INNOVATION

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH PEORIA'S I-TEAM 

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF BREAKTHROUGHS 

ACT LIKE A STARTUP 

J a n u a r y 2 0 1 6 [ $ 5 . 9 5 ] 

peoriamagazines.com 

INNOVATION 

REVOLUTIONIZING HEALTHCARE AT JUMP 

ENHANCED 

with Augmented 

Reality!

peoriamagazines.com 1

2 InterBusiness Issues -- January 2016



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FOCUS: INNOVATION -- 01/16 

contents 

54 

WHEN THERE 

IS NO SILVER 

BULLET… 

by Stevie Zvereva 

Peoria’s i-team is 

tackling some of the 

city’s oldest problems 

with a novel approach. 

66 

A NEW 

STANDARD 

IN MEDICAL 

TRAINING 

by Dr. John Vozenilek and 

Nikki Delinski 

Launching this spring, 

a first-of-its-kind tool 

will revolutionize 

how new nurses 

are integrated into 

healthcare systems. 

78 

On the cover: 

Dr. John Vozenilek, 

vice president and 

chief medical officer 

for simulation at Jump 

Trading Simulation and 

Education Center. This 

image and corresponding 

3D augmented-reality video 

were obtained from an MRI 

scan of Dr. Vozenilek’s brain. It 

is segmented to view the skin, 

skull and three components of the 

brain (gray and white matter and 

neural tracts), and is representative of 

Jump’s ongoing work to improve how 

clinicians look inside the human body 

using 3D technology. 

KEEP AN EYE 

ON KEYSTART 

by Randon Gettys 

KeyStart provides fast 

access to capital in 

order to turn ideas into 

real companies. 


01/16 -- Serving Central Illinois Since 1989 

contents 

82 

70 

EVERY ISSUE 

14 PUBLISHER'S NOTE 

16 ONLINE 

18 CALENDAR 

20 ONE-UP 

95 IN BRIEF 

97 IBI CORNER 

99 CLASSIFIEDS 

112 AD INDEX 

REGION 

26 PAVING THE ROAD AHEAD 

by Andrew Rand 

28 INNOVATION AND THE DOWNTOWN 

by Michael J. Freilinger 

30 OUT OF RECOVERY, PREPAREDNESS 

by Jim Fassino and Ben Davidson 

FINANCE 

32 INNOVATION AT THE BANK 

by Nicholas Heskett 

34 CONSUMER CREDIT: 

A LOCAL SURVEY 

by Larry C. Nelson 

WORKPLACE 

38 WORKPLACE EMAILS: 

A WORD TO THE WISE 

by Kathleen M. Carter 

40 DIRECTED CARE: 

THE MOST EFFECTIVE PATH 

by Adam Haight 

42 FOCUS ON THE RIGHT THINGS 

by Jimmy L. Smith 

44 SMALL BUSINESSES 

DESERVE R&D CREDITS, TOO 

by Joel Norris and Saqib Dhanani 

HEALTHCARE 

46 SAVING LIVES: 

THE "80% BY 2018" INITIATIVE 

by UnityPoint Health – Peoria 

48 ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF 

MEDICAL INNOVATION 

by Shelli Dankoff 

MORE 

50 INGENUITY IN AGRICULTURE 

by Patrick Kirchhofer 

52 DISRUPT OR BE DISRUPTED 

by Jamie Engstrom 

FOCUS: INNOVATION 

62 INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION 

IN THE FEASIBILITY STAGE 

by Chad Stamper 

64 FROM INNOVATION TO 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

by Merle G. Rocke 

70 CATERPILLAR'S CULTURE OF INNOVATION 

by George Taylor 

74 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF 

BREAKTHROUGHS 

by Francesco Fazio 

76 WHAT THE HECK IS AN 

INNOVATION AGENCY? 

by Mark Hemmer 

82 INNOVATION: A VIEW FROM THE LAB 

by Joseph O. Rich 

84 NONPROFIT INNOVATION: 

CREATING SPACES 

by Eileen A. Ruby Setti 

88 EXPRESSIONS OF TECH INNOVATION 

IN THE (NON-)COMMERCIAL WILD 

by Clint LeClair, MD 

92 INNOVATION IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 

FOR REGIONAL PLANNING 

by Nick Hayward 


publisher's note 

THE AGE OF 


InterBusiness Issues 

PUBLISHER 

Jan Wright 

jan@peoriamagazines.com 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Jonathan Wright 

jwright@peoriamagazines.com 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR 

Stevie Zvereva 

szvereva@peoriamagazines.com 

IT’S A NEW YEAR… and what better time to focus on the topic of innovation? 

This is the first issue of iBi to incorporate “augmented reality,” 

and though I was initially skeptical, I have to admit it’s rather interesting 

to look inside the head of Dr. John Vozenilek, vice president and chief 

medical officer for simulation at the Jump Trading Simulation & Education 

Center, as we can with this issue’s cover image. 

Augmented reality (AR) presents a digital layer of information on top 

of the “real world” when viewed through the camera of a smartphone. 

Thus, we can point our phones at “Dr. Voz” and view a three-dimensional 

video obtained from an MRI scan of his brain. (Turn to page 16 for instructions 

on viewing AR content.) In addition, two advertisers—Midstate 

College (page 53) and Pediatric Resource Center (page 71)—opted to 

incorporate the technology into their print ads. 

While I’ve seen AR in national magazines, we had never tried it. 

When OneFire approached us about incorporating AR into this issue, 

we decided to give it a test run. After all, innovation involves taking a 

chance—and risking potential failure. “Failure isn’t frowned upon—it’s actually 

kind of encouraged,” notes Kate Green of Peoria’s innovation team 

on page 54. “It means you’re out there… trying something different and 

new and bold.” 

There are only a handful of examples of AR in this issue, but we hope 

it helps you envision the possibilities. It’s an experiment—so let us know 

what you think at info@peoriamagazines.com! 

Just as new technology (AR) builds on top of the old (print), we see 

old buildings in Peoria’s Warehouse District repurposed with lightningspeed 

internet service. Meanwhile, Caterpillar, Jump, the Ag Lab, the 

College of Medicine, our major hospitals and other organizations are remaking 

themselves to accommodate this age of innovation. One emerging 

concept is the “Innovation District,” a dynamic, synergistic environment 

for collaboration—turn to page 92 for more on that. 

As we move into the New Year with innovation on our minds, I’ve 

created my own wish list for 2016: 

• That our governmental entities—federal, state and local—set aside 

their differences and find ways to work together; 

• That new apartments rise from vacant land in Peoria’s Downtown/ 

Warehouse District; 

• That developers are allowed to rehab old buildings without red 

tape and onerous restrictions; 

• That Caterpillar breaks ground on its new headquarters; and 

• That we continue to see young entrepreneurs turn their innovative 

ideas into new businesses. 

Happy New Year, everyone! 

CLIENT COORDINATOR 

Samantha Foster 

sfoster@peoriamagazines.com 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Tarryn Silver 

tsilver@peoriamagazines.com 

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT 

Nikki Cole 

ncole@peoriamagazines.com 

iBi is published the first week of each month and mailed to 

businesses throughout central Illinois. 

For annual subscription, pay online at 

peoriamagazines.com/subscribe, or send 

check/money order for $19.95 to: 

Central Illinois 

Business Publishers, Inc. 

