THE BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS FORUM

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 4 JUNE 2008

Sole
Proprietorship:
An Entrepreneurial
Foot in the Door
Common Mistakes in
a Sensitive Economy
PRSRT STD PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE U.S. POSTAGE

I-80 on a Roll
PAID PAID
PERMIT #565 PERMIT #565
KANKAKEE, IL KANKAKEE, IL

Watseka Chamber
Annual Awards
Features Regulars
4 From the Editor | Andrew Wheeler
Cover Story 5 Around the County | Ed Piatt

Sole Proprietorship: An News and programs from the Illinois Department

of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Publication Director
Ken Munjoy
Entrepreneurial Foot in the Door 6 From the Desk Of Rep. Dugan | Lisa Dugan
Editor
8 Innovative Management Solutions | Andrew Wheeler
by Lisa Wogan | B2B takes a look inside what it takes to run Patrick Seaton
a small business in today’s economy. Operational advice from an industry professional.
Art Director
14 Ask SCORE | Michael Holtzman Kim Carpenter
On the cover: Debbie Jensen, payroll accountant, Marsha L. Life’s lessons learned from the Service Corps of
10 Saathoff, accountant, and Susan D. Legris, C.P.A. of Legris Retired Executives. Advertising Manager
Jeff Egbert
and Associates. Photo by Melissa Gaug. 16 Spanish Language Training |
Dr. Héctor López Copy Editor and Direct Connections Coordinator
7 Closing the Deal: Common Mistakes in a Sensitive Economy Tips for businesses wanting to access the explod- Vickie St. Louis
ing Hispanic consumer market.
by Joseph Perry | According to commercial real estate expert Joe Perry, there is a dis-
Distribution Manager
turbing trend in his field. In order to do the deal in today’s market, momentum is the key. 17 Organize It! | Karen McGregor
Suggestions on how to get out from under the Terry LaVoie
clutter and into productivity.
9 Online Advertised Job Vacancies Fall Sharply in April Distribution Coordinator
Inside the numbers with The Conference Board. 18 How’s Business | Bill Guertin Becky Blackwell
Branding advice from an industry professional.
Press Foreman
14 Declare Your Financial Independence Day 27 Direct Connections, State of Illinois
Dave Grams
by Tom Vaccaro | Financial advisor Tom Vaccaro offers advice on moving toward finan- 27 Direct Connections, Grundy Co.
cial independence. Composing
27 Direct Connections, Will Co. Ross Bertrand and Marcus Jackson
15 Letters to the Editor 28 Out & About, Grundy & Will Co.
Advertising Coordinator
32 Direct Connections, Iroquois Co. Janet Jones
17 Rail Offers Surprising Growth Opportunity In Transportation
33 Out & About, Kankakee Co.
Sector For Manufacturers Information Systems
34 Direct Connections, Kankakee Co. Mike Steele and Jennifer Hudson
FMA economist Dr. Chris Kuehl asserts that manufacturers will benefit via rail expansion
in Illinois and across the U.S. 35 Out & About, Kankakee Co. Staff Photographer
Melissa Gaug
19 Business Recruitment Fundamentals: How to Onboard More
“A” Players thanks to our Advertising Consultants
Terry Atkins Marcia Hellmuth
by Lee Froschheiser | Management consultant Lee Froscheiser offers tips on how to
recruit top-level employees.
independent Jo Ann Bachar Myrdis Hines

contributors: Sandy Behrends

Joanie Copenhaver
Blake Naylor
Monte Parsons
22 Leadership in the Face of Change John Baker y READY Thinking, LLC y JohnBaker@ Amy Eichholz Lisa Sunn
Thomas Goodrich Cary Turner
by John Baker | Leadership in changing times is the difference between long-term suc- ReadyThinking.com y www.ReadyThinking.com
Gina Harpin Lyle Turro
cess and going the way of the dinosaur. Lisa Dugan y State representative, 79 th district y
815.939.1983
23 Entrepreneurial Hiring Lee Froschheiser y Management Action Programs upcoming b2b ILLINOIS deadlines
by Ron Price | Advice on how to get the most out of the hiring process. (MAP) Consulting y 1.888.834.3040 y www. July 1, 2008 Publication:
MapConsulting.com
Ad space reservation / article submission
24 Small Business and a Contracting Economy Joe Giunta y Joliet Junior College y 815.280.1555 y deadline: 6/13/2008
by Mark Norris | Mark Norris looks at the economy, and discusses how a SBA 504 loan jgiunta@jjc.edu y www.trainingupdate.org
might be just what the doctor ordered for your business. Ad approval deadline: 6/23/2008
Voss Graham y Inneractive Consulting Group, Inc.
To advertise, contact your advertising
y 901-757-4434 y voss@inneractiveconsulting.com
24 Accounts Receivable Options consultant at The Daily Journal: 815.939.6642
by Reneé Perry | Reneé Perry looks at AR options for small business. Bill Guertin y The 800-Pound Gorilla y
815.932.5878 y bill@The800PoundGorilla.com
How to Reach Us
25 Become a Sales Superstar — 10 Critical Areas to Master Michael Holtzman y SCORE Chapter 0674 y
815.427.9818 n To
receive this publication or change an
by Voss Graham | Critical sales skills from author/coach Voss Graham.
address, log onto our website:
Dr. Héctor López y BEST Solutions, Inc. y
www.b2billinois.com
26 I-80 on a Roll 630.910.4509 y hector.lopez@bestsolutionsinc.com
n Editorial,
Andrew Wheeler: phone
by Sharon Filkins-Jenrich | B2B Illinois attended the May Will County Economic Karen McGregor y Organize It! Professional 815.791.3129; e-mail awheeler@b2billinois.com
Network breakfast in Frankfort, and despite national the outlook, Will County continues Organizing Services y 815.936.1108 y www.
to experience substantial interest and unprecedented economic growth. organizeitillinois.com n Send announcements, press releases, etc. to:
fax 815.935.0192; e-mail pr@b2billinois.com
Mark Norris y Illinois Business Financial Services,
30 Businesses Need More than Team Players; They Need Team Inc. y 815.846.2468 y www.ibfs.org n Direct
Connections, Vickie St. Louis: fax
815.937.3362; e-mail vstlouis@b2billinois.com
Leaders Joseph Perry y Perry Group, Ltd. y 815.936.7358
by Joseph Giunta | JJC training manager Joe Giunta explains the difference between n Toll Free: 1.866.509.4B2B (4222)
Reneé Perry y Small Business Consultant and
committees and teams, and how to get the most out of both. Coach y 815.722.0041 n Mailingaddress: B2B Illinois, 8 Dearborn
Square, Kankakee, IL 60901
Edward Piatt y N.E. Senior Account Manager,
31 Watseka Chamber Announces Annual Awards Illinois DCEO y 312.636.0739
The Daily Journal staff report
B2B Illinois is a free publication of the Small Newspaper
Ron Price y 866.442.0556 y www.Price-Associates.
Group. Information published in B2B Illinois is the
com
39 The CenterPoint for Entrepreneurs Sponsors Veterans’ responsibility of the author and may not reflect the
opinions of the B2B Illinois staff. All editorial content
Entrepreneurial Boot Camp Patrick Seaton y Innovative Management
and advertising published is the property of the Small
Tools, LLC y 715.340.9606 y pdseaton@ Newspaper Group dba B2B Illinois.
innovativemanagementtools.com y www.
innovativemanagementtools.com
Tom Vaccaro y Edward Jones y 815.937.5674
 Real Estate makes Sense,
Let us help you turn it
into Dollars!

www.nugentcurtis.com
Joe Nugent, Broker
Cell 815.509.9005
Chris Curtis, Broker
Cell 815.693.4949
COMMERCIAL
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Kankakee. 38,100 SF industrial warehouse for sale as an investment Kankakee. 2,994 SF office/service facility for sale. 1575 SF Kankakee. 7,075 SF facility. 5,000 SF clear span showroom w/ Momence. 84x26 multi use bldg. on commercial corridor, well
or for user. Current gross annual income: $52,200 w/10,000 sf available finished office w/ track lighting. Large, open 1395 SF area w/ vaulted wood beam ceiling. 2,025 shop area w/ 10'x12' drive-in suited for office use. Currently divided into 2 separate spaces.
to lease or for use by a purchaser. 4 exterior docks, 20' - 22' ceiling 12' ceiling and air conditioned. MLS 190847 door. 100% sprinklered. 750 SF mezzanine office area. MLS 190887 Frontage on main thoroughfare. Priced to sell! MLS 190701
height, 1.63 acre site. $395,000 $275,000 $265,000 $248,500 $99,900

Grant Park. 5,500 sq ft facility. Multiple overhead doors for Kankakee. 18,000 - 80,000 SF for lease. 22' to 24' ceiling Bourbonnais. Low new construction rates. Suites available Bourbonnais. For sale or lease. 4,680 SF brick & block bldg.
ease of use. High ceilings. Ideal for operation of business or heights, up to 8 docks w/ levelers and 4 drive-in doors. 1,500 SF and larger. High visibility with large 2-story atrium Great location on busy Rt. 45 in the path of progress w/ add’l
storage. On slightly over 1 acre. MLS 191837 480/277 volt/400 amp/3 phase power. MLS 191837 lobby entrance. Suites available for sale also. MLS 191837 land for expansion. Many uses. MLS 191837
$255,000 $4.50 PSF gross $8.00 PSF NNN $700,000
LOTS AND LAND:
Manteno: 80 +/- Acres, $12,000 per acre • Manteno: 224 +/- Acres, $22,000 per acre • Bourbonnais: 75 Acres w/ Preliminary Plat, $50,000 per acre • Bourbonnais: .80 Acre lot on Rt. 45, $300,000

Real Estate makes Sense,

Let us help you turn it
into Dollars!

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Pamela Baron Sandy Wurster Paul Walsh Nate Henrichs
Cell 815.955.2392 Cell 815.274.2535 Cell 815.955.2457 Cell 815.739.9859
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Kankakee St. Pk. 4 BR, 3 BA. Kit w/brfst nook/sun rm, granite. plan. Kitchen updated. Good size utility/mud room off garage splash, granite counters, maple cabs. Bsmt w/home thea. sys., bsmt w/BA, bar. Split floorplan; master suite. MBA w/
Mstr Suite w/ Jacuzzi, double sinks, skylight, ceram. shower. with new ceramic tile. Fireplace. Shed. MLS 191616 poss 4th BR, rec/family rm. Fenced backyard. MLS 191975 whirlpool, sep. shower. Open kit & FR w/ FP. MLS 191748
$379,900 $187,900 $289,900 $304,900

Bourbonnais, Prarie Chase Subd. New 2-story w/ 4 BR, 2.5 Bourbonnais, Prarie Chase Subd. New brick ranch w/ split floor Bourbonnais. Neutral colors & lots of space. Partial unfinished Kankakee. Well maintained 2 BR, 2 BA condo. Outside park-
BA, 3 car gar & full bsmt. HW flooring. Kit w/ custom cabinets. plan. 3 BR, 2 BA, 2 car gar, full bsmt. HW floors. Kit w/ custom bsmt. Completely remodeled incl: new flooring, fixtures, doors ing & 1 car det. garage with storage & electric opener. Updated
Master Suite w/Jacuzzi, shower & WIC. MLS 192304 cabs, isl., pantry. Master Suite w/Jacuzzi, sep shower. MLS 192303 & trim. New Maple cabinets, ceramic tile in kit. MLS 192597 kitchen. Condo fee Includes water/sewage. MLS 192579
$304,900 $304,900 $239,900 $88,900
LOTS AND LAND:
Limestone: .70 Acre lot in River Crossing, $145,000 • Limestone: .70 Acre lot in River Crossing, $145,000 • Limestone: .78 Acre lot in River Crossing, $145,000

&RPPHUFLDO‡5HVLGHQWLDO‡$JULFXOWXUDO‡3URSHUW\0DQDJHPHQW
05300821699371

(DVW&RXUW6WUHHW6XLWH
815-929-9095 office .DQNDNHH,OOLQRLV 815-929-9085 fax
 From The Editor | by Andrew Wheeler

A Rose by
Any Other Name
What is small business?
Is it a dollar amount, the
number of employees, or a
physical description? Some
may say it is a business do-
ing under $10,000,000 a
resolve to keep fighting, while corporate
America glides down to Earth in golden
parachutes?
We are the personalities. We are there
on the front lines. We are the ones juggling
home and work, volunteering and coach-

GET YOUR POINT ACROSS year in top line, while oth-

Throughout the year, The Daily Journal publishes Special
Sections and Feature Pages of the newspaper. These annual
sections target lifestyles, address specific consumer needs
and/or feature event information of national and local
importance.
Special Sections and Feature Pages can be a cost-effective
way to reach thousands of readers with a particular interest.
Plus, these sections generally have a longer shelf-life than
the daily newspaper allowing your business' message to be
seen again and again!
ers use $50,000,000 as a qualifying bench-
mark. Regardless of how it is classified, it
is widely accepted that small business is the
driving force behind the world’s economy.
By far, it is the largest sub-classification by
sheer numbers and Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) throughput.
So why is it that so much of the national
economic picture is comprised of big busi-
ness? Why do we have the perception that
it’s the little guys that are stuck in the eco-
nomic vise, each turn squeezing out our
ing. We are the ones who are a bad decision
away from super-sizing somebody’s order.
Why do we do it?
Our dreams. We all have dreams, and
most have a plan to realize them. And that
is why B2B Illinois is here: to provide an-
other brick in the path to your dreams. So
when you realize your dreams, and your
small business is not so small anymore,
remember what it was like to live in today
while dreaming of tomorrow.
And by the way, I work for the Small
Newspaper Group. It’s a family name, an
adjective, and an attitude.
Best,

SPECIAL SECTIONS Experienced

Month Section Publication Date
Knowledgeable Andrew H. Wheeler
June Local Business Profiles Thursday, June 5 Competent B2B Illinois Editor
No matter what your insurance needs,
HBAK Parade of Homes Thursday, June 12* your COUNTRY agent is ready to help.
NEW! A Day in the Life Monday, June 30
Randy Van Fossan
July County Fairs Monday, July 14 815-932-3000
Bears Extra Thursday, July 24* 1307 N. Convent., Ste. 1
Bourbonnais, IL 60914
The Answer Book Thursday, July 31
NEW! Regional Restaurant
& Delivery Directory July 2008
Insurance & Financial Services
August Fall Home & Yard Thursday, Sept. 4 www.countryfinancial.com
0208-068

FEATURE PAGES Put some sizzle in their summer

July Childcare Directory Sunday, July 27
with the season’s hottest flowers.
TF38-2
Hire-a-Pro Thursday, July 31

August Pick the Pros Tuesday, Sept. 2

Fall Home & Yard Directory
*Publication dates are subject to change.
Thursday, Sept. 4
¸-SVYPZ[[V2HURHRLL3HUK:PUJL¹
869 W. Jeffery St., Kankakee
05300821499825

For more information about any

of these Special Sections, contact 815-933-7515 • 815-932-5811
your Advertising Consultant or www.faberfloral.com
call 815.939.6642.
Everything’s Rosy
05300820196388
 Around the County with the State of Illinois | by Edward S. Piatt

Opportunity Returns: are allocated among the CAAs and the

Illinois Migrant Council according to a
n Surplus Food Distribution

Bureau of Community
n Transportation
poverty population-based formula. The
n Weatherization
CAAs also receive funding for operation
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)

Development
This month I would like to highlight
DCEO’s Bureau of Community Develop-
ment, which administers The Community
Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. This
program was created by the federal Omni-
bus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981.
The CSBG program is designed to provide
a range of services that assist low-income
people in attaining skills, knowledge and
05300821099774
the motivation necessary to achieve self-
sufficiency. The program also may provide
low-income people immediate life neces-
sities such as food, shelter, medicine, etc.
The Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic
Opportunity (DCEO) ad-
ministers the CSBG pro-
gram in accordance with
federal law and the Illinois
Economic Opportunity
Act. In its administration,
the department places an
equal emphasis on self-
sufficiency efforts and pro-
viding relief for the imme-
diate needs of low-income
people. The state receives
approximately $30 million
annually in CSBG funding
to provide employment,
education, housing and
emergency services to the
eligible population.
How are CSBG
funds distributed?
Federal law mandates
that states distribute their
CSBG funds in the follow-
ing manner:
n Ninety percent (at min-
imum) to the state’s network of Com-
munity Action Agencies (CAAs) and the
Illinois Migrant Council to provide anti-
poverty services in Illinois’ 102 counties
and in the City of Chicago. The funds
of a scholarship program, which enables
low-income students to attain additional
academic or vocational education result-
ing in high employment potential.
n Approximately 5 percent to eligible pub-
lic or private organizations for discretion-
ary antipoverty programs or services to
support the CAAs.
n Up to 5 percent for state administration,
monitoring and technical assistance ac-
tivities.
What are Community Action
Agencies?
Community Action Agencies are created
by their local governments as public or pri-
vate entities to serve two primary purposes:
to provide essential antipoverty programs,
and to advocate for the needs of the poor
in their communities. The CAAs’ required
three-part board of directors is unique,
comprised of local elected officials, private-
sector representatives and representatives
of the low-income population. Examples
of programs administered locally by CAAs
include:
n Anti-Drug Abuse
n Economic Development
n Energy Assistance
n Foster Grandparents
n Head Start
n Homeless Assistance
n Housing
n Job Counseling and Training
Literacy Training and Basic Education
n
n Outreach and Referral
Senior Assistance
n
n Small Business Loan Financing
n
What other organizations
receive funds?
The Department allocates approximately
5 percent for discretionary funding, in ac-
cordance with the federal law, to provide
supportive services and special projects to
enhance and/or complement community
action agency programs. Although the dis-
tribution may vary from year to year, the
Department provides discretionary fund-
ing to entities that can support the CAA’s
program activities and provide key services
to support low income populations. The fol-
lowing are examples of such entities:
n Illinois Association of Community Ac-
tion Agencies (IACAA)—for statewide
CAA coordination activities, training,
and technical assistance relating to anti-
poverty programs
n Illinois Ventures for Community Ac-
tion—for statewide job-creating eco-
nomic development in partnership with
the CAA network
n Illinois Community Action Develop-
ment Corporation—for regional and
state-wide low-income housing projects
n Illinois Coalition for Community Ser-
vices—for the promotion of economic
and housing development and advocacy
activities
n Instituto del Progresso—for providing
English literacy training and support
What services are provided
under CSBG?
Illinois’ Community Action Agencies
Continued on page 38

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From the Desk of Representative Dugan | by Lisa Dugan

The Adopt-A-Room
Program
As you all know, our children are tomor-
row’s leaders and there is no better way to
help mold them than to participate in their
learning and development. The Bradley-
Bourbonnais Regional Chamber of Com-
merce is providing local businesses such an
opportunity through the Adopt-A-Room
Program.
The Adopt-A-Room Program provides
local businesses with a chance to partner
with area school to help develop the work-
force of tomorrow by allowing a business
owner or a representative to teach the class
about their business and the business world.
The program requires “Proud Adopters” to
donate an hour of their time each month to
a classroom.
This year, as part of the program, I have
had the wonderful opportunity to adopt Ms.
Melissa Heldt’s fourth grade class at Bradley
West and Whitney Weddell’s fourth grade
class at Manteno Middle School. During
our first meeting in November both class-
rooms were studying government. I had the
unique opportunity to teach the children
about the work I do as a legislator and how
it impacts the people of Illinois. We also
discussed the various levels and branches of
government as well as 'How a Bill Becomes
a Law'. Below is a list of other activities we
February—A representative from JR Kankakee County Building and Trades
participated in this year:
Short Milling visited to speak with the Council made a classroom visit and spoke
students about the food processing indus- about how electricity works.
Manteno Middle School: try and how workers spend their days at the April—The class took a field trip to the
December—Students participated in a
corn milling producer to meet the demands Bradley fire and police stations and had a
discussion on community service and how
of food manufacturers around the world. pizza party. Students also toured the Brad-
it ties into the Holiday Season.
April—Entrepreneurs Tom Shamblin of ley Village Hall offices and learned about
January—Linda Stevens from the Hu-
Shamblin Insurance and Toby Olszeweski the work of Bradley’s Street and Alley De-
mane Society visited to talk to students
of The Bourbonnais Herald made a class- partment.
about how to take care of a pet and the im-
room visit to speak with the students about May—A representative from JR Short
portance of animal safety. Linda also talked
what it’s like owning their own businesses Milling visited to speak with the students
about the mission of the Humane Society
and the concept of supply and demand. about the food processing industry and how
and the services it provides.
May—The class took a trip to the Kanka- workers spend their days at the corn mill-
kee River State Park and had a picnic and a ing producer to meet the demands of food

B2B Illinois tour. There students learned the history of

the area, geology, and plants and wildlife. 
manufacturers around the world.
The time I spent with our local school-

Goes Green in July

We also walked along the Kankakee River, children was a wonderful experience and I
Rock Creek Canyon and visited the historic hope the students enjoyed it as much and
Smith Cemetery. my staff and I did! To find out more about
the Adopt-A-Room Program, please con-
Does your business sell a sustainable product or Bradley West: tact Jaclyn Dugan-Roof at the Bradley-
perform eco-responsible services? Don’t miss your December—Students volunteered at a Bourbonnais Chamber of Commerce at
opportunity to promote your product/service to business Winter Carnival at a local nursing home 815.932.2222.
and were in charge of monitoring several
decision makers from across a broad geography.
games and activities. Lisa Dugan, state representa-
January—A representative from the In- tive, 79th district.
To reserve your advertising space,
fection Control Department at Riverside
contact your advertising consultant at Health Care gave a presentation and activ-
The Daily Journal:
815.939.6642 ity on infection control.
February—Steve Magruder from the

