment of the Certified Landscape Technician certification in Illinois, he’s helped raise the level of professionalism in his industry.

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lauren vanags davis Owner Culture Shock & Lauren Davis Creative

Buy local Do you know about the local business that makes jewelry out of recycled ammunition? Have you seen the lamps made with wine bottles, or the custom table linens sewed locally? Don’t you wish you could serve a homemade meal without doing the cooking? Are you looking for someone to build a deck, or do you need a wedding planner?

Lauren Vanags Davis can give you names of all those businesses, and more. Davis probably knows more small business people in northern Illinois than anyone.

For starters, she and her husband run a small business, a shop called Culture Shock. They’ve been selling funky gifts, t-shirts and records for seven years and been so successful they just moved to a larger building across the street in the 2300 block of Charles Street.

As Davis helped get the business off the ground, she started developing business cards and graphic pieces and using social media to advertise Culture Shock. She discovered that she loved the work, and started a second business, Lauren Davis Creative, offering similar services to other small businesses which have little or no marketing budget (laurendaviscreative.com).

“I was studying journalism but I realized that I loved art and I love marketing,” said Davis. “I switched my major to graphic arts and have never looked back.

“I love coming up with concepts that work,” she added. “A lot of small businesses don’t understand how much branding is necessary so that people remember you.”

Lauren Davis Creative led to yet another project, this one involving those businesses mentioned in the first paragraph. Davis became one of the founders of Winnebago Buy Local, a group of 148 local firms which have banded together to support and cultivate small, independent businesses. Davis is the volunteer executive director for the group, which has a Web site, winnebagobuylocal.com.

Keeping it going is a labor of love for Davis.

“Our Web page is constantly buzzing ... where can you buy this locally ... If we can get people to buy just one more thing locally, it will mean more money for the community, and a sense of pride.”

By Geri Nikolai

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rev. k. edward copeland Senior Pastor New Zion Missionary Baptist Church

Finding fertile ground for ministry For Rev. K. Edward Copeland, pastoring has been a way to fulfill his mission in life. The UC-Berkley-educated lawyer and son of a pastor from Kankakee, Ill., left his private legal practice in 1989, to commit his life to the ministry; earning his master’s degree of divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

“I moved to Rockford to be a part of this community’s transformation,” Rev. Copeland says. “I saw a city small enough to make an impact and large enough to be a model for other communities.”

For the past 12 years as New Zion Missionary Baptist Church’s third pastor in 89 years, Rev. Copeland has helped transform the area around his church; investing a quarter of a million dollars to purchase 13 vacant lots, raze five dilapidated houses and grow a community garden.

No stranger to creative pursuits, he plays the piano and organ, and has composed gospel music for the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Black Chorus, his church and two gospel artists. His book for associate ministers, “Riding in the Second Chariot,” and his workshops have helped develop the next generation of pastors.

With leadership that extends far beyond his church community, Rev. Copeland has served as founding governing board chairman for Alignment Rockford, founding board member for the Legacy Academy of Excellence, and founder of Rockford Freedom School, Pastor’s Network, Rockford Alternative Drug Strategy, Rockford Area Violence Elimination Network, and the Fun Safe Summer Partnership. He’s a former Rock Valley College trustee and current commissioner on the Chicago Rockford Airport Authority.

Further sharpening his skills, Rev. Copeland currently is working on a doctorate of ministry at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

I am motivated by the Bible verse that says, “Work for the wellbeing of the city where I have sent you to and pray to the Lord for this. For if it is well with the city you live in, it will be well with you.”

(Jeremiah 29:7 NLV)

By Barbara Connors

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gary kaatz President & CEO Rockford Health System

The business of medicine Growing up, Gary Kaatz wanted to be a veterinarian.

Dogs, lizards, and birds — he had them all.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Penn State University, Kaatz, president and CEO of Rockford Health System, found his life took a different turn as he was accepted into the MBA program at the University of Chicago. He developed a passion for economics that brought him to his life’s work in healthcare.

Kaatz started his career in healthcare administration at Rush Presbyterian – St. Luke’s Medical Center, where he spent 18 years, before moving on to become CEO of Forum Health, a three-hospital healthcare system in Youngstown, Ohio, for nearly a decade. Kaatz took over as chief of Rockford Health System in 2000.

Regardless of where he’s worked, Kaatz has enjoyed one constant in his four decades of healthcare. “It’s the people,” he says. “We’re taking care of people who need help.”