5005 N. Glen Park Place, Peoria, IL 61614 

PHONE: 309.683.3060 FAX: 309.693.3546 

EMAIL: info@peoriamagazines.com 


Permission is hereby given to reproduce portions of this material for educational 

purposes. InterBusiness Issues welcomes unsolicited manuscripts, 

but assumes no responsibility for their publication. All ad and editorial 

copy is due by the 5th of the month. The publisher reserves the right 

to edit or reject any editorial or advertising material. Opinions 

expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. Every 

attempt is made to provide accurate and reliable information herein; however, 

the publisher is not responsible for any errors, defects or omissions. 

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InterBusiness Issues will not be liable for any injuries, direct or indirect 

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online 

J A N U A R Y 

W E B 


E X C L U S I V E 

NOT CREATIVE? BELIEVE YOU CAN BE 

by Mona Patel Motivate Design 

IMAGINE THAT YOU COULD WORK on an app that better informs financial decisions to 

help users get out of debt. Imagine working with technology that helps patients and doctors 

better manage illness and health. Imagine being stuck in the rain with a crappy umbrella, 

and allow the experience to spark the curiosity that leads to a better design… These problems 

are amazing! 

Problems are amazing because of the innovative and creative solutions that often follow. 

There are so many big, juicy problems out there that remain blank canvases, just waiting 

for the answers to improve the quality of life for us all. The problem that often hobbles 

problem-solving, however, is the “I can’t” mindset—the hurdle separating problem recognition 

and imagination. But if we can get past “I can ’t,” we enable wonder, curiosity, creativity and 

sometimes, groundbreaking innovation. 

How do we overcome the “I can’t” mindset? Visit peoriamagazines.com/ibi for a brief 

summary of my creative- and innovation-enabling process for individuals and teams. 

Have an idea for an article or focus topic? 

EMAIL YOUR SUGGESTIONS TO 

info@peoriamagazines.com or make your voice heard at peoriamagazines.com/survey! 

1. 

2. 

3. 

HOW TO VIEW 

AUGMENTED 

CONTENT 

Download 

the free 

OneFire AR 

app (for iOS 

or Android) 

by visiting 

onefirear.com 

from your 

smartphone. 

Look for 

the AR 

icon that 

denotes an 

image is 

enhanced 

with interactivity. 

W E B 

E X C L U S I V E 

TIME TO SEE THE FUTURE 

by Randy Pennington 

THE SCARIEST CHANGE ON YOUR HORIZON is the one you don’t see coming. The problem 

for most of us is that we are so busy taking care of the seemingly urgent stuff on our calendars 

that we don’t stay on top of the changes that promise to transform our lives. 

Did you know that agriculture companies are pioneering driverless tractors and equipment 

to handle tasks that once required people? And you may not have heard of Suneris, 

a Brooklyn-based company that hopes to transform the way we stop bleeding with its new 

product—after having relied on direct pressure, stitches and cauterization for centuries. While 

such innovations may not affect you today, they will someday. You’ll be left behind if you don’t 

know about them, and more importantly, position yourself to thrive when they appear. So how 

will you find time for your own personal research and reading? 

Let’s take a look at your calendar—the true test of what is important to you. How much 

time did you invest over the past month thinking about where your company, industry or 

profession is going? Visit peoriamagazines.com/ibi to learn how you can capture time for longrange 

planning… and take a look into the future. 

Open the app and aim your device 

at the AR-enhanced image. 

FOLLOW THESE 

LOCAL SOCIAL MEDIA VOICES 

The Whiskey City 

Collaborative 

@thewhiskeycity 

Bradley EMBA 

@BradleyEMBA 



calendar 

Send your events to info@peoriamagazines.com 

01 January 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7th 

The Peoria Public Schools Foundation will host the 

first annual 365 Club Breakfast at 7:15am in the 

Woodruff Career and Technical Center (WCTC) 

to help businesses and individuals learn more 

about the foundation and the needs of District 150 

students. For reservations, call (309) 713-3608. 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14th 

Peoria County’s Election Commission will present 

“Join the Electoral Process: Become an 

Election Judge” at 6pm on the ICC North 

campus. This free public workshop, offered 

through ICC’s Adult Community Programs, is 

intended for anyone interested in becoming an 

election judge. To register, visit icc.edu/acp or 

call (309) 690-6900. 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15th 

The Community Workshop and Training 

Center will host its annual Super Trivia 

Challenge at the Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino at 6pm. 

Registration is $30, and groups can reserve a 

table of eight for $240; entries include appetizers 

and a cash bar. All money raised will go toward 

programs and services for CWTC consumers. For 

more information, call (309) 686-3300 or email 

rstephenson@cwtc.org. 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16th 

The Morton Chamber of Commerce Annual 

Dinner takes place from 5:30 to 9pm at 

Embassy Suites in East Peoria, highlighting 

Chamber initiatives and events from the past 

year and strategies for the upcoming year. The 

Distinguished Service Award winner, Volunteer 

of the Year Award winner and annual Pumpkin 

Festival theme will be unveiled. For more 

information, visit mortonchamber.org or call 

(309) 263-2491. 

MONDAY, JANUARY 

18th 

Benjamin Jealous will be the featured speaker at 

the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration 

Luncheon, presented by Public Employees for 

Community Concerns. The event takes place at 

noon at the Peoria Civic Center. Tickets can be 

purchased by calling (309) 453-4070. For more 

information, visit mlkluncheon.com. 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 

21st 

Embassy Suites and Fondulac Bank 

present 

Regional Business After Hours 

for 

members 

of the 

East Peoria, Morton, Pekin, Peoria and 

Washington chambers of commerce from 5 to 8pm 

at Embassy Suites in East Peoria. The “Red Carpet 

Affair” is free to Chamber members and their 

guests. 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 

22nd 

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is forming an 

HR Roundtable to provide human resources 

professionals an opportunity to exchange ideas 

and discuss important issues in the regulatory 

environment. The first quarterly workshop runs 

from 9am to 3pm at the Peoria Area Chamber of 

Commerce and may be attended as a trial for $250. 

For more information or to register, visit ilchamber. 

org/events or call (217) 522-5512, ext. 227. 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 

30th 

The Sun Foundation presents the 11th annual 

Winter Warming event from 6 to 9:30pm to 

benefit its children’s programs. The evening, 

themed “Wines that Rock,” includes drinks, food 

and friends at the Life Together Center in Peoria. 

Registration is $55 before January 15 th ; $65 after 

January 15 th . Tables of eight can be reserved for 

$650. To reserve a spot, visit sunfoundation.org 

or 

call (309) 246-8403. 



one-up 

2015 

WORD OF THE YEAR 

Each December, the Oxford Dictionaries team selects a word that best captures the 

mood over the past year. This year’s Word of the Year? , officially known as the “Face 

with Tears of Joy” emoji. “Emoji culture” exploded in 2015, it says, and now 

embodies “a core aspect of living in a digital world that is visually driven, 

emotionally expressive and obsessively immediate.” 

