Southern Business Journal - April 2016

outhern

southern

APRIL 2016

USINESS URNAL

BUSINESS JOURNAL “ONE REGION,

ONE VISION”

REGION,ONE VISION”

MANUFACTURING JOBS ON THE RISE

Continental Tire writes a growth story in Mount Vernon PAGE 4

INSIDE

Directory of Advertisers Rare Chophouse .....................6

APRIL 2016 ON THE COVER

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF CONTINENTAL TIRE IN MOUNT VERNON?

PAGES 4-6, 8

BEING THE BOSS

SUSAN SCHMITT, OWNER OF S&B BURGER JOINT IN CARBONDALE

PAGE 7

YOUR OPINION

THE QUESTION: HOW HAS YOUR LANDSCAPE OF THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY CHANGED IN THE PAST 30 YEARS?

SIU Credit Union ................... 12 Southern Illinois University .. 10

PAGE 9

The Villas of Holly Brook ........6

PUBLIC RECORD

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS BANKRUPTCIES AND BUILDING PERMITS

PAGE 11

southern

BUSINESS JOURNAL “ONE REGION,ONE VISION”

Williamson County Airport ....11

southern

BUSINESS JOURNAL “ONE REGION,

ONE VISION”

The Southern Business Journal 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 email at SBJ@thesouthern.com. The Journal is published 12 times per year monthly and distributed by The Southern Illinoisan and www.thesouthern. com. Copyright 2016 by The Southern Illinoisan, all rights reserved. A subscription may be obtained by calling 618-529-5454 or 618-9973356, or by visiting our website.

Publisher John Pfeifer 618-351-5038 Special Projects Coordinator Rhonda May 618-351-5077

FROM THE

PUBLISHER

Manufacturing a brighter future

O

ne of these days our candidates for public office will back away from insulting one another and return to a more predictable form of election season behavior: taking credit for job creation. Given the rise of antiestablishment candidates, incumbents who may have very little ammunition other than assuring voters that they were responsible for each and every job that stayed in their district rather than being off-shored or merely shipped across state lines.

In Illinois the rift between Republican and Democratic legislators seems to revolve around what the Governor refers to as his “Turn around Agenda”. The Governor campaigned on some of its tenets and maintains that the state can and needs to do more to attract – and keep – business.

And so it does.

But our cover story about the growth of Continental Tire’s presence in Southern Illinois is proof that only business – not politicians – can create jobs. Sure, government can better facilitate conditions under which that can occur, but individual businesses make it happen.

Continental Tire provides a resounding reminder that manufacturing – the creation of a product on a large scale – is still very much alive in Southern Illinois. This issue of the Southern Business Journal should provide a welcome respite from the doom and gloom that seems to permeate our thinking. Yes, the state needs a budget. Yes, higher education needs funding so that good jobs – including those in the manufacturing sector – are available to Illinois students and those students can stay in Illinois to learn and then stay in Illinois to work. But the presence of interstate highways, river transportation and a large, skilled workforce still exist in Southern Illinois whether or not a state budget is agreed upon tomorrow.

Those manufacturing jobs pay very well by Southern Illinois standards while still providing employers with a cost structure lower than that on either coast – or even in the northern part of our state.

Next time a politician tries to take credit for job creation, make sure you call a mental time out. And then appreciate the businesses that are really creating jobs and try your best to become their customer.

JOHN PFEIFER | PUBLISHER, SBJ

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL APRIL 2016 PAGE 3

COVER

STORY

MANUFACTURING JOBS ON THE RISE IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Continental Tire writes a growth story in Mount Vernon MOLLY PARKER THE SOUTHERN‌

A

nyone who says manufacturing in Illinois — specifically Southern Illinois — is dead, hasn’t recently taken a trip through the Continental Tire plant in Jefferson County.

This factory cranks 24/7, rolling out millions of tires annually. The sprawling 80-acre campus is so noisy that it requires visitors taking a tour, as well as employees, wear ear plugs for safety.

That noise is the hard rock of manufacturing: screeching machines and beeping fork lifts occasionally piercing through a blanket of heavy white sound — somewhat like the roar of an extremely high-powered vacuum cleaner — that permeates the factory floor.

More symbolically, it’s the sound of a huge economic engine that churns through this region, employing roughly 3,200 people who travel to work from a 65-mile radius around the plant that takes in 150 zip codes.

“We’re in a constant state of expansion,” Norman Galloway, a training coordinator at the plant, said over the production sounds, as he ushered a reporter and photographer from the newspaper around the factory on a golf cart.