Under his leadership, Rockford Health System has numerous recognitions for quality and patient safety. For three straight years, the system was named to the U.S. News and World Report list of best regional hospitals. For the sixth time in seven years, Rockford Memorial Hospital earned the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award. Kaatz also has received numerous industry and charity recognitions, including the Jonas Salk Health Leadership Award from the March of Dimes.

“I love how healthcare is in the midst of changing our business model,” says Kaatz, who has served as president of the Illinois Hospital Association board of trustees. “The patient is becoming sovereign because of choices. They’re going to be able to shop with quality and price in mind.”

Kaatz, who is married to wife Tina, serves on a variety of local and state charitable boards. He enjoys reading, travel and jazz music in his down time. “We think Rockford is one of the nicest places we’ve lived,” he says. “We hold this community on a pedestal.”

By Paul Anthony Arco

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mike brown CEO and President YMCA of Rock River Valley

Exercising responsibility Mike Brown knows firsthand what it’s like to grow up rough—to live in an abusive home with four different stepfathers, to move constantly, to hurt so much you try to kill yourself as a teenager, before your life has even really begun. And he knows how a supportive community organization like the YMCA can help you put your life back together.

That’s why Brown, 40, CEO and president of the YMCA of the Rock River Valley, thinks it is so important for the Y to not just be the place where you go to tone your abs, but to be an organization that works to help cure community problems. Since taking the Y job two years ago (after nine years as director of the Gainesville, Georgia, YMCA, and 10 years working in other Ys), Brown has spurred the development of a variety of community outreach programs—fostering kids’ academic achievement in after-school programs; providing arts activities like playing and recording music; and exposing teens and young adults to Rockford businesses through an innovative summer intern program based on TV’s “The Apprentice.”

As a result of his activism and management, the Y is back in the black, with fundraising and participation up significantly. Membership has grown from about 20,000 to more than 25,000, Brown says, with visits up by 25 percent (the downtown Y alone sees 10,000 more visits per month). About $450,000 is now spent annually to give needy families access to programs. Facility enhancement and expansion are planned, with possible new sites in Cherry Valley and west Rockford.

Brown, a married father of four, says he was a “Y brat” as a child in central California, participating in subsidized preschool programs, sports and camps. After moving cross-country and attempting suicide, he ultimately returned to the California Y and found comfort and stability—as well as a career path.

“I think people are seeing the Y as a community engager instead of the ‘gym and swim’ mentality that the Y has been for so long,” says Brown. “The Y has three focus areas—youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility—and all three of those are very much alive in the work that we do.”

By Lorna Collier

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tom budd President & CEO Rockford Bank & Trust Co.

Banking on the community In 2005, local banker Tom Budd saw an opportunity to start a local bank dedicated to small businesses and their owners. So, along with a partner, he founded Rockford Bank & Trust Co. with eight employees and a focus on commercial banking.

“We had come through the post 911 mini recession, and at that point I believed there were many small business owners who needed a banker that understood the uniqueness of their business and would be there for the good and bad times,” Budd says. “During the bad times, business owners often find out they don’t have the relationship with their bank that they thought they had. It’s not scientific. It’s about forming long lasting and sincere relationships.”

In just eight years, the bank has grown to 50 employees, two locations and a full line of commercial, retail, mortgage, and trust and investment services. The bank has grown to $340 million in assets and a portfolio in loans to $250 million, making it one of the leading commercial banks in the market.

“I was able to attract the right type of people who are experienced and well known in the marketplace,” he said.

“Through the recession, we worked really hard to help people stay in business. I’m most proud of the fact that we helped many clients get out of some serious trouble. It’s satisfying to see those people thriving again.”

Budd serves on the Illinois Bankers Association board of directors and is a member of the Bank CEO Network. He serves on the boards of Rockford Health System, Rockford Local Development Corporate, Milestone, Inc., and the Goldie B. Floberg Center. Last year, Rockford Bank & Trust gave 1,500 hours of time volunteering in the community. The bank also has funded a partnership with Rockford Public Schools offering high school students an online financial literacy course.

“There’s a lot of positives in Rockford,” Budd says. “We have to stay at it and strive to maximize our region’s assets.”

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Pam Maher

CEO KMK Media Group, Inc.

Feels like home Pam Maher has lived in Rockford on three different occasions. The first time was during college, when she served as a news reporter intern at 13WREX, covering murders, county fairs, and the Rockford Public Schools desegregation lawsuit. She left, then returned and spent two years as a reporter at WTVO-17.