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Dictionaries, explains: “You 

can see how traditional alphabet scripts have been struggling to meet the 

rapid-fire, visually focused demands of 21 st -century communication. It’s 

not surprising that a pictograph script like emoji has stepped in to 

fill those gaps—it’s flexible, immediate and infuses tone beautifully. As 

a result, emoji are becoming an increasingly rich form of communication, one 

that transcends linguistics borders.” 

$146,478,000,000 

That’s $146 billion— 

the proposed federal 

R&D and R&D plant 

budget for 2016—a 

6.8 percent increase 

over 2015, according 

to the National Science 

Foundation. The top 

allocations for the 

proposed funding 

include national 

defense; health; space 

flight, research and 

supporting activities; 

general science and 

basic research; and 

energy. 

INNOVATION & THE R&D SPEND 

In its Global Innovation 1000 studies, PwC’s Strategy& team identifies the top 20 publicly traded companies worldwide that spend 

the most on R&D, alongside a ranking of the world’s most innovative companies, based on a web survey of 369 senior R&D 

executives and innovation leaders. As in previous years, the 10 most innovative companies outperform the top R&D spenders, with 

five companies making both lists. Find the complete lists—and much more—at strategyand.pwc.com/innovation1000. 

The World’s Most Innovative Companies (2015) Top R&D Spenders (2015) 

Rank 

Company 

R&D Spend 

(Billions)* 

Rank 

Company 

R&D Spend 

(Billions)* 

1 Apple 

$6.0 

1 Volkswagen 

$15.3 

2 

Google 

$9.8 

2 

Samsung 

$14.1 

3 

Tesla Motors 

$0.5 

3 

Intel 

$11.5 

4 

Samsung 

$14.1 

4 

Microsoft 

$11.4 

5 

Amazon 

$9.3 

5 

Roche 

$10.8 

6 

3M 

$1.8 

6 

Google 

$9.8 

7 

General Electric 

$4.2 

7 

Amazon 

$9.3 

8 

Microsoft 

$11.4 

8 

Toyota 

$9.2 

9 

IBM 

$5.4 

9 

Norvartis 

$9.1 

10 

Toyota 

$9.2 

10 

Johnson & Johnson 

$8.5 

* R&D spend data is based on the most recent full-year figures reported prior to July 1st. 

"INNOVATION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW MANY R&D DOLLARS YOU HAVE. 

WHEN APPLE CAME UP WITH THE MAC, IBM WAS SPENDING AT LEAST 100 TIMES MORE ON R&D. IT'S NOT ABOUT MONEY. IT'S 

ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE, HOW YOU'RE LED AND HOW MUCH YOU GET IT." 

—STEVE JOBS, FORMER APPLE CEO, FROM A 1998 FORTUNE INTERVIEW 



one-up 

CHECKING THE VITALS 

SEEN ON TV: THE COSMOGLOVE 

“They’re an accident waiting to happen!” Peoria entrepreneur John McKee says of stainlesssteel, 

surgical-grade hair shears. “I knew a hair stylist who… kept having injuries via shears… 

But it was a trip to an emergency room that really got me thinking: ‘This is crazy.’ There’s tons 

of protective equipment for people in the workforce, but there was nothing at that time for hair 

stylists or barbers. I wasn’t thinking about going to market… I was just trying to help her.” 

McKee’s solution, the Cosmo Finger Guard, is a lightweight, cut-resistant specialty glove 

“designed by a cosmetologist for cosmetologists, with comfort and safety in mind.” McKee and 

his business partner, Troy McDaniel, received a design patent for the Original Cosmo Finger 

Guard in March 2014, and have two more patents pending for spin-off products, featuring new 

styles for nail technicians, nurse practitioners and culinary use. 

Last month, their East Peoria-based LLC announced a partnership with AsSeenOnTV.pro 

to be featured in a national and regional television 

campaign set to air in select markets the 

first quarter of 2016. “There will be two scenes 

in the infomercial,” McKee explains, “featuring 

a local hair salon and a local stylist… and Dave 

Alwan of Echo Valley Meats, who just got off 

Shark Tank.” McKee says he hopes the additional 

exposure and endorsement by Shark Tank’s 

Kevin Harrington will help increase sales for the 

product, which is currently available online at 

cosmofingerguard.com. For more information, 

visit facebook.com/CosmoFingerGuard. 

Approximately 3,500 babies die 

each year in the U.S. due to Sudden 

Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), 

according to the CDC. This alarming figure 

was enough to push Peoria native Mollie 

Evans to find a way to take her newborn’s 

health into her own hands. Dubbed the 

Baby Vida Monitor, Evans’ invention is 

simple to use: a soft sock on your baby's 

foot wirelessly transmits his or her oxygen 

level and heart rate through Bluetooth, 

while parents monitor the numbers via a 

free app. If it registers a reading outside 

of the predetermined safety range, the 

device sounds an 

alarm so you can take 

immediate action. 

Wireless, portable and 

easy to use, the Baby 

Vida Monitor offers 

peace of mind above 

all, suggests Evans. 

To learn more about 

the monitor, on sale 

nationwide at Walmart, 

visit babyvida.us. 

FOCUS ON UPCOMING ISSUES... Target your audience —Call (309) 683-3060 today! 

FebruaryHISTORY 

From whiskey barons to the U.S. Cabinet, 

the fascinating tales of Greater Peoria 

come alive! 

MarchHEALTHCARE 

As the healthcare world continues to 

change, Greater Peoria is on the cutting 

edge of the revolution. 

AprilWATER 

From recreation and commerce to overall 

quality of life, water is top of mind in 

Greater Peoria. 



one-up 

TIME TO INNOVATE 

There’s a common thread among innovative 

companies: they set aside employee “free 

time.” Take 3M’s long-standing “15-percent 

rule,” which encourages researchers and 

engineers to spend 15 percent of their 

workday on their own projects. At Google, 

that rule is 70–20–10: 70 percent of an 

employee’s time should be spent on core 

business, 20 percent on projects related 

to the core and 10 percent on totally 

unrelated projects. At Apple, engineers get 

20 percent for their own projects, while 

last year, Adobe publicized the details of its 

“Kickbox” employee innovation program, 

which offers $1,000 to employees to 

pursue side projects. Meanwhile, PayPal, 

GE, AT&T and American Express all have 

programs to encourage innovation and 

inspire creativity. 

No matter how you do it, the concept is simple, suggests Intuit Inc. “Give employees 

time and freedom to explore ideas they are passionate about, and they will generate 

new and innovative products and services.” The software firm suggests carving out 

at least 10 percent of employees’ schedules for “unstructured time,” offering the 

following steps to make the most of that time: 

1. Batch your time. Negotiate a block of time that falls after peak projects and 

deadlines so you’re not distracted by daily fires. Looming projects can steal 

your focus; it’s better to innovate in a designated block of undistracted time, so 

“40 hours every 10 weeks can be much better than four hours per week.” 

2. Build a small team. Forming a mini-team of energetic people with synergistic 

skillsets can do wonders for the innovation process via inspiration and extra 

brainpower. 

3. Create structure. Innovating in a vacuum doesn’t work; “it’s vital to create 

some structured activity for your unstructured time project,” states Intuit. Find 

a way to spur teams to hit deadlines for innovation via contests; host in-house 

competitions or open houses to showcase new ideas. 

Most importantly, make innovation part of your organization’s culture, because 

“unstructured time alone isn’t enough to spur innovation.” Learn more at network. 

intuit.com. 

