SBJ 03-01-10

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MARCH 2010

Our next

SBJ Community Leaders’ Breakfast Thurs., Apr. 29, 2010, at John A. Logan College

Directory of Advertisers

Inside M A RC H

COVER STORY Whole new ball game: New media possibilities — including Twitter, blogs and Facebook — offer business people new routes for connecting with customers and potential customers. It’s especially important for businesses that have customers already using new technologies.

“If your customers are using social media and Internet devices, then, as a business, you need to be on those platforms and devices,” says Suzanne Nasco, associate professor of marketing at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Learn how to get started with new media and how to succeed through a comprehensive report by frequent contributor Les O’Dell.

Pages 4-5, 19

HEALTH CARE Veterans may qualify for care options: The VA provides a benefit called “Aid and Attendance” that can pay as much as $1,949 a month to a qualifying veteran household. The trouble is most veterans simply don't know about this valuable benefit.

According to SBJ Contributor Richard Habiger, about a third of all seniors in this country age 65 and older could become eligible for VA Pension under the right circumstances.

Page 6

YOUR BUSINESS What to do before reaching the podium: SBJ Contributor Jane Sanders

|

Corbell Telephone and Electronics .... 17

20 10

continues a three-part report on preparing successful business presentations. In this segment, the focus is on preparing the fine-tuning the body and conclusion of the planned pitch, speech or presentation.

It’s important to identify and organize key points, determine and plan what supports will be needed and prepare an effective summary and conclusion.

Page 11

Dutch Guttering .................................. 6 Egyptian Electric Cooperative................ 3 Feirich, Mager, Green & Ryan.............. 17 Henry Printing .................................. 23

INDICATORS Home sales show improvement: The final quarter of 2009 saw home sales rise over the same period last year for 10 of Southern Illinois’ 18 southernmost counties. Sales rose 41 percent in Jackson County, for example, with 79 homes sold, compared to 56 for the same period last year. Home sales rose 78.9 percent in Union County, with 34 sales compared to 19 for the same quarter last year. The monthly list of indicators also offers the latest figures on unemployment, retail sales, new vehicle sales and gasoline prices.

Pages 12-13

Hyannis Air Service, Inc. .................... 17 Jackson and Gray Insurance .............. 23 Jim’s Mobile Offices and Homes .......... 6 John A. Logan College ........................ 22 Leading Lawyers ................................ 18

ACHIEVEMENTS Catch up: Find out who has been hired, who has been promoted or who has received an award for their efforts in business. If you know of a business or business person who deserves special recognition for advanced training, a unique honor or an expansion of business, please let us know at sbj@thesouthern.com.

Page 16

Midwest Backgrounds, Inc. ................ 15 Oliver and Associates, Inc. ................ 11 Pepsi MidAmerica .......................... 5, 20 Property with TLC, LLC ........................ 23

Contact us The Southern Business Journal (USPS #019988) is a publication of The Southern Illinoisan. Contact us via mail at 710 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale, IL, 62901, or at P. O. Box 2108, Carbondale, IL, 62903. Also reach us on the Web at www.sbj.biz and via e-mail at SBJ@thesouthern.com. The Journal is published 12 times per year monthly, and mailed to businesses, community development leaders, chambers of commerce members and other professionals in Southern Illinois.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Carbondale, IL. Copyright 2010 by The Southern Illinoisan, all rights reserved.

Postmaster: Send address changes to: Southern Business Journal, P.O. Box 2108, Carbondale, IL 62902.

A subscription may be obtained by calling 618-529-5454 or 618-997-3356, or by visiting our Web site.

Sanberg, Phoenix and Von Gontard .... 15

Publisher: Bob Williams n 618-351-5038

SchoolCenter ...................................... 8

Editor: Gary Metro n 618-351-5033

Southern Illinois Healthcare................ 10

Advertising: Abby Hatfield n 618-351-5024

Southern Illinois University ................ 24

Circulation: Trisha Woodside n 618-351-5035

Stiles Office Equipment ...................... 15

Database Coordinator: Mark Doman n 618-351-5042

Your Jeweler ........................................ 9

MARCH 2010

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

3

Mark Your Calendar March 1 Beginning Excel 2007: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

March 3 Beginning Access 2007: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

Beginning Outlook 2007: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

March 4 Beginning QuickBooks 2009: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

March 11 Beginning Access 2003: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

Intermediate QuickBooks 2009: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

March 12 Beginning/Intermediate Adobe Acrobat: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

Intermediate Excel 2007: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

Beginning Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

March 16 March 10 Advanced Publisher 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

March 23

March 17

Intermediate Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

Intermediate Access 2007: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry. Cost is $90.

Beginning Word 2007: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry. Cost is $90.

Time & Stress Management: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F110, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

Cost is $90.

March 18 March 15

March 9

Center for Business & Industry.

Intermediate Access 2003: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

Advanced QuickBooks 2009: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

March 24 Beginning Publisher 2003: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

March 26 Advanced Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

Beginning/Intermediate Adobe Photoshop: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F111, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry.

March 31 Team Building: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F110, John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry. Cost is $90.

Advanced Excel 2007: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College

For more information on John A. Logan or to register for classes, call 618-985-2828, ext. 8510 or e-mail cbi@jalc.edu.

John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry is located at 700 College Road, Carterville and cost is $55 unless otherwise noted.

4

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

MARCH 2010

Cover Story New media: Social networking now a business strategy

BY LES O’DELL SBJ CORRESPONDENT

There was a time when promoting a business meant hanging a shingle above a store’s entrance or posting handbills around town. Today, business leaders and owners face an overwhelming number of choices and options ranging from triedand-true techniques, including newspapers and broadcast advertisements, to new platforms with unusual names, such as Twitter, blogs and Facebook.

Businesses are trying to find a balance, discover what works and, in some cases, embrace new media as part of their promotional strategy.

What exactly is new media? Some call these new promotional and advertising areas social media, referring to the personal nature and social interaction inherent in the tools. Regardless of the name, these platforms and outlets are changing the way businesses of all sizes present themselves.

Suzanne Nasco, associate professor of marketing at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, says companies looking to interact with customers in locations outside of service calls or the sales floor turn to technology — to social media — to accomplish the task.

“Social media, from a marketing perspective, is a way for organizations to open up two-way dialogue with their customers,” Nasco explains. “What it really does is reduce the space between a company and its customers.”

She says that businesses need to use the new media outlets if their customers are using the technology.

“If your customers are using social media and Internet devices, then, as a business, you need to be on those platforms and devices. You need to be part of their conversations and attract their eyeballs,” she says.

The uniqueness of social media comes from the ability to target specific audiences, according to an assistant professor of journalism at SIUC. Narayanan Iyer, who teaches courses in advertising and new media, says new media is not that different from more traditional communications.

“Remember that even traditional media, such as newspapers and magazines, have specialized sections for health or business because they understand that there are different kinds of audiences out there, all with different needs,” Iyer says.

He says that understanding the business’s customer base is key, regardless of which advertising tool is used.

“It is extremely important that you understand your audience,” he explains.

“With social media, the one-to-many model of advertising changes to a manyto-many model. What you must do is get an understanding of your niche market and what your customers read and what sites they visit.”

Iyer says avenues for this “narrowcasting” include social media, but advertisers should not ignore longstanding outlets, including print advertising and radio and television commercials.

“Traditional media is still the mass media,” he says. “You still have to use it or you may miss out on new members of your target audience.”

There are many options for businesses in the way of new media, including the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

Some companies use just one of the new media; others utilize several or all.

Regardless, an understanding of each platform is beneficial.

Keys to successful new media promotions Immediacy Be diligent in keeping up with what the public is saying about you and respond quickly to questions and criticisms, Suzanne Nasco of the SIUC marketing department says.

“Social media allows the feedback loop to be immediate. Companies that realize this leverage this immediacy to meet their customer’s needs,” she says.

Keep it fresh Postings on the new media platforms have to be kept up-to-date and interesting. Quatro’s Steve Payne updates his Facebook page as many as three times each day.

“If you get bored with it, your customers will, too,” Payne says.

Be ‘real’ Certified financial planner Jeff Rose suggests that businesses should “be themselves” in online postings.

“Social media allows you the opportunity to be yourself to a whole new array of people who don’t know you. Just be yourself and it’ll drive business to you,” he explains.

Give it time Be willing to devote as much as an hour a day to your new media efforts, and be patient in looking for results.

“Don’t do it if you can’t devote time to it,” Nasco says. “If you do it and don’t give it the time it needs, it makes people who are very social media-oriented more resentful.”

Rose says new users should not expect immediate results.

“There is a tremendous learning curve, and it takes time to learn. I haven’t yet gotten a client directly from Twitter yet, but I know it’s going to come,” he says.

— Les O’Dell

Dot coms For many businesses, the entry point to new media is through a Web site, either for their own company or as an advertiser on another Web site. While many firms use a Web presence as an advertising and promotional tool, a growing number are seeing the benefits of using another company’s Web sites as a vehicle for their own businesses.