Finally, after leaving for a stint at a Milwaukee television station, Maher and husband Brendan, a Rockford native and circuit judge, moved back to Rockford 15 years ago to start their family.

Briefly, Maher worked for a nonprofit organization, before she co-founded KMK Media, a Rockford-based marketing communications agency. “In our business, we get to work with government entities, manufacturers and several major insurance, medical and financial institutions,” says the Wisconsin native. “I love what I do.”

Maher and her husband have three children, ages 11, 8 and 5. Their oldest, Colleen, was born with Down syndrome, which has given Maher a different perspective on parenting. “I thought I was a multitasker who was well organized, but this takes it to an entirely new level,” she says. “There are doctors’ appointments, therapy sessions and more school interaction than you might have with a typical child. My kids are the most important thing in the world. As a business owner, it’s important to balance your priorities to be there for your children, and that often means working longer hours to fit it all in.”

Still, Maher makes time to serve on the boards of the Rockford Park District Foundation and Riverside Community Bank and helped start GiGi’s Playhouse three years ago, now serving as board chair. She also served as the youngest board chairman in the history of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, taking the helm at age 36.

“As small business owners, we get involved to be visible and to get our company names out there,” she says. “But I’ve learned how much I enjoy connecting, giving back and being part of something separate from my business.”

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david a. schertz CEO Northern Region OSF Healthcare

Healthcare wellness David A. Schertz followed his mother — a nurse for 50 years — into the healthcare field. He chose to focus on administration, working his way up from unit manager to chief executive officer of the OSF Northern Region, part of OSF Healthcare.

Schertz oversees the operations of Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford; a community hospital in Escanaba, Michigan; and the activities of over 500 physicians and nearly 3,000 employees.

Schertz, 58, took on this new role as regional CEO in April after working the previous 18 years as president and CEO of OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. While leading the medical center, he guided and participated in many key improvements: significant reductions in the mortality and infection rates, dramatic improvements in cardiac intervention response times, installation of an all-inclusive electronic medical records system, and the development of a leading trauma network. He also encouraged the promotion of more women to senior management (82 percent of the leadership team is female).

These days, Schertz, who is married with three grown children, often is on the road covering OSF’s northern territory, which includes northern Illinois plus the upper peninsula of Michigan. He serves on seven different steering committees for the OSF Healthcare System, plus volunteers with the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, the Rockford Health Council and Alignment Rockford.

Raised on a farm outside of Metamora in central Illinois, Schertz earned his degree in business administration and psychology from Augustana College, worked for five months at OSF in Peoria, then worked in several other medical centers before returning in 1995 to OSF in Rockford. One of the greatest challenges for healthcare providers in Rockford, says Schertz, is to convince people that they don’t need to travel to other cities, like Chicago and Madison, for care.

“Extremely high quality medicine is being practiced right here in Rockford; they don’t need to leave town.”

Recruiting specialty physicians to Rockford can also be challenging.

However, Schertz says, the answer is telling stories like his own: “I’ve been in healthcare administration for 35 years, in five different markets.

This is the market I have stayed in the longest – 18 years - because I enjoy it. I like the people I work with and it’s a good area to live in.”

By Lorna Collier

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brad gummow Managing Director – Investment Officer Gummow Wealth Advisory Group of Wells Fargo Advisors

Making every dollar count Brad Gummow knows the importance of money. He’s managing director — investment officer for the Gummow Wealth Advisory Group. He has more than 30 years of working with clients across the country, managing the ups and downs of investment markets.

“The greatest satisfaction I get is watching someone experience a long retirement, and have money left over to transition to the next generation, or to a cause they strongly believe in,” he says. “I help people grow and maintain their wealth.”

Gummow was named vice president of a New York Stock Exchange firm at 27. He has held memberships on various councils around the country, and has recently been acknowledged by Chicago and Forbes magazines as one of the top wealth managers in the area. Brad has authored a book, and served as a financial expert in the local media.

He relishes the opportunity to mentor young people starting out in the financial industry. He spent 15 years teaching investment planning at Rock Valley College. “Watching young people flourish has become one of life’s greatest pleasures,” he says.

His selflessness extends way beyond any career ambitions. Twenty years ago, Gummow and his wife, Georgeann, created the Gummow Foundation, which funds programs that build character for youth.