COWORKING FOR INNOVATION 

Construction is underway on the third 

and fourth floors of the Jump Trading 

Simulation and Education Center 

in Peoria, creating a collaborative 

workspace to solve healthcare’s 

most complex problems. The 

$12 million project will turn these 

floors into open, shared working 

environments for numerous 

departments within OSF HealthCare, 

including Performance Improvement, 

TeleHealth, Healthcare Analytics, 

Research and the Applied Research 

for Community Health Through 

Engineering and Simulation program 

(ARCHES). 

The idea is for employees to 

have easier access to each other, to 

simulation experts and to clinicians as 

they help OSF HealthCare innovate 

ways to improve healthcare. The 

development will include a staircase 

connecting the two floors, small 

and large group spaces, video 

conferencing rooms and a café. 

Construction is expected to be 

completed in June 2016. 

MINING MEETING GOLD 

Tired of wasting time in meetings? Though they sometimes 

seem futile, in fact "team meetings are a big indicator of 

overall team performance,” says Lawrence Polsky of the global 

consulting firm PeopleNRG.com. He and his colleague, Antoine 

Gerschel, offer the following tips on how you can transform 

wasted time and “mine gold from executive meetings”: 

1. Seven-minute watercooler wisdom. Leverage 

the HHAY (“Hello, how are you?”) meeting to stay on 

top of team issues and build strong relationships with 

team members. 

2. Don't let the loudmouths dominate. Don’t allow 

quieter individuals to be overshadowed by their more 

extroverted peers. 

3. Separate catch-up, project and strategy meetings. 

One often bleeds into another, making meetings 

long and unproductive. Suggesting that "this is a good 

topic for the XX meeting" helps you stay on track. 

4. The meeting before the meeting. Briefing attendees 

on the agenda and providing discussion items in 

advance will keep meetings moving along. 

5. End-of-meeting huddle. End by asking questions 

like: "Were the meeting objectives met?" "Did 

everybody participate?" and "Do we have clear commitments 

and action items?" 


egion 

Paving the Road Ahead 

Andrew Rand 

Peoria County Board 

SINCE THE 2008 RECESSION, the County 

of Peoria and many other local units of government 

in the region have repeatedly had 

to make difficult budget decisions as a result 

of declining revenues, cuts in state funding 

and organizational inefficiencies. During this 

period, Peoria County reduced its FTE (fulltime 

equivalent) employee count by 14.6 percent 

as one of several means to cut costs and 

mitigate continued revenue shortfalls. 

Historically, the County has looked internally 

to trim expenses, rather than externally 

to boost revenues by increasing taxes 

and/or fees. For the sixth consecutive year, 

Peoria County has continued to maintain its 

real estate tax rate of 80.5 cents per $100 assessed 

valuation, compared to the 2006 rate 

of 84.9 cents. 

Reducing expenses—in large part by 

rightsizing the organization through voluntary 

separation and attrition—has allowed 

us to achieve a balanced budget without 

adversely affecting the high-quality public 

services our residents have come to expect. 

Maintaining traditional service expectations, 

however, is becoming increasingly difficult in 

one particularly significant core function— 

not because of reduced staffing, but because 

of antiquated funding formulas. The nation's 

current funding structure for infrastructure 

projects is insufficient to address the rapidly 

deteriorating condition of our roadways. 

Many factors have contributed to the 

poor condition of county roads, including 

increased load limits and the use of road salt 

during harsh winters. On the other hand, also 

contributing to the infrastructure funding issue 

are stagnant motor fuel tax (MFT) rates 

that have not been increased for more than 20 

THE NATION'S CURRENT FUNDING STRUCTURE 

FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IS INSUFFICIENT 

TO ADDRESS THE RAPIDLY DETERIORATING CONDITION 

OF OUR ROADWAYS. 

years. The State of Illinois last increased its motor fuel tax rate in 1990; 

the federal government in 1993. Considering roadway maintenance 

costs for Illinois counties increased by almost 150 percent between 

2000 and 2012, our $3 million highway budget does not stretch as far 

as it once did—and it is inadequate for future projects. While MFT 

revenue has not declined, it has simply failed to keep pace with the high 

cost of roadway construction, maintenance and repair. 

Peoria County maintains 315 miles of roads, with 97 percent either 

sealcoat or asphalt surface, three percent concrete, and 13.1 miles 

located within the City of Peoria. We partner with Bradley University 

annually to track the condition of our pavement, using a Pavement 

Condition Index (PCI) to rate each road from an impassable zero to an 

impeccable 100. Currently, the weighted average condition for county 

roads is 58.8—with Glen Avenue between Sheridan and Knoxville 

(Peoria County's portion) an eight, and Airport Road, which was newly 

reconstructed in 2008, an 87. If the County continues to maintain its $3 

million budget for infrastructure improvements, as well as our traditional 

service level for maintenance and rehabilitation, this average PCI 

rating will fall to 49.2 in the next five years. 

Peoria County does not shy from difficult decisions, and how to 

fund much-needed infrastructure improvements of our roadways is 

one that lies ahead in 2016. During the coming months, the County 

Board will be seeking input from our taxpaying constituents, because 

the solution this time may have to rest with external partners, rather 

than internal ones. To achieve a realistic balance of public funding and 

public service levels, our residents' tolerance for increased taxes must 

be weighed against that for deteriorating roadways. And who better to 

help us gauge that tolerance than you? 



egion 

INNOVATION AND 

THE DOWNTOWN 

by Michael J. Freilinger Downtown Development Corporation of Peoria 

The assets and resources we already have in place present an opportunity for the entire region. 

READERS OF THIS ARTICLE MAY WON- 

DER what the DDC has to do with innovation. 

In other words, what does location have 

to do with innovation? The answer is: a lot. 

We are all familiar with Silicon Valley 

and how it catalyzed a technology revolution 

that has transformed our entire lives. 

This revolution was in large part due to the 

collaboration brought forth through the 

concentration of entrepreneurs, IT professionals, 

venture capitalists and visionaries 

within a single geographic location. The 

ability to collaborate in such a location afforded 

them the benefits of a techno-centric 

culture, where they were submerged in a sea 

of ideas and possibilities. Information flowed 

through all channels of daily activity—not 

only at work, but in personal interactions 

away from the office. 

We still live in a world where people 

take their kids to school, attend sporting 

events and dinner parties, and go to the 

grocery store. In these interactions, we share 

information and build relationships. These 

are the beginnings of such collaboration. 

BY FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS ON FOLLOWING THE 

BEST PRACTICES IN DEVELOPING AN INNOVATION 

DISTRICT DOWNTOWN, WE CAN ACHIEVE A 

RENAISSANCE FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. 

WHAT IS AN INNOVATION 

DISTRICT? 

Innovation districts are geographically defined 

areas large enough to allow for the colocation 

of several businesses, but small enough 

to ensure close proximity. A departure from 

traditional economic development strategies 

focused on infrastructure, they provide 

a synergistic environment for entrepreneurs, 

researchers, and product and software developers. 

They are supported by incentive programs, 

the availability of capital and collaborative 

environments. 