Serving businesses in Kankakee,

Iroquois, Will, Grundy and
Southern Cook Counties
5300820199466
Closing the Deal
Common Mistakes in a Sensitive Economy
Last month we wrote about the relative
stability of the market and why a steady
growth pattern is anticipated for 2008.
While our opinion has not changed, we
have noticed a peculiar pattern that has
created some concern about whether some
deals will close.
With prevailing warnings of more rough
waters for the real estate marketplace, those
companies and individuals that are in the
market obviously have done extensive
analysis and thorough consideration before
“pulling the trigger” and tendering an offer
to lease or purchase commercial real estate.
Often this exercise is painstaking and in-
cludes formal processes that may include
corporate, committee and/or board of di-
rector approval.
Recently we have noticed that the reac-
tion time and papering methods is allowing
some deals to fail as the lack of momentum
allows the buyer or lessee to re-assess the
transaction and “put the bullet back in the
gun.” One particular development is a per-
fect, if not unfortunate, example of a good
deal gone bad because the owner/landlord
failed to keep sufficient deal momentum.
A Fortune 500 company, whose business
model is centered on a 27,000 square-foot
junior box retail store, had tendered a letter
of intent to a client who controlled a premier
property adjacent to a new lifestyle center in
a rapidly expanding south-western suburb.
The negotiations were slightly arduous, but
certainly not hostile, and we were able to
negotiate a $20.75 per square foot triple-
net lease rate for the build-to-suit/leaseback
which, given the size of the facility, is con-
sidered a premium rate.
When the letter of intent—providing the
targeted lease rate—was finally received, the
landlord/developer (against our strong ob-
jections) attempted to massage the deal by
making some changes to the letter of intent
that would have no material effect on the
financial performance of the transaction.
Also, the interviewing of the architect and
civil engineer was much more comprehen-
sive than necessary, delaying the municipal
entitlement process. Nonetheless, the letter
of intent was ultimately executed and coun-
sel for both parties went to work on drafting
and reviewing the lease document.
Then the sky fell. Counsel for the lessee
suddenly informed us that, under the terms
of the letter of intent, the lessee was termi-
nating the transaction. What happened?
by Joseph Perry
This project required corporate approval,
which was secured prior to execution of the
letter of intent. But after a few months of
languishing, the senior officers had time to
reconsider the deal—and the overall cli-
mate—and to “put the bullet back in the
gun.” Later it was acknowledged that, had
sufficient momentum been in place, it was
likely that this deal would have naturally
progressed into a lease and, ultimately, full
development.
Another perfect instance was related to
us recently when an occasional client who
had constructed a 500,000 square foot spec
industrial facility found out about a break in
the deal momentum between a neighboring
property owner (who happened to represent
a large institutional investment fund) and
a national credit tenant. Within hours this
tenacious developer was on an airplane and
in front of the corporate real estate direc-
tors for this prospect and literally returned
home with an executed deal for his entire
building. The developer had previous expe-
rience with the tenant and made an expedi-
tious deal by duplicating the general lease
format from the prior deal. This all occurred
while the counsel for the alternative prop-
erty was hammering out likely-trivial mi-
nutiae. Score one for the agile.
During the first quarter of 2008, we have
seen first hand and heard of many more in-
stances where the transaction fell apart be-
cause of a lack of urgency, cumbersome (and
sometimes downright silly) legal wrangling
processes, irresponsible negotiations where
the deal no longer is mutually beneficial,
slow provisions of tenant improvement al-
lowances or other considerations, and many
other dynamics that can slow down deal
momentum.
We maintain our prediction of a prosper-
ous year and continued commercial expan-
sion, but there will be many projects that
don’t get built, leased or sold because the
principals did not recognize that the deci-
sion process by the prospect can be reversed.
Just because the trigger has been pulled
does not mean the bullet cannot be put back
into the gun.
Joseph Perry is president &
CEO of Perry Group, Ltd.
Innovative Management Solutions | by Patrick Seaton
Going Lean, Part 5:
Keeping the
Momentum Going
If you are in the group of readers that has
implemented lean principles in your organi-
zation, I say congratulations to you. I hope
that your lean journey has given you the re-
sults you had hoped for—and perhaps more
results than you had once thought possible.
If you’ve been on your journey for more
than three years, you have most likely dis-
covered how to keep the momentum going
throughout the organization. For those
of you who have not yet discovered how
to build and maintain the momentum,
let me offer you some ideas and advice.
Top 5 Momentum Builders:
1: Appoint a Lean Champion
2: Eliminate Waste Throughout the ly consider appointing or hiring a Lean
Organization
3: Create a Process Analysis Strategy
4: Improve the Planning Process
5: Celebrate Successes
Appoint a Lean Champion
Once you’ve made the commitment to
lean, you should consider appointing a Lean
Champion within your organization. What
is a Lean Champion? This is a person who
eats, breathes and sleeps lean for your orga-
nization. This person looks for opportuni-
ties for improvement and works with em-
ployees to make changes. This person tracks
your lean results and communicates them to
the management team and the employees.
This person facilitates improvement ses-
sions and trains employees on what lean is
for your organization. The Champion is a
driver for lean, but is NOT responsible for
its success. The entire staff is responsible for
success. The Champion guides the people
down the path to success.
At first, your Champion might start out
in this role part-time. However, as the lean
momentum spreads throughout the organi-
zation, most management teams realize that
the Champion must be able to dedicate his
or her full attention to the lean initiatives.
If you need to appoint the role of Lean
Champion to a person who has another role
in your organization, make sure the expec-
tations are explicitly clear for this person.
Avoid adding the role and responsibilities
to a person’s current workload and turning
the Champion role into an “as time permits”
job. If you give the role to somebody whose
main passion and first job is something else,
they will most likely favor the position they
had first and turn the Champion role into
an optional role. This will give the employ-
ees the message loud and clear that lean is
an optional program.
One very important aspect of the Cham-
pion’s role is communicating successes and
failures. People want to be part of some-
thing exciting and productive. When the
Champion touts successes and gives credit
where credit is due, then others become
more willing to join in.
If you are serious about lean, serious-
Champion. The money saved through the
improvement initiatives will easily pay for
the additional headcount. By appointing a
Champion to the staff, you give people the
message that lean is a long-term way of run-
ning the business, not an “as time permits”
program.
Eliminate Waste Throughout
the Organization
There are 15 forms of waste to reduce
Proper Planning Upfront Lowers Rework Costs
and/or eliminate. They are:
Authorizations
Conflicting Department Goals
Inventory
Order Processing Time
Overprocessing
Overproduction
Purchasing Reorders
Scrap, Rework and Corrections
Searching
Transportation
Underutilized Employees
Waiting Time
Redundant Activity
Wasted Money
Poor Product Design
By regularly initiating waste reduction
and elimination efforts throughout the or-
ganization, you will build momentum for
years to come. So much of our internal
processes are waste. Therefore, taking small
improvement steps every few months keeps
people engaged in the process and builds
their waste elimination skills.
If you’d like more information on the
forms of wastes listed above, feel free to
contact me for a more detailed list.
Create a Process Analysis
Strategy
Very often we venture into continuous
improvement projects after we’ve hit a crisis
moment—a process has failed or a customer
has complained loudly enough to merit an
investigation into the problem with correc-
tive actions as the goal.
What I would propose to you is a much
more proactive strategy. Instead of subscrib-
ing to crisis management, subscribe to pro-
active continuous improvements. Identify
the top 15 to 20 processes in your organiza-
tion. Then place them on a review schedule
throughout the year. When a process’s re-
view is due, gather the process players and
perform a process analysis to see where the
process is working well and where it needs
help. Confirming where processes are run-
ning well is a great way to give praise to the
employees.
If, for some reason, a process issue comes
up prior to its scheduled review, move the
process analysis up and deal with the prob-
lem. However, take more than a cursory
glance at a process by asking a few people,
“How are things going with process x?”
as your process analysis. Invest a couple of
hours and really pull the process apart, get
feedback from ALL the process players,
and then make improvements. People need
to understand that continuous improvement
is a responsibility of theirs, not an optional
activity, so make sure they get involved.
The bottom line: create the proactive
schedule and drive improvement initiatives.
Don’t wait until the crisis dictates a review.
Improve the Planning Process
Projects very often fail because of a lack of
planning at the onset of the project. When
there isn’t enough planning done up front,
it is usually done later on and at a much
greater cost because it involves undoing and
redoing work that has already been done.
Therefore, set a planning process and
policy in place for everyone in your orga-
nization to follow—no exceptions. This
Continued on page 38
Online Advertised
Job Vacancies Fall
Sharply in April
In April 2008 there were 3,649,900 on-
line advertised job vacancies, a 16.4 percent
decline from the April 2007 level, accord-
ing to The Conference Board Help-Wanted
OnLine Data Series™ (HWOL) released
this month. This is the second consecu-
tive month of over-the-year declines for
the nation as whole. Even for the six states
that posted gains, the pace of growth has
slowed. In April, there were 2.4 advertised
vacancies posted online for every 100 per-
sons in the labor force, down from a high of
2.9 in April 2007.   March employment data released by the
“The weakness in online advertised va-
cancies evident over the last few months
deepened in April and hiring is likely to
continue to be lackluster into summer,” said
Gad Levanon, economist at The Conference
Board. “April is a month when we normally
see employers increasing their recruitment,
but this year it actually declined. The lack
of new job opportunities is contributing to
consumers’ feelings of uncertainty and is
affecting their buying intentions. With in-
creasing job worries and rising fuel prices,
the percentage of respondents intending to
take a vacation over the next six months fell
to a 30-year low in the April Conference
Board Consumer Confidence Survey.”   Alaska posted 4.45 online advertised vacan-
 
The National-Regional Picture       force, the highest rate in the nation.  Alaska
n 2,591,500 new online job ads posted in
April.
n All Nine Census Regions post over-the-
year declines in labor demand.
 
In April, 2,591,500 of the 3,649,900 un-
duplicated online advertised vacancies were
new ads that did not appear in March, while
the rest are reposted ads from the previous
month. In April, a month expected to show
a seasonal increase in labor demand, the
number of total online advertised vacan-
cies declined two percent while new ads
rose two percent from March. The weak
labor demand is clear in the April year-
over-year numbers where total ads fell 16.4
percent and new ads dropped 10.6 percent.
Both declines are the largest over-the-year
declines since the HWOL series began in
May 2005.
The monthly national decrease in adver-
tised vacancies between March and April
’08 reflected deterioration in ads in all nine
Census regions. Additionally, the year-over-
year (April ’07—April ’08) growth rates in
each of the nine Census regions turned
negative in April.   ph: 815-932-7092 • fax: 815-932-7094
 
from press release
State Highlights
n Alaska posts the highest ads rate in the
country for the eighth month in a row.
n Delaware leads the nation with the low-
est supply/demand rate.
 
The number of advertised vacancies de-
clined from April 2007 to April 2008 in
44 states (compared to 14 states in March
2008), and all the states experienced a slow-
ing in the year-over-year growth rate. The
Online advertised vacancies dropped by 715,100
from April 2007 to April 2008.
Job demand is below year-ago levels
in 44 of 50 States.
BLS indicates that all 50 states also expe-
rienced a slowing in their year-over-year
growth rate of employment.  tised vacancies), the states with the most
 States where job seekers are continuing
to see a large number of advertised vacancies
include Alaska, Nevada and Massachusetts.
cies for every 100 persons in the state labor
has held the number one position for eight
months in a row. Nevada (4.09) and Mas-
sachusetts (3.97) were close behind in the
number of advertised vacancies when ad-
justed for the size of the state labor force.
Half of the top 10 states with the highest
ads rate are along the Eastern seaboard,
and in addition to Massachusetts, include
Delaware (3.96), Maryland (3.67), Vermont
(3.53) and Connecticut (3.48).
 Online advertised vacancies in Califor-
Meetings & Events
Full Service Event Planning
PEGGY MAYER
1100 W. Calista, Kankakee, IL 60901
peggymayer@sbcglobal.net
nia, the state with the largest labor force in
the nation, totaled 491,400 in April. The
ad volume in California dropped by over
231,000 ads, 32 percent below the April
2007 level. The volume of online advertised
vacancies in Texas (309,900) was down 12
percent and ads in New York (268,000)
were down 15 percent from year ago levels. 
 “Although one cannot infer that the oc-
cupation or geographic location of unem-
ployed persons matches the occupation or
geographic location of the vacancies, look-
ing at the number of unemployed in relation
to the number of advertised vacancies pro-
vides an indication of available job opportu-
nities for the unemployed,” said Levanon.
Using the latest unemployment data avail-
able from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics (BLS) (March data) and computing the
supply/demand ratio (unemployed/adver-
favorable (e.g., lowest) supply/demand rates
included Delaware (0.93), Maryland (0.95)
and Arizona (1.02). This month, there were
only two states where the number of ad-
vertised vacancies exceeded the number of
unemployed (e.g., a supply/demand rate less
than 1.0).  This is down from last month,
when four states had a supply/demand rate
less than 1.0, and well below the peak of 11
states with a supply/demand rate less than
1.0 in July 2007. For the nation as a whole,
the comparable supply/demand rate for
March was 2.15, indicating that for every
two unemployed people looking for work;
there was only one online advertised va-
cancy.
 States where the number of unemployed
persons looking for work significantly ex-
ceeded the number of online advertised va-
cancies included Tennessee (3.06), Indiana
(3.54), Kentucky (3.71), Michigan (4.93),
and Mississippi (5.17).
 
Occupational Focus
n Healthcare still leads occupations in
highest demand.
“Many jobs in high demand are also,
on average, among the highest paying oc-
cupations,” said Levanon. Healthcare
practitioners (238,500) and management
(195,800) are the two occupations with the
most number of ads posted online. Accord-
ing to the latest federal hourly wage data,
wages average about $30 for healthcare
practitioners and above $44 an hour for
management.  Also in high demand are oc-
cupations in computer and mathematical
(180,400), business and financial operations
(173,000), and office and administrative
support (170,500).
Metro Area Highlights
n Among the top 52 metro areas, only Ho-
nolulu, Milwaukee and Rochester post
over the year gains.   
 
In April, 49 of the 52 metro areas for
which data is reported separately posted
a smaller number of advertised vacancies
than last year. The deterioration in the job
market in some of the nation’s largest metro
areas is further reflected in comparing the
number of unemployed to the number of
advertised vacancies. Since July 2007, the
number of metro areas with a supply/de-
mand rate of less than one has fallen from
23 areas to ten areas. 
The top metro areas in March as measured
by most advertised vacancies per 100 per-
sons in the local labor force included Austin
(5.40), Milwaukee (5.34), San Jose (5.12),
San Francisco (4.88), and Denver (4.64).
cover story
Jim ridings self-publishes his books out of his
Herscher home office.

The Small Business Administration

(SBA) reports that an astounding 99.7 per-
cent of employers in the United States are
small business owners. Businesses with
fewer than 100 employees numbered 8.1
million in 2005; 70 percent of those actually
had fewer than five employees. According
to the SBA, these fi rms employ half of all
private-sector workers, provide 60 percent
to 80 percent of the net new jobs annually,
pay 44.3 percent of total U.S. private pay-
roll, and produce more than 50 percent of
non-farm private gross domestic product.
And then there is the all-important job
satisfaction factor. Though they often work
longer hours for less pay, it seems most
small business owners—61 percent—would
not forfeit their independence to make more
money working for someone else. Discov-
er Small Business Watch’s recent survey of
1,000 business owners with five or fewer
employees found that 46 percent of entre-
preneurs said that they started their own
business to have more freedom or more flex-
ible work schedules, while only 19 percent
of respondents admitted starting their own
company to earn more. Additionally, about
seven in 10 business owners said they do not
want to grow their businesses much larger,
at the risk of negatively impacting customer
service.

The Sole Proprietor Sector

Illinois had an estimated total of
1,121,300 small businesses—those with
fewer than 500 employees—in 2006. Em-
ployer fi rms totaled 295,300, up 1.5 per-
cent from the previous year. Of this total,

Sole Proprietorship:
an estimated 98.4 percent, or 290,600 were
small. Self-employment (incorporated and
unincorporated) totaled 597,500, a decrease
from 621,400 in 2005. Non-employer fi rms
totaled 835,200 in 2005, an increase of 4.2