Stopping occasionally to explain the surprisingly detailed tire-assembly process, Galloway zoomed through the plant, ending the tour at a huge warehouse, where tires were stacked from floor to ceiling, creating the image of a sea of giant dark chocolate donuts stretching out as far as the eye can see.

Plant officials said Continental is the

A forklift operator picks up a pallet of tires that are ready for shipment from the warehouse. largest private employer in Illinois south of Peoria, home of Caterpillar, a global earth-moving machine manufacturer located about three hours to the north.

In just the past six years, Continental Tire has invested more than $350 million in two massive expansions, and increased the employee count by about 1,100 people.

That’s an impressive number regardless, but especially considering that tire manufacturing continues to advance, and is increasingly robotic.

PAGE 4 APRIL 2016 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

Conti’s growth story‌

“I think we have a good story here,” said Benny Harmse, vice president of manufacturing at Continental Tire, and manager of the Mount Vernon operation, in a recent sit-down interview with the Southern Business Journal at the plant, prior to the tour.

Continental Tire — or Conti, as it is known — is a story that defies the conventional storyline about manufacturing in Illinois these days, one that states that employers are ditching Illinois for

BYRON HETZLER PHOTOS, THE SOUTHERN‌ neighboring states at alarming rates because of a bum business climate, leaving behind a trail of Rust Belt communities that struggle to rebound. And Conti isn’t alone. Southern Illinois has been adding manufacturing jobs over the past five years.

The tire manufacturer’s roots in Mount Vernon date back more than 40 years — to 1973, when General Tire began operations there. Continental Tire acquired General Tire in 1987, and has written a manufacturing growth story in Southern

COVER

STORY Illinois. At the Mount Vernon plant, the company produces more than 10 million passenger and light truck tires, and more than 3 million commercial vehicle tires, annually.

In the world, and specifically in the U.S. and Canada, Continental Tire ranks fourth in tire sales, behind, in order, Bridgestone Corp., Groupe Michelin, and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., according to a recent report by the publication “Modern Tire Dealer.”

Continental Tire of the Americas, LLC — the company’s parent is Germanbased Continental AG — is expanding not only in Mount Vernon, but throughout the United States. Continental broke ground in September on an expansion of its plant in Sumter, South Carolina, which is only four years old. In a news release, the company said its intentions are to increase capacity at that plant to eight million tires, and double the employee base to about 1,600. In total, the company’s investment in Sumter is expected to exceed $500 million by 2021.

Additionally, the company announced in February that it plans to break ground this spring on a new plant near Jackson, Mississippi. Continental Tire says it will produce commercial tires at the plant when it comes online in 2019. In a news release, the company stated it planned to invest $1.4 billion in Mississippi, and eventually employ about 2,500.

That’s on top of what the company stated was a $1.5 billion investment in the past five years for manufacturing, technology, facilities and product development in the U.S., which included past expansions in Sumter, and the two in Mount Vernon.

Part of the U.S. growth in tire manufacturing can be attributed to a slowly shifting trend. After years of both domestic and foreign-headquartered manufacturers moving plants overseas in the chase for cheaper labor and fewer regulations, some are now returning, building for the first time, or expanding, on U.S. soil, said Nick Mitchell, senior vice president, equity research analyst with the California-based Northcoast Research, an institutional equity research firm.

“Everyone is trying to add capacity domestically,” he said. “They’re trying to put the production assets closer to the markets they serve. It’s different than the more recent strategy of

Bucking the Illinois storyline‌

Harmse said he would be supportive of workers’ compensation reform, but overall said he’s found Southern Illinois a good place in which to do business.

Asked whether the business climate was troublesome in Illinois, Harmse said there are some things that could be improved, but added that those were not things that affected Continental’s operations greatly, or that were at the top of his agenda on a daily basis.

“I would say we have been very successful in Illinois,” Harmse said. “There are some difficult differences between other states and the state of Illinois. But at the end of the day, we’ve had a business friendly environment here. We haven’t really faced many challenges.”