It may not surprise you that the downtowns of cities, once abandoned 

for the suburbs, are the primary location of today’s new innovation 

districts. Companies are returning to the downtowns of America 

for the same reasons downtowns are becoming the new model for innovation 

districts. In researching this article, I found a report by Bruce 

Katz and Julie Wagner of the Brookings Institution entitled The Rise 

of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America 

(brookings.edu/about/programs/metro/innovation-districts), which I 

recommend to all our civic and business leaders. 

The report identifies the three innovation district models in existence 

today. The first is the “anchor plus” model, commonly located in 

the downtown or mid-town of our cities, with established companies 

engaged in research and development. The second is the “re-imagined 

urban areas” model, commonly located along waterfronts and in industrial 

areas like our Warehouse District, which provide historic buildings 

well suited for the new model of collaboration. The third model is the 

“urbanized science park,” the previous model of suburban or exurban 

areas, similar to Silicon Valley. 

The report notes a shift from the third model to the first two, 

largely due to the desire for closer proximity to other businesses, in areas 

with a mixed-use residential component. This type of environment 

provides easy access to and from work, high-speed internet access at 


work and home, walkable neighborhoods, a diverse population and 

interesting architecture. The fact that people are living and working in 

proximity of each other is what supercharges the collaboration, even 

to a greater degree than the Silicon Valley model. It is also where these 

entrepreneurs and young professionals want to live, so the companies 

are coming to them. 

The tremendous news for Peoria is that our Central Business 

District and Warehouse District lie adjacent to one another in our 

downtown. They are on the waterfront, with gigabyte internet service 

already available. Our regional hospitals are downtown, and Caterpillar 

is located there. There are several research and development facilities 

in or near the downtown, and we are developing residential inventory 

throughout the downtown. The assets and resources we already have 

in place present an opportunity for the entire region. Peoria, too, can 

establish an innovation district consistent with the newest models and 

capitalize on the immediate proximity of both. 

HOW ARE INNOVATION DISTRICTS CREATED? 

Innovation districts are a collaborative effort of civic, business and 

development leaders. First and foremost, local governments—especially 

the city—need to be involved to ensure that incentive programs, 

public infrastructure and regulations support the type of development 

that needs to be established. Nonprofit development entities need to 

be supportive of the district and collaborate with the city to direct 

resources and support for entrepreneurs and startup businesses. The 

business community must participate through the location and expansion 

of research and development activities within the district. The development 

community needs to invest in the physical assets to provide 

space for the business and residential communities. Venture capitalists 

need to be invested by directing funds into emerging startups. Finally, 

entrepreneurs and innovators need to be attracted and encouraged to 

take up residency in the district. 

In other words, those entities that can bring the required economic, 

physical and networking assets must work together with a singular 

focus on creating a dynamic environment in order for an innovation 

district to be created. 

WHY DO INNOVATION DISTRICTS MATTER? 

As cited in the Brookings report, innovation districts matter because 

they enable cities and regions to grow, empower entrepreneurs, create 

jobs, reduce carbon emissions and generate revenue. By focusing our 

efforts on following the best practices in developing an innovation district 

downtown, we can achieve a renaissance for the entire region. The 

benefits will extend well beyond the downtown and the City of Peoria. 

The wealth created in the innovation district will have a multiplier effect 

on the regional economy, generating new jobs for residents and tax 

revenue for local governments. 

For these very reasons, the DDC was established to champion the 

redevelopment of our downtown. Through the revitalization of our 

downtown, a successful innovation district can be created, our businesses 

can grow in size and number, jobs can be created for our residents, 

and a quality of life suitable for our children can be realized. The 

redevelopment of our downtown is essential to all residents of central 

Illinois, regardless of where you live; therefore, all of us have a stake in 

this. Together, we can build upon our current successes to realize the 

promise of our future. 


egion 

OUT OF RECOVERY, 

PREPAREDNESS 

by Jim Fassino Tri-County Long Term Recovery, and 

Ben Davidson Community Organizations Active in Disaster 

With Long Term Recovery going dormant, many have signed up to help in the next phase. 

IN MID-NOVEMBER, dozens of the people 

who opened the first Tri-County Long Term 

Recovery (LTR) met to celebrate its closing. 

The moment was bittersweet. 

After two years of collaborating to help 

Tazewell County recover from the tornadoes 

of 2013, LTR had accepted its last client. The 

final monthly meeting had been held. The office 

was shutting its doors. Folks who had enjoyed 

working side by side were almost sorry 

to see it end. 

Yet driving to the luncheon through 

rebuilt neighborhoods near Five Points 

Washington showed how far recovery had 

come, and LTR had played its part. Every 

person celebrating knew the value of being 

prepared before disaster strikes again. Many 

have signed up to help in the next phase, Tri- 

County COAD, shorthand for Community 

Organizations Active in Disaster. 

FROM LTR... 

Central Illinois already saw the benefits of being 

prepared in 2013. After spring flooding, 

interested groups and individuals met that 

summer to discuss long-term, area-wide disaster 

coordination. They built on two lessons 

learned after Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern 

seaboard and a tornado devastated Joplin, 

Missouri. 

First, coordination is vital. Second, duplication 

can be avoided. 

Coordinating without duplicating is what 

an LTR does after a major disaster. A standalone 

not-for-profit, it’s a temporary umbrella 

committee with dozens of members—not a 

permanent group. There are many fine emergency 

responders. As its name implies, LTR 

UNLIKE AN LTR, A COAD HAS NO MONEY OF ITS 

OWN AND NO FUNDER’S FORUM. A DISASTER BIG 

ENOUGH TO REQUIRE THOSE SERVICES WILL PROBABLY 

REACTIVATE THE LTR. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT COULD 

HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. 

steps in to fill unmet needs when first responders have completed their 

work. Longer-term recovery may take two years, as it did in Tazewell 

County, or more. Then LTR goes dormant until there is another major 

disaster to address. 

So LTR members were poised to respond when tornadoes struck 

more than 1,100 homes. Within weeks, their efforts were recognized 

with a $500,000 grant from The Robert R. McCormick Foundation, 

which enabled LTR to open an office in Washington Plaza where case 

managers could shepherd people through the paperwork and processes. 

Those case managers came from the Red Cross, The Salvation Army 

and St. Vincent de Paul Society, but they worked as one team, using a 

central database to avoid duplication. 

Such coordination eased traumatized families, but it also helped 

LTR partners. Government and insurance sources rarely cover all the 

needs of every homeowner impacted by a storm. Once those sources 


were exhausted, case managers brought remaining items—insurance 

deductibles, mental health counseling, soil remediation, stumps, rent 

payments and the like—to monthly meetings called Funder’s Forums. 

From the Apostolic Christian Church to the Washington Illinois Area 

Foundation, funders provided manpower, materials and money to help. 

As of November 4, 2015, more than $1.4 million has been distributed 

through the Funder's Forum. The highest total was in May 

2015—18 months after the tornadoes—when $176,036 was given out. 

Although a firm number is hard to determine, Forum members also 

donated hundreds of thousands of dollars they had collected to assist 

tornado victims. 

LTR itself has granted $518,395, thanks to local contributions and 

the McCormick grant. (That’s just cash. It doesn’t include Christmas 

gifts or a 573-bicycle giveaway spearheaded by case manager Chuck 

Friend and Joe Russell of Russell’s Cycling and Fitness Center.) LTR has 

also set aside funds to finish the paperwork on roughly 100 cases which 

remain, a process that may take into this spring. 