an entrepreneurial Foot in the Door

percent since 2004.
According to the SBA, the vast majority
of small businesses start out as sole propri-
etorships. Simple, informal structures that
by Lisa Wogan, B2B Illinois correspondent • Photography by Melissa Gaug and Kim Carpenter are inexpensive to form, these entities are
typically owned by one person, usually the
individual who has day-to-day responsibili-
ties for running the business. Sole propri-
Entrepreneurship: Most recognize it as a keystone in our etors own all of the assets of the business as
well as the profits generated by it. They also
country’s development. What many probably do not realize is that it assume complete responsibility for any of its
liabilities or debts.
In the eyes of the law and the public,
continues to be a significant strength. and, in the face of a weakening the sole proprietor is viewed as one and the
same with his or her business. Th is struc-
economy—and its attendant corporate downsizing—entrepreneurial ture stands in stark contrast to a corpora-
tion, which is chartered by the state where it
outfits are sure to sustain us once again. is headquartered and is considered by law to
be a unique entity, separate and apart from
those who own it.
Sole proprietors can conduct business
 who have had successful business careers Ridings relishes the control that self-
as company executives or business owners. publishing affords. “If I went through a
The local SCORE chapter, one of nearly publishing company,” he explains, “they
400 nationwide, is a joint venture between might not publish my book at all or they
the Small Business Development Center may change it significantly.” With greater
and the Kankakee River Valley Chamber of independence comes greater responsibility,
Commerce. however, a fact Ridings readily admits. As
Crite stresses that potential small busi- such, he must devote a good portion of his
ness owners should be aware of the pitfalls time to ancillary tasks like promotion and
of their endeavor and plan as thoroughly distribution, duties a publishing company
as possible while, at the same time, avoid- would otherwise assume.
ing getting “hung up on technicalities.” He In addition, while technological advances
adds that Kankakee County is very recep- have made self-publishing significantly eas-
tive to small business. If individuals are ier than it was in the past, they have also
properly financed and prepared, he says, boosted the number of independent authors,
there’s no reason they cannot achieve suc- thereby increasing competition. “There are
cess. Following are some local individuals a lot of local authors in the Kankakee area,”
A loyal following at the Kankakee Farmer’s
Market encouraged Diane and Bob Labriola
who have managed to do just that. Ridings notes. “It’s a challenge.”
to open Rondinella’s Italian Imports. Ridings relies strongly on relationships
The Home-based with fellow small business owners. It is
Sole Proprietor typically the local concern, he explains,
Jim Ridings is a Herscher-based writer that has the flexibility and willingness to
under their own name by simply doing own course. who has self-published a dozen local his- distribute his books, places like Busse &
business, for example, as “Jane Jones.” A The local SBDC—developed through a tory books over the past 15 years or so, most Rieck, Groucho’s Deli, Joy’s Hallmark and
sole proprietor can also do business under partnership between the U.S. SBA, the Il- recently two volumes of antique postcard Paperback Reader. He says the red tape in-
a trade name (DBA). If operating under a linois Department of Commerce and Eco- collections, “Greetings From Kankakee volved with distribution at chain stores is
under a trade or “fictitious” name, the sole nomic Opportunity, and KCC—provides County” (2005) and “Kankakee Makes usually prohibitive to a sole proprietor. One
proprietor usually is required to file a “trade low-cost technical and management assis- Good” (2007). The U.S. Census Bureau exception for Ridings has been the Kennedy
name certificate” in the city, county or state tance through one-on-one counseling and reports that in 2005, there were 5,974 “non- Drive Walgreens, which faithfully stocks
where the business is located. group training for potential and current employers,” like Ridings, in Kankakee his works in the same fashion as locally
Statistics from the small business own- County, nearly half of which were working owned businesses.
U.S. Department of ers. Crite estimates in the construction, retail sales, real estate According to SBA’s Office of Advo-
Commerce and the
Small Businesses Represent that his office serves and health care/social assistance industries. cacy, in 2002, home-based sole proprietors
SBA’s Office of Ad- 99.7 Percent of Employers from 200 to 300 cli- The Bureau adds that while non-employers, earned lower average receipts ($62,523) and
vocacy reveal that Nationwide ents per year. businesses with no paid employees, account net income ($22,569) than businesses oper-
non-farm propri- Small businesses with fewer than 100
“We walk with for roughly three percent of all business ac- ated in rented space ($178,194 and $38,243,
etors’ income, which employees numbered 8.1 million in them from start to tivity in terms of sales/receipts, they account respectively). Home-based firms, however,
is a share of small 2005. According to the Small Business finish,” he explains, for nearly three-quarters of all businesses. Continued on next page
business income, Administration (SBA), these firms: “guiding individuals
totaled $42.5 bil- who are in the earli-
n employ half of all private-sector
lion nationwide in est concept stages as
workers and 39 percent of workers
2006, an increase of well as those with
in high-tech jobs;
5.5 percent from the established busi-
previous year. The n provide 60 percent to 80 percent of nesses looking to
most recent census the net new jobs annually; expand or improve
data for Kankakee n pay 44.3 percent of total U.S. operations.” The lo-
County (2000) show private payroll; and cal SBDC, which
that self-employed serves both Kanka-
n produce more than 50 percent of
workers in their kee and Iroquois
non-farm private gross domestic
own, not incorpo- product.
counties, offers in-
rated, businesses ac- dustry research re-
count for 5.1 percent sources, including Sue Legris formed her own business
of employed persons; home workers, 2.5 mentoring services; free professional ser- in order to focus on the personalized
accounting needs of small business clients.
percent. vices, including legal assistance; and busi-
ness plan and financing guidance. The only
Local Guidance for Aspiring charges incurred, Crite notes, are for special
Entrepreneurs workshops conducted by outside presenters.
Ken Crite, coordinator of the Illinois Seminars are regularly offered on various
Small Business Development Center topics of interest to small business owners,
(SBDC) at Kankakee Community College, including developing a business plan, sales
sees a resurgence in entrepreneurship in the tax compliance, marketing, recordkeeping
River Valley area. It is a real alternative, he and financing. Free business counseling to
says, for people who are unhappy with the new or prospective business owners is pro-
job market or merely want to chart their vided by SCORE, a group of volunteers
cover story Continued from page 11
Sole Proprietorship
Pros & Cons
Advantages:
n It is the easiest and least expensive
form of ownership to organize.
n Owners retain complete control
within the parameters of the law.
n Owners receive all income
generated by the business to keep
or reinvest.
n Profits from the business flow
directly to the owner’s personal tax
return.*
n The business is easy to dissolve.
Disadvantages:
n Sole proprietors have unlimited
liability and are personally legally
responsible for all debts against the
business.
n Business owners may be at a
disadvantage in raising funds and
are often limited to using funds
from personal savings or consumer
loans.
n Sole proprietorships may have a
hard time attracting high-caliber
employees or those that are
motivated by the opportunity to
own a part of the business.
n Some employee benefits, such
as owner’s medical insurance
premiums, are not directly
deductible from business income.
Source: U.S. Small Business
Administration
*Any income that is earned from the
business is considered the owner’s
income. The sole proprietorship itself
is not separately taxed on its income.
Instead, the sole proprietor reports
business income and expenses on
his or her own tax return. This means
that the net income from the business
is taxed only once. In contrast, the
income from a corporation is taxed
twice—once when the corporation
is taxed and again when the income
is distributed to shareholders in the
form of dividends.
gained a higher return on gross revenues
compared with their office counterparts (36
percent versus 21 percent).
The Specialty Retailer
According to U.S. Census Bureau, those
involved in retailing in Kankakee County
made up 14 percent of the work force in the
year 2000. Rondinella’s Italian Imports,
which opened on Kinzie in Bradley in De-
cember, fills a very specific niche within that
sector. “This area is fabulous for a business
like ours,” owner Diane Labriola explains.
“We’re the only authentic Italian food spe-
cialty shop in all of Kankakee County.”
Labriola saw a need for a business like
hers while working a booth at the Kanka-
kee Farmer’s Market, which featured her
husband Bob’s family’s homemade Labriola
breads. Customers were dissatisfied in hav-
ing to travel north to procure traditional
Italian ingredients and goods. “I viewed this
as an opportunity to provide a real service to
the local community,” Labriola notes.
Though Diane and Bob each brought
solid experience to the new venture—she,
with an associates degree in business man-
agement and marketing as well as experi-
ence operating a small construction busi-
ness, and he, as a pizza company proprietor
for many years—they sought additional
guidance from the SBDC and SCORE to
develop a business plan specific to current
market conditions and within their target
industry.
Labriola admits that gaining financing
was not a simple matter of going to those
banks that had supported her in the past.
“Some were skeptical of my idea,” she says.
But, her persistence, supported by a realis-
tic, three-year budgetary projection, even-
tually paid off.
By design, a niche business’ top priority
must be customer responsiveness. Though
she and Bob do have a couple of part-time
employees, Labriola says she is spending
more hours on the job than ever before.
“Ultimately, I’m the one who’s accountable
to meet the customers’ needs.
“It’s a lot of hard work.”
Being a sole proprietor also means think-
ing outside the box in terms of marketing.
Though the shop does sell pantry stores,
including specialty canned food items, as
well as Italian wines, sausages and cheeses,
a deli offers ready-to-serve items, like Ital-
ian lunchmeats, raviolis and pizzas, as well.
With those offerings, the business can pro-
vide catering services and party trays as well
as arrange corporate lunches. The Labrio-
las have not done too much paid advertis-
ing to date. Diane explains that they have,
instead, used this launch time to “work out
any operational kinks.”
Does Labriola have advice for other as-
piring entrepreneurs? “People have to be
willing to jump into it,” she offers. “Get as
prepared as possible, but be willing to learn
from trial and error as well.”
The Service Professional
Nestled among the fastest growing fields,
financial service occupations are projected
to experience growth of from 30 percent to
40 percent by 2016, according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. And, according
to Sue Legris of Bourbonnais accountancy
Legris & Associates, a key to success in this
and similar fields is a long-term outlook
that involves slowly building client trust
and providing superior customer service.
“Every year, my business has grown 10
percent,” Legris reports. “It’s just happen-
ing naturally.”
While that steady growth cannot be at-
tributed to things like large-scale advertis-
ing campaigns, Legris’ success is definitely
the result of a clear business plan that in-
volves affordably and personally serving
small business clients in the areas of pay-
roll processing, income tax preparation and
general accounting services.
Legris was in her 30s with two children
in 1991, when she landed a job working for
a large, local public accounting firm. Armed
with a math degree, newly achieved CPA
status and copious experience in the finan-
cial services field, she had reached what
many view as the pinnacle of professional
success. Legris, however, eventually was
compelled to move on.
“There’s still a lot to learn once you have
the CPA,” Legris explains. She says life and
professional experiences can continue to
lead business professionals in new directions
if they are open to the challenge. In her case,
“I saw a need to take care of small business
clients in the way that a larger firm couldn’t,
Small Business Breakdown by Numbers of Employees
Source: IDC, “U.S. Small Business 2005-2009 Forecast,” 2005
providing individual focus for a reasonable
fee.” She founded her own firm in 2004.
Though buying her book of business from
her previous employer allowed Legris to
“hit the ground running,” she faced typical
startup challenges. “There are many things
to buy and employees to pay,” she cautions.
“You might not get paid in the beginning.”
Legris started with four employees; she now
has seven, including a part-time CPA and
other paraprofessional staff.
Networking with local civic and profes-
sional groups was instrumental in Legris
building her business. “It takes years to
develop relationships,” she says. Her long-
term involvement with groups like the
Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional Chamber of
Commerce, Zonta and the Rosie Fund, as
well as her position teaching QuickBooks
and other classes at KCC, have helped
Legris build that all-important trust that is
essential for those providing financial and
similar services.
She says that sole proprietorship is a great
way to “test the waters” as a businessperson.
“There are fewer costs involved,” she ex-
plains. “Once your business evolves and you
start making money, you can always change
to a corporation.” After four years in busi-
ness, Legris recently did just that.
A corporation chartered by the state in
which it is headquartered, notes the SBA,
is considered by law to be a unique entity,
separate and apart from those who own it.
A corporation can be taxed, it can be sued
and it can enter into contractual agree-
ments. The owners of a corporation are its
shareholders. The shareholders elect a board
of directors to oversee the major policies
and decisions. The corporation has a life of
its own and does not dissolve when owner-
ship changes.
A shift in business structure is just a legal
formality for Legris. All services will re-
 Sisters Vicky Mansberger and Laurel Gowler are set to open a
main the same. She also has no immediate
promotional plans, gaining new clientele
almost entirely through word of mouth. “I
don’t really need to advertise at this point,”
she explains. “I don’t want to lose that per-
sonal touch.”
The Franchisee
Aspiring entrepreneurs concerned with
assuming too much risk may consider an-
other option: franchising. A franchise is a
legal and commercial relationship between
the owner of a trademark, service mark,
trade name or advertising symbol and an
individual or group wishing to use that
identification in a business. The franchise
governs the method of conducting business
between the two parties and provides some
business services; the franchisee brings the
entrepreneurial spirit and drive necessary to
make the franchise a success.
According to the International Franchise
Association, a new report from Pricewater-
Resources/Contacts
Beecher Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Patty Meyer
Phone: 708.946.2261
E-mail: bchamber@villageofbeecher.org
Web: www.villageofbeecher.org
Bolingbrook Area Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Mike Evans, Executive Director
Phone: 630.226.8420
E-mail: info@bolingbrookchamber.org
Web: www.bolingbrookchamber.org
Bradley Bourbonnais Regional Chamber of
Commerce
Phone: 815.932.2222 • Fax: 815.932.3294
E-mail: bbcc@bbchamber.com
Web: www.bbchamber.com
Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Tammy Matthews
Phone: 708.957.6950 ext.117 Web: www.jolietchamber.com
E-mail: tmatthews@chicagosouthland.com
Web: www.chicagosouthland.com
Crete Area Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Pat Herbert
Phone: 708.672.9216
E-mail: cretechamber@sbcglobal.net
Web: www.cretechamber.com
Frankfort Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Lynne Doogan/Marla Krippel
Phone: 815.469.3356
E-mail: marla@frankfortchamber.com
Web: www.frankfortchamber.com
Grant Park Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 815.466.0604
E-mail: president@grantparkchamber.org
Web: www.grantparkchamber.org
Grundy County Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 815.942.0113 Web: www.lockportchamber.com
E-mail: info@grundychamber.com
Web: www.grundychamber.com Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
Dinner by Design franchise in Bourbonnais.
houseCoopers reveals that direct
economic output of franchises
grew by more than 40 percent to
$800 billion in 2005 from $625
billion in 2001, while economic
output of all businesses grew by 26
percent to $20.1 trillion from $16
trillion. Employment generated by
franchises grew by more than 12
percent to 11 million in 2005 from
9.7 million in 2001, while jobs in
all businesses grew by only 3.5
percent, from 132 million to 136.7 million.
Sisters Vicky Mansberger and Laurel
Gowler are in the final stages of laying the
groundwork to open a Dinner by Design in
Bourbonnais. There are currently more than
30 locations of the popular and growing, do-
it-yourself food service operation in Illinois.
Serving dual-income families stretched for
time, the corporate website touts, “In just
two hours or less, you can make 12 entrées
or more.”
Herscher Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Timothy Feller
Phone: 815.426.2131
E-mail: Herschervillage@netscape.net
Web: www.herscher.net Manteno Area Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity
Web: www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo
State of Illinois Business Portal
Web: www.business.illinois.gov/FAQs.cfm
Homer Township Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Shirley Ciferri or Kathy Congreve
Phone: 708.301.8111
E-mail: office@homerchamber.com
Web: www.homerchamber.com
Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Russ Slinkard /Janet Contos
Phone: 815.727.5371
E-mail: rslinkard@jolietchamber.com
Kankakee County Clerk’s Office
(To register sole proprietorship)
Phone: 815.937.2990 • Fax: 815.939.8831
E-mail: countyclerk@k3county.net
Web: www.kankakeecountyclerk.com
Kankakee Regional Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 815.933.7721 • Fax: 815.933.7675
Web: www.kankakee.org
Lemont Area Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Karen Halper or Dawn Dentzman
Phone: 630.257.5997
E-mail: lacc@core.com
Web: www.lemontchamber.com
Lockport Area Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Sharon Hannah
Phone: 815.838.3357
E-mail: office@lockportchamber.com
Contact: Sheila Simnick / Glenna Johnston
The sisters’ backgrounds combined with
our current lifestyle trends seem perfectly
aligned for the venture. “I’m a registered di-
etician and have done some personal chef-
fing,” explains Mansberger. “My sister’s a
graphic artist.” Though the corporation
covers the accounting and marketing end,
the pair was still able to utilize the SBDC
for legal and financing assistance. Mans-
berger, in fact, cites the ready access to local
resources and experts as an important factor
Phone: 815.478.3811 or 815.693.8998
E-mail: chamber@manhattan-il.com
Web: www.manhattan-il.com
Contact: Lisa Price
Phone: 815.468.6226
E-mail: lisarprice@comcast.net
Web: www.mantenochamber.com Phone: 815.725.2900
Mokena Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Joann McGowen
Phone: 708.479.2468
E-mail: joann@mokena.com
Web: www.mokena.com
Momence Area Chamber of Commerce E-mail: kcrite@kcc.edu
Phone: 815.472.4620
E-mail: Webmaster@momence.net
Web: www.momence.net/momencechamber.html U.S. Small Business Administration
Monee Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 708.534.5332 or 708.212.413
E-mail: info@moneechamber.org
Web: www.moneechamber.org
New Lenox Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Debbera Hypke
Phone: 815.485.4241
E-mail: info@newlenoxchamber.com
Web: www.newlenoxchamber.com
Peotone Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Kim Gromala
Phone: 708.258.9450
E-mail: peotonechamber@hotmail.com
Web: www.peotonechamber.com
Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Liz Collins/Mary Gutowski
Phone: 815.436.4431
E-mail: etcollins@plainfieldchamber.com
Web: www.plainfieldchamber.com
Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Sharon Gooday
Phone: 815.886.2076
E-mail: info@romeovillechamber.org
Web: www.romeovillechamber.org
in her business’s startup. “It’s been
a real motivational force.”
For the most part, Dinner by De-
sign’s purchasing, operations and
marketing are standardized, which
Mansberger views as a positive.
“That way, customers are assured of
product safety, quality and consis-
tency.” However, because Dinner
by Design places heavy emphasis
on promotion and customer ser-
vice, the business’s ultimate success
relies largely on the enthusiasm and savvy of
its owner(s). Promotional initiatives include:
a corporate delivery program; fundraising
opportunities; raffles and special events;
GERD-friendly meals; gift certificates; and
a customer reward program.
The sisters have a target opening date of
June 1, though presentations to corpora-
tions and groups are starting now. They ex-
pect to hire 12 part-time employees as well
as a full-time manager.
SCORE Kankakee Chapter
Contact: Michael Holtzman
Phone: 815.427.9818
E-mail: score-kankakee@sbcglobal.net
Web: www.score-kankakee.com
Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Linda Slabaugh, president
E-mail: sacc@shorewoodchamber.com
Web: www.shorewoodchamber.com
Small Business Development Center; Illinois
SBDC at Kankakee Community College
Contact: Ken Crite
Phone: 815.933.0376 • Fax: 815.933.0217
Web: www.kcc.edu/biz/empsolutions/sbdc/index.asp
Web: www.sba.gov
Watseka Area Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Carrie Yana / Allison Hudson
Phone: 815.432.2416
E-mail: office@watsekachamber.org
Web: www.watsekachamber.org
Will County Center for Economic Development
Contact: Missy Snyder/Nicole Puracchio/Megan
Muskovin
Phone: 815.774.6064 or 888.723.7773
E-mail: nicole.puracchio@willcountyced.com
Web: www.willcountyced.com
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Pam Monson
Phone: 815.476.5991
E-mail: pam.monson@cbcast.com
Web: www.wilmingtonchamberofcommerce.org
Workforce Investment Board of Will County
Contact: Mary Gajcak, business liaison
Phone: 815.727.5679
E-mail: mgajcak@willcountyillinois.com
Web: www.willcountyworkforceboard.com
Ask SCORE | by Michael Holtzman
Prepare Yourself
Properly Before
Marketing
What does “marketing” really mean for
a small business? For you, it might include
events, public relations, trade shows or ad-
vertising. But for other small businesses, it
might mean different things, like electronic
newsletters, packaging, postcards—and
even the hats, uniforms or nametags that
employees wear.
In fact, think of marketing not as a single
action but rather a combination of steps your
business takes to identify, attract and retain
profitable customers. As such, marketing is
of vital importance to your business, so you
want to make sure and do it right. And that
means preparing yourself properly before
you spend money on marketing.
If you play a sport, you know that prepa-
ration is vital for success. Ditto for mar-
keting your business. You must be able to
clearly identify what sets you apart from the
competition. Without this knowledge, you
can’t market yourself properly.
Verify the accuracy of marketing in-
formation before you proceed. To prepare
yourself for marketing, create a detailed
Declare Your Financial
Independence Day
As we get close to the 4 of July, you may
th
be thinking of where you’ll be going to at-
tend a picnic, watch fireworks or engage in
any of the other activities that accompany
the holiday. And while it’s always mean-
ingful to commemorate our nation’s many
freedoms, you may want to take this oppor-
tunity to think about another celebration
of liberty—your own “Financial Indepen-
dence Day.”
However, unlike the 4th of July, Finan-
cial Independence Day won’t just show up
on the calendar—you have to work to make
it happen. Here are a few suggestions for
doing just that:
Liberate yourself from debt. You don’t
have to be a free spender to rack up a lot of
debt—the cost of living is high, and some-
times you need to use loans and credit. But
profile of your ideal prospect. As you
create your marketing message, aim
it at them and list the benefits
they will receive. Be certain
your marketing message high-
lights the special knowledge
and expertise you offer.
Look for ways to make the
buying process easier for your
customers. What roadblocks can
you remove? Simplify everything;
eliminate potential interruptions in the
sales process and make decision-making as
painless as possible for your customers.
Put your marketing budget in proper
perspective. You might, for example, think
of marketing as your ace-in-the-hole rather
than merely a “cost.” Try to set a budget and
a pace that lets you market continuously.
Customer memories are short, and they are
bombarded with thousands of marketing
messages and images daily. Your effort must
be ongoing or people will quickly forget.
Match your marketing to your primary
market. If it’s a local market, then that’s
by Tom Vaccaro
the more money you owe, the harder it is
to achieve financial independence, so try
to reduce, consolidate or eliminate as many
debts as possible. You may have to drive that
old car one year longer or postpone that va-
cation until you can pay for it up front, but
these and similar moves may pay off down
the road.
Emancipate your investments. To achieve
your long-term financial goals, you need
your investments to provide you with the
combination of growth potential and in-
come that’s appropriate for your individual
needs. To accomplish this, though, these
investments need to be “free” from being
raided constantly to pay for the costs of ev-
eryday life. That’s why you should establish
an emergency fund containing six to 12
months’ worth of living expenses. By keep-
where your marketing focus should
be. Broadly-focused newspaper or
radio advertising, for example, might be the
wrong choice. Instead, consider marketing
neighborhood-by-neighborhood.
A good place to find marketing help is
MarketPower.com, a free Web site produced
by the American Marketing Association.
The site offers authoritative information on
all marketing topics from advertising, In-
ternet marketing and research, to strategy,
public relations and items specific to small
business.
To learn more about marketing your small
business, contact SCORE “Counselors to
ing this fund in a liquid account, you won’t
have to tap into your investments the next
time you have a major car repair, need a new
appliance or face an unexpected medical
bill.
Unchain the potential of your retirement
accounts. Every time you get a raise, boost
your contributions to your retirement plan
at work—i.e., your 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b).
Your money has the potential to grow on a
tax-deferred basis, and you typically con-
tribute pre-tax dollars, so the more you put
in, the lower your annual adjusted gross in-
come will be. But if you’re not contributing
the maximum allowed, or at least as much as
you can afford, you’re putting “shackles” on
the ability of these plans to help you attain
the retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned.
Free your family from threats to your
income. Without your income, would your
family be able to pay off the mortgage? Or
send your children to college? Or meet any
of the financial goals you’ve set? Financial
America’s Small Business.” SCORE is a
nonprofit organization of more than 10,500
volunteer business counselors who provide
free, confidential business counseling and
training workshops to small business own-
ers. Call 1.800.634.0245 for the SCORE
chapter nearest you, or find a counselor on-
line at www.score.org.
Michael Holtzman is chairman
of the Kankakee Valley
Chapter of SCORE.
independence will always be elusive unless
you protect your family from the potential
loss of your income—and that’s why you
need adequate life insurance, especially in
the years when your children are young
and you’re still paying on your house. At
the same time, you may need disability in-
surance to replace your income if you can’t
work due to illness or injury. Your employer
may offer a disability policy, but it might be
insufficient to meet your needs, so you may
need to add extra coverage.
By taking these and other steps, you can
go a long way toward turning Financial In-
dependence Day from a goal to a reality—so
take action soon.
Tom Vaccaro is a financial
advisor with Edward Jones in
Kankakee.
Letters to
$1 billion dollars on Illinois employers who immediate economic slowdown, but also the
do not pay more that a defined percentage long-term challenge of creating tomorrow’s
of their payroll on health benefits. Imposing jobs. My proposal will add full value to the

the Editor
Job Creation Initiatives
Difficult economic times in Illinois his-
tory have been overcome with hard work,
perseverance and government policies that
provide tax relief and promote job creation.
Our current economic situation calls for
similar action.
The current economic outlook for Illinois
is not positive. In March 2008, Illinois’
unemployment rate (5.5 percent) exceeded
the U.S. unemployment rate (4.8 percent).
Manufacturing jobs lost within Illinois
surpassed 240,000 since 1998 – a signifi-
cant 26 percent of all manufacturing jobs
in the state. An independent, non-partisan
February 2008 Moodys’ report on Illinois’
economic outlook indicates that Illinois
will fare worse than the nation as a whole
as the national economy weakens. The cur-
rent negative economic situation warrants a
concerted State response.
A healthy, vibrant, and stable business
community plays a vital role in our nation’s
recovery from uncertain economic times.
In order to achieve it, government must be
proactive in creating an environment that
reinvigorates Illinois’ economy. At the State
level, the House Republicans are support-
ing the following tax relief and job creation
initiatives to help our business community:
Initiate the Jobs for Prosperity capital
plan. The proposed $25 billion job creation
and infrastructure improvement plan would
be responsible and fiscally prudent, with
funding from both federal and local sources.
Illinois has not passed a capital bill in nine
years, leaving our roads, schools, higher
education facilities, state facilities and mass
transit infrastructure in disrepair. Improv-
ing Illinois’ infrastructure will also improve
Illinois business and job climate.
Oppose Governor Blagojevich’s Pay-
roll Tax. Governor Blagojevich has re-
newed his call for a payroll tax of more that
additional taxes on struggling Illinois busi-
nesses – both small and large alike – is oner-
ous and counterproductive. Illinois elected
officials should focus on measures that pro-
mote economic development, job creation
and regionally competitive climate – not
additional tax increases. My sponsorship
of House Resolution 549 demonstrates my
steadfast opposition to the payroll tax.
Re-adopt a job training expense tax
credit. The credit would allow employers to
defray the expense of training and re-train-
ing Illinois-based employees. The previous
Illinois job training expense tax credit of
1.6 percent was eliminated by Governor
Blagojevich in 2004 and has not been re-
instated. My proposal will reduce training
costs, thereby allowing existing employers
to invest in new employees without incur-
ring significant training expenses.
Fully reinstate the entire research and
development (R & D) income tax credit.
Originally repealed by Governor Blagojev-
ich in 2003, the credit was only partially
reenacted in 2004. Surrounding states have
much more generous R & D initiatives. Il-
linois policies should focus not only on the
income tax credit.
The Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan, edu-
cational organization founded in 1937 in
Washington, D.C., has ranked Illinois’ cur-
rent business tax climate is 25th in the na-
tion (1st being best, 50th being worst), with
neighboring states of Indiana and Missouri
ranked 12th and 15th, respectively. Illinois
should not sit idle as our economic vitality
erodes with higher taxes and fewer business
incentives. We will be aggressive in replac-
ing Illinois’ substandard business tax cli-
mate with one that is exceptional. My belief
is that the proposals detailed above will ac-
complish it. Empowering our business with
tax relief and job-creating laws will provide
the necessary tools to finish the task of rein-
vigorating Illinois’ economy.
Please feel free to contact my office at
815.254.0000 if you have questions or need
any assistance.
Sincerely,
Tom Cross
House Republican Leader
State Representative, 84th District
Illinois House of Representatives

n Submit your letters to the editor by e-mailing awheeler@b2billinois.com or mail to B2B Illinois,
attn: Andrew Wheeler, 8 Dearborn Square, Kankakee, IL 60901. Letters may be edited due to space restrictions.