Banterra Bank Director of Marketing Mel Bower says that advertising on Web sites, such as The Southern Illinoisan’s site (www.thesouthern.com), is a major and vital part of outreach for his company.

“I think, for us, it is increasingly more important as consumers are going online.

We believe that it is a way we can get in front of a lot of consumers on a daily basis with our logo and our services,” he says.

One thing that Bower says he especially likes about online advertising is that results can be directly measured.

“Online advertising provides accountability,” he says. “You can measure it. You can know how many are seeing the impression and how many are actually clicking. The measurability is a huge advantage.”

Other companies are taking advantage of the specialization and the measurability of online advertising, says Bill Robbins, interactive marketing specialist for The Southern.

“We’ve had some really inspiring success stories where ads on our products have really seen an impact,” he says. “It isn’t just the daily print edition or the

daily Web site or the e-edition; there are a number of outlets that we build that channel traffic for our advertisers.”

Robbins says Web sites, including those of Southern Business Journal (www.sbj.biz) and SI Autodeals (www.siautodeals.com), have been effective vehicles for advertisers, and Web traffic reports prove it.

“We’ve found that for one of the dealers that participates in SI Autodeals, visitors that go to their site from SI Autodeals have a longer ‘hang time’ on their site — even longer than those that go directly to their site or that find them on Google,” he says.

He says that this advertising allows for targeted messages to find just the right audience.

MARCH 2010

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Cover Story Traditional media Newspapers and broadcast stations are adapting to the new media. Most area television stations offer viewers the opportunity to interact with news anchors and reports through Internet-based chat applications from their Web sites.

The Southern recently unveiled “Southernville,” an online community where members and visitors can get the latest on their neighborhoods, communicate with others and have the opportunity to share photos, opinions and more. The newspaper even offers an online edition, frequently sends out breaking news via Twitter and offers video to accompany some articles on the Web. Robbins says that future plans call for continued growth of the Southernville platform.

Facebook Originally an online means for college

students to make friends with friends’ friends, Facebook has exploded into one of the most popular Internet sites. Business leaders, including Steve Payne, owner of Quatro’s Pizza in Carbondale, quickly took notice. Today, Quatro’s business page on Facebook has more than 3,000 fans, who regularly have access to information and promotions from the restaurant. It’s been a successful venture, according to Payne.

“As we have tried to market to younger age groups, the probability of making a hit with Facebook has been reasonably good.

It’s not cost-free, but it has been very cost-effective,” he says.

Nasco explains that time is a cost of most social media advertising.

“It takes time and it takes energy,” she says. “It’s not about putting up a fan page on Facebook and waiting for people to talk about your product or service; instead, it’s an active process. Don’t do it if you can’t devote time to it, because if you don’t give it the time it needs, it makes people who

are social media-oriented very resentful.”

For that reason, Payne says Quatro’s tries to keep its presence fresh.

“We try to typically post a couple or three times a day,” he says. “Most of those will be general information. Most of our time is ‘touching’ people, not trying to sell people. It is a relationship builder.”

Payne says businesses should not look for immediate response, but rather use the platform to build a brand.

“It’s a complimentary product to our other marketing,” he says.

Twitter Unveiled in 2006, Twitter allows users to send out brief announcements, questions and messages — never more than 140 characters — to other individuals who choose to receive them, called following. Users receive regular updates from all of the individuals and entities they follow, while other users may choose to “follow” them or to forward their

messages — known as tweets — to other Twitter users. It can lead to an extensive network of people and fans with common interests. It also can be beneficial for businesses.

“We use Twitter messages to establish our personality and branding,” said Amy Mills-Tunnicliffe, director of marketing for 17th Street Bar and Grill restaurants in Marion and Murphysboro. “We use it to connect with people who are our fans and with others in our industry, as well as anyone interested in barbecue.”

She recently presented a seminar about the benefits of social media at a National Barbecue Association gathering, where she told attendees that Twitter is a good fit for her company.

“I love it. I’ve connected with people that I never would have connected with otherwise. People love to have a personal connection like this with companies.

SEE COVER / PAGE 19

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SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

MARCH 2010

Health Care H OS P I TA LS

| W E L L N ESS

|

B E N E F I TS

Military veterans entitled to care options, including some that are little known

BY RICHARD HABIGER SBJ CONTRIBUTOR

In February, we celebrate Presidents Day in honor of two great presidents: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both were heroes of wars fought for freedom and unity of our Habiger great country.

The United States has fought many wars since that time with the blood, sweat and tears of millions of heroic men and women. For more than three centuries, there have been programs to care for those who fought in our wars. In 1636, a veterans’ assistance program was established by the pilgrims of Plymouth Colony who fought with the Pequot Indians. The pilgrims enacted a law from English law that reads, “If any man shall be sent forth as a soldier and shall return maimed, he shall be maintained competently by the colony during his life.”

In 1789, the U.S. Congress passed a pension law for disabled veterans and their dependents, and in 1811 the first medical facility for veterans was completed. Since that time, the Department of Veterans Affairs has opened many care facilities

nationwide, including Marion VA Medical Center, Mount Vernon Community Based Outpatient Clinic and St. Louis VA Medical Center-Jefferson Barracks. In addition, state veterans’ homes have been built, including Illinois facilities in Anna, Lacily, Maintain and Quincy.

Today, the VA provides a variety of benefits for veterans. For our elderly veterans, there is a little-known and underused benefit called “Aid and Attendance” that can pay as much as $1,949 a month in income to a qualifying veteran household.

Most veterans simply don’t know about this valuable benefit. In fact, about a third of all seniors in this country, age 65 and older, could become eligible for VA Pension under the right circumstances.

That’s how many elderly war veterans or their surviving spouses there are in this country.

The official title of the “aid and attendance” benefit is “Pension.” The reason the pension benefit is commonly called “aid and attendance” is because veterans or their surviving spouses can become eligible if they have a regular need for the aid and attendance of a caregiver or if they are housebound. (Do not confuse “Pension” with “Compensation,” the VA benefit based on a service-connected disability.)

To receive a VA Pension, a veteran need

DUTCH GUTTERING

only have served 90 days on active duty, with at least one of those days during a period of war. There must be a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable.

Single surviving spouses of such veterans are also eligible. If younger than 65, the veteran must be totally disabled. If age 65 and older, there is no requirement for disability. There is no age or disability requirement for a single surviving spouse.

Finally, there is no requirement that the veteran served overseas or has a serviceconnected disability.

There are income requirements, but a special provision does allow household income to be reduced by 12 months worth of future, recurring medical expenses.

These allowable, annualized medical expenses are such things as medical insurance premiums, ongoing prescription drug costs, out-of-pocket cost of monthly medical equipment rental, the cost of home care, the cost of paying adult children to provide care, the cost of adult day services, the cost of assisted living, and the cost of a nursing home facility.

These are all considered medical costs and they can be deducted from household income to qualify for a VA Pension.

In many cases, family members are sacrificing dearly to take care of their loved ones at-home. Yet, they don’t know that the VA will pay up to $1,949 per month to members of the family to take care of the

veteran, the veteran couple or the surviving spouse at home. If the arrangement is set up just right and with a written contract, the family members can receive some money from the government for their sacrifice.

The secret for receiving a successful VA pension award is not in filling out the form but in knowing what documents and evidence must be submitted with the application.

Knowing the secrets for a successful award is the most important aspect of the battle. An elder law attorney who is accredited by the VA to represent veterans understands how to maximize the benefit and avoid a denial.

The VA accredited elder law attorney also can provide strategies for reallocating assets to allow for the best possible accommodation of assets for beneficiaries, thus avoiding or reducing taxes, family disputes and Medicaid penalties (should the veteran or spouse eventually need nursing home care).

— Richard Habiger is an elder law attorney, who focuses on asset protection, Medicaid and VA benefits, Alzheimer’s and life care planning — all in collaboration with a multidisciplinary staff. You may contact him at 618-549-4529 or info@habigerelderlaw. com.

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MARCH 2010

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

9

Workplace Asset builders to recognize top businesses: Is your business youth friendly?

BY KRIS SHERRILL SBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Last June, an article in this magazine introduced you to a youthbuilding concept called the “40 Developmental Assets.” Research proves young people need a majority of Sherrill these 40 traits, characteristics and experiences to increase the probability they will grow up to be healthy, thriving, productive citizens.

Since that time, our BASIC (Building Asset-Strong Involved Communities) coalition has conducted several training sessions and developed marketing materials to spread the message about how we, as a community, and you, as a leader in that community, are vital to this important initiative.

Sometimes we tend to overlook the potential of youth and the value they can bring to our businesses and communities.

But it is worth considering that today’s youth are becoming increasingly more savvy and have more disposable income than the kids of yesteryear. They are not only current or potential consumers, but also our current and future workforce and tax base. It benefits us all to play a more active part in this positive development.

Growing up healthy and creative doesn’t just happen. Young people need mentors like you and me to inspire, support, teach and mold them into productive citizens.