...TO COAD 

About a year ago, even as unmet needs were at their peak, LTR’s executive 

and steering committees were discussing the next steps. We 

wanted to create a package of “best practices” advice which could help 

other communities learn from our experience, just as we were helped 

by Joplin. And we wanted to help form a standing group to focus on 

emergency preparedness when LTR was dormant. 

After months of meetings and discussions, both goals were met. 

LTR subcommittees from Construction Management to Donations to 

Pets condensed their advice into brief reports, and Ben Davidson agreed 

to lead a COAD, the format which best suits Tri-County’s situation. 

Tri-County COAD wants to develop relationships which emergency 

responders can count upon during a crisis. As head of LTR’s 

Volunteer Management Committee, Ben saw how confusing things 

become when would-be helpers just show up at a disaster site. That’s 

why COAD, like LTR, is designed to keep things simple. 

A COAD doesn’t jump in on its own. It only stands up at the 

request of emergency responders, such as a county Emergency Management 

Agency director. But if called, COAD members will have relationships 

built to put basic plans in place. For example, one church may 

have offered storage space for donated items like diapers and water. 

The Lions Club may have members trained in how to use chainsaws. 

And good information will be provided via text, Facebook, email and 

mass media. 

There are differences between an LTR and a COAD. A COAD 

might be called for a much smaller crisis, such as an apartment fire, 

and it only meets quarterly. (You’re welcome to attend at 8am on Tuesday, 

January 12, 2016, at the Community Foundation of Central Illinois, 

3625 N. Sheridan Road in Peoria.) But COAD is a continuing group. 

Unlike an LTR, a COAD has no money of its own and no Funder’s 

Forum. A disaster big enough to require those services will probably 

reactivate the LTR. Unfortunately, that could happen at any time. 

In early December, Tri-County LTR got a call from South Carolina, 

where flooding prompted the formation of an LTR. Their newly 

elected chairman said the executive committee was about to meet and 

members weren’t sure what to do next. Advice from central Illinois 

would be welcome, and Jim Fassino was happy to provide it. 

If the lessons learned in central Illinois help South Carolina get to 

its own bittersweet moment any quicker, something good has come out 

of the November 2013 tornadoes. 

LTR Chairman Jim Fassino is the retired Northern Illinois regional president 

of First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust. COAD Chairman Ben Davidson is 

executive pastor of Bethany Community Church in Washington and 

chairman of LTR’s volunteer management committee. 


finance 

Innovation at the Bank 

Nicholas Heskett 

Commerce Bank 

NEED PROOF THAT WE ARE LIVING in a 

time of great change? Consider this: consumers 

today interact with their banks 15 to 20 

times a month, up from three to four times a 

month in the pre-digital era, according to research 

by Netfinance. 

Or this: when they go online, millennials 

switch their attention between media platforms 

27 times an hour, according to the U.S. 

Chamber of Commerce Foundation. 

The implications of findings like these 

are far-reaching. They remind us bankers that 

you, our customers, want to conduct business 

right now, wherever you are. They tell us we 

need to listen carefully and be agile in how we 

design products and services. They explain 

why your desire for convenience, speed and 

highly customized service are transforming 

the way banks operate. If you need even more 

proof, consider some banking innovations 

that didn’t exist a few short years ago… 

• Mobile banking. If you’re like many 

consumers, you no longer have to visit 

a branch to take care of your banking 

needs. That’s because banks now come 

to you through your phone, tablet or 

computer. You can make a deposit, pay 

a bill and check your account balance 

in between sips of your morning coffee. 

And mobile banking services will only 

continue to expand. 

• Custom accounts. Everyone’s banking 

needs are different, and banking 

products are now being designed with 

built-in flexibility to accommodate 

them. Just like you might choose a custom 

ringtone for your cellphone, you 

can now build a checking account with 

JUST LIKE YOU MIGHT CHOOSE A CUSTOM 

RINGTONE FOR YOUR CELLPHONE, YOU CAN NOW 

BUILD A CHECKING ACCOUNT WITH THE FEATURES 

THAT FIT YOUR NEEDS. 

the features that fit your needs, from automatic saving plans and 

online bill pay to ID theft services. There’s no bundling in—or 

paying for—services you won’t use or find valuable. 

• More ways to pay. Perhaps nowhere has there been a greater 

explosion of options than at the cash register. Reward cards, gift 

cards and debit cards have made the “plain vanilla” credit cards 

of yesteryear seem old-fashioned. They’ve also added bulk to 

our wallets. If you prefer to carry a single card, Commerce now 

offers a free payment feature that lets you specify which purchases 

you’d like paid from your checking account and which 

to treat like credit card purchases. Online and phone payment 

systems, such as ApplePay, let you forgo “swiping” altogether. 

• More ways to be paid. Businesses benefit from innovation, too. 

Commerce’s Health Services Financing program, for example, 

includes a line of credit that enables patients to pay medical 

bills over time, while helping healthcare providers improve their 

cash flow. Meanwhile, app-based solutions allow on-the-go 

businesses (think electricians or food truck operators) to turn 

their phone into a secure, portable cash register. 

Of course, innovations like these don’t happen in a vacuum. The reason 

consumers interact with their banks five times more often today than 

they once did is because we are carefully listening to their needs. Our 

goal is to develop solutions that you don’t even know are possible—and 

that you soon won’t want to live without! 

Nicholas Heskett is an assistant vice president and the central Illinois retail 

sales manager for Commerce Bank. 



finance 

CONSUMER CREDIT: 

A LOCAL SURVEY 

by Larry C. Nelson Central Illinois Credit Seminars 

How local financial institutions use credit reports and scores when determining consumer loans 

WHILE CONDUCTING CLASSES AND 

SEMINARS ON CREDIT, I’ve received several 

questions regarding how financial institutions 

use credit reports and credit scores. So, I decided 

to survey area financial institutions and 

see what they are doing regarding consumer 

loans. The survey did not ask for information 

regarding mortgage or commercial lending— 

only consumer lending. 

• I contacted four finance companies, and 

three responded (75%). 

• I contacted 12 credit unions, and eight 

responded (75%). 

• I contacted 31 banks with offices in the 

Peoria area—only 18 responded (58%). 

That gave me a total response rate of 62 percent. 

Not as good as I had hoped for, but enough to 

give me an idea of what is happening. The following 

summarizes the responses I received. 

1. To whom do you report your consumer 

loans: Experian, TransUnion 

or Equifax? 

Ideally—if you plan on paying your 

loans as agreed—you want your creditor 

to report to all three. However, because 

some software companies charge 

extra for each bureau, some banks and 

credit unions choose not to report to 

all three. In addition, TransUnion and 

Equifax have started charging lenders 

a fee just to report their loan accounts, 

while Experian charges a minimum 

monthly fee for credit reports. There is 

no law requiring lenders to report their 

accounts. 

• Banks: Ten reported to all three. One 

reported only to TransUnion; two 

reported to Experian and Equifax; 

and five reported only to Experian. 

• Credit unions: Two reported to all three. Six reported only to 

Experian. 

• Finance companies: All three reported to all three bureaus. 

2. From which credit bureau do you receive consumer credit 

reports? 