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Spanish Language Training | by Dr. Héctor López
Just a Few Pointers…
Not Training
As a professional consultant in the field
of second-language acquisition, I make
my living by offering my services to mul-
tiple service sectors in the Chicagoland
area. Meeting with clients, going over their
needs and expectations and listening to my
potential clients are everyday activities. I
am often called upon to review proposals
for services and offer my feedback. After
my initial contact, and within a few days,
I generate a written proposal outlining our
conversation and my services. This is usu-
ally followed by several weeks, sometimes
months, or even years, of phone conversa-
tions and correspondence. Hey, if this were
easy, everybody would be doing it!
As I prepare my “customized proposal,”
the question I always ask myself is, “how
much information do I share?” The stan-
dard training description answers the basic
WH questions—who, what, where, when
and how. Although I give my clients all the
information they require, I am often con-
cerned that this information can be used to
set up training independent of me. My con-
cern is not to give up too much information
or specifics that can be used to hire some-
one else and have them follow my proposal.
I have heard of some unscrupulous home-
owners getting professional architectural
landscaping designs and quotes, only to
turn around and hire an independent con-
tractor using the other person’s proposal. I
understand that this practice is unethical,
however, it does happen.
Just a Few Pointers
Recently, I was contacted by a former as-
sociate (read: ghost from the past) concern-
ing an offer by a company to submit a pro-
posal for second-language training. I was
then invited to a cup of coffee to discuss this
in more detail. As I hung up the phone it
occurred to me that this apparently friendly
and innocuous request for assistance was
going to become more complicated than I
originally contemplated.
The caller was requesting “just a few
pointers” on oral language screening,
course content, selection of texts, and a
rough course outline on how much material
should be covered during a class session,
and that my “material would be returned to
you at a later date.” As I reviewed my notes,
it became apparent that each item is at least
a graduate course unto itself, and that I had
already “suffered through” them in grad
school. I let out a deep sigh.
Divulging Trade Secrets
While I wanted to help out my former
associate, I felt torn by the heavy time con-
straints this would undoubtedly lead to.
Surely, more calls would follow and more
“free consultations.” Helping out is some-
thing that I do as a matter of course; my
students often contact me about my classes,
homework assignments, papers due, and
sometimes just to inform me that they are
running late to class. However, many times
I tell them that two hours before class I
am already in transit and cannot possibly
answer the office phone. I still find these
phone messages and, of course, e-mails.
I recognized the dilemma that my for-
mer associate was in, and I was struggling
with how to help. A few pointers coming
from me would equate to me giving away
my “trade secrets” of working on a worksite.
After all, I formed my company to do the
exact same things. How much information
do I give this person? How much time is
this going to consume?
The Ethical Considerations of
a Consultation vs. a Freebie
This situation also reminded me of a
phone call I received to do a slight trans-
lation sent via e-mail. The caller indicated
that if I would just tell him what the let-
ter says, he “promises to send” me all the
translations from this business venture.
I informed the caller that all translations
must be paid up front and that I “promise”
to do them as soon as I receive payment. He
never called again.
As a small business owner, revenue
comes from repeat business and, of course,
new contracts only augment my established
monthly income. Sometimes clients contact
me to proof a sign that is going up in the
high volume traffic area by the elevator for
their Spanish-speaking employees or cli-
ents. If the work performed is less than 10
minutes of my time, I do it at no charge. I
know that my QuickBooks trainer/accoun-
tant is going to be upset with me for not
creating an invoice and entering the sale.
Even though generating invoices is not a
complicated matter, I feel that helping out
loyal clients with small favors is good for
business.
Second Language Tips
After more thought, I considered it a
non-threatening opportunity to show good
faith. In order to be successful in teaching
a second language in the workplace, much
more than “just a few tips” is required. I did
not opt to meet face to face, as this would be
time consuming. Instead, I decided to scrib-
ble some notes and send them off. Here are
the basics for teaching English as a Second
Language (ESL) class for the workplace.
ESL Tips for Workplace
Literacy
Give them classroom survival phrases.
a) How do you say _______ in English?
b) How do you spell __________ (in
English)?
c) I do not understand.
d) Please repeat.
e) I am learning English, please speak
slower/repeat.
Practice these phrases again and again.
Have them copy these phrases. Give them
time to copy what you write. Do not talk or
teach while they write. Stay quiet.
When using the text, give examples,
be brief and focus on small sets of words.
Control your vocabulary. Have them work
in pairs. Be vigilant for signs of stress: blank
looks, mumbling, laughter or excessive chat-
ter in first language.
Identify the fastest learners as soon as
possible. Avoid using them as tutors or they
will drop out; “the class is too basic.”
Pick out eight to 10 words as daily vo-
cabulary. This includes function words (am,
are, is, etc.); content words (nouns and more
verbs) will eventually take over.
Teach affirmative, negative and inter-
rogative sentences. Avoid showing the
auxiliary verb “do" until later.
Role model everything. Control your
vocabulary.
Use high energy that is focused on hav-
ing them practice, review and experience
success. They are your clients.
Learn to stay passive when they are in
pairs. Do not confuse activity with teach-
ing. Students must do the work. Your job is
to make that happen.
Keep your writing organized. Try not to
write too much. As the hours go by, you can
refer back to what you have covered. Save
the last 10 to 15 minutes to review again.
Give NO homework. Study and practice is
enough (at least for now).
Mix-up, stir and enjoy. Add sugar to
taste.
Dr. Héctor D. López, BEST
Solutions, Inc.
n For information on Fronteras, a monthly
Spanish-language newspaper serving
Kankakee, Will, Iroquois and Grundy Counties,
contact Blake Naylor at 815.802.5080 or e-mail
bnaylor@daily-journal.com.
Organize It! | by Karen McGregor
The 80/20 Rule
and Other Interesting Organizing
Statistics
Marketing folks and statisticians com- is something to ponder the next time you
pile all kinds of interesting facts to share consider cleaning out your filing cabinet or
with the population at large. Here are some closet! It IS okay to let stuff go!
of those statistics and facts related to or- E-mail is increasing print volumes by 40
ganization. Something to think about, for percent. Paper use is growing six to eight
sure! percent each year.
The document for the Boeing 747 weighs
Cost of Disorganization more than the plane itself!
n Twenty-three percent of adults say they
Mental Clutter/Multi-Tasking
pay bills late (and thus incur fees) be-
Managing two mental tasks at once re-
cause they LOSE them!
duces the brainpower available for either
n Executives waste six weeks per year task.
searching for lost documents. Workers’ productivity decreases by 20
percent to 40 percent every time they multi-
n An enterprise employing 1,000 knowl-
task or “task switch.”
edge workers wastes $48,000 per week,
Subjects in a test were asked to listen
or nearly $2.5 million per year, due to an
to sentences while comparing two rotat-
inability to locate and retrieve informa-
ing objects. Even though these activities
tion.
engage different parts of the brain, the
n It costs $120 in labor to track down a resources available for processing visual in-
misplaced document, or $250 in labor to put dropped 29 percent if the subject was
recreate it. trying to listen at the same time. The brain
n It costs about $25,000 to fill a four-
drawer filing cabinet and over $2,100 a
year to maintain it.
activation for listening dropped 53 percent
if the person was trying to process visual
input at the same time.
n 100,000 – the number of deaths each Productivity/Efficiency
year caused by information errors or
lack of information. (This is the ULTI-
On average, interruptions occur every
eight minutes (six-seven per hour) and last
MATE cost of disorganization.) about five minutes. In eight hours, that
equals 50 interruptions, or 250 minutes, or
Clutter just over four out of eight workday hours.
Pareto’s Principle (The “80/20” Rule): A planned phone call takes seven min-
80 percent of what we keep, we never use. utes, unplanned takes 12 minutes.
This applies no matter what the item – pa-
perwork, clothing, tools, recipes, etc. This
Legris & Associates
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Specializing in QuickBooks®
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Accounting and Payroll Processing
Certified QuickBooks® ProAdvisor
Consulting (Both on-site and in our office)
FOR ALL YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
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Aesthetics/Perception
Seventy-three percent of those surveyed
said their impression of colleagues was in-
fluenced by the way their desks were orga-
nized.
Seventy percent of those surveyed be-
lieved that workers with messy desks were
perceived as less career-driven than their
fastidious counterparts.
UPS and GM implemented clean desk
policies in 2002.
Decluttering
Seventy-four percent of one study’s par-
ticipants said they spring clean because
they are tired of clutter.
Rail Offers Surprising
Growth Opportunity
In Transportation Sector for
Manufacturers
An economist for the fabricating and
metalworking industry has sifted through
the current financial rubble of surging oil
prices and transportation sector woes to
find a major growth opportunity for manu-
facturers – the rail business.
“Although in general the transportation
arena has been hit hard by the economic
downturn and many traditional areas are
in some distress, one surprise in this sector
is the rail industry with a solid expectation
for growth given the realities of fuel costs,”
says Dr. Chris Kuehl, economic analyst for
the Fabricators & Manufacturers Associa-
tion, International (FMA). Kuehl made his
comments in the current FMA economic
update newsletter Fabrinomics.
“The surging demand for food commodi-
ties has been and will continue to be a boon
for the rail sector. So is the demand for
cleaner burning coal,” Kuehl says. “In re-
sponse, the major freight rail operations are
discussing expansion and the need to buy
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which 31 percent reported they were more
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more rail cars, specialized yard equipment
and even the rail itself.
“There also is renewed interest in provid-
ing urban transportation alternatives, and
that usually means some kind of light rail
system. The rise of gas prices to current lev-
els begins to make mass transit more popu-
lar and many communities are rushing to
‘get on board,’” he adds.
For companies involved in metal fabri-
cating and related industries, these trends
“provide some dramatic new opportunities
for rail and other infrastructure needs, as
well as the machines and carriages provid-
ing the transportation,” Kuehl says. “By all
accounts, this will be a field that grows ex-
ponentially in the years to come.”
Based in Rockford, Ill., the Fabricators &
Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA),
is a professional organization with more
than 2,300 members working together to
improve the metal forming and fabricating
industry.
How’s Business? | by Bill Guertin
Creating A Great Company Culture:
Levi’s Has It Sewn Up
® brand and what’s behind it. It’s not just a
Think for a moment about your most
comfortable pair of blue jeans. Chances
are they’ve got a Levi’s® tab on the back
pocket.
Levi Strauss & Co. has a long heritage
of American quality, going back to when
Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss himself
began to make tough, high-quality jeans
for the working men of the old West in
the late 1800s. Today, the brand has many
styles of apparel and merchandise, and is
headquartered in San Francisco, the very
place where people first came to appreciate
Levi’s® quality.
Levi Strauss & Co. is well-known in the
apparel industry for being one of the truly
great places to work. Compensation is com-
petitive, and turnover is far below the in-
dustry average. They work hard, play hard,
and live the company standard wherever
they go. They are true company patriots.
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For the record, my definition of a com-
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proudly of the work they do, supports and
defends their company, and avoids acts
that would cause harm to the organization.
Many companies try to create that kind of
culture, but wind up falling short.
What goes into creating a Levi’s kind of
culture?
I met Pat, one of Levi’s regional merchan-
dise coordinator managers, on a flight back
from San Francisco. She had just enjoyed
a two-day company training and planning
meeting that included a Giants’ baseball
game in the Levi’s® Landing section of the
ballpark, which LS&CO. sponsors.
I asked her about the company patriotism
she obviously has. How does it start? What
goes into creating a culture of success?
“It starts by understanding our histo-
ry,” she began. “People need to know that
? back. Not everyone fits into
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they’re a part of a heritage of excellence, and
so each employee learns the history of the
frankly, for the individual. These are the
most delicate and difficult situations for me.
company, it’s an American icon of quality
and value. Everything we do needs to reflect
However, if handled carefully, the individ-
ual realizes it for themselves.”
What else goes into a culture of success?
that. It’s the knowledge that you’re part of “A big part of our culture is our commit-
something much larger than yourself, but as ment to giving back to our communities,”
an individual, you still feel you can make a Pat explained. “We have something known
difference.” as ‘501 Community Day.’ It’s actually in
It’s great to have a his-
tory like that, I said. But, I
wondered what the secret is
to maintaining that kind of
patriotism even if you don’t
have a rich history.
“I believe much of it is in
human resources,” Pat said.
“Hiring the best talent and
investing in them—through
coaching, training and com-
petitive compensation—is
huge. A large part of our
culture is understanding our
dedication to each other, and
also understanding the work
ethic that’s involved. It’s also
being able to work collab-
oratively to achieve greater
results. You put your all into
the job, and the job pays you
a culture like that.”
Pat does a good deal of
interviewing, and she has
several questions she likes
to ask candidates. “One of the questions is, honor of our original Levi’s® 501® jeans, so
‘Why do you want to work for Levi Strauss we used that brand to create a special day,
& Co. versus another company?’ It’s im- May 1. All employees are encouraged to
portant to me that people come in with an devote this day to participating in a com-
understanding of our heritage, culture and munity service project; help our local food
how they fit.” pantry, serve at our local homeless shelter,
or any other non-profit organization. Each
She said that the LS&CO. culture starts
at the top. “Our leaders stay connected with employee gets to choose what they do them-
employees in all areas of our business. Every selves or as a group. The company also gives
meeting I attend, you can count on at least these organizations grants on behalf of our
one member of our leadership team being service.
there and keeping us up-to-date and moti- “It allows us to help others and to give
vated regarding our goals. They encourage back, but I think it does something more.
open and honest feedback from their audi- It brings us closer together as a team, and
ence, and we never let them down. I try to as a company. It also makes us more ap-
emulate that as the leader for my team.” preciative of what we have, both in our jobs
When you hire someone on your team, I and in our family lives. I love working for
asked, how quickly do you know if some- a company that has those kinds of values,
one’s not going to work out? and I don’t mind going the extra mile for a
“I know within the first 90 days. The
question to ask isn’t whether they’re a nice
company like that.”
As you look at your company culture, ask
person or not. The #1 rule as a manager of yourself these things:
people is making the decision, ‘Are they ca- What are our hiring and training pro-
pable or not capable?’ I will spend all the cesses?
time necessary to bring someone that’s ca- Are there standards in place that allow
pable up to speed; however, if they’re not only those who fit to eventually become a
capable, we need to take action, quickly. part of our company?
It’s not good for business, for the team, and
Continued on page 39
Business Recruitment Fundamentals:
How to Onboard More
“A” Players
“All Aboard!” — Don’t you just wish that
hiring new employees was that easy? Un-
fortunately, it’s such a challenge today that
in a recent national survey, over 30 percent
of CEOs said up to half of their employ-
ees are a poor fit for the job. What’s more,
putting the wrong person in the wrong po-
sition just to fill the vacancy can have dire
consequences to your organization in terms
of poor employee morale, low productivity
and lost opportunities. The impact to your
company’s bottom line can be staggering.
The good news is that companies can
drastically improve their workforce quality
by adopting a proactive mindset and con-
sistently using the right hiring procedures.
Of course every company is always looking
for good people, but the employees who are
considered “A” players are usually work-
ing elsewhere—and happily—so they’re
less likely to be seeking greener pastures.
So if your company’s recruiting strategy
isn’t well developed, you’re basically hiring
other companies’ “B” and “C” players. True,
an occasional “A” player will walk through
your door, but you’re more likely to find that
elusive diamond through the establishment
of solid, consistent recruitment processes.
A multi-layered, robust, recruiting pro-
cess must be rooted in proactive, versus
reactive, recruiting. In today’s world, many
companies have the risky tendency of wait-
ing until a job opening occurs to initiate an
emergency job search—reactive recruiting
at its worst! In a rush to fill the open posi-
tion and lacking constant, solid recruiting
procedures, the company is more likely to
take a less-qualified candidate or, in some
cases, whoever shows up first.
Plan Ahead with Good Job
Descriptions
Avoid such dire measures by establishing
a very structured and systemized selection
process well ahead of when your company
actually needs it. This begins with writing a
job description before the actual recruiting
process. A good job description includes:
the job’s purpose, a detailed breakdown of
responsibilities, to whom the new person
will report, ways to measure the person’s ef-
fectiveness, the job’s vital factors, how the
person will spend their time, their author-
ity within the company, and the required
competencies, background and experience.
The job description also drives your inter-
viewing process and questions, as well as
the employee’s training plan. What’s more,
writing a job description before recruiting
by Lee Froschheiser
forces you to think through the position and
the competencies of the person you need; it
becomes the blueprint for the success of the
job and the person you hire.
Determine the Interview
Game Plan
Once you’ve attracted the top can-
didates, you need an interview game
plan. Considering what’s required
and wanted in the new hire, what
are you truly looking for in an
ideal employee, and how do these
attributes relate to what’s needed
for the position? Also, if given
the opportunity, what compe-
tencies would your internal or
n Focus on creating a
systematic, well thought
out, proactive recruiting
process.
n Formulate a good job
description to serve as a
blueprint for the job.
n Establisha solid business
plan that outlines how
many and what kind of
people you need to hire.
n Onboard new recruits
using a 90-day mentoring
plan with a 90-day training
period, measurable 90-day goals
and a mentoring team that meets
monthly to ensure the new hire’s
success.
n Have a development plan ready
(once they complete their 90-day
training plan) to help them grow
over the next year.
external customers look for from your em-
ployee to serve their needs? Whatever these
competencies are, the candidate you choose
must have them.
Your interview game plan must also in-
clude a robust selection process. This en-
ables you to evaluate the potential hire in
different ways. For example, you may need
to conduct several interviews, and will want
to do background check(s) at the very least.
Focus on Professional
Development
After successfully hiring an employee,
the next step in the recruitment process is to
develop this person via ongoing coaching,
training and planning that will enable his
or her professional growth. Unfortunately,
most companies have no structured on-
boarding plan for new personnel. By solely
focusing on bringing someone “aboard the
bus,” they forget to follow through with
important ongoing training and develop-
ment. If this is happening at your company,
you’re significantly reducing your retention
odds. And if that new recruit is one of
those rare “A” players, the loss is even
greater.
The first 90 days of employment are
critical to the long-term success of
the new employee. Therefore you
should develop and implement
a 90-day training plan to secure
the employee’s place within the
organization and facilitate his or
her improvement. You can vary
this training based upon the new
employee’s level of experience
with your existing systems. But
it’s important to train this new hire
on business practices, how your
company functions and how these
fit into the organization, too.
Key to the success of this 90-
day training plan is using a men-
toring team consisting of a peer,
manager and support person. The
mentoring team should meet at
least monthly to give feedback to
the new hire, ensure he or she has
someone they can go to with ques-
tions, and enable their success at
adhering to the 90-day training
plan.
Establish Expectations Now
Also during this time, it’s critical to set
clear, result-oriented goals. Why? Because
setting these requirements will communi-
cate company expectations and accountabil-
ity for results, ensure that the new employee
understands the company’s priorities, and,
Shredding on-site provides high
efficiency. Flexible programs will
most importantly, measure whether he or
she is the right person for the job. Once the
employee successfully completes the first 90
days, you’ll need a six-months-to-one-year,
personal-development plan to facilitate his
or her advancement and growth. Focus on
consistent improvement and job-perfor-
mance strengthening.
Incorporate the Current
Business Plan
Finally, do you have a well-developed,
current business plan? From day one, such
a plan helps new employees understand the
company’s direction and the role they play
in it. Based upon the business plan, your re-
cent hire should also grasp the company’s
vital factors—the unique set of critical ele-
ments that can either hold a company back
or propel it to success. Each employee should
be assigned personal vital factors that sup-
port the company vital factors—an exercise
that creates that crucial strategic alignment
within your organization.
Following these fundamental strategies is
a sure way to onboard those “A” players and,
more importantly, keep them aboard the
company bus. With the right team in place,
you’ll find it’s easier to retain those good
workers, maintain strong company morale
and meet your business’ goals.
Lee Froschheiser, president
and CEO of Management
Action Programs (MAP)
Consulting, works with many
premiere business leaders
and companies nationwide.
Lee is also co-author of the best-selling
book, “Vital Factors, The Secret to
Transforming Your Business—And Your
Life.” His consulting firm specializes in trans-
forming companies, and accelerates the
performance of people, teams and
organizations. Clients include WebEx
Communications, Cold Stone Creamery, Los
Angeles Clippers and KIA Motors.
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Leadership in the
Face of Change
Considering society’s bottomless access
to information, our non-stop exposure to
stimuli beamed from around the world, and
the unsettling aspects of a modern life lived
in a global village, Heraclitus’ observation
rings truer than ever. Every day we do our
best to manage as much uncertainty out of
our lives as possible, but in the end, we can
only control so much.
The “constant of change” is what gener-
ates the unrelenting stress in our lives. It
gives us the sense that our well-being is
under constant threat. When you feel this
threat, the hypothalamus area of your brain
revs like a hot rod; hormones secrete, the
nervous system engages. Adrenaline hits the
bloodstream like a fuel injection. Excessive
cortisol is discharged into the body produc-
ing – if the infomercials are true – stubborn
extra pounds. We never hit the “off” button
and our “flight or fight” reactions become
unremitting, resulting in the inability to
cope with trivial matters and limiting our
effectiveness to deal with change, re-ignit-
ing the cycle.
But why is it some people act consistently
strong in times of inconsistency? Why do
some remain resilient despite negative odds?
Why do some emerge as leaders despite the
pressure?
Some people seem to be more “ready” to
both avail themselves of change and grasp
opportunity amidst chaos, while others
– equally affected by circumstances – are
left paralyzed and diminished.
Great leaders throughout history, and
spiritual and intellectual thinkers through-
out time, speak to a type of thinking that
transforms the soul into one of peace, cour-
age, purpose and bearing. Privilege and
adversity strike indiscriminately, but those
who face it using core beliefs and thought-
patterns motivate themselves to win and
succeed.
READY Thinking is a framework that
301 N. Schuyler • P.O. Box 903, Kankakee, IL 60901-0903
815.933.7729 www.dimondbros.com 815.932.6791
by John Baker
produces influential action and enables an
individual – or an entire organization – to
get motivated and take action in the face of
both challenge and opportunity. With this
model, you are able to tackle tough prob-
lems, flourish in times of turmoil and to be
more capable of moving through change
rapidly. READY is an acronym that out-
lines a five-step process to bring leadership
into times of uncertainty:
R – Reality worthwhile, the destination you take them
Reality requires you to define the situa-
tion in uncompromisingly clear and concise
terms for yourself and the people around you
– the most essential step in READY Think-
ing, and the hardest. Why? Very few people
“The only constant in the universe is change.”
Greek philosopher, Heraclitus – 2,500 years ago
like reality. Governing your life is about
choosing, but the old adage is true: People
want their cake and to eat it, too. Yet, the
common practice of expending emotions
and energy on things that aren’t real is the
direct opposite of being ready. The philoso-
pher Santayana said it best, “One real world
is enough.” First step in defining reality:
Stop playing the “what if ” game. When you
hear yourself – or someone else – say things
like “What if…” or “If only…” or “I should
have, would have, or could have…” you’re
wasting time and emotion on things that
aren’t real. Stop!
E – Enlarging
Enlarging is about giving yourself, and
those you lead, an inspirational energy-in-
ducing vision much larger than the task at
hand, and much bolder than the situation
warrants. Human beings want to feel part
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of something bigger than themselves. They
want their work to be important, valued,
and to make a difference. First step in en-
larging: Ask the question, “What’s in it for
me?” While this may sound self-centered,
it actually helps to frame your “self talk”
and to fully appreciate the larger purpose of
your effort.
A – Accountability the energy. How do you get people to join
Accountability requires authentically
taking responsibility for your actions and
for the leadership you give to others. People
will want to join your team when they be-
lieve the journey you lead them on will be
to will be important, and that your leader-
ship can get them there. Blow the account-
ability bond, and don’t look back; your team
will be long gone. First step in accountabil-
ity: admit, apologize and acknowledge. Ad-
mit you caused the problem, apologize for
it, and acknowledge your role in finding a
solution.
D – Durability READY more often? Being READY is
Durability allows you to persist through
tough times, finish the job and value the
benefit of sweat and toil. Durability is the
ability to stick with something through
good times and bad, victory and heart-
break, happy emotions and sad ones – this
is the most powerful attribute of a READY
Thinker. Durability is stronger than talent,
better than luck, more real than potential,
and more valuable than intellect. Durability
is the value that has delivered every good
thing in your life. First step in durabil-
ity: When faced with what appears to be
a daunting task or major setback, focus on
one small action that moves you forward.
Then focus on the next small action. Small
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steps allow you to surmount what initially
appears to be insurmountable.
Y – “Yes” Attitude
A “Yes” attitude means you take what
you do seriously, but you don’t take your-
self seriously. Having fun and enjoying your
work pays dividends, and people – friends,
co-workers and clients – want to be part of
you on the “Yes” attitude bandwagon? At-
tract them with optimism and confidence.
First step in “Yes” Attitude: Nourish your
brain with a positive diet. Instead of that
firebrand talk show, listen to motivational
music instead. Read an inspirational book
before going to sleep instead of watching
the morbid nightly news. Learn a foreign
language on the way into work; when some-
one asks about your commute simply say:
“Magnifico, grazi!”
Do you remember a time when you felt
READY? In all likelihood, there were
many unknowns when you went through
the change. But despite a nervous energy,
you were inclined to do something, to move
forward, to take the lead. You were confi-
dent and resolute. Chances are, you are a
leader in some aspect of your life – at work,
at home, at school, or wherever you hold
influence – so wouldn’t it be worth it to be
facing down obstacles and changing events
with influential action.
John Baker, a speaker and
founder of READY Thinking,
LLC, has helped hundreds of
organizations achieve success
by adopting a practical
framework of thinking during
times of change and opportunity. He
has over 20 years experience, with compa-
nies including American Express and
Ameriprise Financial, as a senior execu-
tive specializing in sales, client loyalty and
customer service. John is author of the
forthcoming book, “READY Thinking – A
Framework for Action in Times of Change.”
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Enterpreneurial Hiring
A young entrepreneur was recently re-
viewing his own natural talent patterns as
revealed in a comprehensive psychometric
tool. He had exceptional behavioral and
motivational energy as well as having one of
the highest empathetic outlook scores ever
seen (9.8 out of 10).
What most people
wouldn’t give for
some of his energy!
However, as with
many up and com-
ing entrepreneurs,
he was great at get-
ting things started
and extremely frus-
trated with trying
to get things fin-
ished. The young
entrepreneur real-
ized that in order to
fulfill his potential,
he needed to build a
much stronger sup-
port team to execute
more effectively on
his ideas.
This entrepre-
neur currently
owns three differ-
ent businesses and
has enough ideas
to start several more. What is important at
this juncture is building a support team that
is different from him – folks who don’t like
to initiate new projects but who will enjoy
implementing, nurturing, and optimizing
the ideas that have grown into businesses
already. The question he had (like so many
others do) is: “But how do you do that?” In
what may seem too simple to be considered
anything other than obvious, the response
is: “Know the job, know the person, then
manage for success.”
Know the Job
What are the primary activities of this
job? Interaction with lots of people? Versa-
tility? Working in a competitive environ-
ment (whether competing against a goal
or winning against competitors)? Frequent
change? Maintaining an organized work-
place? What are the activities that make up
the majority of time spent in this job when
it is done right?
What are the primary intrinsic rewards
of this job? Of course, everyone wants a
paycheck, but what else does this job re-
ward? Helping other people? Learning new
things? Creating and maintaining order?
Or, is the greatest reward creating lots of
money or some other measurable result?
Every job rewards something, so what does
this job reward most?
What common sense or good “business
by Ron Price
judgment” does this job enlist? Does it de-
pend on someone who focuses on practical
results, organizing things, seeing how things
fit together or compare with each other? Is
it asking for someone who thinks deeply
and spends most of his or her time manag-
ing concepts, ideas,
or strategies? Or, is
this job asking for
someone who is an
exceptional judge
of other people and
who can influence,
lead, understand,
and develop others?
Know the
Person
Using the same
road map for un-
derstanding the
job, owners/man-
agers should be able
to develop a deeper
and more benefi-
cial understanding
of the ideal person
for the job. What
activities does the
ideal candidate
enjoy most? Inter-
action with others
or space and time to work with a singular
focus? Completing routine tasks or lots of
irons in the fire? Troubleshooting or pre-
dictable project management? Organizing
files and systems or always moving forward
in the midst of chaos? How does this relate
to what the job is asking for?
What motivates the candidate? Creat-
ing wealth? Helping others? Learning new
things? Working according to a set of prin-
ciples? Being in charge and controlling the
destiny of others?
What common sense, or business judg-
ment, does this person bring to the job? Is
he or she more effective as a thinker? Is he
or she quick at comparing several practi-
cal alternatives, understanding how things
work, and adjusting to create the desired
results? Or, does the candidate most effec-
tively understand the needs of others? How
does this relate to what the job is asking for?
Is someone being put in the position that is
a natural fit, or are we asking him or her to
come to work and check his natural talent
and motivational inclinations at the door
because that is what the job requires?
Manage for Success
Once an owner/manager has a crystal
clear picture of the activities, rewards, and
evaluative judgment of the job and under-
stands how the candidate fits or doesn’t fit
with that picture, it is possible to develop a
unique new approach to managing for suc-
cess. By leveraging those parts of the job
that will come naturally and learning how
to navigate the rough spots that don’t line
up, there is a better chance of supervising
the work and the person for greater perfor-
mance and fulfillment. Who wouldn’t want
a relationship with an employee where all
you have to say is, “go do your thing!” and
high performance is the result?
In order to achieve optimal effectiveness
in hiring and management, entrepreneurs
have to accept that not all jobs or all people
are the same. Jobs ask for specific activities,
motivations, and judgment. And people
bring unique behavioral preferences, mo-
tivational biases, and evaluative judgment
patterns to their jobs. By having a clear pic-
ture of the job and what constitutes superior
results, then having a clear picture of where
a person fits with what the job is asking for,
business leaders can begin to “manage to
win” instead of doing what most supervisors
end up doing with their employees, “man-
aging not to lose.”
It is said that diagnosis is often, “90 per-
cent of the cure.” As the entrepreneur real-
ized, he often made hiring decisions feel-
ing like he was playing roulette. He put an
ad in the paper, started looking at resumes
and hoped the resumes gave him some clue
about whether a person was capable of do-
ing what he wanted. Some companies will
take the extra effort to call references, do
Searching for Polished Professionals?
YOU NEED
The Recruitment Specialist
for all your hiring needs
Ask about our MULTI-MEDIA RECRUITMENT PACKAGE
Call Terry Atkins
at 815-802-3888
tatkins@daily-journal.com
some background checks, and all of this to
set the stage for an interview where the re-
search indicates most interviewers decide in
the first 30 seconds whether or not they like
the candidate. In better companies, hiring
managers may do a reasonable job of vetting
the resume and validating what the candi-
date can actually do. However, great hiring
is about developing a deep understanding of
what the candidate is most likely to succeed
wildly in doing.
Most entrepreneurs view hiring, super-
vising and managing as something other
than primary work – it is a means to an
end, almost a necessary evil, rather than a
critical part of fulfilling their entrepreneur-
ial dreams. They rarely recognize that how
they understand the job and the candidate
may be one of the most important factors in
their future success.
Ron Price is the founder and
CEO of Price Associates, a
company dedicated to
helping business leaders and
entrepreneurs solve problems,
identify solutions and
implement change in strategy and perfor-
mance. Ron is also the author of “Finding
Hidden Treasures,” a series of essays with
action steps to aid readers in mining their
own inner talents. As the former president
of the AIM Companies, Ron directed the
strategic, marketing, compensation and
incentive planning, as well as field training
and operations.
Small Business and a
Contracting Economy
As the economy continues to contract,
small business owners are seeing a 20 per-
cent or more decrease in sales, while whole-
sale prices increase and margins shrink.
If you are going shopping, be sure to buy
as much as you can from local small busi-
nesses.
The three-month moving average, CF-
NAI-MA3, increased to –0.86 in March
from –0.92 in February. This negative value
suggests that growth in national economic
activity was below its historical trend. In
addition, March marked the fourth consec-
utive month that the three month moving
Accounts Receivable
Options
I don’t need to remind you we are in a
hard economic time, with many small busi-
nesses feeling the pinch. This is a perfect
NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
TO KEEP YOUR FUTURE
ON TRACK.
Lots of times, changes in life also affect your investments. That’s why
there’s never been a better time to schedule your free portfolio review.
We’ll talk about the changes in your life, and help you decide whether
it makes sense to revise your investments because of them.
A portfolio review will help ensure your investments are keeping
pace with your goals. Call your local financial advisor today.
Tom Vaccaro
815/937-5674
Bourbonnais
05300821999403
www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC
by Mark Norris
average was very near or below the –0.70
threshold. A CFNAI-MA3 value below
–0.70 following a period of economic ex-
pansion indicates an increasing likelihood
that a recession has begun. With regard
to inflation, March’s three-month moving
average indicates low inflationary pressure
from economic activity over the coming
year.
The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufactur-
ing Index (CFMMI) decreased 0.7 percent
in March, to a seasonally adjusted level of
107.6 (2002 = 100). Revised data show the
index decreased 0.8 percent in February,
by Reneé Perry
time to review your policies on how you are
handling your accounts receivables. I can
tell you from experience that prevention is
David Robinson, AAMS Bob Meyers, AAMS
815/932-8484 815/939-1175
Kankakee Bradley
to 108.4. The Federal Reserve Board’s in-
dustrial production index for manufactur-
ing (IPMFG) was unchanged in March.
percent project no change. The results create
a seasonally-adjusted outlook index of 59.6,
the highest since last October. For March
Regional output in March was 0.6 percent
higher than a year earlier, below the 1.4 per-
cent increase in national output.
2007, the index was at 57.1.
The SBA 504 loan, a 20-year commer-
cial mortgage, is based on the 10-year trea-
According to the Michigan Retail Index, sury yield. A spread of approximately 2.33
a joint project of the Michigan Retailers’ percent is the current trend, mixed and in
Association (MRA) and the Federal Re- correlation with the Russell 2000 small cap
serve Bank of Chicago, 28 percent of retail- index.
ers increased sales in March over the same Over the last three months, the Russell
month last year, while 54 percent recorded 2000 has rallied and may indicate that in-
declines and 18 percent saw no change. The terest rate cuts were having a positive affect
results create a seasonally adjusted per- on capital inflows into small business.
formance index of 35.6, down from 42.2
in February and the lowest for any month Mark Norris, OPM Business
since February 2003. For March 2007, the Financing, Inc.
index was at 49.0.
Looking ahead, 54 percent believe their
sales will increase for April through June,
while 25 percent forecast declines and 21
the best policy. Also understand-
ing your options is very important
if you run into a problem collecting
money.
For service-oriented businesses,
your invoices are important con-
tracts. If you have to take a cus-
tomer to court, or if a customer
takes you to court, make sure all
important information is on your
invoices. Your customers should
sign the work orders fully disclos-
ing possible warranty information,
finance charges, what happens in
the event you take the customer
to collections, and any other per-
tinent information.
For bad checks, the Will Coun-
ty State’s Attorney’s Office has a
“Bad Check Restitution Program.”
You can see the website at www.
checkprogram.com/willcountyil/
eligibility.htm showing eligibility
for the program. The amount of the
check can be no more than $2,500.
The check must be received in Will County lower fees than a credit card machine. They
and submitted to the program within 90 guarantee any check they approve. If the
days from the date of the check. You must check is not approved, you require the cus-
have a photo I.D. recorded at the time of the tomer to pay with cash or credit card.
transaction. You don’t want to wait until you run into
If you deal with invoices that exceed a problem before having a plan in place.
$2,500, you may want to consider a tele- Consider what the worse case scenario is to
check machine. Many grocery stores use your business, and put processes in place to
these machines now. Our company invested prevent it.
in one several years ago after having a few
bounced checks. It was very frustrating to Reneé Perry is a small business consultant
find out that the check you accepted two and coach in Joliet.
weeks ago has bounced or the customer de-
cided to put a stop payment on the check. By
then, the customer has received their goods
and/or services and you are out of luck. A
telecheck machine is very easy to use, with
Become a Sales
Superstar —
10 Critical Areas to Master
Becoming a sales superstar is ALL about
the choices you make as a salesperson. There
is good and bad news to this statement.
First the bad, what got you here today will
not necessarily make you a sales superstar
tomorrow. Now for the good news, you can
be a sales superstar if you
start making choices today
– like a sales superstar.
Sales superstars don’t
just suddenly show up or
arrive out of nowhere.
They design their paths
to superdom using hard
work and thinking about
their choices ALL THE
TIME! They develop a
winner’s edge on the men-
tal side and learn the skills
to insure winning. So, how
do they do this? By work-
ing on 10 critical areas
that create sales success in
today’s highly competitive
world. To become a sales
superstar, you must decide
to improve your skills in
these 10 critical areas:
Learning – Sales su-
perstars have one thing in
common – they are always
learning. Their learning
can take several avenues.
One, they learn about
their customers, in depth,
so they can understand
the current and future
situations they will face.
They are also readers. Re-
member this – leaders are
readers! They read about
selling, business trends,
leadership issues, eco-
nomic trends and industry
trends. They are the first
to sign up for extending
training and development
sessions. They know that
they need to sharpen their
skills everyday – if they want to keep win-
ning in the game of selling.
Business Acumen – In the modern
world of selling, salespeople MUST be able
to speak in terms that are important to cus-
tomers and especially the “C” level custom-
ers. These terms are the world of Business
Acumen – revenue growth, cost of goods
sold, gross margin, related costs, turnover
ratios, velocity and net income. If you are
just talking about features and benefits
by Voss Graham
– you are in the world of commodity selling
and price alone rules.
Preparedness – Like the Boy Scout mot-
to “be prepared,” top salespeople know that
customer research is done before meeting
with customers. You validate what you have
learned while in the presence of customers
– which shows the customer that you are
different and will not waste their valuable
time. Using web search engines to find in-
formation about your customers, their cus-
tomers, financial data and trends – allows
you to be more knowledgeable than your
competition.
Industry Knowledge – This should be
a no-brainer. However, you will still find
sales people with little industry under-
standing. To be a sales superstar, knowing
the industry is a requirement. It assists you
in understanding trends, cycles, what is old
does doubt and frustration rule? Coordi-
nating other functional areas to satisfy the
customer is another critical issue that most
or new, best practices, and who are their
customers. Industry knowledge allows for
sales people overlook – yet it is the one that
influences the next sale to that customer the
knowing the little secrets of success and, most. Take time to think about customer
most importantly, the ability to anticipate satisfaction and what it takes to insure suc-
trends within the industry –allowing you to cess with each customer.
guide the customer to better decisions about Creative Problem Solving – The key
their business. here is “creative.” This is not by-the-book
Questioning Skills – Here is the big or policy type of problem solving. It is
one. Most sales people talk too much. Yes, about looking at the customer’s situation
they talk too much and actually bore the and thinking about different ways to solve
customer. Why? Be- the problem they have, then choosing the
cause the customer will one idea that will create the most effective
have opinions about solution for both the customer and your
things and they will be- company. Hint: Your biggest opportunity
lieve their thoughts over customers will test you concerning problem
yours! This is a form of solving before they buy – just to see if you
bias; yet, the best sales are looking after their best interests. This is
people have learned this a guaranteed test.
fact. They use questions Practice, Practice, Practice – The sales
to uncover these biases, superstars do not practice a new or improved
use different questions technique on a critical customer. They work
to guide or educate the on the skills using role-plays, application
customer, and even dif- exercises and even videos of customer stim-
ferent types of questions ulation. Using video in the practice sessions
to learn what specific is the fastest method to gain immediate im-
benefit or advantage provement in selling skills; yet, it is the least
certain solutions would used, due to egos and fear of failure. Focus
provide for that specific on becoming a superstar.
customer. The key is us- Self Confidence – The final critical fac-
ing questions to become tor is both a means and an end to succeed-
customer centric rather ing in the other nine factors. Confidence is
than boasting about the key to having the winner’s edge. Most
what you think you importantly, customers want to work with
know. This is a required confident people to get the results and out-
skill in modern selling, comes they need. If you do the first nine,
this is the land of the confidence will come. Or use self confidence
sales superstar and they in demonstrating the discipline needed to
have learned the impor- make the choices that lead to success and
tance of this skill. sales superstar status.
Listening – Closely The world of sales is changing rapidly.
related to the question- As a sales person, you need to decide if you
ing skills is the ability want to stay in sales for the long term or do
to actively listen to the something else. Strong words, yet, truth-
customer. Focusing on ful words based upon the change that has
exactly what the cus- already started in several industries. Com-
tomer is saying opens modity selling will be ruled by the Internet
the door to understand- and price decisions rather than best value
ing what is going on in solutions. Make a decision today to become
the customer’s world. a sales superstar and master the ten critical
The sales superstars factors of success.
have taken listening to
a higher level. They lis- Voss Graham is the founder
ten for things that are and CEO of Inneractive
not clearly defined by the customer, what Consulting Group, Inc. As the
author of “Three Games of
should have been said – but was not. They
Selling,” he works with
hear general statements and respond with a companies across the country
clarifying question for specifics and a clear to develop and hire successful sales teams
understanding of the situation. Another in- with above average performance. Voss is a
teresting effect comes from listening to the seasoned sales veteran who has worked
customer – they like you more! with companies such as International Paper,
Think Like an Owner – This means con- The Memphis Group (a Division of GE),
necting all the dots. How does your team Alcan Packaging, the United Way and Sara
finish the sale with the customer? Does Lee Foods.
the customer feel satisfied after the sale or
I-80 on a Roll
by Sharon Filkins-Jenrich
While economic wags may be crying to Harlem Avenue; construction of a new
recession, the I-80 corridor area is on a interchange at I-57 and Manhattan-Monee
golden roll and is a vital asset in bringing Road; improvement of state and local roads
new wealth to the region, according to John feeding the Veterans Memorial Tollway;
Greuling, president and CEO of the Will construction of the Illiana Expressway
County Center for Economic from I-65 to I-57, and the
Development (CED). building of the South Sub-
Addressing nearly 200 urban Airport. However,
regional business leaders in Greuling added that there
Horton Insurance Company, Orland Park, IL
a recent economic break- are 66 governmental units
fast meeting at CD & ME involved in these transpor-
in Frankfort, he said, “We tation decisions and that
may be in a recession, but currently there is no com-
we are in a unique situation. prehensive plan. Quoting an
We will work through this re- April 2008 Chicago Tribune
cession; we will be able to push article, he said “$5 billion a year
through it.” Citing Will County’s is needed to maintain existing infra-
unique opportunities, he said the county’s structures. Our legislators need to pass a
position in the global marketplace makes capital budget.”
it an economic powerhouse. “With the “We are in a good position, seeing con-
addition of I-355, the entire I-80 corridor tinued commercial and industrial growth
will continue to grow. The county will add along I-80 and I-355. The CED’s mission
more jobs than any other county in Illinois and 2008 agenda for business development
between now and the year 2030,” he said. and assisting in the creation of new jobs and
Adding that the county more than doubled bringing new wealth to the area and en-
its population between 1990 and 2006, he couraging cooperation among government
said it will double again in the next 20 years entities will help push through this reces-
– to over one million people. sion. Working together, we can do it,” said
In addition to the population growth, Greuling. Walgreens, Frankfort, IL
Greuling reported that in 2007, indus-
trial space in the region increased to Class A Office Park off of Interstate 80, Tinley Park, IL
116,500,000 square feet. Also highlight-
ing the golden business growth along I-80,
he reported major development projects in
Mokena, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Joliet
and near-by University Park and Crete.
Among the largest projects named: a 900-
acre CenterPoint Intermodal site in Crete,
a 720,000-square foot Andrews Corpora-
tion site in Joliet, an Ikea facility totaling
660,000 square feet, and the Panduit cor-
porate headquarters planned in Tinley Park
with 250,000 square feet. He also indicated
an 800,000-square foot Central Grocers fa-
cility has been proposed for Joliet.
The CED’s 2008 agenda calls for an ag-
gressive approach to encourage continued
business development with a strong focus
on attracting corporate headquarters to the
region. Noting that presently, there is not
a single 500 corporation with headquarters
in the southland, Greuling said the CED
is working to change that fact. “Based on
a recently completed target study, we are
putting together a strategy to attract these
larger corporate headquarters which will
bring executives and their families to the
area and create hundreds of jobs.”
Greuling’s presentation included a blue-
print for a number of priority transportation
projects designed to handle the ongoing and
projected growth of the I-80 region. In-
cluded in the blueprint were: the addition of
lanes on I-80 from Route 45 to the Prairie
Parkway; widening of Route 30 from Joliet