Harmse spoke with the newspaper on a Monday, and the following Wednesday, Gov. Bruce Rauner visited the plant to tour A worker inspects a tire for defects at the Continental Tire plant in Mount Vernon on Monday, March 21. the expansion of its commercial vehicle tire assembly production. The March 23 putting everything in low-cost producevent that included a “town hall” meeting Growth good for region‌ tion centers.” with about 100 employees marked RaunWhen Continental announced its In the U.S., the auto industry is back er’s first visit to Continental since taking massive expansive plans for Missison the upswing. Another motivating fac- sippi, Jonathon Hallberg, executive office in early 2015. tor for companies to manufacture closer director of the Jefferson County Devel“It’s frustrating as all heck we don’t have to their customers is that new tariffs have opment Corporation, said he there were a budget,” Rauner told employees that day. been placed on imports, resulting from But he said he would not acquiesce to a tax a number of people posting concerns claims filed by the United Steelworkers. increase — “period, end of story” — unless on social media that Continental For example, The USW filed unfair trade was making plans to ditch Illinois for and until lawmakers also sign off on some cases on May 30, 2014, alleging that cer- southern states that enjoy reputations of his reform proposals, which include tain tires from China had been dumped several aimed at improving the business as being more business friendly. Their and subsidized, harming the domestic concerns followed some logic, as other climate. Squarely in Rauner’s sights are market and its employees. In a stateworkers’ comp and tort reform, stabilizing companies have moved south, and ment, Wayne Ranick, spokesman for the right-to-work states have generally the tax climate, and weakening union labor.

USW, said the union has been “vigilant in been more successful in drawing new “I’m a competitive son of a gun,” Rauner monitoring unfair trade practices.” said. “I want to get the changes made, manufacturing plants that are largeHe added: “Our trade cases have proand I want to go around the world. I want scale employers. tected all jobs in the domestic industry, Hallberg said he wasn’t immediately to go into Germany, to China, Japan and union and nonunion alike, by assuring recruit companies to come here. I want to concerned, as companies often seek domestic producers have a level playing go to Texas, and Indiana and Tennessee to diversify their manufacturing base. field on which to compete. and Michigan and bring companies from “But people were saying ‘The sky is “Our successful trade cases have also falling,’” he noted. “So we made a point there here.” led to expansions in existing facilities and to ask. One part of our job is to prepare He added: “We should be kicking tails.” new domestic facilities being built, furfor damage control.” ther assuring that we keep a strong and Hallberg said he was assured Decline of manufacturing‌ vibrant tire manufacturing base in the that there were no plans in place Job numbers, at least where manufacU.S. and good-paying jobs in the Ameri- to make major changes, either cloturing is concerned, do back up Rauner’s can tire industry.” While the USW repsures or downsizing, at the plant in claim that Illinois has taken a huge ecoresents workers at many tire plants, the Mount Vernon. nomic hit as businesses fold or move, but workforce at Continental is nonunion.

Harmse repeated that sentiment to they don’t tell the entire story.

Still, even within that atmosphere of the newspaper. He said Continental’s Overall, since the turn of the century, growth, it appears Continental is making commitment to Southern Illinois Southern Illinois is down 6,400 manua bold play for an even bigger share of the remains strong, and noted the company facturing jobs. Statewide, Illinois bled U.S. tire market. “The U.S. tire market is would not have invested tens of milabout 300,000 jobs during the same growing slowly,” Harmse said, “but we lions of dollars here in recent years if it are growing more rapidly.” had plans to uproot in the near future.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL APRIL 2016 PAGE 5

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COVER

STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

said Continental Tire has benefited from in the past. Legislation including those items would be helpful to make Illinois time frame.

There were 18,900 manufacturing jobs more competitive, he said.

But he also acknowledged that a good in 2000 in 19 southern counties that make up the Southern Economic Devel- deal of the loss of manufacturing jobs opment Region, according to the Illinois is attributable to forces outside the state’s control — such as federal policies Department of Employment Security. affecting trade, global factors, and marBy comparison, there are about 12,500 ket forces. today — a roughly 33 percent industry For example, Mitsubishi announced decline. In Illinois, there remain just in June it was closing its plant in Norunder 600,000 manufacturing jobs, mal that employs about 1,280. But a big according to Mark Denzler, vice presifactor in that loss was attributed to the dent and chief operating officer of the decline of demand for the Mitsubishi Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. brand. Caterpillar has also contracted, That means the 19-county area cited though again, that company also experiabove claims about 3 percent of the enced a dip in demand, driven in part by statewide share.

Denzler said the 30,000-foot view for a decline in the energy sector, a primary manufacturing in Illinois is a mixed bag. Cat customer, Denzler said.

Southern Illinois’ loss of manufacturThe state has lost manufacturing jobs, ing jobs also have been caused by a varihe said, but this past year, manufacturing companies in Illinois still managed to ety of factors. Some may have centered provide a total economic output of $101 on the business climate in Illinois, but billion. Denzler said the association is a not all.