Have you ever wondered what your business looks like through the eyes of a teenager? Christopher Wheetley is a talented sophomore at Agape Christian High School in Energy and chairperson of the newly formed Positive Youth Development Youth Council. When asked what he looked for when he walked into a business, this is what he had to say: “As a teenager, the first thing that I look

for in a business is respect. I don’t expect this solely from the employees I come into contact with, but from the business as a whole. Some businesses may feel they lack relations with youth because they don’t offer products or services that directly involve people of our age group.

“Nonetheless, it’s important for businesses to invest in youth, starting at an administrative level. Whether it’s through contributions to youth-based programs and activities, or through educating employees on how to interact with youth, businesses that promote youth development tend to gain a more community-friendly status.

“Businesses can also help this age group by providing employment opportunities. I encourage businesses to throw away their preconceived notions about age and look at each youth individually to assess their talent. Some businesses are also unaware of the importance of the teenage market. A study conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, found that teenagers spent $175 billion in 2003. This illustrates the magnitude of the one-on-one contact with youth in a business.

“The teenage years are a transitional period. Teens are just becoming more independent and will have that first experience of shopping alone. Often, these first experiences lead us to choose where to conduct business next time. It is important that a young person does not feel pressured, looked down upon or insignificant.

“I’m on the Jackson County Positive Youth Development Youth Council (PYD), and we have decided to award the 2009 Youth Friendly Business Award to the top businesses in our county that we feel have displayed youth-friendly conduct through business and community outreach. The top five businesses are posted on our council’s link from the Carbondale Park District’s Web site (www.cpkd.org). We’ll announce the

winner at this year’s PYD sponsored Speech and Creative Writings Competition on April 10 at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. For more information on the PYD Youth Council Wheetley or any of our programs or activities, please visit our Web site link at www.cpkd.org.”

So, how did your business fare looking through Chris’ eyes? Showing respect,

developing relationships and appearing friendly seem like great business strategies we would all want to employ. Growing your business while growing our youth at the same time? That’s a business plan we can all get excited about. To find out more about how you can be a part of this exciting movement to grow our next generation of great citizens and help our community, please visit our BASIC Web site at www.devassets.com.

— Kris Sherrill is coordinator of community health for Southern Illinois Healthcare.

Christopher Wheetley is chairman of the Positive Youth Development Youth Council.

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MARCH 2010

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

11

Your Business PROFILES | PREVIEWS | HUMAN RESOURCES

Advance preparation yields successful business presentations

BY JANE SANDERS SBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Any savvy business person would agree that strong presentation skills yield better results in the form of more sales, approved budgets, satisfied audiences, opportunities for Sanders promotion and advancement, and the like.

Last month, we discussed how to analyze requirements for a presentation and prepare your introduction. This month, we will continue with preparation, specifically the body and conclusion of your pitch, speech or presentation. The final column in my three-part series will focus on delivery skills, non verbals and controlling anxiety. Look for it in the next issue of Southern Business Journal.

Identify and order key points What are the key messages you want to communicate? Every presentation has main points or modules. The key points in this article, which is a form of presentation, are the statements in bold type. Notice how they are written in the same format and verb tense. This offers consistency and navigation to the reader (or listener).

Identify your key points and their subpoints. Things to consider when determining the order of your messages include logic and commonality, clarity and simplicity, and priority. For example, you may want to put the more complex messages toward the end, after simpler ones have been covered. Or, in case your allotted time is cut, consider ordering your points by priority.

Select and organize supports Supports are the life of your presentation. They add color, texture and persuasion to facts and figures. Supports can include short stories, statistics,

definitions, poems, examples, testimonials, quotes, cartoons, jokes and unlimited visual props.

Any time you run across a story, cartoon, quote, quip or statistic that catches your attention, hang on to it. Start a “keepers” file. Just because these keepers don’t perfectly relate to your content doesn’t mean you can’t use them effectively to make a point, or to support your facts or opinions. Your verbal transition or how you introduce the support can easily tie it to your material.

For example, you’ve probably heard the famous quote by Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest hockey player: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” Do I make presentations about hockey? No, but I often need to make a point about taking risks and just going for it. In my GenderSmart Communication keynote, I use several cartoons that effectively reinforce the points I want to make.

However, none of them are specifically about gender communication in the workplace. Their content can be tied to my material and made relevant with a onesentence verbal transition.

I also use examples of specific communication differences customized to each audience, video clips that demonstrate gender styles, and more.

These supports reinforce the points I want the participants to learn and remember.

Testimonials can be strong supports during sales presentations. Show a letter from a satisfied client, with the key parts highlighted. Better yet, bring a videotape of the client to your meeting for a live testimonial.

Here’s another tactic. Parents learn something every day from their children.

Write down those innocent, yet wise, observations and you will have some good material. Just make sure these supports truly are unique and powerful. Don’t let your understandable lack of objectivity get in the way. Gift books filled with everyday wisdoms or lessons or children’s comments can be very effective. During my seminar on presentation skills, I ask for volunteers and quickly coach them to demonstrate ineffective non verbal techniques on the stage. It’s fun and

engaging, and they don’t have to “speak” in front of the audience.

Provide direction signals Audience members space out during presentations. Our brains simply need a break. When participants come back to life, they need to quickly find where you are in your presentation. Help them accomplish this by using transitions and signals throughout your presentation.

Direction signals include verbal transitions and building agendas such as I, II, III or A, B, C. Mini-summaries are effective and involve a one-sentence summary of the point just covered as lead-in to the next point.

So, after you select and prepare the

supports for your key points, make sure you have clear direction signals that make it easy for audience members to follow along.

Prepare the summary and conclusion Succinctly and quickly tell them what you told them, a verbal outline of sorts.

Then, with your conclusion, ask clearly for what you want. That may be a project, a raise, an order, a behavior change, a vote or any number of end results. Finally, close with impact. Leave them wanting more and thinking about your presentation after SEE SANDERS / PAGE 14

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Retail sales for Southern Illinois cities City Anna Benton Carbondale Carterville Chester Du Quoin Harrisburg Herrin Jonesboro Marion Metropolis Mount Vernon Murphysboro Nashville Pinckneyville Red Bud Sparta Vienna West City West Frankfort REGION ILLINOIS

YTD Nov 2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

104.4 63.8 515.7 36.7 48.4 92.1 175.8 135.6 11.6 619.4 71.0 437.6 118.6 101.1 34.2 63.6 115.9 33.9 84.0 102.0 $2,965.4 $127,727.6

113.3 71.4 587.7 40.1 51.5 91.9 179.3 135.9 12.4 673.4 75.9 482.8 117.1 101.8 39.0 77.7 130.5 40.5 89.6 111.2 $3,223.0 $237,438.0

112.3 72.4 607.4 40.3 51.7 94.4 173.6 134.4 11.3 662.4 79.8 461.5 94.9 105.2 35.8 73.7 129.5 39.8 82.8 111.4 $3,174.7 $180,162.7

111.7 75.0 610.4 39.9 54.0 103.1 168.5 137.5 11.5 592.7 74.8 501.0 93.0 105.7 41.7 82.5 133.1 36.9 77.7 106.8 $3,157.6 $173,362.8

109.7 70.4 579.4 32.7 51.1 95.0 164.9 127.9 11.5 545.9 69.4 475.3 94.6 101.1 38.0 82.5 127.7 32.7 70.8 102.3 $2,983.0 $167,459.0

112.2 71.6 544.9 32.4 50.8 99.9 160.2 122.4 10.7 525.3 73.4 462.4 90.5 103.6 37.9 75.9 121.7 32.7 70.9 105.9 $2,905.3 $159,201.4

R

N I L L I Chicago Fed Midwest % change 04-08 Manufacturing Index

p q p p p q p p p p p p p q p p p p p p p p

0.98% 0.28% 7.85% 23.77% 1.38% 8.01% 11.92% 11.03% 15.89% 28.19% 3.41% 4.41% 29.39% 1.74% 2.90% 2.37% 7.23% 23.85% 26.38% 5.00% 10.94% 49.14%

SOURCE: LATEST STATISTICS AVAILABLE FROM THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE. FIGURES ARE IN MILLIONS.

N

The CFMMI is a monthly estimate by major industry of manufacturing output in the Seventh Federal Reserve District states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. It is a composite index of 15 manufacturing industries, including auto and steel, that uses electrical power and hours worked data to measure monthly changes in regional activity. It is compared here to the national Industrial Production index for Manufacturing (IPMFG). Base year is 2002.

Starting in November 2005, the index excluded the electricity component.

115 114 113 112

IPMFG Dec 09 100.2

111 110 109 108 107 106 105 104 103 102 100 98 94

Unemployment rates for Southern Illinois counties, state and nation Alexander Franklin Gallatin Hamilton Hardin Jackson Jefferson Johnson Massac Perry Pope Pulaski Randolph Saline Union Washington White Williamson .,REGION ILLINOIS U.S.