Locally, many charities have been aided, as well as the Rockton Rotary, Hononegah Jaycees, and several nonprofit organizations.

The biggest recipient, however, has been a village in Ecuador called Unamuncho that the Gummows have adopted. Thanks to their generosity, the village has received a daycare center and community education center that bears the Gummow name, along with new water and sewer systems. Resources have also helped teach families in the Andes Mountains to raise guinea pigs, a delicacy in South America.

“We’ve been blessed and to be blessed you have to give back,” Gummow says. “Our goal was to do things that allow children to go to school, instead of working in the fields. It’s been fun to see the progress that’s being made.”

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jeff Kaney CEO Kaney Group, LLC

Sky king As a little boy, Jeff Kaney loved taking off into the sky while nestled on his father’s lap, watching the family farm fields drop away as his dad guided the controls of his Piper airplane. As a kindergartner, Kaney wrote his goals for life: to be a farmer and to be an airline pilot.

The Forreston native achieved the pilot part, soloing in a glider plane at 14 and becoming a certified flight instructor while attending Rock Valley College. In 1989, he enrolled in the Air Force, graduated first in his pilot training class, and became a C-130 pilot in Desert Storm, among other duties, before separating in 1998. He also worked as a commercial airline pilot for 12 years.

Kaney settled in Rockford because, he says, “it’s close to the family farm: once you have farming in your blood, you like to stick with it,” and he thought it would be a good place to raise his family (he’s married with two sons). Plus he saw Rockford, with its ties to major aerospace manufacturers, as a great place to launch an aerospace engineering and manufacturing business of his own.

Since starting Kaney Aviation Properties in 1998, Kaney’s firms (including Kaney Aerospace, Ardekin Precision, Kaney Capital and Kaney Aerospace Repair Station—collectively known as Kaney Group, LLC) have grown to employ 50 people, 40 in Rockford; he also has operations in eight states and offices in Seattle and England.

Kaney also has worked to spark Rockford business and civic development. He was one of the leaders of the move to bring Embry-Riddle University to Rockford, was the founding chairman of the Rockford Area Aerospace Network (RAAN) and the founding chairman of the Joint Institute of Engineering and Technology (JiET). He was involved in the birth of Rockford’s popular City Market. He also served on the board of the EIGERLab business incubator, is on the executive board of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, and is a board member of SwedishAmerican Health System.

You also may be able to catch a glimpse of the busy Kaney on summer weekends: he flies in four or five regional airshows each year, rolling and soaring across the sky.

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Staci hoste

General Manager Northern Public Radio WNIJ - WNIU

Tuning in Staci Hoste grew up in Sycamore listening to the Northern Public Radio stations her parents favored. As a child, she learned to identify the unique “sound” of public radio talk and musical formats.

Years later, after a 2004 college degree in English literature from Northern Illinois University and work in marketing and fundraising for non-profits, including Keith School in Rockford, she jumped at the chance to take her talents to the radio stations she loved. Hoste became development director for WNIU and WNIJ, Rockford and DeKalb, in 2008 and, two years ago, moved into the general manager slot. Since then, Northern Public Radio reached a milestone — raising $1 million in local contributions during the past fiscal year.

Public Radio thrives, Hoste believes, because of its “ability to capture the essence of humanity, to connect with the human spirit.”

She and her staff reasoned that NPR’s listeners shared that spirit and that they could tap deeper into it to garner more support. “We worked on our relationship with listeners, holding open houses, finding more ways to be visible and connect with listeners,” Hoste said.

WNIU (classical music at 90.5 or 105.7 FM) and WNIJ (news/ talk at 89.5 FM) are operated by Northern Illinois University with a staff of 18 and budget of about $1.9 million. The stations can boast something few other media can say: they have doubled their audience in the past decade. Popular programs like “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered,” “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” “This American Life” and “Prairie Home Companion” are big draws. Schedules are posted on northernpublicradio.org.

NPR will continue to look for ways to strengthen community, Hoste said. “Community Closeups,” started this year, a series of stories about events and opportunities in northern Illinois, is part of that commitment. Arts and cultural partnerships will grow, with more programs like broadcasts of Rockford Symphony Orchestra concerts.

There will be more collaborations with other news outlets, too, to bring comprehensive reports on local issues to listeners.

Hoste,who serves on boards of art, health and radio organizations, lives in Sycamore with husband Jeff and their 3-year-old son. The couple are restoring an 1880 Sycamore home.