When Whirlpool, which had bought strong proponent of many of the business reforms pushed by Rauner. Specifi- out Maytag, closed the Herrin plant in 2006, some 1,200 people were left cally, he said, the industry would like unemployed, delivering a devastating to see workers’ compensation and tort reform. He also called for the renewal of blow to the region. Around the same time, Technicolor University Media a research and development tax credit Services, or TUMS, in Pinckneyville, utilized heavily by manufacturers, and was also downsizing and then closed, extension of an incentive program for businesses that build or expand in the state, set to expire at year’s end, one he CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

1/2 Price Appetizers • House Wine • Draft Beer from 4pm-6pm Mon-Sat 224 SOUTH 10TH MOUNT VERNON, IL 618-244-RARE • RARECHOPHOUSE.COM PAGE6 6 Tuesday, APRIL 2016 SOUTHERN BUSINESSBusiness JOURNAL Journal Page April 5, 2016 Southern

The Continental Tire plant in Mount Vernon opened in 1973 and now covers more than 80 acres, employs more than 3,200 workers and produces more than 14 million tires annually.

BEING

THE BOSS

SUSAN SCHMITT

Q. What was your first job and what did you learn from it?

A. My first job was a copy girl at Boyd

Q. What do you look for when you hire someone? Are there key interview questions that you ask?

A. When I hire people, I look for outgo-

Brothers Inc in Sesser. I was in high school. I started to learn my eye for detail at Boyd Brothers. I had to copy lots of blue prints, contracts and important papers. They had to be perfect.

ing, smiling, happy people that have a positive attitude. A positive attitude is everything. You can train skills but you can’t train attitude. A positive attitude is contagious and makes everyone around you better which in turn develops a good team. I always ask people I interview what they like to do in their spare time, what was their childhood like and to tell me what motivates them. When you get to know someone on a personal level it tells you a lot about what kind of employee they will be.

Q. Did you have a mentor early in your career?

A. I had a VP named Ron Coleman that

I trained in my store to be a regional director that taught me so much. He taught me to be fair but firm but to also be a boss people wanted to work for. I was 25 years old when I got promoted to a General Manager. I had a lot of staff always challenging me, so I had to learn how to be a good listener, but also a boss who had to make our store more profitable and successful. Ron had 30 years of experience under his belt and he helped me to learn how to balance it all, motivate my people to work for me, be loyal to me and share the goals I had for my store to be successful. I’m still in touch with him today and he still sends me encouraging words or advice when I need it.

Q. What is the best way to improve employee morale?

A. LAUGHTER! I try to surround myself

with fun people. We joke and cut up at work like no one else even understands.

Some of us spend 10 hours a day together 5 days a week and we laugh a lot. If I’m tired or just don’t want to be at work one day my staff gets me through the day. All of us have bad days but we get through it, forget about it, and move on. We are a melting pot of personality types but somehow it all works. We all pick each other up every day, every week.

Q. What is the biggest management lesson you’ve learned in your years as a leader?

A. It’s all in the approach! It doesn’t

matter if you’re asking someone to take out the trash, clean up a mess, talking to a upset customer or creating the best guest experience … it’s all how you approach doing it. When I was a younger manager, I didn’t always have the best approach and made a lot of mistakes. I might have been multi-tasking a lot of things or doing three peoples’ jobs at once, but I try to remember the employee or the guest doesn’t care about that when they walk in the door. I try to tell myself everyday there’s always another day for that list to get done and to prioritize what’s most important. I would never ask one of my employees to do something I wouldn’t or couldn’t do myself. I tell my managers all the time we get what we inspect not expect. I’ve learned over 24

Owner of S&B Burger Joint in Carbondale

Q. What career advice would you give to a new college graduate?

A. I always tell potential graduates to get

years that communication to your staff is key and if we approach each other with respect we will always come out a winner.

Q. What is your morning routine?

How do you prepare yourself for the day?

A. I strive to get up and exercise and

decompress early in the morning before

out and work in their field or any field while they’re in college. Your career path can be so diverse and you learn so much PROVIDED BY SUSAN SCHMITT‌ about yourself from all of those life experiences you encounter along the way. It’s in this time of your life where you find work. It gets my day started and my your passion and what drives you. energy going. I do slip on this on occasion, and when I do, I get up and at Q. Do you have any books you’ve least have coffee and read through my read on management or leadership emails and catch up on the news. I have a 30-minute drive to and from work that you would recommend? where my daily list often gets made as I A. There are too many to list but these get geared up for the day or on the way home. There are many days I drive home are a few of my favorites: “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “The One in complete silence as it’s the only time of the day I get to reflect.