Labor force

Jobless

Dec 2009

Nov 2009

Dec 2008

3,376 17,410 2,651 3,960 1,764 31,486 20,051 5,063 7,310 9,082 1,923 2,979 15,150 12,470 8,433 8,134 7,645 34,751 193,638 6,602,400 153,059,000

365 2,457 288 383 230 2,477 2,201 567 677 1,161 220 331 1,507 1,385 1,043 684 701 3,471 20,148 714,600 15,267,000

10.8% 14.1% 10.9% 9.7% 13.0% 7.9% 11.0% 11.2% 9.3% 12.8% 11.4% 11.1% 9.9% 11.1% 12.4% 8.4% 9.2% 10.0% 10.4% 10.8% 10.0%

11.3% 13.9% 11.0% 9.8% 12.3% 7.7% 10.8% 10.8% 8.9% 12.5% 11.4% 11.5% 9.8% 11.2% 11.1% 8.4% 8.8% 9.7% 10.2% 10.5% 10.0%

8.5% 9.9% 9.3% 8.2% 9.6% 6.1% 7.8% 8.8% 7.7% 11.0% 8.8% 9.6% 7.8% 8.7% 9.8% 6.6% 7.9% 7.5% 8.5% 7.4% 7.2%

SOURCE: ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. FIGURES ARE NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED.

SAVE THE DATE!

Change month q p q q p p p p p p

q p q p

p p p p

0.5 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.1 1.3 0.0 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.0

90 88

Change year p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p

86

CFMMI Dec 09

84 82

2.3 81 84.1 4.2 80 1.6 1.5 78 3.4 76M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D 1.8 3.2 SOURCE: FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CHICAGO 2.4 1.6 1.8 2.6 1.5 Jan 10 Jan 09 Change 2.1 2.4 MONTHLY TOTALS 2.6 441 165 p 167.3% 1.8 YTD TOTALS 1.3 2.5 441 165 p 167.3% 1.9 2009 2008 Change 3.4 ANNUAL TOTALS 2.8 2,636 p 4.3% 2,750 ’08

’09

Williamson County Regional Airport passengers

Community Leaders’ Breakfas

Thursday, April 29 | 7–9 AM | John A. Logan College

O

st

e

I S I N Consumer credit score

D

Credit scores are numeric reflections of financial behavior and credit worthiness and they are based on information included in a credit report. Ranging from 330 to 830, a higher score means a lower credit risk. Scores are from January 2010.

Alexander Franklin Gallatin Hamilton Hardin Jackson Jefferson Johnson Massac Perry Pope Pulaski Randolph Saline Union Washington White Williamson REGION

13 81 21 15 9 97 53 27 28 39 8 10 64 62 39 35 46 151 798

12 101 22 16 12 158 82 26 24 39 9 17 73 90 34 31 56 186 988

A

T

698

Murphysboro

Region

699

692

State

U. S.

O R S U of I Flash Index

Total cars, trucks sold based on title applications filed.

Excludes motorcycles, trailers.

New vehicle sales Oct 08

C

694

SOURCE: EXPERIAN

Oct 09

I

p q q q q q q p p

q q q q p p q q q

Change

2008

8.3% 19.8% 4.5% 6.3% 25.0% 38.6% 35.4% 3.8% 16.7% 0.0% 11.1% 41.1% 12.3% 31.1% 14.7% 12.9% 17.9% 18.8% 19.2%

169 1,341 294 287 109 1,969 1,270 481 422 689 123 221 1,208 1,064 596 621 721 2,515 14,100

2007 195 1,247 225 260 135 1,622 1,105 419 407 638 111 199 1,126 920 534 595 664 2,292 12,694

q p p p q p p p p p p p p p p p p p p

Change 13.3% 7.5% 30.7% 10.4% 19.3% 21.4% 14.9% 14.8% 3.7% 8.0% 10.8% 11.1% 7.3% 15.7% 11.6% 4.4% 8.6% 9.7% 11.1%

108 107 106 105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95 94 93 92 91 90 89

Jan 10 91.2

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

’07 ’08 SOURCE: INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Q4 09 Alexander Franklin Gallatin Hamilton Hardin Jackson Jefferson Johnson Massac Perry Pope Pulaski Randolph Saline Union Williamson ILLINOIS

4 67 1 3 3 79 67 18 28 27 0 3 41 22 34 161 29,822

Q4 08 5 56 3 2 0 56 74 19 24 26 4 2 33 13 19 142 21,986

q p q p

p q q p p q p p p p p p

Change 20.0% 19.6% 66.7% 50.0% NA 41.1% 9.5% 5.3% 16.7% 3.8% 100.0% 50.0% 24.2% 69.2% 78.9% 13.4% 35.6%

2008 17 276 NA 7 0 383 332 78 112 126 10 13 149 80 101 639 107,075

2007 32 332 NA 8 0 467 381 92 128 149 9 4 136 78 91 705 140,378

q q

q

q q q q q p p p p p q q

A

S

O

N

D

J ’10

Hotel/motel stats

Consumer Price Index The CPI measures average price changes of goods and services over time, with a reference base of 100 in 1982-84.To put into context, a current CPI of 194.5 means a market basket of goods and services that cost $100 in 1982-84 now costs $194.50.

Oct 09 Oct 08 MONTHLY TOTALS $768,913

YTD TOTALS $6,686,833

Change

$748,259 p

$6,517,990 p

2008 ANNUAL TOTALS

2.8%

$7,330,504 p

220

218

2.6%

Change

2007

Change

MEDIAN SALES PRICE Q3 09 Q3 08

46.9% 16.9% NA 12.5% 0% 18.0% 12.9% 15.2% 12.5% 15.4% 11.1% 225.0% 9.6% 2.6% 11.0% 9.4% 23.7%

$43,500 $40,000 $45,000 $42,000 $25,000 $88,000 $92,500 $84,750 $74,170 $52,000 $0 $39,900 $69,000 $64,250 $74,000 $97,000 $155,000

Total units sold, including condominiums

J

’09

U.S. city average Dec 09 215.9

216

214

212

2.6% 210

Home sales

J

Total amount of revenue generated in Carbondale by hotels and motels for room rentals only.

$7,520,856

SOURCE: ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE. LATEST DATA AVAILABLE.

The Flash Index is an early indicator of the Illinois economy’s expected performance. It is a weighted average of growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending and personal income. An index above 100 indicates expected growth; an index below 100 indicates the economy is contracting.

$52,000 $51,000 $15,000 $39,500 $0 $78,250 $77,500 $75,000 $76,750 $55,000 $91,500 $19,000 $72,000 $38,500 $82,000 $83,500 $163,950

Midwest urban Dec 09 202.7

208

Change

q 16.3% q 21.6% p 200.0% p 6.3% NA p 12.5% p 19.4% p 13.0% q 3.4% q 5.5% q 100.0% p 110.0% q 4.2% p 66.9% q 9.8% p 16.2% q 5.5%

206

204

200 D ’08

J

Honoring the

Leaders Among Us C L A S S O F 2 010

M

A

M

J ’09

J

A

S

O

N

D

SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Prices at the pump Average price per gallon of regular, unleaded gas as of Feb. 16 and Jan. 19, 2010.

Metro East Springfield Illinois U.S. SOURCE: AAA

SOURCE: ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

F

Feb 10

Jan 10

Feb 09

$2.54 $2.48 $2.64 $2.61

$2.71 $2.69 $2.82 $2.74

$1.97 $1.90 $2.00 $1.97

14

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

MARCH 2010

State Focus L EGA L |

G OV E R N M E N T | TA X ES

Good intentions of federal stimulus bill don’t guarantee good results

BY J. FRED GIERTZ SBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Almost 30 years ago, the then-young David Stockman was about give up his U.S. House seat in Michigan to become budget director for the incoming Reagan administration, leading the Giertz conservative charge for lower taxes and the futile fight for restrained federal spending. Before he assumed his new position, he accompanied an interviewer from the Atlantic back to his rural home in Michigan. When he and the interviewer approached his family’s farm, they passed a new tennis complex that seemed strangely out of place in this setting.

The interviewer asked Stockman if tennis was a major sport in this area.

Stockman responded that it wasn’t and explained that the local township decided to build the courts because the jurisdiction had received federal revenue sharing funds for recreation projects. Stockman explained: “It’s all right, I suppose, but these people would never have taxed themselves to build that. Not these tightfisted taxpayers! As long as someone is giving them the money, sure, they are willing to spend it. But they would never have used their own money.”

This is instructive in the current environment one year after the approval of the nearly $800 billion federal stimulus

SANDERS FROM PAGE 11 you are gone.

Don’t be afraid to use emotion and be dramatic. Use one of the supports we discussed earlier — a quote, story, poem, or a profound, pithy question. Just keep in

package. Because of the effects of the recession, state and local government in Illinois and around the nation are experiencing the worst fiscal crisis in memory. The state of Illinois is facing a shortfall in the neighborhood of $13 billion for the next fiscal year and is delinquent in billions of dollars of promised payments to universities, health care providers and state vendors. Local governments, including schools, are planning for major cutbacks. In Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority, which provides vital transportation services for the city, is on the verge of financial collapse.