Dennis Hastert (right) and glenn Poshard
(second from right)
n Following a comprehensive state-
wide listening tour launched in March,
former Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives Dennis Hastert and
Southern Illinois University Presi-
dent Glenn Poshard, co-chairs of
Governor Rod Blagojevich’s Illinois
Works Coalition, announced a new
$31 billion comprehensive capital
infrastructure plan and their recom-
mendations for how to fund it. Based
on the listening sessions and face-to-
face meetings with this state’s political
leaders, co-chairs Hastert and Poshard
recommend the following:
• Invest $31 billion in transporta-
tion, education, energy, health care,
environmental and water, economic
development and other critical infra-
structure and quality of life needs for
the citizens of Illinois.
• Provide a capital improvement plan
clearly identifying timelines, priorities
and funding sources for projects within
each of these investment categories.
• Fund education construction proj-
ects and mass transportation invest-
ments with $7 billion partial lottery
concession.
• Create Capital and Educational Trust
Funds with “lockbox” accountability
guarantees for capital investments and
continuation of the current level of
lottery proceeds for P-12 education.
• Use motor fuel taxes to support
bonded road projects that allow nearly
$2 billion in additional projects.
• Expand gaming (Chicago Casino, one
additional riverboat license, increases
in positions at existing riverboats, and
availability of electronic gaming at
racetracks) to raise $550 million annu-
ally in new revenues for debt service for
environmental and water, energy, eco-
nomic development, health care, state
facilities, and other critical purposes.
According to a study by Southern Il-
linois University, a comprehensive
capital plan would have tremendous
economic benefits for the state. The
study found that a capital plan would
create 535,000 new full-time jobs,
lead to $49 billion in economic activ-
ity and more than $2.9 billion in state
and local tax revenues.
n A section of Interstate 57 has been
renamed in honor of longtime south-
ern Illinois Congressman Kenneth
J. Gray. From now on, I-57 between
Mile Post 0, at the Illinois State Line
to Mile Post 106, at the Marion/Jef-
ferson County Line will be known as
“Ken Gray Expressway.” Gray was
an influential member of Congress
who represented southern Illinois for
nearly a quarter of a century in Wash-
ington, D.C.
n Four more Biodiesel Fuel Quality
Seminars will be held around the state
in June. The schedule is as follows: June
3 in Lisle, June 4 in Moline, June 11 in
Collinsville and June 12 in Blooming-
ton. Mr. Hoon Ge, a nationally-recog-
nized biodiesel fuel expert, will be the
featured speaker regarding the proper
handling, distribution and treatment
techniques to ensure biodiesel fuel
quality. Biodiesel manufacturers, dis-
tributors, retailers and fleet managers
are highly encouraged to attend. Over
250 industry people attended the four
seminars held last fall. For more infor-
mation, contact Darwin Burkhart at
IEPA, 217.524.5008.
events
6/10/2008
Green Ribbon Energy Efficiency
Workshop
Chicago Hilton, Michigan Ave.,
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
ComEd Care: 1.888.806.2273 or
www.ComEdCARE.com
6/12/2008
Green Ribbon Energy Efficiency
Workshop
Doubletree Guest Suites, Downers
Grove. 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
ComEd Care: 1.888.806.2273 or
www.ComEdCARE.com
6/19/2008
Green Ribbon Energy Efficiency
Workshop
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Mundelein
B2B illinois DIrect coNNectIoNs
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
ComEd Care: 1.888.806.2273 or
www.ComEdCARE.com
6/19/2008
45th Annual Illinois Small Business
Week Conference
Lakeside Center at McCormick
Place, 8:30 a.m. 8 p.m.
SBA or SCORE or Illinois Entrepre-
neurship Network
6/20/2008
Green Ribbon Energy Efficiency
Workshop
Holiday Inn, Tinley Park Conven-
tion Ctr., 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
ComEd Care: 1.888.806.2273 or
www.ComEdCARE.com
6/21/2008
10 th Annual Child Care Business
Expo
Navy Pier, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Women's Business Development
GRUNDY COUNTY
events
GRUNDYGrundy
COUNTYCounty Chamber: 815.942.0113
6/5, 12, 19, 26/2008
Business Expansion Network
Meeting
R-Place Restaurant, Morris,
7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Grundy County Chamber: 815.942.0113
6/6/2008
5th Annual Chamber Golf Outing
Nettle Creek Country Club, Morris
WILL coUNty
aWarDs
n Local pharmacy and medical
equipment provider, Remco Medical,
has been awarded accreditation sta-
tus by the Accreditation Commission
for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC) for an
additional three years. Based in Joliet,
Remco Medical clients include indi-
viduals in their homes, hospice and
nursing homes, hospitals, clinics and
home health agencies in the greater
Will and Grundy Counties.
n The Illinois Association of Munici-
pal Management Assistants (IAM-
MA) recently announced Village of
Frankfort’s Assistant Village Admin-
Center: 312.853.3477 or e-mail
egardner@wbdc.org
6/25/2008
Green Ribbon Energy Efficiency
Workshop
Pheasant Run, St. Charles,
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
ComEd Care: 1.888.806.2273 or
www.ComEdCARE.com
6/27/2008
Green Ribbon Energy Efficiency
Workshop
Cliff breakers Riverside Resort,
Rockford, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
ComEd Care: 1.888.806.2273 or
www.ComEdCARE.com
6/25 - 6/27/2008
U.S.-Africa Agribusiness Forum
Hyatt Regency Chicago
W 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., Th 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.,
F 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
The Corporate Council on Africa:
202.835.1115
6/19/2008
Business After Hours
Rezin Orthopedics & Sports Medi-
cine, Morris, 5 - 7 p.m.
Grundy County Chamber: 815.942.0113
6/25 - 6/27/2008
Chamber Membership Campaign
Grundy County Chamber: 815.942.0113
istrator, Howard Sloan, was awarded
the “Outstanding New Commu-
nity Service/Program Award” by
the IAMMA. Sloan, who joined the
Village of Frankfort in 1994, was
nominated for his efforts in the devel-
opment of Frankfort’s Water Resource
Management Plan. As a long-time
resident and employee, Mr. Sloan has
been active in various social and civic
organizations throughout the years. In
his role as Assistant Village Adminis-
trator, Sloan has been instrumental in
developing a long range, formal Wa-
ter Resource Management Plan for
Frankfort. His efforts, in the area of
protecting and proper usage of envi-
Continued on page 28
 GRUNDY COUNTY
ouT & ABouT
GRUNDY COUNTY