Minute Manager.”

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL APRIL 2016 PAGE 7

COVER

STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 leaving several hundred more unemployed. TUMS produced CDs and DVDs and other media, and was hammered by changing consumer consumption habits.

It wasn’t long before that — about 15 years — that Anna lost two major manufacturers with the closure of Florsheim Shoes and Bunny Bread.

The region, like other places, also suffered during the Great Recession, posting the lowest number of manufacturing jobs of 11,500 in 2009.

The silver lining‌

Still, given all that, there’s a lesser told story inside the numbers. The silver lining on the Rust Belt — if you will — is that Southern Illinois is rebounding in the manufacturing sector. This area has posted steady, modest increases in manufacturing jobs since 2010 — growing by about 1,000 jobs over a five-year period, the IDES figures show. Continental’s boom in Mount Vernon accounts for part, but not all, of that upward trajectory.

Aisin Manufacturing Illinois’ Marion operation also has enjoyed success and steady growth in the region. The company, which like Continental, feeds the automotive industry, started with just a few hundred workers at the Southern Illinois location in 2002, and now employs about 2,000 between all of its operations. The company produces sunroofs, door components and other items.

There also are many smaller manufacturers humming along in Southern Illinois, and helping push manufacturing job figures upward since 2010.

“If you look at long-term trends, it does not necessarily show it as a growth industry, but every single day we have job openings in manufacturing,” said Kathy Lively, CEO of Man-Tra-Con Corp., which is a nonprofit that serves as a regional One-Stop Business and Employment Center. “It is not unusual to have 100 opportunities available in manufacturing in a month.”

That’s why Lively said that a consortium of leading economic development officials in Southern Illinois have identified manufacturing as this region’s core economic driver, with health care, and then transportation, logistics and warehousing, close behind.

The purpose of identifying the drivers, Lively said, is it helps them hone

Bicycles and golf carts are often used to navigate the immense Continental Tire plant in Mount Vernon. strategies for recruiting new businesses that may fit well within these economic clusters. Large percentages of Southern Illinois residents also are employed in government jobs, but the group is focused on the private sector, with a long-term goal of further diversifying the region’s job pool.

Other smaller area manufactures include Penn Aluminum LLC, based in Murphysboro, another company that adds to the region’s growing automotive supply chain cluster. The plant makes extruded shapes and tubing, and employs about 260.

In Carbondale alone, manufacturers include Com-Pac International, a maker of plastic bags and other specialty plastic containers for the food and medical industry, Prairie Farms, which pumps out more than 33 million pounds annually of cottage cheese and sour cream, and Intertape Polymer, which makes specialized adhesive tape for the automotive and electronics sectors. Combined, these manufacturing companies employ upwards of 400 people.

And there are many others of various

PAGE 8 APRIL 2016 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

sizes, from General Cable in Du Quoin to Mount Vernon Mold Works, a Continental Tire supply company, to Swanson Industries, a hydraulic cylinder manufacturing company that recently announced plans to start operations with a small workforce inside the former Maytag building in Herrin on Lyeria Drive. But while Swanson Industries’ move into town was highly celebrated, public officials also made efforts to tamper expectations.

While no official job figures have been released by Swanson, the company is advertising for only about a dozen jobs at the onset.

Back at Continental Tire, Harmse credits the plant’s success the fact that two major interstates — Interstate 57 and Interstate 64 — run through Mount Vernon, making it easy to access from any location.

The company also enjoys strong relationships with area community colleges and SIU, and has been able to recruit dedicated employees who often work at the plant for years, Harmse said.

Harmse said many employees in this

region possess a deep-seated work ethic that he attributed to the farming influence. Harmse declined to provide average wages for factory workers or skilled professionals, but said wage and benefit packages are very competitive for the region. Ranick, from the USW, said there have been campaigns to unionize the workforce in Mount Vernon in the past, and said the union remains in contact with some who are still interested in doing so.

But Jon Hawthorne, a Continental employee from Mount Vernon, said he feels like his commitment and that of many of his co-workers to Continental springs from the fact that many people are acutely aware that the company provides a good, but rare opportunity in Southern Illinois, to bring home a decent wage.

“I think the No. 1 thing is that all of us, we value our jobs, because we know the climate, the job market especially for guys who don’t have a degree, it’s scarce,” Hawthorne said. “For us here, to come here and make the money we make, you have to be loyal.”