The anomaly is that in this environment of austerity and retrenchment, governments are considering hugely expensive, wildly ambitious projects. For example, the Champaign-Urbana area is considering a $30 to $35 million broadband infrastructure program to bring high-speed Internet service to poor, “underserved” neighborhoods. A collateral benefit would be access to better Internet service for some businesses, schools and government organizations.

Even the huge price tag would not guarantee the ongoing operation of the network, since annual fees would be needed for this — fees that are likely not to be paid.

Residents of Champaign County were surprised to learn recently that the Illinois Department of Transportation was considering widening I-74 to six lanes from the western edge of Champaign to Mahomet at a potential cost of $71 million.

No local public official could recall any request of this nature, and many people mind that when you use emotion, it must be genuine. People can smell insincerity.

Strong supports can make the difference between a boring or mediocre presentation and a powerful, effective one. And they make preparation and delivery more fun for you too, which means you will do a better job.

Next month, we’ll discuss tips to help improve delivery skills and reduce anxiety.

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness ...’

CHARLES DICKENS ‘A TALE OF TWO CITIES’

expressed concern about the need for such a project. Note that I-74 is only four lanes through the more congested ChampaignUrban area. Even I-57 south of I-80 in southern Cook County is also four lanes.

In January, Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick Durbin announced an ambitious $1.1 billion “high-speed” rail program to connect Chicago and St. Louis. Illinois’ high-speed rail plan should not be confused with true high-speed rail similar to Japan or Europe. A recent Commerce Connection article referred to 45-minute, 17 trips-a-day service from Champaign to Chicago. This is not the high-speed rail proposed by Quinn and Durbin. Instead, the $1.1 billion would increase speeds slightly to shorten the trip from Chicago to St. Louis from five to four hours. The problem with high- speed rail in a lowdensity environment is that it simply doesn’t work. How many people travel from downtown Chicago to downtown St. Louis? Would the promise of a four-hour trip get people out of their cars or away from airlines? At the same time that highspeed passenger rail is being considered, freight transportation improvements are sorely needed in the Chicago area to In the meantime, have fun finding engaging supports and building your next presentation.

— Jane Sanders is a speaker, trainer and facilitator in the areas of gender communication, strategic business or work/life planning, presentation skills, authentic leadership confidence, recruiting and retention of women, and selling to

maintain the region’s economic competitiveness.

What is the connection between the Champaign-Urbana broadband proposal, the I-74 expansion and the high-speed rail initiative? Like the tennis courts in David Stockman’s rural Michigan, they are all to be paid for largely with federal money.

These are projects that state and local taxpayers would never pay for themselves and they would never use federal money for these purposes if the funds were fungible.

This is the tragedy of the federal stimulus program. If the economy needed a stimulus, why not spend the funds for high-priority, high-potential projects?

There is no requirement that funds be spent frivolously to promote employment.

However, it proved impossible to establish rationale priorities as part of the hastily constructed program.

Another failure of the stimulus program is also illustrated in these three examples.

The stimulus bill was approved in February 2009. More than one year later, the three programs discussed here are only in the planning stage. They are still months away from funding if they are finally approved and years away from actually being implemented. By that time, with any luck, the stimulus will not be needed. Unfortunately, good intentions do not guarantee good results.

— J. Fred Giertz is a professor of economics within the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

He can be reached at 217-244-4822 or jgiertz@ad.uiuc.edu. women. She also facilitates brainstorming, best practice, and strategic planning sessions and retreats. Her clients include Toyota, MassMutual, Prudential, US Steel, Walgreen’s, and many more. Located in Mount Vernon, she is author of “GenderSmart: Solving The Communication Puzzle Between Men and Women,” available on her Web site. Reach her toll-free at 877343-2150; www.janesanders.com.

16

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

MARCH 2010

Achievements AWA R DS

|

P RO M OT I O N S

Clinic moves to a new location

Humbrecht joins law firm

Corley Chiropractic & Rehab Clinic in Murphysboro has moved to a new location.

The clinic is now inside West County Medical Center at 19 E. Shawnee Drive in Murphysboro. Dr. John Corley, the treating physician, is a native of Murphysboro and is excited to be practicing in his hometown. For more information, call 618-684-5726.

Joshua A. Humbrecht of Benton has joined the law firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. in Mount Vernon and Effingham as an associate attorney. The firm is preparing to celebrate its 60th year of service to the region.

His focus in the practice of law will be in civil litigation, including personal injury, wrongful death andworkers’ compensation.

He can be reached at the law offices of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C., 206 S. Ninth St., Suite 201, in Mount Vernon or at 618244-5335. Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. also maintains regular office hours in Marion, Belleville, Vandalia, Olney and Mount Carmel.

Woodside celebrates 40 years Country Financial representative Dennis Woodside of Pinckneyville is celebrating 40 years of serving customers in the Monroe-Randolph-Perry county area.

During Woodside’s career with Country, he has been named an All American 23 times, District 5 Agent of the Year and Country Agent of the Year. He was selected for the Country Hall of Fame in 1994.

He has qualified for the National Sales Achievement Award, National Quality Award, Health Insurance Quality Award and Million Dollar Round Table.

He serves clients from his Country office at 605 S. Main St., Pinckneyville. The office phone number is 618-357-8005.

Shawnee Health opens new center Shawnee Health Service has opened a new community health center at 400 S. Lewis Lane in Carbondale.

Construction on this new state-of-theart facility was recently completed and Shawnee Health Care-Carbondale is now open and offers family medicine and general dentistry services under one roof.

Shawnee Health Care-Carbondale accepts Medicaid, Medicare and most forms of insurance. Financial assistance is available to qualified patients.

For medical appointments, call 618-5199900. For dental appointments, call 618-519-9901. More information is available at www.shsdc.org.

Morgan, Guthman form firm Donald R. Morgan and Matthew W. Guthman, both certified public accountants, have formed the accounting firm, Morgan & Guthman, LLC. The firm is based at 217 Robert Morgan Road in Murphysboro. Morgan and Guthman have more than 40 years combined experience in accounting, tax and audit services.

Anyone interested in obtaining accounting services may call them at 618687-3762.

|

R E T I R E M E N T

designed and complied with to provide reasonable assurance of performing and reporting in conformity with applicable professional standards in all material respects.

The peer review was performed by the Peoria-based Heinold-Banwart, Ltd., who qualified under the program’s requirements for service as a reviewer.

Volunteers honored Jackson County Health Department honored its H1N1 clinic volunteers Jan. 28 by hosting a luncheon and handing out awards.

Jackson County Health Department recruited 29 volunteers during the recent H1N1 vaccination campaign. These volunteers filled many roles at various H1N1 clinics and put in about 300 hours of service.

E.T. Simonds recognized for safety E.T. Simonds Construction Company of Carbondale has received an award in honor of the company’s outstanding safety performance during the 2009 construction season. The award was presented recently in Springfield during the 103rd annual convention and business meeting of the Associated General Contractors of Illinois.

Frey Premium Tax Service opens

Hosick joins Country Financial

Frey Premium Tax Service opened Jan. 18 with locations in Energy and Carterville.

Owner Sue Frey has 20 years experience with personal, business, corporation, trust, multiple states, nonresident, international and tax planning.

The business also offers bookkeeping, payroll services and new business consulting. For information or to set up an appointment, call Frey at 618-925-6204.

Kyle Hosick of West Frankfort has been named a financial representative for Country Financial. Hosick can provide clients with auto, home, life and long-term care insurance, annuities, mutual funds and college education funding options. He can also offer investment management, retirement planning and trust services.

He serves clients from his Country office at 2702 17th St. in Marion and can be reached at 618-997-9441.

Peer review successful

Hudgens & Meyer, LLC., has successfully completed a rigorous peer review of its accounting and auditing Mid America Mortgage honored practice.

Emling & Hoffman, P.C., in Du Quoin Mid America Mortgage in Carterville has successfully completed a rigorous peer recently was honored by the USDA as one review of its accounting and auditing of the state’s top lenders in using guaranteed home loans to help make home practice.

The reviewer concluded that the firm’s purchases more affordable.

USDA Rural Development honors lenders system of quality control for the accounting and auditing practice in effect for the year that excel in utilizing the guaranteed loan ending May 31, 2009, has been suitably program to increase home ownership.

Men’s conference at Logan The Southern Illinois Men’s Health Conference will be from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

March 20 at John A. Logan College in Carterville. The $35 registration fee includes breakfast and lunch. There will be blood and health screenings, breakout sessions and a keynote panel discussion, “The Doctor is In.” Registration is required. Call 618-9859210 or visit www.simenshealth.org for more information.

Jewett attends meeting Joyce Jewett of B and A Travel Service in Marion recently returned from a threeday educational familiarization trip to Jamaica as the guest of Couples Resorts.

The trip, arranged for Couples Resorts Prestige Agency partners, included accommodations at Couples Swept Away resort and the newly renovated Couples Tower Isle, resort familiarization and site inspections and meetings with Jamaica Department of Tourism officials.