in early May, the Grundy Economic Development Council (GEDC) hosted its annual
legislative breakfast at the Morris Country Club. More than 125 local business and com-
munity leaders gathered for the opportunity to ask questions and hear from their elected
officials about a variety of current topics. nancy ammer, Ceo of the geDC, opened the
meeting and introduced several guests including edward gonzalez, field representative for
senator Barack obama. opening remarks were also made by John Quinn of at&t, event
CeD Chairman of the Board Mike Hansen, CeD president/Ceo John Greuling, and Frank-
sponsor. Following breakfast, the panel discussion, moderated by Mike Finnegan, business
fort Mayor Jim Holland presented overviews of Frankfort and Will County during the Will
development director for the geDC, featured state senator Gary Dahl (on left) and Reed
Economic Network Eye opener Breakfast in May.
Wilson, district director for u.s. Congressman Jerry Weller’s office.

B2B illinois DIrect coNNectIoNs

WILL coUNty ContinueD

ronmentally sensitive areas within the
Village, include a plan for the annual
inspection and maintenance of these
areas. Over the years, Mr. Sloan has
been asked to speak at various confer-
ences regarding these efforts within the
Village, and most recently, was invited
to speak at the Annual Conference of
the Illinois Association of Floodplain
and Storm Water Managers.
n Provena Saint Joseph Medical
Center has been named a winner of
both the 25th Annual Healthcare
Marketing Report Awards competi-
tion and the Aster Awards, a national
medical marketing competition. The
Aster Awards is a national medical
marketing awards program allowing
healthcare organizations and advertis-
ing agencies to compete against simi-
larly sized competitors from across the
nation. The Healthcare Advertising
Awards is the oldest, largest and most
widely respected healthcare advertis-
ing awards competition. The awards
are sponsored by Healthcare Market-
ing Report, the leading publication
covering all aspects of healthcare mar-
keting, advertising and strategic busi-
ness development.
n Joliet residents Virginia Ferry and
Vincent L. Foster Sr. are the recipi-
virginia Ferry vincent l. Foster sr.
ents of the 2008 J. D. Ross Extraor-
dinary Service Awards. Named after
President Emeritus Ross who spent
nearly 32 years at JJC, the award is
the highest honor bestowed by Joliet
Junior College to honor community
members who have given outstanding
service to Community College Dis-
trict 525. Virginia Ferry has been sell-
ing real estate for more than 40 years
through her family-owned business,
Twelve Oaks Realty Corp., and is a
cofounder of the Joliet Area Historical
Society. Ferry is most recognized for
her more than 36 years with the Morn-
ing Star Mission. She also was a mem-
ber of the steering committee forming
Lamb’s Fold Center for Women and
Children, a maternity home for unwed
mothers. Ferry was honored in 2007
by Realtor Magazine as a 2007 Good
Neighbor Award Winner; the city of
Joliet recognized Ferry the same year
for her “outstanding contributions to
the quality of life” in the city.
In addition to volunteering at the
Will-Grundy Independent Living
Center tutoring mentally challenged
adults, Vincent Foster also runs a
support group for people discouraged
by challenging issues, such as physical
disabilities. While a student at Joliet
Junior College, he helped found the
S.P.R.I.T.E. club, which assists stu-
dents and parents in resolving issues
and sponsors family activities to en-
rich education awareness. He was rec-
ognized by JJC as the Student Leader
of the Year for 2002-2003. Despite his
own physical struggles, Foster contin-
ues his work in the community, which
includes speaking to youth groups at
his church. Foster received the Youth
Incorporated Spiritual Churches of
Truth award winner for motivational
speaking. He has also been named the
Most Valuable Player for Extra Effort
for Training and Promoting at Arby’s
and he was recognized as the Most
Distinguished Employee at Toddler
Town Academy.
n Silver Cross Hospital honored
members of the Silver Cross Medi-
cal Staff with 20 or more years of
service April 17 at a Physician Ap-
preciation Celebration. Physicians
receiving milestone awards included:
John Dongas, M.D., cardiology, 20
years; Michael McDermott, D.P.M.,
podiatric surgery, 20 years; Jerry Ber-
Dr. umesh sharma, silver Cross Chief of staff,
and Paul Pawlak, silver Cross President and
Ceo, thank Dr. salvador rinella for 35 years of
service to the hospital's Medical staff at a Phy-
sician appreciation Celebration held april 17.
tolini, M.D., orthopedic surgery, 25
years; Gregory Lewis, M.D., urology,
25 years; Corazon Balbarin, M.D.,
family practice, 30 years; Rajendra
Choksi, M.D., pediatrics, 30 years;
Anthony Proske, M.D., neurol-
ogy/sleep disorders, 30 years; Daniel
Gutierrez, M.D., internal medicine,
35 years; Salvador Rinella, M.D., ra-
diology, 35 years.
n Silver Cross Hospital’s Behav-
ioral Health Services Partial Hos-
pitalization Program has received
the Program of Excellence Award
given by the Illinois Chapter of the
Association for the Advancement of
Social Work with Groups, Inc. Th is
award is given to an Illinois program
or agency that is outstanding in its
support for and/or implementation
of group work for at least three years.
The Partial Hospitalization Program
at Silver Cross Hospital is one of three