TransUnion was the first credit bureau to serve Illinois, but in 

1999 and 2000, it bought up their local affiliates and closed their 

offices. Experian, represented by KCB Information Services, is 

the only credit bureau with local offices. 

• Banks: Three requested a three-bureau report (one report 

merging all three bureaus) each time. Five requested a Trans- 

Union report, and 10 requested Experian only. 

• Credit unions: One pulled TransUnion reports; one pulled 

TransUnion and Experian; six pulled Experian only. 

• Finance companies: All three pulled TransUnion reports. 

3. Do you pull your own reports, or does another office pull 

the reports? 

If the person you talk to doesn’t pull your report, they probably 

won’t make the decision and may not see your report—or be 

able to help you if you have any questions. 

• Banks: Fifteen pulled their own reports (83%). Three sent the 

applications to another office. 

• Credit unions and finance companies: All said they pulled 

reports themselves. 

4. Do you get a credit score with each report? 

There is no law requiring lenders to request a credit score. If 

the lender will be selling your loan to another lender, the other 

lender may require a score. 

• Banks: One said they “sometimes” requested a score; one 

bank never requested a score. All other others (89%) said they 

requested a score with each credit report. 

• Credit unions and finance companies: All said they pulled 

a credit score each time. 

5. What score model do you receive? 

There are more than 50 score models. Some are weighted to favor 


the lender, such as the Auto Model, Personal Finance Model and 

Credit Union Model. The credit bureaus have also created their 

own models, which they use instead of the standard Fair Isaac or 

FICO models. While there is no “correct” score model, Fannie 

Mae and Freddie Mac accept only Experian FICO V2, Experian 

FICO V4 Classic and Equifax Beacon 5. To avoid confusion, I 

always recommend the models used by Fannie and Freddie. 

• Banks: Two received TransUnion V4; six received Experian 

V2; one received Equifax Beacon 5; one received TransUnion 

V8. Seven (39%) did not know which score model they 

received. 

• Credit unions: Six received Experian V2; one received 

Experian V2 and TransUnion FICO V8. One did not know 

which model they received. 

• Finance companies: Two received TransUnion FICO V4, 

and one received TransUnion FICO V8. 

6. Do you request a different score model for different types 

of loans? 

All institutions said they request the same score model for all 

reports. 

7. If a consumer passes the pre-qualification requirements, 

do you use the credit score to approve or disapprove the 

loan? 

Pre-qualification requirements could include: income-to-debt 

ratio, length of time on job, length of time at current address, 

amount of down payment, etc. 

• Banks: Eight (47%) said yes. Three (18%) said no. Six (35%) 

said sometimes. 

• Credit unions: Five said yes; one said no. One said sometimes. 

• Finance companies: All said no. 

8. Is the credit score used to determine the interest rate? 

Not that important, but it would be nice to know you get a 

better rate if you have good credit. Conversely, if you have poor 

credit, you may still be able to get a loan, but at a higher rate. 

• Banks: Eight (47%) said yes. Five (29%) said no. Four (23%) 

said sometimes. 

• Credit unions: All eight said yes. 

• Finance companies: One said no, and two said sometimes. 

9. When you inquire to the credit bureaus for the credit 

report, do you provide the exact purpose (type code) of the 

loan request? 

FICO states: “Only consumer-initiated inquiries for new credit 

will count against the score.” FICO also acknowledges multiple 

inquires for auto and mortgage loans should not count against 

the score, but “if the inquiries are not listed as being mortgage, 

auto or student loan, each inquiry will impact the score.” In 

addition, if the creditor pulls your credit report for employment 

purposes and does not request an employment credit 

report, the inquiry will count against your score. It is illegal to 

use a consumer credit report for employment purposes. Many 

creditors will pull credit reports annually on their current 

customers—this is called “account review” and would not 

count against the consumer’s score if the creditor uses the 

correct purpose code. 

• Banks: Thirteen (72%) said yes; five (28%) said no. 

• Credit unions: Six said yes; two said no. 

• Finance companies: All three said no. 


10. Have you or anyone in your organization ever attended 

a class or seminar on credit reports and credit scores 

presented by a trade organization or credit bureau? 

• Banks: Nine said yes; eight said no. One said they didn’t 

know. 

• Credit unions: Eight said yes and four said no. 

• Finance companies: All said no. 

IN SUMMARY 

Most locally owned institutions report to (13) and pulled from (20) 

Experian. All but one institution with their home office outside of the 

Peoria area reported to all three bureaus, but most pulled their reports 

from TransUnion. Other findings: 

• All locally owned institutions and the three finance companies 

pulled their reports themselves. Institutions with their home office 

out of the area were split on where credit reports were pulled. 

• Thirteen institutions used credit scores to approve credit 

requests; eight “sometimes” used the scores; and eight said they 

did not. 

• Sixteen used scores to determine interest rates; six “sometimes” 

used scores; and six said they did not use scores. 

• Twenty used the type code when requesting a report, while nine 

did not correctly pull credit reports. 

• Thirteen had one or more employees who had attended outside 

classes on credit reports and scores. One didn’t know, and the 

rest (15) had never attended any classes on this topic! 

So if you go to get a consumer loan, the lender will pull a report, get 

a score and in most cases, use it to determine if you will get the loan. 

In most cases, that score will have some effect on your interest rate. In 

addition, most local lenders used Experian credit reports, while most 

out-of-town lenders used TransUnion. If the lender does not pull an 

Experian report, it will probably not get all your information. 

A little surprising and scary: nearly one third of institutions did 

not use a purpose code, and were thereby pulling reports incorrectly, 

potentially damaging their customers’ credit scores. Another surprising 

result: more than half were using credit scores to determine who 

gets loans or not—yet they had never been to a class or seminar explaining 

credit reports and scores. I would have to ask: who determines 

the score numbers and reasons to make the loans, and how? And where 

did they get their information? 

I talked to one loan processor who didn’t know which bureau they 

pulled from. He said, “I think they pull a score, but I never see it or the 

report.” He said he couldn’t fill out the survey, but would send it to the 

office (out of state) that pulls reports. I never received a survey from 

that bank. 

If you are looking to get a consumer loan, you should ask your 

lender a few questions: 

1. From which credit bureau do you receive your credit reports? 

2. Do you make the decision, or is it made by someone in another 

office? 

3. Have you been to a class on credit reports and scores, and do 

you know what they mean? 

4. To which credit bureau(s) will you report my loan? 

5. Do you tell the credit bureaus the purpose code when requesting 

my credit report? 

6. Do you use credit scores to determine if I get the loan, as well as 

the interest rate? 

Larry Nelson, owner of Central Illinois Credit Seminars, owned KCB 

Information Services from 1989 to 2013. He can be reached at (309) 696- 

1890 or lcnelson@mtco.com. 



workplace 

WORKPLACE EMAILS: 

A WORD TO THE WISE 

by Kathleen M. Carter Quinn, Johnston, Henderson, Pretorius and Cerulo 

If caution is not exercised, email communications can be devastating in a lawsuit. 