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Dr. Ehren Jarrett Superintendent Rockford Public Schools, District 205

High marks Dr. Ehren Jarrett has seen Rockford school superintendents come and go, mostly people from outside the city who serve short terms before leaving. Now that’s changed.

The former Hononegah High School principal is the new leader of the Rockford Public School District, bringing the knowledge and commitment of a lifelong Rockford resident to the job.

“I really believe we can be successful here,” says Jarrett, 39. “It matters to me that Rockford thrives and I think our educational system has in many ways been one of our key challenges. I think there’s a passion I have for being part of our success here in Rockford that would be hard to replicate if you didn’t grow up in the community.”

Jarrett attended Bloom Elementary School, Rockford Lutheran and Rock Valley College before going to Concordia University in River Forest for an education degree; he also earned advanced education degrees from Northern Illinois University. Choosing a teaching career was a natural fit for Jarrett, who loved school and who has two grandmothers and several aunts who are teachers.

Jarrett also was influenced by coaches and became both a teacher and hoops coach himself, first at Rockford Lutheran and then at Hononegah. He moved into administration at Hononegah before becoming an assistant superintendent in Rockford in 2011. He took over the top job in July.

Among Jarrett’s immediate priorities as superintendent: overseeing the new Alignment Rockford initiative to transform city high schools into career academies; improving facilities ($250 million is planned in improvements over the next 10 years); and holding meetings with employees at all district schools to “improve and build our culture.” Long-term goals include free college for all district residents and universal pre-school education.

Jarrett, who is married with two children in Rockford public schools, says he very much misses the daily student interaction he experienced while teaching and coaching. “But I like what I’m doing now even more,” he says. “I feel like I get the opportunity to develop an entire educational system and be involved at the policy level. It’s a unique challenge and something I really enjoy doing.”

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gordon eggers President & CEO Crusader Community Health

Medicine man You could say that Rockford native Gordon Eggers has been preparing for his role as president and CEO of Crusader Community Health for most of his professional career.

Eggers set up remote rural medical clinics in Papua, New Guinea, and Zaire, Africa; trained physicians in Kazakhstan, and worked in search and rescue in the Sudan and the Samoan Islands. He’s practiced medicine – even driving an ambulance – in rural Colorado, where the closest medical care was 60 miles away.

“When you do that type of work, it gives you an appreciation that you can work anywhere and feel good about it,” he says. “It teaches you not to complain.”

Eggers returned to Rockford where his father was an executive with Ingersoll Machine Tools, and his mother was a devoted volunteer for several local non-profit organizations. “I’ve truly enjoyed Rockford,” he says. “It’s a great place to live and it feels good to be able to work for an organization like Crusader.”

Eggers spent 18 years seeing patients as a physician assistant at the clinic, before taking charge in 2005. Crusader Community Health fills a vital role in the community, caring for almost one in five residents in need of care. The clinic has 48,000 patients – two out of three live in poverty. Crusader has 280 employees, including a full-time medical staff of doctors, dentists, midwives, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

Under Egger’s leadership, Crusader has seen plenty of change including the addition of a Women’s Health Center; a nurse midwife program, and upgrading facilities in Loves Park, Belvidere and Rockford. “The basic building blocks are hiring high-quality people, expanding modern facilities, and improving information technologies,” he says.

Eggers is quick to deflect any personal praise. “It’s a team effort,” he says. “For me to earn any recognition is a reflection of the power of Crusader Health, its employees and what we do for the community. I’ve been a lucky guy.”

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teresa beach-shelow Owner Superior Joining Technologies, Inc.

Preparing to thrive Teresa Beach-Shelow’s eyes sometimes mist over when she talks about the state of manufacturing in northern Illinois. But she isn’t getting emotional over jobs lost; she is just excited about manufacturers learning to thrive in changing times.

Beach-Shelow and husband Thom own Superior Joining Technologies Inc. (SJTI) in Machesney Park. Started in their garage 21 years ago, the company now employs 19 and is looking to expand.

Beach-Shelow also is celebrating the burgeoning aerospace industry in the Rockford area, exemplified best by the decision of Woodward Inc. to invest $300 million in a new manufacturing plant in Loves Park.

“That,” said Beach-Shelow “is getting us international recognition.

People all over the world are talking about that.”

It didn’t “just happen,” she added. The seeds were planted a dozen years ago when a group including Beach-Shelow decided not to lie down and play dead while manufacturing went elsewhere.