WILL coUNty ContinueD
units that make up Behavioral Health
Services along with the Chemical De-
pendency Unit and the Inpatient Psy-
chiatric Unit.
n Silver Cross Hospital recently
received the Rideshare Excellence
award from the Partners for Clean
Air Coalition (PCAC). Silver Cross
was awarded for its proactive approach
to planning the replacement hospi-
tal and for ensuring transit access for
patients, staff and visitors. The award
recognizes companies for their out-
standing voluntary efforts to improve
air quality in Chicagoland.
Business
n New Lenox officials recently voted
to approve a site plan from representa-
tives of Fifth Th ird Bank to build at
the Laraway Road retail center dubbed
the “Shoppes at Heather Glen.”
n Owner Debbie Dobbs announced
the opening of her new business, One
Lovely Thing. A full-service design and
decorating center, One Lovely Thing is
located in Channahon. The store spe-
cializes in custom window treatments,
custom blinds by Hunter-Douglas and
custom furniture. Business hours are
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday
and Friday; noon to 7 p.m. Thursday
and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; closed
on Sunday and Monday.
n “Olde Frankfort Village,” a new
development to be located at the corner
of Route 45 and Old Frankfort Way in
Frankfort, received an overwhelming
approval to move forward from the
Frankfort Village Board during the
board meeting held on April 28. The
new development, with an estimated
60,000 square feet, will include 24
residential condos, professional of-
fices and commercial/retail (including
a restaurant and Town Center Bank).
The project is being developed by
Folkers Commercial, LLC.
n Standard and Poor’s Ratings Ser-
vices has increased Will County’s
bond rating from ‘AA’ to ‘AA+.’ The
county will receive a lower cost of bor-
rowing as it moves forward with po-
tential capital plans.
n Children’s Memorial Hospital
and Silver Cross Hospital today an-
nounced the wide range of services
that will be offered at the Children’s
Memorial outpatient center in New
Lenox. The specialty center is sched-
uled to open in summer of 2009 and
will be 10,000 square feet to accom-
modate the wide range of programs.
Pediatric cardiac care is just one of
the many new services that will be
available as a result of the enhanced
partnership with Children’s Memo-
rial Hospital.
n The Joliet Junior College Board
of Trustees approved funding options
that will dramatically alter the look of
the college while enhancing and pro-
viding new services to students and
the community. Plans to make the
fi rst sweeping physical changes to the
college since 1974 will now become a
reality since the JJC Board of Trust-
ees unanimously approved the master
plan.
At a recent meeting, trustees approved
a $9 capital assessment fee per credit
hour that will fund $159 million of
JJC’s $220 million master plan if the
fee is implemented over four years.
The board also approved the mea-
sure to seek voter approval of an $89
million building bond referendum at
the November general election. If the
referendum passes, the college will be
able to lower the capital assessment
fee in subsequent years lessening the
college’s tuition. The remaining ap-
proximately $61 million will be raised
through not for profit, private and
other funding options.
n Silver Cross Hospital and the
Silver Cross Healthy Community
Commission has announced an un-
precedented $40 million charity care
commitment over 10 years to serve
the poor and uninsured in Will Coun-
ty. This commitment is the first of
its kind by any hospital in the state.
It comes after consulting with the
commission, chaired by Will County
Board Member Margie Woods, com-
prised of Joliet and Will County civic
and community leaders. The hospital
is committing to at least $4 million a
year for 10 years in charity care. Last
month, Silver Cross became the only
Illinois hospital to have been awarded
Thomson Top 100 status four straight
years. It has applied for approval to
B2B illinois DIrect coNNectIoNs
the Illinois Health Facilities Planning
Board to build a new replacement hos-
pital 3.5 miles from its current campus
on Route 6 in New Lenox.
PeoPle
n Dr. Michael Morrow was named
the new superintendent of Homer
33C School District at the April 29
board meeting. He has more than 30
years of service in education and be-
gan with the school district in 1988.
Morrow will replace William Young,
who will retire on July 1 after eight
years as superintendent of 33C.
n The Lincoln-Way High School
District 210 Foundation for Educa-
tional Excellence is pleased to an-
nounce that it has recently elected
new executive officers: David Zang,
treasurer; June Gill, internal vice-
president; Patricia Walker, president;
Bryan Bruns, external vice-president;
and Amy Guzek, secretary.
n Mildred Culp, of Crete, whose
WorkWise column appears on Fri-
days in The Daily Journal, will appear
in the May issue of Editor & Publish-
er’s “Syndicate World.”
n AMCORE Bank is pleased to an-
nounce Christine Batson has joined
the company as a commercial rela-
tionship manager and vice president.
Batson brings 15 years of lending and
banking experience to the company.
Previously she was a vice president in
commercial real estate for Old Plank
Trail Community Bank. Batson has
her Illinois Real Estate license. She
earned a bachelor’s degree in finance
from Lewis University. Active in the
community, Batson is involved with
the Will County Center for Econom-
ic Development and United Way of
Will County.
n Silver Cross Hospital recog-
nized 31 physicians on the hospital’s
medical staff for outstanding patient
satisfaction from Jan. 1 to Dec. 30,
2007. Th is list is a result of using
the Press Ganey patient satisfaction
process. The physicians are: Habib
Abbasi, Vlad Badescu, Catherine
Baker, Eric Bass, Michel K. Bor-
ders, Mark Christensen, Daniel Co,
David Collins, Mark V. Danielson,
William Farrell, Reza Gamagami,
Francisco J. Garcini, Gary Golden,
Orest Horodysky, Christopher Joyce,
Hysoo Ka-Widmann, Paul B. Kirch-
ner, Timothy Kisla, Brian Lahmann,
Douglas Lee, John D. Mikuzis, Kim-
berly Mitchell, Silvio Morales Jr., Jag-
dish Muzumdar, Arius Patolot, Jose
Penaherrera, Gamilah Pierre, Majid
Rassouli, Riten H. Sheth, Paul M.
Trksak, and Christopher Udovich.
events
Now through Sept. 2008
Manhattan Farmer’s Market
First & State Streets (Rt. 52),
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Manhattan Park District:
815.478.3324
6/5/2008
Dale Carnegie FREE Workshop:
“Taking Team Performance up a
Notch”
Olivet Nazarene University, Weber
Leadership Ctr., 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Dale Carnegie: 630.390.6050
6/9/2008
Regional Consensus Lunch /Panel
Discussion: Health Care Afford-
ability and Accessibility
Tinley Park Convention Center,
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Chicago Southland Chamber:
708.957.6950
6/9/2008
PSJMC Foundation 24th Annual
Charity Golf Classic
Green Garden Country Club, 7:30
a.m. breakfast; 9 a.m. shotgun
Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center
Foundation: 815.725.7133 ext. 3339
6/9/2008
Regional Consensus Luncheon
Tinley Park Convention Center,
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Chicago Southland Chamber:
708.957.6950
6/10/2008
Monthly Membership Luncheon
Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill,
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Romeoville Chamber: 815.886.2076
6/11/2008
Open Membership Meeting
Crete Public Library (2nd Floor
Meeting Room), 6:30 p.m.
Crete Area Chamber: 708.672.9216
6/11/2008
Monthly Chamber Meeting
First Community Bank & Trust,
Continued on page 34
Businesses Need More than Team Players;
They Need
Team Leaders
There is an old saying that a camel is a
horse designed by a committee. If you
smiled and nodded your head in agreement,
you know the truth of that statement.
Most large organizations rely on com-
mittees to perform numerous functions.
There are committees that design new prod-
ucts, decide what a company’s brand should
be, and plan the company picnic. In many
cases, these committees do a poor job – but
why?
I suspect that organizations often ask
committees to do the wrong thing. A com-
mittee is not a decision-making group. It
can do an excellent job of fact-finding and
it can even make recommendations, but it
does not make good decisions.
Good decisions usually come from one
person. Have you ever seen that proverbial
buck stop with a group? It can’t. One reason
is that responsibility is lost in a committee.
The more people on it, the more difficult it
is for a decision to be made because no one
person is responsible for it.
What About Teams?
Sometimes organizations use committees
as teams. Teams are very popular today, but
they are different from committees. For one
thing, they use fewer people and are gen-
erally required to produce something like a
software program, bridge or a building.
I once knew of an architectural firm that
used teams to design large projects. It was
a medium-sized firm with a number of ar-
chitects and other professionals on staff.
On large projects, they would assemble a
team made up of a few architects charged
with designing different parts of the build-
ing. There might also be a number of ex-
perts on the team. Each one would bring
their expertise to the project. For example,
an environmental expert would share ideas
about the ecological effects, a sociologist
would discuss the social implications, and
an economist would review the impact on
business.
While all of these people would play a
role in the design of the new building, none
of them would have the same job. There was
no overlap of duties so everyone was ac-
countable for their part of the project. All
of it worked as long as there was an effective
project manager who made sure everyone
did their part and stayed focused.
Of course, that is the ideal. Many organi-
zations form teams that lack this individual
accountability. When that happens, those
teams usually end up doing mediocre work.
by Joseph P. Giunta
So, Who is in Charge?
Committees and teams play an important
role in the management of organizations,
but they are not as important as individual
leaders. If leaders fail to do their jobs, orga-
nizations will fail – regardless of the num-
ber of teams and committees it forms.
In my opinion, leadership is an art. A
good leader sees his or her division, depart-
ment or assembly line as a blank canvas.
While they do not paint on that canvas with
a brush, they do draw their vision on the
imaginations of each person who reports to
them. They inspire others by sharing their
vision of the future. They show their people
how they can design a better product. They
explore the possibilities they see and en-
courage their staffs to stay focused. Good
leaders have good instincts and they gener-
ally make good decisions. They also take re-
sponsibility. Unfortunately, many organiza-
tions have put so much emphasis on teams
and committees that their best leaders often
blend into the background. The result is a
loss of vision and good decision-making.
That is why leadership training is be-
coming more important to the business
community. Top executives understand
the need for quality training in this area
because they know teams and committees
cannot work without good leaders. That is
why Joliet Junior College and other schools
offer so many programs to train supervisors
and managers.
Good leaders know how to produce good
results through teams and committees. They
understand the role of these groups and par-
ticipate in them constructively. They know
how to produce something with a team and
how to use a committee to dig for facts and
make recommendations.
I hope that the next time a committee
wants to design a horse, they will hire a
good leader and put him or her in charge.
Who knows, they might get a thorough-
bred.
Joe Giunta is a contract
training manager for Joliet
Junior College’s Corporate
and Community Services
division.
Watseka Chamber
Announces Annual
Awards
During the time that floodwaters ravaged
Iroquois County and in the aftermath of
destruction, countless volunteers, local offi-
cials and business people pulled together in
efforts that symbolize the meaning of com-
munity spirit.
At the Watseka Area Chamber of Com-
merce’s annual awards dinner, held at the
Iroquois County Fairgrounds Wednesday,
May 7, it was time to pay tribute to this re-
markable group.
Iroquois County’s Times-Republic ex-
panded its centerpiece Citizen of the Year
Award to Citizens of the Year and conferred
it upon all the residents and friends of the
county.
“Do you know who your neighbors are?”
asked Roberta Kempen, the newspaper’s ad-
vertising director, in presenting the award.
Neighbors, she said, were all of those that
came to the aid of the community during
the floods – including the fire department,
the Red Cross, the ministers and churches
and many others.
Neighbors were those filling sandbags,
donating food and clothing and offering
their time, talents, homes and money with-
out asking for any thanks.
Instead of designating an individual
or couple as the citizen of the year, as the
Times has done since 1980, the newspaper
chose to honor all of Iroquois County’s resi-
dents and friends who combined their ef-
forts to help the community in its bleakest
moment in history.
Charles Struble was honored with the
and neighboring departments volunteering relied on a generator and a few space heaters
at night.
It’s been almost five months, and Mayotte
to try and remain warm.
Growing emotional as he accepted the
The Daily Journal Staff Report still hasn’t been able to return to his home award, Kaiser said that his job was to enter-
on South Second Street. The basement was tain, inform and move his listeners, adding:
newspaper’s lifetime achievement award.
completely flooded, “But, in the end, you
The chamber gave the Watseka Fire De-
and 14 inches of moved me.”
partment its business leadership award.
water rose into the
Justin Kaiser of WGFA Radio received
the chamber’s staff achievement award for
first-floor rooms.. Struble’s life
acts far above and beyond the call of duty
He is now elevat- work
ing and rebuilding Along with his
during the historic flooding.
the home and hopes work at the Red Cross
Commending the fire department for
to be able to return shelter housed at Trin-
its “selfless service all year round,” Darlene
soon. ity Church during the
McGehee, recipient of the chamber’s 2007
Mayotte thanked floods and his daily
staff achievement award, said that the de-
former Mayor Ted deliveries of lunches
partment places the safety and protection
Martin for his sup- and dinners to flood
port and the contin- victims on those cold
ued support of the January days, Struble
With the theme for the Watseka Area Chamber’s
City Council, the award dinner being “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” was recognized for a
firefighters, assistant MC Wayne Lehman prepares to take the stage. lifetime of service.
chief, local business- The annual event is held to show appreciation for He joined the U. S.
es and the wives and its members and local businesses, and to present
awards such as the Business of the Year.
Air Force in 1943 and
girlfriends of all the served in World War
An emotional Charles firefighters. II with several bomb squads. When he left
Struble receives the Lifetime “In a volunteer department, it takes ev- the service as a sergeant in 1946, he received
Achievement Award from eryone,” he said. a bronze service star.
Roberta Kempen of the Iro-
quois County Times-Repub- He joined the FBI for two years before
lic on Wednesday, May 7. High-caliber character settling in Watseka in 1951 to raise his two
The presentation was made Maggie Martin, owner of WGFA radio, children. He served with the Illinois State
during the Watseka Area
Chamber of Commerce
commended Kaiser for his high-caliber Police until his retirement in 1980.
annual awards dinner. character and his loyalty to friends, co- However, retirement far from ended
(Photos by Scott Anderson) workers and his job. Risking his own safety, Struble’s service to the community. He has
as floodwaters encircled the radio station been actively involved in serving at Ameri-
and came within six inches of spilling into can Legion parades, programs and funeral
the interior, Kaiser provided information services honoring fellow veterans. He also
every half hour to all the “poor souls in dire volunteers at Trinity Church – whether it’s
straits” waiting for the latest news on the helping to renovate or landscape the build-
flood, she said. ing, offering transportation to those in need
Kaiser, director of operations at the ra- or helping out in any other capacity.
dio station for the last five years, was de- Humbly accepting the award, Struble
of the community first and foremost on a
termined to keep the community informed said, “I didn’t know anything about this,
daily basis.
during this crucial time. and I don’t deserve it.”
Although Fire Chief Dave Mayotte’s
With the exception of a short catnap,
own home suffered extensive flood dam-
he would remain on the air for 51 hours B2B Illinois and The Daily Journal are publi-
age, he worked countless hours during the
straight during the first flood. When the cations of the Small Newspaper Group. For
floods, she said. She also recalled Mayotte subscription information, please contact us
building lost its heat and electricity, Kaiser
thanking the local businesses for providing at 815.937.3300.
everything that the department and com-
munity needed at a business after hours
meeting that followed the flood.
Of the 33 firefighters, 13 suffered dam-
ages during the flooding. Mayotte told The
Daily Journal that the floodwaters woke
him at 1 a.m. on Jan. 9.
He immediately called his sons living in
Watseka to help save as many of his person-
al possessions as possible and began walk-
ing door-to-door, waking up neighbors.
By 3 a.m. he was paging the firemen and
sending men out to the first calls on County
Farm Road.
Until 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13, fire-
05300820999689
fighters would serve 24 hours a day – with
Watseka firefighters taking the day shift
B2B illinois DIrect coNNectIoNs Publishing: July 2008
Participation Deadline: June 11, 2008

IroQUoIs coUNty 5HJLRQDO

aWarDs
n Representative Timothy V. John-
son was recently named a recipient
of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
“Spirit of Enterprise” award. The
announcement recognizes Johnson’s
support of legislation that promotes
job growth and economic expansion.
He has received the award every year
he has been in Congress, since 2001,
underscoring his commitment to free
enterprise. The “Spirit of Enterprise”
award is given to those members of
Congress whose voting averages are
70 percent or greater on issues the
Chamber designates. The Chamber
designated 20 key votes in the House
during the fi rst session of the 110th
Congress. The votes covered such is-
sues as transportation and infrastruc-
ture, energy policy, immigration re-
form, trade and health care.
Business
n Certified teachers and other quali-
fied educational workers in the Kanka-
kee Community College district are
invited to enroll in any KCC course for
free. The free course program is avail-
able to full-time certified staff /faculty,
administrators or counselors employed
by a kindergarten, elementary or high
school within the KCC district li-
censed by the state of Illinois. The
college limits the offer to one class per
person, per year and the offer is limited
to the first 100 applicants. Participants
are responsible for the cost of books
and fees where applicable.
n Don L. Hurd, president of Kanka-
kee Valley Publishing recently an-
nounced that the company has acquired
the Herald Journal in Monticello,
Ind., from Home News Enterprises.
Kankakee Valley Publishing is part of
Community Media Group, a privately
held newspaper publishing group that
owns and operates daily and weekly
newspapers, shoppers, and other print
distribution products in six states.
Kankakee Valley Publishing is the par-
ent company of the Times-Republic.
5HVWDXUDQW
'HOLYHU\
'LUHFWRU\
This summer, get your restaurant’s name,
location and menu in the hands of
thousands of potential customers!
The Directory will be available:
◆ At The Daily Journal’s booth during ◆ At the Convention & Visitors Bureau
the Chicago Bears Training Camp ◆ Online and searchable for a full year
◆ At area hotels and motels at Daily-Journal.com
◆ Inside the July issue of ◆ Also linked to Daily-Journal.com/
B2B Illinois Magazine best_bites/
Total Print Quantity: 10,000 • Golf courses, caterers, bars, supermarkets and
convenience stores are also welcome to participate!
For more information or to reserve your advertising space,
contact your Advertising Consultant at The Daily Journal:
815.939.6642 phone • 815.929.2128 fax Almost
all Premium
or visit www.b2billinois.com/menu
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sold!
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KANKAKee coUNty

James taylor, Jr., illinois Works co-chair Dr. glen Poschard, Fred tetter, Clayton Harris iii-
chief of staff for iDot secretary Milton sees, and DCeo account Manager ed Piatt at the
illinois Works public hearing hosted by the Kankakee County Black Chamber of Com-
merce, the Kankakee Community resource Center, and the illinois Dept. of Commerce.

Cor Hershbach, Deputy Consul general from the netherlands (above, top) and Barry
Matchett from the environmental law and Policy Center (above, bottom) were the featured
speakers at Kankakee Community College’s Sustainability Week in late april. Hersh-
bach discussed how the netherlands became a leader, by necessity, in the reduction of
landfill waste and Matchett focused on the current environmental policies in illinois, along
a BBRCC Business After Hours was held at Megaplex i.T. Solutions inc. Pictured are
with environmental legislation currently in springfield.
Bob Meyers of edward Jones, BBrCC executive Director Jaclyn Dugan-roof, and Web-
launch Designs owner Michael roof.

23rd annual Kankakee valley Park Foundation golf outing at the elks Country Club

the KvPD staff at the signup table. l to r: Brian Zirkle, lyndsay Harwell, renee Chavez, Huot oil.
Monica Bisaillon and Jennifer leiden.

n Send B2B illinois your press releases, business briefs, event photos (with individual identifications), and business-related events. E-mail to pr@b2billinois.com or fax to 815.935.0192.
B2B illinois DIrect coNNectIoNs
WILL coUNty ContinueD FroM Page 29
Peotone, 8:30 a.m.
Peotone Chamber: 708.258.9450
6/12/2008
Dale Carnegie FREE Workshop:
“Taking Team Performance up a
Notch”
Joliet Chamber of Commerce,
8 - 10 a.m.
Dale Carnegie: 630.390.6050
6/12/2008
Annual Golf Outing
Broken Arrow Golf Club, 9 a.m.
Homer Chamber: 708.301.8111
6/12/2008
Business After Hours
Flossmoor Station Restaurant &
Brewery, 5 - 7 p.m.
Chicago Southland Chamber:
708.957.6950
KANKAKee coUNty
aWarDs
n The Society for Human Resource
Management in Alexandria, Va., has
awarded the Superior Merit Chapter
designation to the Kankakee Area
Human Resource Managers Asso-
ciation for its work in perpetuating
and supporting the mission of the or-
ganization.
n Heritage Woods of Manteno, an
assisted living community, has been
awarded a deficiency-free certifica-
tion from the Illinois Department of
Health Care and Family Services.
n The American Diabetes Associa-
tion has awarded an Education Rec-
ognition Certificate to the Diabetes
Education and Nutrition Center at
Provena St. Mary’s Hospital. Th is
certification acknowledges the edu-
cation the hospital program provides
to its patients as an essential compo-
nent of effective diabetes treatment
services.
n Menards received an award for Best
Regional Retailer earlier this month
at the 2008 Energy Star Awards in
Washington, D.C. Menards was se-
lected for the award from more than
12,000 Energy Star partner organiza-
tions for their commitment to energy
efficiency.
6/16/2008
Chamber Dinner Meeting
Beecher Community Hall, 6:30 p.m.
cocktails, 7 p.m. dinner
Beecher Chamber: 708.946.6803
6/17/2008
C & G (Cultivate & Grow Your
Business) Tuesday
Old Plank Trail Bank, 7:45 - 9 a.m.
($5 - $8 continental breakfast)
Mokena Chamber: 708.479.2468
6/17/2008
Business AFTER 5
At’s-A-Nice Pizza, 5 - 7 p.m.
Romeoville Chamber: 815.886.2076
6/18/2008
Mokena Chamber Annual Golf
Outing
Sanctuary Golf Course, 9 a.m. - ?
n Provena St. Mary’s Hospital an-
nounced that two of their marketing
efforts have achieved a bronze Aster
Award in a national medical mar-
keting competition. “These national
recognitions demonstrate the extraor-
dinary commitment to excellence
that our Marketing team put forth in
their work to inform and educate the
community on important healthcare
topics,” explains Jeff rey Brickman,
FACHE, system senior vice president
and regional CEO of the Provena
South Suburban Region. “Congratu-
lations to our marketing team, includ-
ing Melissa Tanner, marketing man-
ager; Nan Wagner, designer; Felicia
Fowler, community outreach coordi-
nator; Liz Krone, marketing associ-
ate and Mary Ellen Namoff, Spirit of
Women coordinator.” The two entries
that received the (bronze) Award were
the Patient Services Handbook and
the “It’s A Promise” advertising cam-
paign. The Aster Awards is a national
medical marketing awards program
allowing healthcare organizations
and advertising agencies to compete
against similarly-sized competitors
from across the nation.
n Walt Kopacz, president and CEO
of Illiana Financial Credit Union,
announced Illiana Financial has
earned a four-star rating from Bau-
erFinancial Inc., the nation’s leading
Mokena Chamber: 708.479.2468
6/18/2008
Monee Chamber 30 th Annual Golf
Outing
Deer Creek Golf Club, University
Park. 9 a.m. registration; 10 a.m.
shotgun
Lee Boswell: 708.534.2769 or
708.421.1786
6/19/2008
Annual Golf Classic
Lincolnshire Country Club & Lincoln
Oaks Golf Course, Crete. 7:30 a.m.
registration (regist. deadline 6/13); 9
a.m. shotgun
Chicago Southland Chamber:
708.957.6950 ext. 118
6/24/2008
Business After Hours
Prayer Center of Orland Park,
5 - 7 p.m.
Homer Chamber: 708.301.8111
independent credit union rating and
research fi rm. The four-star rating is
based on the financial condition of the
institution and indicates that Illiana
Financial Credit Union is one of the
strongest credit unions in the country,
according to a company press release.
n The Suburban Newspaper Associa-
tion recently announced the results of
their 2008 Local Community Web
Site Contest. The Daily Journal Web
site (www.daily-journal.com) placed
second in the Best Site Architecture
and Overall Design category. Accord-
ing to the judges, the site displays easy-
to-navigate, intuitive toolbars, a clean
layout, a consistent feel, and is user
friendly. The site also offers a variety
of multi-media, including video, RSS
feeds and user-generated content.
Provena St.
Mary’s Hospital
is proud to an-
nounce the
Nursing Role
Model of the
Year recipient,
Debra Lovell,
RN Cath Lab.
Debra lovell
Debbie displays
excellent professionalism both with
the care of her patients and beyond.
She is an advocate for her profession,
always willing to assist with nursing
students to help them succeed. Her
versatility as a team player is evident
as she has volunteered on her days off
6/25/2008
Society of Human Resource Manag-
ers meeting
JJC Business and Technology Center,
8 - 9 a.m.
Derek Wright: 815.744.0111
6/26/2008
Business After Hours
Guardian Angel, 5 - 7 p.m.
Joliet Region Chamber: 815.727.5371
6/26/2008
Business After Hours
Woodland’s Grill & Gathering Place,
5 - 7 p.m.
Bolingbrook Chamber: 630.226.8420
6/26/2008
Open Networking Meeting
Crete Township Hall, 8 a.m.
Crete Area Chamber: 708.672.9216
and in the evenings to share her ex-
pertise with telemetry and ICU nurses
and giving talks regarding cardiac
topics. Debbie speaks highly of Prove-
na St. Mary’s to her patients; she tells
them how much she loves her job –
and it shows. Many patients ask for
Debbie by name. They remember the
outstanding care that they received.
Business
n HCR ManorCare announced it
has been placed on Fortune maga-
zine’s 2008 list of “America’s Most
Admired Companies” for the second
year in a row. The list and related sto-
ries appear in the March 17 issue of
Fortune, and are currently available
online at www.fortune.com. HCR
ManorCare, which owns several fa-
cilities, including one in Kankakee,
was ranked No. 1 in quality of prod-
ucts/services, innovation and people
management, among other criteria.
n Nucor Corp. produces more steel
in the United States than any other
company, according to data published
in the May issue of American Metal
Market. The rankings track which
companies produce the most steel in
the country. Nucor topped the list
with 22 million tons, followed by U.S.
Steel with 16.8 million tons. Nucor,
which is based in North Carolina, has
a plant in Kankakee.
Continued on page 36
 ouT & ABouT
KANKAKee coUNty

23rd annual Kankakee valley Park Foundation golf outing at the elks Country Club

national City Bank and rhapsody Cove. ackman, Marek, Meyer and Boyd, attorneys.

Can Do Metals of st. anne, il. Holiday inn express.