Information on all of Couples Resorts vacation packages to Jamaica may be obtained from B and A Travel Service in Marion or at www.bandatravel.com.

Avery opens fitness studio Tina Avery, a certified pole dancing fitness instructor, has opened a new studio in the lower level of Great Shapes Fitness for Women, 2121 S. Illinois Ave. in Carbondale.

For more information, call 618-713-3112 or e-mail letsgetpolefit@yahoo.com.

Hospital ranks high in care Western Baptist Hospital is featured on a national health care quality Web site as one of the top-performing hospitals in the country in pneumonia care.

It was chosen because it is among the top three percent in pneumonia care among 2,800 hospitals with 50 or more beds.

Tanner earns Kroger promotion Dee Tanner of Ava has been promoted

by Kroger to director of operations for the Nashville, Tenn., area. This includes three districts and 65 Kroger stores.

Tanner began her career with Kroger in 1988 and has worked in many positions with the company, including deli manager, co-manager, store manager, deli/produce coordinator and manager of customer relations in the Mid South Office in Louisville, Ky. She was promoted in 2001 to district manager in western Kentucky and Southern Illinois and in 2008 to district manager in Nashville, Tenn.

Tanner is the daughter of Barbara and Danny Jaimet of Willisville.

Webb joins SI Power Cooperative Jim Webb of Marion has joined the staff

MARCH 2010

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

17

Achievements AWA R DS

|

P RO M OT I O N S

of Southern Illinois Power Cooperative as fuel supervisor.

Before joining SIPC, Webb served as Williamson County engineer/highway superintendent, Illinois Department of Transportation civil engineer, and production supervisor for The American Coal Company & Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation at the Galatia Mine.

Located at Lake of Egypt in Marion, SIPC provides transmission and generation services to more than 200,000 people through its seven member-owners: Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative, Southeastern Illinois Electric Cooperative, Egyptian Electric Cooperative Association, Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Clinton County Electric Cooperative, Monroe County Electric Cooperative and Clay Electric Cooperative.

Three join Carbondale CPA firm Michelle Tyler, Amber Halstead and

|

F M G R Feirich / Mager / Green / Ryan

Attorneys at Law Providing Business and Personal Legal Services to the Midwest

R E T I R E M E N T

Daniel Harms have joined the professional staff of Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP. They will provide clients in the Carbondale office with auditing, accounting, tax and management consulting services.

Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP, Certified Public Accountants, is a regional accounting firm with offices in Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin. For more information, call 618-529-1040.

Commercial Transactions Workers’ Compensation Labor Negotiations Employment Matters Municipal Law

Administrative Law Banking Law Real Estate Transactions Probate and Estate Planning Business Organization

Located in the Westown Centre • 2001 West Main, Carbondale • (618) 529-3000

Visit our web site at www.fmgr.com

Let the region know Have you been promoted? Has a colleague at work completed an intensive continuing education program? Others in the business community will want to know it, so please consider passing on your milestone employment news to the Southern Business Journal. Feel free to e-mail the information to sbj@thesouthern.com or fax a written update to 618-457-2935.

From $49 each way.

Marion

And Beyond St. Louis

Connect to the world with fast, frequent flights from Marion, IL. Free parking and easy baggage check-throughs. To book your trip, call us or visit capeair.com. Or call your travel agent. *Fares subject to change.

866-Cape-Air ~ capeair.com

18

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

MARCH 2010

Entrepreneur’s Mailbag Business people need time to consider new areas of growth

BY CAVANAUGH L. GRAY SBJ CONTRIBUTOR

A study by Yankelovich Partners reported that entrepreneurs spend their time in the following ways: administrative tasks account for 31 percent; financial issues occupy 30 Gray percent; leading and managing employees, 23 percent; selling to customers, 28 percent; and, to

round out the list, negotiating with suppliers, 23 percent. These same entrepreneurs spend only 38 percent of their time getting actual work done. Ask overworked business owners how much time they spend fostering new ideas and you are likely to get laughed out of their places of business, or worse. With new ideas representing possible new avenues of growth, how can small businesses continue the daily juggling while sparking creativity in their own firms?

Look past the paradigms Most owners can pinpoint the one or

two business obstacles standing between them and greater success. In creatively addressing those issues, entrepreneurs must first avoid paradigms. Paradigms are preconceived ideas about what the world is, what it should be like and how it should operate. Before Netflix broke through the video rental paradigm, most individuals probably couldn’t conceive of renting their videos from anywhere but their local video rental stores. In looking for creative solutions for your own company, understand that there is always more than one right answer. The biggest success stories have been

written about men and women who chose not to do things exactly by the book. Another creative barrier is being too practical. In developing new ideas, don’t always play it safe.

Becoming a creative thinker Sparking creativity in your company need not be difficult, but dedicating time to this task will take some adjustment. For starters, try developing an idea file. Some of the best ideas come at the most inopportune times, so write those thoughts down (in the moment) SEE GRAY / PAGE 23

MARCH 2010

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

19

Employment Law R ESU LTS

|

R ESU LTS

Remember this: Employees have a legal right to see their personnel records

BY ED RENSHAW SBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Although there is no specific requirement that employers keep separate personnel files for their employees, most companies of any significant size will have some Renshaw personnel records for their employees. These records may include such things as applications, resumes, performance evaluations, disciplinary warnings, promotion histories or wage information.

So, what do you do when one of your employees, or a former employee, asks to see his or her personnel file? You remember the Personnel Record Review Act. The Personnel Record Review Act is an Illinois law that requires an employer to permit an employee “to inspect any personnel documents which are, have been or are intended to be used in determining that employee’s qualifications for employment, promotion, transfer, additional compensation, discharge or other disciplinary action .... ” Remember that the act says nothing about some magic personnel file, but speaks only about personnel documents. Just because a

COVER FROM PAGE 5 It has been very successful for us. It’s helped us make new friends and given us more exposure,” she says.

Blogs Blogs are a type of online diary written by a particular person or covering a

comply with the act only if it has five or more employees, not counting immediate family members of the employer. So, the corner grocery store run by a family and only one or two other employees is not required to comply with the act.

On the other hand, remember that the term “employee” includes former employees as well. Probably most requests to review personnel records come from former employees rather than current ones.

If an employee was fired and believes the termination was somehow wrongful, it is common for the employer to receive a request to inspect personnel records.

However, the act does not require you to permit inspection if the former employee has been gone from your company for a year or more. So, if you receive a request from an employee, or former employee, to inspect personnel records, don’t panic and don’t procrastinate.

Employees have a right to see those records. However, if you have doubts about how to handle a request, you may want to consult with an attorney.

document is not in a separate folder marked with an employee’s name doesn’t mean the employee doesn’t have a right to inspect the document.

Some documents relating to an employee’s job can be excluded from inspection. These are spelled out in the act and include letters of reference about the employee, testing documents, materials relating to the company’s staff planning, business development, expansion, closing or operational goals, i.e., confidential information about the company’s operations, personal information about another person if the information would be an invasion of privacy and investigation or security records related to an employee’s possible criminal actions.

If a document doesn’t fit squarely into one of these exceptions, it should be provided to the employee for inspection.

Don’t try to be coy about excluding documents that really should be a part of personnel records.

Employers are required to permit employees at least two personnel record review requests in a calendar year. Once an employee asks to review his or her records, there are time limitations placed on you. You have seven working days to provide the employee an opportunity to review the personnel records. If the request was verbal, it’s harder to prove you met the deadline, so written requests can and should be required.

However, if there is some valid reason

why you can’t meet the seven-day deadline (the file is in the home office in Omaha), a seven-day extension of time is permitted. Make sure you let the employee know within the first seven days if you need more time.

You also must make it convenient for the employee to look at the records. That is probably no big deal for current employees who are at your business anyway. For them, you simply have to provide the records near their job site and during normal working hours.

However, for former employees, you may have to be more flexible to give them a reasonable opportunity to inspect the records.

If a former employee simply cannot get to your business to review the personnel records, you are required to copy the records and mail them to the employee. If you make copies of personnel records for an employee, you are permitted to charge for the “actual cost” of the copies.

If an employee disagrees with any information in the record, the employee can request that the information be removed. If you don’t agree to remove the information, the employee must be permitted to attach a written statement to the disputed document, explaining why he or she believes the information is wrong. If the disputed document is ever released to a third party, the employee’s attached explanation must be included.

Be aware that the act does not apply to all employers. An employer is required to

— Ed Renshaw is a partner with the Carbondale law firm of Feirich/Mager/ Green/Ryan. F/M/G/R is a general practice law firm offering a full range of legal services, including labor and employment law, commercial transactions, banking, real estate, workers’ compensation, municipal law and estate planning.

specific subject. A contraction of the words “Web log,” a blog can be effective for businesses in terms of self-promotion and exposure. It’s worked for financial planner Jeff Rose of Alliance Investment Planning Group in Carbondale.

“Two years ago, I didn’t even know what a blog was beyond an online diary,” Rose says. “My blog has become a way for me to showcase my knowledge and my expertise to current clients and potential clients or prospects.”