YOUR

OPINION

How has your landscape of the manufacturing industry changed in the past 30 years?

T

‌ e role of manufacturing in the h US economy is often discussed and has been at the center of many presidential debates in regards to trade policies and the outsourcing of our manufacturing jobs to China.

Over the last 30 years, the level of manufacturing in general has grown, with the exception of the recent recession. In addition, manufacturing jobs once lost to China are coming back, according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Since March 2010, when manufacturing employment in the U.S. hit a low of 11.45 million jobs, nearly a million factory positions have been created according to the New Yorker.

The Reshoring Institute, a nonprofit trade organization, notes over 100,000 LIVELY manufacturing jobs have returned to the US from overseas in the last five years. However, the number of employees has grown less than the growth in manufacturing, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

Our region is no exception as we, too, have seen the ups and downs of the manufacturing jobs.

Thankfully, when Maytag/Whirlpool and TUMS closed, other manufacturing entities increased hiring so that our region is still robust with manufacturing positions.

However, the manufacturing jobs of today are not those of 30 years ago.

Gone are the days of one-page, hand-written applications. Gone are the days of having a family member help you complete a typewritten,

two-page application.

Today’s manufacturing applicant has to be able to complete a multistep application online and hope the application completion isn’t being timed, since you aren’t good with the computer application, even though you are a great worker who will be productive every day.

Gone are the days of your parent or uncle taking you into the manufacturing facility where they work and introducing you to the supervisor who offers you a job “on the spot” because you are a relative of a good worker.

The family connection may now be a deterrent as employers must consider potential conflict of interest issues within the facility. Gone are the interviews with one person within the facility who understood if your hands were sweaty and you were so nervous you stuttered when you answered.

The one-person interview has been replaced with an interview with teams of people watching your body language, posture, and concluding that nervousness means you will not be good under stress on the plant floor.

No one can find fault with employers attempting to use every tool in the screening process to increase employee retention.

It is difficult to find fault with newer technology-based applications that screen for key words so that HR personnel do not have to take the time to look through hundreds of applications.

It is also important to know the psychology of interviewing and the potential connection between interviewing and being a productive

employee. It is hard to argue with advances and today’s applicants for the manufacturing world need to be prepared to compete in this new hiring environment.

Once inside the facility, greatly diminished are the assembly lines where each worker performs a singular task and the product is moved along an assembly belt where other workers perform a singular task until the unit is built.

Today’s modern factory environment is driven by high-tech equipment, robotics, and workers who are capable of programming the high-tech equipment to handle multiple tasks with lightning fast speed and accuracy.

Technology skills once considered a bonus are now critical to success in our manufacturing environment.

Gone are the days of week-day, straight shifts with weekend work being offered as an overtime option.

The demands of today’s manufacturing facilities require swing shifts across every day of the week.

Overtime is often an expectation and today’s manufacturing workers must be prepared with support systems to assist with changing child care and transportation needs.

Gone are the low-skilled, repetitive task jobs, and piece work is almost nonexistent. One need only look around Southern Illinois to understand the loss.

Some of the jobs lost are never coming back due to new advances in technology, which make American production cheaper by increasing productivity and shrinking labor costs.

Again, it is impossible to argue with technology advances that allow

a lower cost per unit and encourage business growth for our economy.

Much can be learned from the teamwork demands of today’s manufacturing environment and our ability to stay competitive in a global market. Workers need to understand the difference in the expectations of the manufacturing workplace today as opposed to the manufacturing environment of their father or grandfather in order to compete and attain employment.

Thankfully, Southern Illinois is home to important and growing manufacturing facilities. Yet, positions go unfilled because there is a disconnect between the skill needs of the manufacturer and the skills and abilities of the applicants. Understanding the needs of manufacturers has never been more important as we begin to reap the benefits of recent re-shoring activities in our country.

Helping our workers meet the demands of today’s manufacturing environment remains a priority.

Multiple types of training must continue to evolve as manufacturing needs advance at rapid pace.

Workforce professionals, college and university partners must continue to offer multiple types of training to grow a world class workforce. The manufacturing facilities in the region are reliant on a dependable and trained workforce, more today than ever before.

Workforce boards throughout the country and our region are committed to the continuous improvement of our workforce. Join us!

KATHY LIVELY is the Chief Executive Officer of Man-Tra-Con Corp., which provides workforce support in Southern Illinois.