3rC Mechanical. B2B illinois hosted Kankakee High school students, pictured here with Ken Crite (right).

n Send B2B illinois your press releases, business briefs, event photos (with individual identifications), and business-related events. E-mail to pr@b2billinois.com or fax to 815.935.0192.
B2B illinois DIrect coNNectIoNs

KANKAKee coUNty ContinueD FroM Page 34 monds by appointment. ABR; Sandy Girard, Broker; Jenni-
fer Bilthuis; Francis Ciaccio; Lil Gi-
n Richard Flessner, of Roberts, re- rard; Mary Lou Knecht, Broker,
n Centrue Financial Corporation dress job safety, injury prevention, tired from the Illinois Department of Gen. Mgr.; and Maria Piacenti,
announced that the company’s board and medical care. Dr. Panuska and his Transportation on April 30, after 33 ABR. They are all members of either
of directors approved the payment of staff combine their clinical and medi- years of service with the department. the Kankakee County Association of
an eight percent increase in the quar- cal experience to develop customized Realtors or the Iroquois Ford Associa-
terly cash dividend on the company’s programs that protect the health and n Mildred Culp, of Crete, whose tion of Realtors, as well as the Illinois
common stock. The dividend will be safety of employees while they are on WorkWise column appears on Fri- and National Associations, the North-
increased to $0.14 from $0.13 and the job. days in The Daily Journal, will appear ern MLSNI and the Kankakee Iro-
marks the 92nd consecutive quarter of in the May issue of Editor & Publish- quois Ford Multiple Listing Service.
dividends paid to stockholders. The Jerry Alessi was er’s “Syndicate World.”
dividend was paid to stockholders of recently has been Coldwell Bank-
record on May 16 and was payable on named vice pres- Aava Java owner er Residential
May 30. ident of com- and professional Brokerage and
mercial lending coffee roaster, Mary Jane Clee-
n Certified teachers and other quali- at MainSource Anita Speck- land, managing
fied educational workers in the Kanka- Bank in Kanka- man, and roaster broker is pleased
kee Community College district are kee. Laura Corbett to announce that
invited to enroll in any KCC course for Jerry alessi
attended the 20th Frank Tripodi
free. The free course program is avail- Annual Confer- recently received
Frank tripodi
able to full-time certified staff /faculty, Physical thera- ence & Exhibi- his broker’s li-
anita speckman
administrators or counselors employed pist Jojo Sayson, tion of the Spe- cense. Tripodi has been in real estate
by a kindergarten, elementary or high president of Jojo cialty Coffee Association of America sales for over 16 years and is a consis-
school within the KCC district li- S a y s o n ’ s in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May. tent top producer. He can be reached
censed by the state of Illinois. The Flexeon Reha- Speckman and Corbett participated by visiting the Coldwell Banker Resi-
college limits the offer to one class per bilitation of in several training labs and classroom dential Brokerage office on N. Kinzie
person, per year and the offer is limited Bourbonnais, courses including Intermediate Level in Bradley.
to the first 100 applicants. Participants was published in Craft Roasting, Organic Acids & The
are responsible for the cost of books the April issue of Chemistry of Coffee, and Appreciat- HoekstraTrans-
Jojo sayson
and fees where applicable. the scientific ing & Marketing Artisan Coffees to portation named
journal, “Aviation Space and Envi- name a few. Aava Java, LLC is a lo- Bob Eklund as
n Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco ronmental Medicine,” a trade publica- cally-owned retail coffee shop located March driver of
Bell opened in the Riverstone com- tion for the aerospace medical profes- i Bourbonnais. Shop hours are Mon.- the month. “Bob
plex near Interstate 57 Exit 308 in sion. The article, “Pathophysiology of Sat., 6 a.m.–10 p.m. and Sun., 8 was selected not
south Kankakee in early May. Hours Low Back Pain during Exposure to a.m.–10 p.m. only for his out-
are 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Microgravity,” was co-authored by standing service,
Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday Alan Hargens Ph.D., Dept. of Ortho- Rosenboom Re- professional de-
Bob eklund
and Saturday. pedics, University of California, San alty has an- meanor and safe-
Diego, and was funded by a grant from nounced the ty record, but also for his performance
NASA. The study attempts to explain agency’s top pro- in achieving the highest MPG in the
PeoPle why astronauts develop back pain in ducers for fleet,” according to a company press
space. Hargens, the former director of March: Sandy release. The designation is Eklund’s
J. Michael the gravitational branch of NASA Girard, Mary second honor since he joined the com-
Panuska, M.D., Ames Research Center, is a scientist Murphy, Pam pany in January 2007.
M.P.H., quali- for NASA at UCSD; Sayson is a vol- Cordes-Red-
fied recently for unteer scientist for NASA at UCSD.
sandy girard
ding, Betty Hoekstra
re-certif ication
Hofbauer, Leah Henrichs, Berry Transportation
as a Medical Volkmann Dia- McCracken, Rhonda Tatom, Diane announced the
Review Officer monds an- Witte, Jennifer Bilthuis, Lil Girard addition of Mac
(MRO). He is nounced the ad- and Fran Martin. McCurry to
the medical di- dition of John
J. Michael Panuska their staff as the
rector of Prove- Fitzgerald, Jr. to Roland Rosen- recruiter and
na St. Mary’s Occupational Health its team. Fitzger- boom Broker/ driver relations
Center and has been a certified MRO ald brings more Owner of Rosen- manager. He will
since 1997. Th is latest distinction is than 30 years of
Mac McCurry
boom Realty re- be responsible
valid through 2014. Dr. Panuska is experience and cently announced for the overall activities related to trac-
board certified in occupational medi- John Fitzgerald, Jr.
has received the the agency’s top tor fulfi llment and driver satisfaction.
cine and emergency medicine and is a industry’s highest degrees of certifica- producers for McCurry previously worked in law
certified member of the American tion – Certified Gemologist Appraiser April. Berry enforcement, where he was in charge
Board of Independent Medical Ex- by the American Gem Society, as well McCracken, of recruiting, training and employee
aminers. Dr. Panuska joined Provena as a diploma from the Gemological
Berry McCracken
Broker, GRI; recognition, according to Hoekstra.
St. Mary’s Occupational Health Cen- Association of Great Britain. He will Mary Murphy; Pam Cordes-Red-
ter in 1995. The center partners with perform appraisals for Volkmann Dia- ding, ABR; Rich Hansen, Broker, n Jim Owens, chairman and CEO of
employers and the workforce to ad-
 B2B illinois DIrect coNNectIoNs

KANKAKee coUNty ContinueD events New and existing members welcome.

BBRCC Office, 8 - 9 a.m. or 5:30 -
6/5/2008 6:30 p.m.
Caterpillar Inc., was a featured par- related to member services. Recertifi- Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional
Dale Carnegie FREE Workshop:
ticipant in the 2008 National Summit cation is required every four years. Chamber: 815.932.2222
“Taking Team Performance up a
on American Competitiveness. The
Notch”
event was held May 22 at Chicago’s 6/14 & 6/15/08
Olivet Nazarene University, Weber
Fairmont Hotel. Homes on Parade
Leadership Ctr, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Dale Carnegie: 630.390.6050 Home Builder’s Association of
n Esther Huff man, of Bourbonnais, Kankakee: 815.482.4131
and Cathy Hamende, of Bonfield,
6/6/2008
recently graduated from American 6/14 & 6/15/08
First Friday Focus Group on
Bodywork Institute. Relay for Life
BBRCC membership
BBRCC Office, 8 - 9 a.m. Bishop McNamara High School,
Speckman Re- susan Fisher andre Wallace
Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional 2 - 8 p.m.
alty, GMAC Coldwell Banker Residential Bro- American Cancer Society:
Chamber: 815.932.2222
announced their kerage announced is top producers for 708.633.7770
top producers for March and April. In March, with 10
6/10/2008
the month of units and over $1,200,000 in volume, 6/19/2008
BBRCC Envoy Meeting
April: Marilyn Susan Fisher was tops in both units Chamber Fun Day “Hawaiian”
New volunteers welcome.
Roy, ABR, GRI, and volume. A member of two multi- Golf Event
BBRCC Office, 12 p.m.
SRMM; Aman- ple listing services, Fisher has been in Bon Vivant Country Club.
Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional
da Armer-Irps; real estate for 19 years and is a consis- Golf Scramble begins at noon.
Marilyn roy Chamber: 815.932.2222
Lori Naese, tent multi-million dollar producer. KRCC: 815.933.7721
QSC, SRMM; Connie Cappel, GRI, Andre Wallace was top listing agent
6/10/2008
SRMM; Keith Lewis, GRI; Monna for the month with nine units. Other 6/21 & 6/22/08
BBRCC Governmental Affairs
Ulfers, BKR; Donna Giacchino, top producers during the period in- Homes on Parade
Committee Meeting
BKR, GRI, QSC, SRMM; Linda cluded Cindy Schimmel, Alisha Home Builder’s Association of
Call if interested in serving on this
Krause, BKR, GRI, SRMM; Lisa Clark, Frank Tripodi, Michelle Kankakee: 815.482.4131
committee. BBRCC Office, 2 p.m.
Sanford, ABR, BKR, CRS, GRI, Roth, Anne LaMontagne, Jerry
Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional
SRMM; and David Gross. Kern, Diane Brannock, Heather 6/24/2008
Chamber: 815.932.2222
Hinderman and Nettie Williams. Business After Hours
Speckman For the month of April, Susan Fisher Friendship Festival Beer Garden,
6/11/2008
Realty, Inc. was top listing and sales agent. Other 5 - 7 p.m.
BBRCC Member’s Orientation
G M A C top producers during April included: BBRCC: 815.932.2222
welcomes new Marlena Tharnish, Michelle Roth,
agent, Elisabeth Sarah Powers, Jerry Kern, Frank
Dunbar, to the Tripodi, Cindy Schimmel, Randy
Bourbonnais McCurry, Tonya Woods and Sandy COOK COUNTY
office. Lackey.

n The District 230 School Board COOK6/9/2008

elisabeth Dunbar
Bennett Homes ap- COUNTY
2nd Annual Charity Golf Outing
The National announced its proved the hiring of Michael Mur-
phy as Head Dean at Andrew High Idlewild Country Club, Flossmoor
Association of top producers for
School beginning July 1, 2008. Mur- 10:30 a.m. check-in; 5:30 dinner
Realtors hon- the month of
phy will take on this new role as cur- Keller Williams Realty: 708.798.1111
ored Connie April 2008 in
Legris, executive their residential rent Head Dean Tom Lahey retires
after 16 years in the position. Murphy 6/12/2008
officer of the division. Debra
earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Smart Women Smart Money
Kankakee Coun- Foulks was the
Work from Illinois State University, a Conference: Recession-Proof Your
ty Association of top agent for the
Debra Foulks Master’s Degree in Social Work from Finances
Realtors, with month with over
Connie legris Loyola University and is a licensed so- Holiday Inn & Convention Ctr.
the Realtor As- $1.75 million in total transactions.
cial worker. (Matteson), 8:45 a.m. - 1 p.m.
sociation Certified Executive (RCE) John Tamblyn was the top listing
Barbara Chalko: 312.814.4338 or
designation, which recognized excep- agent for the month with over $1.7
bchalko@treasurer.state.il.us
tional efforts made by Realtor associa- million. Tina Franklin reached a to- events
tion executives. Prior to becoming a tal of $1.6 million in total transac-
6/11 - 6/13/2008
candidate for the RCE designation, tions; Michelle Arseneau, Andy 6/5/2008 Empowering Women in Business
applicants must document their asso- Czako and Susan Schreffler each Strain/Sprain Presentation / Over- Seminar Series
ciation management and academic ex- followed close behind. All six agents view of OSHA Interpretation re: Downers Grove, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
periences. The must also demonstrate are members of the Kankakee County Musculoskeletal Disorders (registration req'd.)
knowledge of areas critical to Realtor Association of Realtors, the National Holiday Inn & Convention Ctr. Dale Carnegie: kristen_legner@dale-
association management, including Association of Realtors and the Illi- (Tinley Park), 12 noon - 1:45 p.m. carnegie.com or 630.390.6050
association law, governance and issues nois Association of Realtors. 866.369.9182
B2B illinois Direct Connections contains original content and information compiled from various news outlets including: Associated Press, e-mails, area chambers of commerce,
Web sites, The Daily Journal and numerous other publications.

Around the County
Continued from page 5
serve approximately 1 million individu-
als annually with programs addressing the
needs of low-income citizens. Typically,
CSBG funds are being used for the follow-
ing types of programs:
n Education—A broad spectrum of edu-
cational assistance is provided through
the CSBG program. Specific examples
include: workplace orientation, voca-
tional skills training, family planning
education, cultural opportunities for dis-
advantaged children, energy conserva-
tion education, post-secondary education
scholarships, GED assistance for high
school dropouts, adult and youth literacy
training, and nutrition education for sin-
gle parents and the elderly.
Employment—The Department of
n sufficiency.
Commerce and Economic Opportunity
places a high CSBG priority on job-cre-
ating economic development programs
which result in the employment and self-
sufficiency of low-income persons. Each
CAA designs and operates an individu-
alized economic development program.
Ten percent of each CAA’s annual CSBG
funding is allocated for economic devel-
opment/job creation activities. Most
CAAs operate a loan program through
which below-market-rate loans are made
for business expansion and start-up
which results in the hiring of low-income
persons.
n Emergency Services—Most CAAs
maintain clothes closets and food pan-
tries, many of them in conjunction
with other community groups and lo-
cal churches. Some agencies provide re-
deemable vouchers or grants to clients
that enable them to meet immediate and
urgent family needs such as health ser-
vices, nutritious food, housing, employ-
ment-related assistance, daycare, medical
services and transportation.
n Health—CAAs provide many health-
related activities including transporta-
tion to medical services, medical and
dental screening, immunizations, drug
and alcohol prevention and treatment
assistance, medication/prescriptions and
other related services.
n Housing—The primary housing activities
include aid to renters seeking a residence,
landlord/tenant rights education and ar-
bitration, information about purchasing/
financing a home, packaging housing and
housing rehabilitation loans, and provid-
ing for minor energy efficiency or health-
and safety-related home repair.
n Income Management—Many CAAs
offer programs to encourage better use of
available income. A majority of this as-
sistance is in the form of family budget
counseling. Information also is provided
through workshops or brochures on such
topics as financial management, credit,
income taxes and social security.
Linkages—CSBG funding regularly
n
supports extensive outreach, information
and referral services.
n Nutrition – CSBG funding is a primary
resource for leveraging and providing
nutritional assistance. Typical programs
include: federal surplus food distribution,
community gardening projects, food
banks, senior citizen and youth feeding
projects, Christmas food packages and as-
sistance in accessing food stamps, WIC,
summer feed programs for children, and
other nutrition-related programs.
n Self-Sufficiency—Most CAAs provide
for comprehensive family case manage-
ment programs that promote, empower
and nurture family members toward self-
n Coordination of Services—CAAs part-
ner with local governments, community
based organizations and the private sec-
tor to provide critical human services.
This coordination is enhanced by the
CAA’s unique board structure.
Who is Eligible?
Client eligibility for the Illinois Commu-
nity Services Block Grant program is based
on a “poverty” income threshold that is es-
tablished and annually adjusted (for changes
in the Consumer Price Index) by the United
States Department of Health and Human
Services. In addition to the poverty income
eligibility, citizens whose income is within
125 percent of the poverty threshold are de-
termined to be “low-income” and are also
eligible for CSBG services.  Illinois’ CSBG
regulations also make provision for CSBG
services to citizens above these income lev-
els who are victims of natural or man-made
disasters which cause swift and temporary
poverty. Information on CSBG eligibility
provisions can be obtained by calling your
local CAA:
Kankakee County:
Kankakee County Community Services,
Inc.
657 E. Court, Suite 207
Kankakee, Illinois 60901-4055
Telephone: 815.933.7883
Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Will County:
Will County Center for Community Con-
cerns
304 North Scott Street
Joliet, Illinois 60432-4035
Telephone: 815.722.0722
Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Iroquois County:
East Central Illinois Community Action
Agency
56 North Vermilion
Danville, Illinois 61834-1335
Telephone: 217.443.2705
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Southern Cook County:
Community & Economic Development
Association of Cook Co., Inc.
208 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1900
Chicago, Illinois 60604-1001
Telephone: 312.795.8844
Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
For further information on community de-
velopment programs please contact:
Bureau of Community Development
620 E. Adams, CIPS 3
Springfield, IL 62701
Phone: 217.785.6174
TDD: 800.785.6055
I would also like to take this opportunity
for anyone interested in the Opportunity
Returns program or seeking business as-
sistance to contact me at 312.636.0739 or
email me direct at Ed.Piatt@illinois.gov.
Until next month, see you around the
county… they withheld good ideas from management
Edward Piatt is NE senior
account manager for the
Illinois Department of
Commerce & Economic
Opportunity, covering
Kankakee, Grundy and
southern Cook counties.
Iroquois County:
Paul Faraci, east-central manager
217.278.5851
E-mail: Paul.Faraci@Illinois.gov
Will County:
Beth May, NE senior account manager
815.721.3543
E-mail: Beth.May@illinois.gov
Innovative Management
Solutions
Continued from page 8
includes top management. Their projects
are usually (and rightly so) much farther
reaching (strategic) in nature. This means
that up front planning becomes critical for
minimizing waste. (See diagram on page 8
for cost analysis.)
Another reason for planning at the man-
agement level is to model the behaviors and
skills that you expect in your staff. If an
employee poorly plans a project and wastes
time and money, there are usually conse-
quences. Make sure everyone is held to the
same standards.
Celebrate Successes
It is very important to continually cel-
ebrate successes, show results, and build
a great “cause” within the organization. It
may sound simple, but so many organiza-
tions fall short in this area. Whether you
feel the need to celebrate the small successes
or not, somebody in your organization will
have worked hard to complete a project.
Many times this work is above and beyond
their regular job duties. Therefore, by not
expressing your gratitude and celebrating
the success, you run the risk of making peo-
ple feel that their work has gone unnoticed,
unappreciated and was expected.
Nothing will diminish future efforts fast-
er than a feeling of being underappreciated.
So what to do, specifically? Plan your
communication strategy. Don’t leave it to
happenstance, or it will look last-minute,
insincere and forced to your staff. Know
what means the most to the people and plan
your communication efforts accordingly.
Another thing to make sure you do is to
recognize people for their contributions re-
gardless of their position. I’ve seen organi-
zations where the supervisors and managers
were not allowed to be recognized for their
good ideas. “It’s their job to think of these
ideas,” was the rationale. When speaking to
the supervisors and managers in this envi-
ronment, they felt slighted. In some cases
out of spite. Not a good scenario for any or-
ganization.
Last Thoughts
When building momentum for lean in
your organization, accept and plan for hav-
ing a different momentum in each area or
department. Allow for these differences, for
they represent the varied dynamics of your
organization. If you try to control or stifle a
faster-paced department, you are defeating
the purpose of employee-based improve-
ment initiatives. However, if you have areas
or departments that are slow to embracing
the lean principles, push them, guide them
and nurture them into action.
Long-term momentum comes when ev-
ery area is involved and contributing to the
proactive improvement of the organization.
Finally, be conscious of how improve-
ment projects compete for time with your
employees’ other tasks and responsibilities.
Any momentum you’ve built can be slowed
down or stopped completely if employees
are involved in too many projects at once—
taking them away from their “normal” job.
It is a balancing act in many cases. Finding
the balance and not overwhelming employ-
ees is very important.
Next month I will finish this lean series
by touching on some ways to avoid imple-
mentation failures. Until next month!
Patrick Seaton, Innovative
Management Tools LLC.
The CenterPoint for Entrepreneurs Sponsors
Veterans’ Entrepreneurial
Boot Camp
More than 75 U.S. military service mem-
bers, as well as veterans’ family members
joined U.S. Small Business Administration
Regional Director Patrick Rea at Governors
State University for the Veterans’ Entrepre-
neurial Boot Camp in May.
Rea was the keynote speaker at the event
hosted by The CenterPoint for Entrepre-
neurs at GSU. Of the nation’s 24 million
veterans, more than three million are cur-
rently small business owners. The steadily
growing number of veteran business own-
ers, coupled with
The CenterPoint’s
mission to provide
business services
to the region, led
to the inception of
the targeted event.
Rea, also a Brig-
adier General in
the Army Reserve,
discussed why vet-
erans make excel-
lent entrepreneurs.
“Men and women
who have served
in the military are
naturally risk-takers and also have an ex-
ceptional concept of service. Both charac-
teristics are integral to business success.”
In addition to larger group sessions, the
Boot Camp featured breakout sessions on
specific topics including business financ-
ing, writing a business plan, and business
operations. Attendees also took part in one-
How’s Business
Continued from page 18
Do we have a generous standard of pay,
and insist on excellence?
Do we hire too quickly and fire too late?
Is our company history—and its future—
fully communicated and understood by ev-
eryone?
How is our leadership viewed by others?
Are they “connected” to the team in ways
that are sincere, genuine and authentic?
(For more on how to achieve authenticity,
see my book, “Reality Sells.”)
How do our team members “feel” about
their jobs? Are they made to feel part of the
team’s success with their individual contri-
butions?
Do we encourage volunteerism and com-
munity service?
Creating a positive culture in any orga-
nization is long, tedious work. But it’s not
impossible. Start small and take a step each
from press release
on-one counseling with The CenterPoint’s
business analysts.
“These sessions have helped to set off a
light bulb in my head,” said Sherrie Wirth
of Bradley, Illinois. Wirth, who lost a son to
the war in Iraq, has a business proposal in
progress and received additional guidance
at the boot camp. She is planning to open a
business that assists returning war veterans
with transitional services, including coun-
seling and transportation.
Wirth, like many other attendees, is a
relative of a service
Keynote speaker member. In plan-
Patrick Rea ad-
ning the boot camp,
dresses attendees
at The Center- The CenterPoint
Point’s Veterans’ realized the need
Entrepreneurial to not only provide
Boot Camp.
specific information
to veterans, but also
to those whose lives
have been touched
by men and women
who have served in
the military.
Navy Veteran
Steve Gillespie of
Chicago Heights
served in Desert Storm. While his earlier
small business ventures didn’t work out as
planned, Gillespie is determined to become
a small business success story, noting that
he learns something new each step of the
way. “Starting a business is a leap of faith,”
he said. “It takes passion to be an entrepre-
neur, and I’ve got plenty of that.”
day toward building the culture you want
to create. Every step—however small—is a
positive in the long run.
If you’d like a nudge in the right direc-
tion, I’d like to send you my free report, “15
Ways to Be More Authentic in Your Busi-
ness.” Just send me an e-mail at bill@The-
800PoundGorilla.com and put the words
15 WAYS in the subject line. I’ll send it
right out to you.
Bill Guertin is an in-demand
speaker, author, and chief
enthusiasm officer (CEO) of
The 800-Pound Gorilla,
helping companies develop
leaders in sales performance,
service excellence and creative marketing
techniques. He is the co-author of “Reality
Sells: How To Bring Customers Back Again
and Again By Marketing Your Genuine
Story.” Bill travels to deliver many work-
shops, seminars, retreats and keynote
presentations each year.