Rose says his blog has evolved into regular postings of information or insights which work to encourage users to other social media sites, including Rose’s Web site, Facebook page and Twitter account.

“Right now, they all just work together. I write a blog post, I automatically have it where it feeds into Twitter and then, from there, it automatically posts on Facebook.

All of my followers on Twitter and all my friends on Facebook are seeing my content. It’s just amazing,” Rose says.

He says while results were not immediate, he has seen benefits for his business.

“Six months into it, I got my biggest client yet, who came to me through my blog,” Rose explains. “Now we’re friends on Facebook, too. I’ve gotten several clients just from my blog, Twitter and Facebook. People come across my content and see what I do. It has proven vital and I’m thankful that I got into it when I did.”

20

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

MARCH 2010

Personal Investments RETIREMENT | INSURANCE

Learn intricacy of withdrawals before taking money out of a Roth IRA

BY SCOTT MCCLATCHEY SBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Sometimes people want to access Roth IRA funds for early retirement or other purposes. Maybe you’re one of them.

If you have ever thought about taking money out of McClatchey a Roth IRA, be sure to consult your financial adviser first before you make a move, and keep the factors mentioned below in mind.

You can withdraw regular contributions tax-free, but not your earnings. This is a

critical distinction, and many Roth IRA owners don’t seem to know about it.

When you withdraw assets from a Roth, there is a set order in which contributions and earnings must be distributed — the IRS ordering rules for distributions: n The IRS regards the first layer of withdrawals from a Roth as regular contributions instead of earnings. So this layer is treated as coming from your annual after-tax contributions. Therefore, if you just withdraw this layer of money, there are no taxes or penalties involved. (You can do this at any time, whether you have held your Roth for five years or not.) Basically, the IRS is permitting you to remove a percentage of your account before the alarm sounds on

the five-year clock. (More to come.) n The next assets to be removed from the account, according to IRS rules, are the conversion and rollover contributions to your Roth. These are removed on a so-called “first-in, first-out” basis.

For example, the amount of a contribution to your Roth resulting from a conversion made in 2002 would come out before the amount of a contribution to your Roth resulting from a conversion made in 2008. The taxable portion of the conversion/ rollover contribution comes out first (the amount claimed as income), and then the non-taxable portion.(By the way, the IRS disregards Roth-to-Roth rollover contributions in these rules.) n Finally, earnings accrued by the

Roth IRA are distributed.

So, in other words, merely withdrawing your regular contribution will not trigger tax. But if your Roth has realized earnings from contributions, the earnings will be subject to income tax if they are withdrawn.

Is your withdrawal a qualified distribution? Here’s another important consideration. If you have owned your Roth IRA for less than five years and/or are younger than age 591/2, you risk taking a nonqualified distribution if you withdraw money from it. You know what that means — a 10 percent penalty for early withdrawal in addition to taxes.

(There are some exceptions to this SEE McCLACTHEY / PAGE 23

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MARCH 2010

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

21

Business Fine Print PERMITS | BANKRUPTCIES

Building permits Carbondale Walgreens, 1600 W. Main, $1,550,000 El Greco Restaurant, 516 S. Illinois Ave., $25,000 Dan Terry/Alliance Investments, 115 S. Washington St., $20,000 Southern Recycling, 300 W. Chestnut St., $300,000 Pointe at SIU, 900 E. Park St. 11, $12,500 Pointe at SIU, 900 E. Park St. 12, $12,500 Selective Site Consultants, 300 S. Marion St., $14,000 Charles Carter, 1410 Bradford Lane, $10,000 DG Rentals, 1702 W. Sunset Drive, $500 Evan Feloni, 1449 E. Gary Drive, $5,000 John Thomas, 311 E. Mill St., $5,000 Bertha Chappell, 1201 N. McQueen St., $2,500 Steve Schmidgall, 1449 E. Walnut St., $12,000 Mayel Flores, 211 S. Giant City Road, $1,500

Carterville Ila O’Brian, 516 Canary, $0 John Gooden, 408 California, $10,000

Herrin Kenner Construction, 3216 Mustang Court, $110,000 Steven Claunch, 2405 W. Cherry St., $48,000 Ray Vali, 3205 Mustang Court, $140,000

Marion Barnett and Son Construction, lot 7 Bridge St., $90,000 Barnett and Son Construction, lot 6, Bridge St., $90,000 Byron Molitor, 1613 Posey St., $140,000 Unit 2 School District, 1700 W. Cherry St., $350,000 Brian and Lana Joyner, 2907 Williamson County Parkway, $95,000

Metropolis Christopher Carter, P.O. Box 412, $4,000

Mount Vernon One Stop, 1710 10th St., $8,600 Lena’s Flowers and Things, 640 Fairfield Road, $8,000 Stanley Copple, 10320 N. Reynolds Road, $23,000 Game Stop, 101 Davidson, $5,000 Bart Wright Law Offices, 834 Main St., $1,800 Bart Wright Law Offices, 834 Main St., $1,100 Oak Grove Village, 62 Cottonwood, $9,400 Oak Grove Village, 14 Cottonwood, $9,800 Oak Grove Village, 225 Cottonwood, $19,500 Oak Grove Village, 72 Cottonwood, $19,500 Oak Grove Village, 52 Pecan, $19,500 Oak Grove Village, 180 Aspen, $19,500 Oak Grove Village, 58 Pecan, $8,700 Oak Grove Village, 43 Pecan, $7,900 Oak Grove Village, 9 Cottonwood, $11,400 Lawrence Hall, 1317 26th St., $0 Mark Harper, 1414 10th St., $0 K&K Resale Shop, 308 10th St., $75,000 Verizon Wireless, 101 Davidson Ave., $161,000

West Frankfort Weeks Body Shop, Illinois 149, $60,000 George Tomanovich, 1404 E. Cleveland, $5,200 Crosswalk Community Action, 409 W. Oak, $31,107 Matt Mitchel, 809 N. Horn, $112,000 John Mize, 717 N. Palmer, $32,000 Michael Giles, 214 S. Marion Road, $11,000

Bankruptcies Chapter 7 Melissa Boling, 4211 Boskydell Road, Carbondale Gaetano DiMaggio and Kamber DiMaggio, 302 Whiteside Lane, Fairfield Derek Loeh and Bradlenn Loeh, 101 S. Herrell Ave., West Frankfort Michael Hellesvig and Stephanie Hellesvig, P.O. Box 505, Eldorado Samuel Edwards, 608 E. St. Louis St., West Frankfort Charlotte Taborn, 322 E. Walnut St., Harrisburg William Shelton, 230 Greentree Drive, Goreville Chester Jenkins, 1116 North Ave., Metropolis Robert Draves and Annette Draves, 940 Williams St., Chester Jennifer Russo, 34 Golden Ash Lane, Carbondale Theodore Pate, 1101 N. 11th St., Murphysboro Marvin Hayes, 617 Strawberry Lane, Mount Vernon Charles Boyd and Teresa Boyd, 1606 E. Willow Drive, Marion Arthur Geer, 1116 Trout Ave., Johnston City Loren Street and Barbara Street, 137 North Ave., P.O. Box 93, Joppa Roger Hern, 8739 Shawneetown Trail, Chester Roger Sink and Florilla Sink, 2301 Wise St., Eldorado Keith Lampley and Christine Lampley, 18452 Corinth Road, Marion Nellie Reeves, 310 W. Florence St., Sesser Thomas Wink and Bobbie Wink, 811 W. Ernestine Ave., Christopher Katheryn Strickland, 215 Oak Drive, Metropolis Marvin Fairless and Angie Fairless, 931 Toledo Cemetery Road, Cobden Nicholas Johnson, 309 S. 24th St., Herrin Sherri Hutchens, R.R. 1, Box 97B, Johnsonville Jimmy Laite and Louise Laite, R.R. 5, Box 161, Fairfield Misty Bullard, R.R. 2, Box 441, Fairfield Adam Brown and Cassandra Brown, P.O. Box 252, Carterville Ronald Goede Jr. and Brenda Goede, 970 Corzine Road, Buncombe Trevyn Antrim and Alicia Antrim, P.O. Box 242, Hurst Freddy Isaacs, 2230 Wasson Road, Harrisburg Roger Rich and Loretta Rich, 918 E. College St., Marion Kevin Hulford, 2520 New Ezra Road, Murphysboro Charles Thompson and Becky Thompson, 211 Panther Drive, Pinckneyville Susan Marks, P.O. Box 115, Alto Pass Kelli McMillan, P.O. Box 192, Willisville James Cox and Erin Cox, 4503 Blackjack Road, Red Bud Roger Bastien, 16989 Illinois 149, Murphysboro Carrie Bastien, 1512 King Hill Road, Murphysboro Terry Vaughn and Rose Vaughn, P.O. Box 166,