“We started focusing on manufacturing as a community,” said Beach-Shelow. “We went from place to place, meeting to meeting, lunch to lunch, talking about working together, sharing purchase orders and other business functions, really, changing the culture.

“To me, it’s like a spider web complex. That’s how we build business, by staying connected and helping each other.”

Beach-Shelow and Superior Joining Technologies practice what they preach. The company sponsors robotics and motorsports competition for college and high school students, and initiated summer youth manufacturing camps. Beach-Shelow, who credited her business instincts to involvement in 4-H clubs as a youth, believes the Rockford area can thrive if everyone works together. Following that model has helped SJTI increase sales 19 percent a year since 2007.

“We couldn’t do anything without our dedicated employees, and we can’t do anything as a community unless we’re united, too,” said Beach-Shelow.

Beach-Shelow received one of the first Women in Manufacturing national STEP awards from The Manufacturing Institute, Deloitte, Society of Manufacturing Engineers and University of Phoenix early this year. The Shelows have two daughters and five grandchildren.

By Geri Nikolai

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dr. fred sweet Founder Rockford Spine Center

Rockford pride Dr. Fred Sweet could have moved virtually anywhere when he left his native Palm Springs, Calif., to begin his medical career.

His compass pointed him to the Midwest, where he learned his trade in Chicago and St. Louis, before coming to Rockford.

“Growing up on the West Coast, I decided there would be too many distractions to stay,” he says. “I wanted a Midwest setting that would be right for my family and my practice. It’s worked out well for us.”

In 2003, Sweet opened Rockford Spine Center, putting down his money and leasing a building on a handshake agreement.

Sweet and his partners are fellowship trained spine surgeons who perform several hundred spinal surgeries a year. In fact, Sweet has come up with several advanced treatments that have helped earn RSC a national reputation.

“My greatest satisfaction is seeing my amazing partners take extremely complicated cases and hitting home runs out of the ballpark,” he says. “We serve two customers — the patients and our employees. Our staff is just as proud of the quality work that we do.”

A devout Christian, Sweet and his wife, Amy, have seven children. Perhaps it’s that paternal instinct that motivates him in providing care to children in need, both far and away. He has traveled the world treating impoverished children, and every few weeks visits Walter Lawson Children’s Home in Rockford to provide orthopedic care at no cost.

“The most powerful experience for me isn’t traveling to Mexico, Ecuador or other places,” he says. “It’s seeing the human interaction between a mother and her child. These kids are so loved by their parents. I’m moved by how much these parents sacrifice for their children because they’re worth it.”

In his spare time, Sweet pilots his own airplanes, a passion that began as a youngster, and restores sports cars. “I like doing the research, taking things apart and figuring out the best way to make something new again,” he says. “It’s a lot like surgery.”

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paul logli CEO United Way of Rock River Valley

Proactive change As Winnebago County State’s Attorney for 21 years, Paul Logli prosecuted people who had, as he says, “fallen into the pipeline” of the criminal justice system. But since 2008, as CEO of the United Way of the Rock River Valley, Logli is trying to prevent people from ever getting into that pipeline.

“In the prosecutor’s office, you are largely reactive,” says Logli.

“Well, I’m in a position now that if we do our job right, we can help people make better decisions so they never get into that criminal justice pipeline.”

Logli is leading an effort to transform the United Way into becoming more of a “change agency” — one that instead of simply funneling money to partner agencies will take a lead role in working to solve the city’s problems, such as poverty and lack of education, and help all citizens have a chance at happier, more productive and independent lives.

“It’s a daunting challenge,” Logli admits. But he thinks if the United Way can get other agencies in the city to work together, rather than separately attacking problems, there is a better chance of fixing them. “We really are working in many cases in isolation from one another. There’s much that’s been written and done in other communities that says if you collectively work together toward impact, you can make some real changes in people’s lives.”

Already, Logli has overseen changes in the United Way — improving overall financial conditions and fundraising, creating partnerships within the community to foster early childhood literacy (such as distributing more than 30,000 books to pre-K students and fostering a volunteer tutoring program) and launching a 211 phone system for confidential referrals. The literacy efforts are something “we should have been doing 20 years ago,” he says.

“We should have been concerned with improving the quality of life in the community” and improving education — not just waiting for jobs to “magically reappear.”