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL APRIL 2016 PAGE 9

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Bankruptcies

18 Cheatham Road, Murphysboro Jeremy D. Breeze, 509 E. Hickory, Bluford Nathan R. Tennyson, 307 W. ‌Chapter 7 Parkhurst St., Fairfield Michael Ted Clark, 23635 N. Decatur Lane, Dix Cynthia L. Meadows, P.O. Box 26, New Haven James A. and Bonnie A. Earl, 1217 Carolina Ave., Kimberly K. Baskin, 1916 Cookeville, Tennessee Herbert St., Murphysboro William E. Fields, P.O. Box 5, Karl Mohr, 13902 Route 37, Cairo Johnston City Wilbert D. Poindexter, 1301 N. Barbara E. Woodrome, 116 S. Wall St., Carbondale Fly Ave., Goreville Kristoffer D. Austin, 101 E. Bruce and Nancy Cowell, Elm, Waltonville 5205 Cowells Acres, Red Bud Cody A. Jordan, 127 Watkins, P.O. Box 83, Cisne Sean M. Tqacderas, 508 S. Wall, Apt. 129, Carbondale Michael A. Rister, 108 N.W. 10th St., Fairfield Donald Cody Simpson, 506 E. Saint Louis St., West LaKeista J. Maxwell, 1490 Frankfort Bradford Lane, Carbondale Phillip Leake, 708 Dewey Torrence Ferrell and Davis Ave., Mount Vernon Sr., and Sylvia Hope Frye Davis, 2281 Legion Road, Danny J. Thorson, 1201 N. Carrier Mills 13th St., Herrin Jerry W. and Beverly J. Trula B. Lindecamp, 112 W. Wilson, 1730 W. Crossroads, Delaware St., Apt. 222, Vienna Fairfield Charles E. and Arlinda Lowell Lewis Trovillion, M. Shuck, 814 Rodd St., 550 Old Broughton Road, Carterville Eldorado Jeffery Aaron Adams, 513 Shawn A. Jennifer R. Morgan, Pearl St., Metropolis 810 Columbia Ave., Mount Vernon Brenda G. Johnson, P.O. Box 3363, Carbondale Skoffic Construction Co., Inc., 704 N. Hickory, Du Steven Michael and Cynthia Quoin Suzanne Kennedy, 997 Country Club Road, Kathryn Louise Wilson, P.O. Metropolis Box 104, De Soto Alma J. Lanfear, 11732 Tommy J. Long, 1210 Cole Pinewood Drive, Marion Place, Chester Kristen Ann Phillips, 23 E. Nealy M. Flamm, 105 N. Elm Pine St., Albion St., Apt. 1, Alto Pass Sharon Nicole Hagler, 602 Jarred W. Lewis, 1305 Timothy, Carterville Whipporwill Road, Maegan M. Sims, 708 W. 10th Carterville St., Johnston City Kellie Anne Haskell, 908 N. Road, West Frankfort Andrea D. Braggs, 403 E. Reed, Benton Alice Diane Whitten, 206 N. Ash St., Benton Jacob Dana Lacy, 7909 Shamrock Road, Tamaroa Mark A. and Kimberly D. Dimock, 14602 Prosperity Deon A. Thompson, 511 S. Road, Johnston City Graham Ave., Apt. 321, Carbondale Shaun P. Nemeth, 708 N. VanBuren, Marion Trace M. and Sherri L. Williams, 809 Ponderosa Kayla L. Ray, 1308 E. Lindell, Drive, Goreville West Frankfort Teresa M. Kowalski, Mary L. Carroll, 805 S. 23rd,

Mount Vernon Charlotte M. Anderson, 404 S. 17th, Herrin Angela M. Carten, 17679 State Highway 149, West Franfort Betty W. Simshauser, P.O. Box 363, Willisville Jean Ann Bullock, 305 South St., Anna Dan A. Stevenson Jr., 601 S. Halliday Ave., Du Quoin Matthew S. and Rita J. Putzke, 90 Kelly Cemetery Lane, Cobden Russell L. and Heather A. Wininger, 1405 Burgess Ave. Johnston City Jennifer Ann El Khoury, 52 Turkey Lane, Metropolis Tonya Lynn Gaskin, 9631 State Highway 149, West Frankfort Velma Aline McClain, 642 Country Club Drive, Red Bud Virgil G. Lambert, 404 N. Broadway, Goreville William C. Weston, 1449 Green Ridge Road, Carbondale Mary K. Ebbler Compton, 1601 Bates Road, Ava Harley Wayne Lee, 1364 Yew Road, Du Quoin Carol Kay McGowan, 105 E. 15th St., Metropolis Robert Ernist Rollinson, 1875 N. Oakland Ave., Carbondale