Metropolis Brent Easton and Holly Easton, P.O. Box 103, Chester Crisologo Agbayani and Tammi Agbayani, 389 Old Villa Ridge, Mounds Barbara Trammel, 1029 S. Ledford St., Harrisburg Steven Mays and Tonya Mays, 14220 Binkley Road, Johnston City Luke Back, 205 State St., Carmi Pamela Ritter, 5460 Water Way Drive, Pinckneyville Sabrina Brown, 1263 S. Kaskaskia St., Nashville Scott Vandeveer, 1607 Salem Road, Mount Vernon Ricky Hepp and Debra Hepp, 202 W. Mulberry St., Pinckneyville Delisa Hughes, 1406 N. Wall St., Carbondale George Weiss, R.R. 2, P.O. Box 342, Fairfield Robert Tiberend and Twila Tiberend, 9777 Riverbend Road, Benton Michael Sutton and Michelle Sutton, 3 Midland Drive, Metropolis Georgia Darmstatter, 202 Reed Station Road, De Soto Bryon Poston, P.O. Box 5, Pomona Lauren Rue, 17649 N. Country Farm Lane, Mount Vernon Tommy Buttrum and Angela Buttrum, 917 S. 22nd St., Mount Vernon Teena Mathis, 218 Williams St., Anna Steven Root, R.R. 3, Box 80B, Albion Darnell Cashion and Amy Cashion, 122 S. Peach St., Du Quoin Laura Zoller, 330 S. Walnut St., Du Quoin Brian Meadows and Sandra Meadows, 104 Highpoint Lane, Dongola Eddie Webb and Kim Webb, 108 E. Goodall St., Marion John Miller and Mandy Miller, P.O. Box 413, Percy Dwayne Welty, P.O. Box 177, Percy

Chapter 13 Judy Wilson, 1702 N. 12th St., Herrin Mary Walborn, 1209 S. Land St., Harrisburg David Peek, 1209 S. Land St., Harrisburg Tom Howerton, 603 E. Madison St., Herrin Mary Street, 1404 W. Cherry St., Herrin David Trexler, P.O. Box 183, Alto Pass Michael Crank, 6540 Illinois 13 W, Harrisburg Catherine Farris, P.O. Box 145, Cisne Gregory Holt, 210 N. Beaucoup St., Pinckneyville Dixie Essex, 110 Parkview Circle, West Frankfort Larry Stevens and Susan Stevens, 25155 Rock Springs Hollow Road, Thebes Mary Frey, 409-B N. Maple St., Benton Cheryl Kelley, 805 E. Samuel St., Christopher Billy Mathews Jr. and Kimberly Mathews, 106 Weisbrook Lane, Carterville Heather Russell, 302 N. Jefferson St., West Frankfort John Joyce, P.O. Box 106, Okawville Floleen Davidson, 1104 Burgess St., Johnston City Michael Holland and Marlene Holland, P.O. Box 389, Hurst Paula Presswood, 5015 Glober Road, Chester James Sarensen and Melody Sarensen, 312 N. Sims St., Royalton Rosalee Roseberry, 425 S. 16th St., Murphysboro

Travis Carlson, 4870 Gum Springs Road, Ozark Sheila Miller, P.O. Box 156, Tamms Anna Henderson, 203 Schickle St., Grand Tower Donald Roeder and Cathy Roeder, 3139 Illinois 148, Mulkeytown Rodney Deuel and Claudia Deuel, 114 Pankey Road, Carrier Mills Mary Davis, 512 28th St., Cairo Gerald Erwin and Brenda Erwin, P.O. Box 363, Johnston City Billy Hammond Sr., P.O. Box 16, Benton Larry Eubanks and Judy Eubanks, 1124 Bethel Road, Mount Vernon Eric Nystrom and Julie Nystrom, 305 N. Market St., Sparta Scott Wilburn, 201 E. Bond St., Benton John Holmes and Melissa Holmes, P.O. Box 111, Buckner John Ladd, 412 Lickliter St., Benton Retha Clover, 312 Third Ave., Grand Tower Robert Mezo, 4765 Kimmel Bridge Road, Murphysboro Chad Smith and Amanda Smith, 13180 Willow Pond Lane, Johnston City Michael Kozan and Jennifer Kozan, 863 W. Vernor St., Nashville Christine Hogue, 805 E. Samuel St., Christopher Alice Crockett, 714 Burrell St., Carmi Paul Boggess Sr. and Angela Boggess, P.O. Box 402, Eldorado Randy Hester, 510 S. Walnut St., Pinckneyville Bradley Johnston and Angela Johnston, 3626 Macedonia Church Road, Metropolis Gloria Scott, P.O. Box 252, Brookport Jason Weirauch, 211 N. Jackson St., Harrisburg Arthur Kimmel and Tammy Kimmel, 115 Kieffer Ave., Mount Carmel Brenda Vestal, P.O. Box 992, Murphysboro Susan King, 124 W. Side St., Goreville James Williams and Kimberly Williams, 202 James St., Carterville LaDonna Bachmann, 462 E. Industrial Park Road, Murphysboro Gary Hall and Janice Hall, 7370 Ridgway New Haven Road, Ridgway Douglas Johnson, P.O. Box 584, West Frankfort Sarah Carter, 204 Harmsen Circle Drive, Chester Keith Helm and Heather Helm, 2000 Vista Lane, Metropolis Kenneth Mangiapane and Darlene Mangiapane, 690 Pyramid Lane, Creal Springs Randall Billingsley, 900 N. 14th St., Herrin Dina Billingsley, P.O. Box 91, Colp Craig Roberts and Analyne Roberts, 907 W. Cherry St., Marion Farrin Melton, 13798 E. Davis Road, Mount Vernon David Foster, 204 Cherry St., Box 124, Freeman Spur James Hertenstein, 1707 Pace Ave., Mount Vernon Randal Zoller, 330 S. Walnut St., Du Quoin Rex Mize and Cathyjo Mize, 800 S. Third St., Herrin Bernard Cordes and Jay Cordes, 201 N. Greenbriar Road, Carterville John Hopkins and Deborah Hopkins, 411 Cherry Lake Road, Du Quoin

MARCH 2010

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

23

GRAY: New areas of growth FROM PAGE 18 and drop them in the file. Be sure to make time to get back to them later.

Always be willing to ask the question, “Is there a better way to do this?” Don’t be afraid to challenge custom, routine and tradition in thinking through new ideas. As children, we are taught to pay attention and not day dream — focus.

However, as a business owner, it is important that you take time to be reflective on the outlook of your business. Lastly, see mistakes and failures as stepping stones to success, and problems as springboards to a whole new world of idea possibilities.

Remember that idea creation doesn’t mean much if you are unable to apply those creative ideas and solutions to real

problems that enhance people’s lives.

Millions of individuals have come up with some amazing ideas for different products or services; unfortunately, that is where it ended. The goal should be to see these new ideas through to fruition. It is only then that a company begins to become innovative.

— Cavanaugh L. Gray is director of business development for The Entrepreneur Café, LLC in Carbondale. He can be contacted at cgray@ecafell.com or 618206-7013. For more ideas on sparking creativity in your company or for daily tips on how to start, grow and succeed in small business, be sure to follow The Entrepreneur Café, LLC on Twitter www.twitter.com /TheECafe or at www.ecafellc.com.

McCLATCHEY: Roth IRA withdrawals FROM PAGE 20 outlined in IRS Publication 590, which is certainly worth reading.)

If you have owned your Roth IRA for more than 5 years: n You can make a qualified withdrawal of earnings. n You can make a qualified withdrawal of taxable conversions (conversions made in separate tax years will have to meet separate year-year tests).

You can withdraw nontaxable conversions to your Roth IRA at any time.

Watch the five-year clock. Yes, how is the five-year period preceding a qualified distribution measured? The clock starts on January 1st of the tax year of your initial contribution, conversion or rollover to a Roth IRA. For example, let’s say you opened up a Roth IRA account on January 1, 2007. On January 1, 2012, your Roth IRA will meet the five-year test.

What if you have multiple Roths? Well, when it comes to distributions, the IRS has some aggregation rules for you. You will have to figure out the taxable amounts withdrawn, distributions and contributions using a little addition. You must: n Add up all distributions made from all your Roth IRAs during the tax year. n Add up all regular Roth IRA contributions made during the relevant tax

year (including ones made after the close of the tax year, but before April 15 of the following year). Now add that total amount to the total undistributed regular contributions made in previous years. n Add all conversion and rollover contributions made during the year together.

To quote Publication 590: “For purposes of the ordering rules, in the case of any conversion or rollover in which the conversion or rollover distribution is made in 2008 and the conversion or rollover contribution is made in 2009, treat the conversion or rollover contribution as contributed before any other conversion or rollover contributions made in 2009.”

There are additional rules for recharacterized contributions that end up in a Roth IRA. If all this makes you want to talk to a financial advisor or accountant before you take money out of your Roth IRA; well, that is a wise step to take. Confer with the financial or tax adviser you know and trust.

— Scott McClatchey is a founder and LPL Financial Advisor with Alliance Investment Planning Group, a Carbondale-based investment firm located at 115 S. Washington St. He can be reached at 618-519-9344 or scott@allianceinvestmentplanning.com.

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