Though he turns 64 in November, Logli, a lifelong Rockfordian who is married with three children, doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon. “We’ve got a significant transition going on. I will be sticking on for a couple of years at least to get us through.”

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the selection committee

Romero Bennett, Blue Sky Insurance

Andy Benson, Veronica Blake, Joe Castrogiovanni, Benson Stone Company UTC Aerospace Systems Giovanni’s Inc.

Kelly Davit, The Alliance

Arthur G. Kielty, Reno & Zahm LLP

Thank you to our People You Should Know committee

who dedicated time and effort to make the difficult choices.

Brian McIntyre, Rock Valley College

Dan O’Boyle, Coyle-Varland Insurance Agency

Jennifer Wood, CPA

Proud Brian Thomas Photography and V2 Marketing Communications: Two companies that worked together to help create One publication.

And proud to help represent the People You Should Know.

815 985-9000 brianthomasphotography.com

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815-397-6052 marketingV2.com

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the venue

Photo by Kevin Thompson – Thompson Digital Image

The Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens served as the backdrop for photography of our 2013 People You Should Know Honorees. Situated along the banks of our beautiful Rock River, the Conservatory brings the tropics to the Midwest. The facility is the third largest conservatory in Illinois, offering an 11,000-square-foot plant exhibition area complete with water features, seating areas, and sculptures, all in a tropical plant setting. The beauty continues outdoors with the newly restored Eclipse Lagoon, complete with two fountains and a waterfall, pedestrian bridge, patio areas, and walkway connecting the Conservatory to the Sinnissippi Rose Garden.

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the writers Paul Anthony Arco is the senior staff writer for Northwest Quarterly Magazine, and frequent contributor to the Chamber newspaper, The VOICE. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg News, Rockford Register Star and many others. For more information, visit paulanthonyarco.com.

Lorna Collier is a freelance writer whose credits include the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, MSN. com, and many others. She is co-author of “Tilli’s Story: My Thoughts Are Free,” and has worked as a reporter for the Rockford Register Star, associate editor at Rockford Magazine, and news producer at WTVO-17.

Barbara Connors, M.S., journalism, University of

This is the One to be in!

one

magazine

For advertising rates and a publishing schedule, please contact Lynette Jacques at the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

Illinois, is an editor and writer with 20+ years of experience in newspapers, magazines, and newsletters, including The VOICE, Illinois Farmer, Wisconsin CPA, and the Rockford Register Star.

She’s done extensive work leading committees, seminars and special projects, and recently completed her degree in Nursing from OSF Saint Anthony College of Nursing.

Geri Nikolai is a freelance writer who spent 40 years in the newsrooms of Rockford Register Star and Wausau, Wis., Daily Herald, She’s been a Rockfordian since 1986.

Congratulations!

Steve Larsen for being one of the People You Should Know!

Lynette Jacques Advertising and Sponsorship Executive 815-316-4317 ljacques@rockfordchamber.com “Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” Sergei Rachmaninov

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Congratulations!

The Rockford Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors would like to extend their congratulations to the 2013 Twenty “People You Should Know!”

Your Rockford Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

Romero Bennett Blue Sky Insurance Agency

Andrew Benson Benson Stone Company

Ryan Brauns Rockford Consulting & Brokerage

Larry Bridgeland Mid-City Office Products

Michael Broski Entré Computer Solutions

Paul Callighan ComEd, An Exelon Company

Joe Castrogiovanni Giovanni’s, Inc.

Rena Cotsones Northern Illinois University

Darlene Furst Furst Staffing

John Groh Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Jeff Hultman Riverside Community Bank

Penny Lechtenberg Hinshaw & Culbertson

Mike Mastroianni Rock Valley College

Paul McCann Stanley Steemer of Rockford

Patrick Morrow Alpine Bank

Amy Ott Chicago Rockford International Airport

Mark Peterson CBL Associates CherryVale

Michele Petrie BMO Harris Bank

Tim Rollins WilliamsMcCarthy

Dan Saavedra Saavedra Gehlhausen Architects

Henry Seybold Rockford Health System

Visit us online rockfordchamber.com Patrick Shaw McGladrey

Somchan Thatsanaphon K-I Machine Tool & Production Inc.

Don Thayer Rockford Area Economic Development Council

Patti Thayer Thayer Lighting

Tim White UTC Aerospace Systems

Jennifer Wood CPA

Richard Zumwalt OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center

Einar Forsman Rockford Chamber of Commerce

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Rich Walsh SwedishAmerican Health System

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