Chapter 13

Terry D. Moore, P.O. Box 403, Shawneetown Barney L. and Erin Denise Mitchell II, 89 S. Main, Raleigh John M. and Jenny Elise Orr, 505 Victor Lane, Carterville Terry P. Hungate, 1 Porter Lane, Murphysboro Jeffery C. and Aimee S. Nance, P.O. Box 283, Cobden Jan C. and Kathee R. Karnes, 11699 Spowart Road, West Frankfort Richard A. Baker II, 601 E. Park St., Du Quoin Jordan J. Vevely, 1304 N. Grand, Johnston City

Catherine L. and Donnie Craig, 18787 Boundary Road, Creal Springs Gary L. Carson, 208 W. St. Louis Ave., Pinckneyville Leah N. Gunn Rawson, 1410 Bobette Lane, Carbondale Michelle Leigh DeCoursey, 2003 W. Tyler, No. 4, Herrin Penny L. Murden, 3063 Childers Road, Marion Thomas F. and Elizabeth S. Chitwood, 514 S. Cherry St., West Frankfort Michael C. Moriarity, 321 Vermont Road, Carterville Brad Allen and Amanda B. Dalton, 415 Bainbridge Road, Marion Sandra Cavitt, 702 Legacy Drive, Herrin Stephen D. Crain, 19286 Academy St., Marion Terry L. Houston, 250 S. Lewis Lane, Apt. A-12, Carbondale Jemond L. Pilgram, 206 Richaland Terrace, Mounds John W. Lehr, P.O. Box 863, Jonesboro Tiera S. Roddy, 222 Richland Terrace, Mounds Betty E. Morse, 214 S. Main, Harrisburg Marsha K. Burnett, 1111 E. Carter, Marion James H. and Dixie Jean McGill, 1089 County Highway 1, Fairfield John S. and Stephanie L. Natyshok, 1008 Venice Drive, Herrin

Permits Carbondale‌

Charles Seibert, 901 S. Skyline Drive, $2,500 Southern Pride, 501 S. Cedarview St., $5,000 Sumera and Zahoor Makhdoom, 2614 W. Murphysboro Road, $225,000 Sumera and Zahoor Makhdoom, 2616 W. Murphysboro Road, $225,000 Integritas Emergency Physicians, 2250 N. Illlinois Ave., $55,000 DJB Realty, 1120 W. Main St., $5,000 Quest Diagnostics, 900 E. Walnut St., No. 6, $128,019 Sean’s Place, 201 E. Main St., $24,000 Marion‌ Hansel LLC, 1300 Redco Road, $850,000 Johnathan and Jessica Evans, 1808 Dew Drop Drive, $300,000 Kidds Restaurants Inc., 1309 Halfway Road, $200,000 Enrico Castellano, E and S. Construction, 306 S. Second St., $80,000 Devin Smith, 712 N. Madison St., $1,000 Metropolis ‌ Maple Tree Storage, 70 Bullock Lane, $50 Mike Souders, 905 E. Sixth St., $500 Carolyn Mizell, 307 W. Fifth St., $1,000

Timothy Powell, 213 Filmore St., $2,000 Irma Sommer, 815 E. Seventh St., $5,000 Mount Vernon ‌ KMAC Enterprises Inc. (Taco Bell), 4205 Broadway, $180,000 Lifeboat Alliance Family Shelter, 3009 Broadway, $0 Summersville Grade School Dist.

79, 1118 E. Fairfield Road, $0 Downtown After Five Taste of Mount Vernon, various locations, $0 Edward Jones, 2929 Broadway, $40,000 James and Irene Stewart, 2938 S. 13th St., $25,000 Hefner’s Auto Repair, 1707 Veterans Memorial Drive, $3,600 Edward Jones, 2929 Broadway, $1,400 B-n-C Bicycle and Fitness, 410 S. 27th St., $3,800 Jim McDaniels—Dirt Buster Carwash, 3212 and 3216 Broadway, $0 Donald Kehrer, 15649 N. Stone Lane, $5,000 Harmony Roses Sweet Adelines, 1400 Broadway, $0

Murphysboro‌

Bob and Brenda Marfio, 903 N. 23rd. St., $2,000 Big Muddy Brewing, 1430 N. Seventh St., $42,000 Ethel Huffman, 526 N. 15th St., $4,700 Gary Clover, 1808 Elm St., $4,000

Enjoy the ride.

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