“NEVER WRITE IF YOU CAN SPEAK, never 

speak if you can nod, never nod if you can 

wink.” The words of 19th-century Boston political 

boss Martin Lomasney have never rung 

more true than in today’s modern age of email 

communications. More than ever, the words 

we type in the ubiquity of our daily emails 

run the risk of eventually becoming available 

for public consumption. Beyond the embarrassment 

and bad press to which the public 

disclosure of certain internal written communications 

can lead, lies the potential for such 

written communications to be used by an adversary 

in litigation. 

A CASE STUDY 

With the exception of certain limited circumstances, 

written internal business communications 

can be discoverable in subsequent litigation. 

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals 

recently issued a decision which perfectly 

illustrates the consequences that can result 

from employees’ written communications. 

In that case, an employee who was an 

Army Reservist filed a lawsuit against her 

former employer asserting claims of discrimination 

and retaliation. According to her employer, 

the basis of her firing was for violations 

of the company’s attendance policy; however, 

the employee averred that the real reason 

was discrimination based upon her military 

service. 

In support of this assertion, the plaintiff 

cited several emails distributed among 

various staff members at her employer which 

made reference to the plaintiff’s military 

service and otherwise discussed whether she 

could be disciplined for taking too much time 

off for military reserve duty. The court held 

that the emails could have supported a jury 

finding that the plaintiff was fired because of 

improper discrimination. More than likely, in 

the absence of such written communications, 

the court would have reached another conclusion. 

The emails were considered by the court because they were produced 

in the “discovery” process of the litigation. After a lawsuit is filed, 

a plaintiff has the ability to request written documentation relating to 

the claims being alleged in a lawsuit. To be discoverable, it makes no 

difference whether the communication occurred via hard-copy papers 

or email. Because email communication facilitates nearly effortless 

communication, it is this type of communication about which employees 

and employers must be the most cautious. 

CONDITIONS FOR ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE 

While emails among and between employees will almost certainly be 

discoverable in litigation, where email communications are directed 

from an employee to an attorney for legal advice, the communication 

may be privileged from disclosure under the attorney-client privilege. 

However, not all communications with your attorney are privileged. 

The privilege is limited to only certain communications by certain persons 

within an organization to a legal professional. 

In order for the attorney-client privilege to apply: (1) legal advice 

must be sought; (2) from an attorney in his or her capacity as such; (3) 

the communication must relate to that purpose; and (4) the communication 

must be made in confidence that it would not be disclosed; (5) 

by the client, unless the client chooses to waive the privilege. Moreover, 

simply cc-ing your attorney as an “FYI” does not invoke the privilege 

unless the email is ultimately used to obtain legal advice. When a string 

of emails that is not privileged is forwarded to the attorney, privilege 

may attach to the entire email chain if the purpose of the email is to 

transmit facts to the attorney for legal advice. However, routine, nonprivileged 

communications between corporate officers or employees 

transacting the general business of the company do not attain privileged 

status solely because in-house or outside counsel is “copied in.” 

Furthermore, in Illinois, the privilege only applies to communications 

between an attorney and members of a company’s “control 

group.” That is, in order for the attorney-client privilege to apply in 

a corporate context, a claimant must demonstrate that the statement 

sought to be protected was made by someone who is a decision-maker 

or in top management of the corporation, or to those employees who 

directly advise top management, and upon whose opinions and advice 

decision-makers rely. In the latter case, the advice must actually have 

formed the basis for the final decision. 

MINIMIZE POTENTIAL IMPACT 

Given the limited application of the attorney-client privilege, most 


email correspondence done in the regular course of business will be 

discoverable in litigation and thus, possibly made public and/or used 

in support of a claim made against a business. Of course, documentation 

and email communications are imperative in the modern business 

context. Indeed, good documentation of employment and business 

decisions can be helpful in defending a business in litigation. However, 

that same documentation and email communication can also be 

devastating in a lawsuit where caution is not exercised in what and 

how one is communicating. With that in mind, here are some tips to 

minimize the potential impact: 

1. Take a moment to reflect. Just because email is a quick and 

efficient method of communication does not mean that less 

thought should be put into what is being communicated. 

2. Consider your recipients and minimize. Consider the 

context and only send email to your target audience. 

3. Label legitimate communications as “Privileged & 

Confidential – Attorney Client Communication.” Not all 

communications to your lawyer are privileged, but such a label 

on potentially privileged documents may help highlight your 

intention and draw the attention of the reviewing attorney. 

4. Avoid exaggeration and inflammatory rhetoric. Superlatives 

and dramatic language may be useful in getting your point 

across, but may also take on a life of their own in litigation. 

5. Watch forwards and attachments. These are discoverable 

too. 

6. Consider public perception. If possible, don’t write anything 

you wouldn’t want shown to a jury on an eight-foot screen. 

Of course, when in doubt, the safest method is to simply pick up the 

phone. 


workplace 

Directed Care: The Most Effective Path 

Adam Haight 

IWIRC Corp. 

ILLINOIS ENACTED WORKERS’ COMP 

(WC) "reforms" in 2011, but let's be honest 

and call them drops in a pond. The medical fee 

schedule was cut by 30 percent on September 

1, 2011, bringing the average reimbursement 

for medical providers in a primary-care setting 

below Medicare levels, while reimbursement 

for other medical services outside the 

primary codes are still paying as much as 400 

percent of Medicare levels. In WC, medical 

providers do not receive copayments or deductibles 

from patients or anyone else—only 

what the fee schedule dictates. As an employer, 

you should be asking, "Have I seen a 

reduction in my WC premiums approaching 

30 percent?” 

At the eighth annual Workers' Compensation 

Conference hosted by the Illinois 

Chamber of Commerce, the differences 

in WC between Illinois and Indiana were 

a broad topic. I'd like to touch on a few of 

those differences and their possible impact 

in Illinois: 

1. Directed care. No, not the “PPP” 

networks where the employee can 

still "opt out" of the network to seek 

care by their personal physician or 

surgeon, but true employer direction 

like in Indiana, with the employer 

directing the options, beginning with 

an occupational health specialist who 

understands the nuances of treating 

WC injuries. One legislator asked, 

“If employers aren't using the PPP 

networks, how can the legislature go 

to the negotiating table with labor 

unions to try and get direction of 

care passed?” Well, if you give us an 

ineffective or inadequate tool (PPP 

networks) where in many cases the 

risks outweigh the gains and tell us to 

use it anyway, what outcome can be expected? The reality is 

the only negotiating criteria for PPP administrators are for the 

medical providers to agree to discounts that pay them below 

Medicare, with no consideration for quality of care. 

2. Permanent partial disability awards based solely on AMA 

impairment ratings. Illinois’ permanent partial disability 

(PPD) awards and settlements are based on a combination 

of five factors; the AMA impairment rating is now the fifth 

factor. (Section 8.1b: iwcc.il.gov/act080811.pdf) Any injury 

sustained since September 1, 2011, should have an AMA 

impairment rating tied to it when it goes before an arbitrator 

to determine the PPD award. Without it, the arbitrator can 

only use the other four criteria to establish the PPD. The AMA 

rating is the only factor that is individually objective, determining 

whether the worker has any loss of function, range of 

motion, strength, tissue atrophy, etc. If the answers are no, 

the AMA rating is a zero-percent whole person impairment. 

However, in the current system, the claimant can still end up 

with an overall percentage of loss as high as 20 percent or even 

more, depending on the arbitrator. 

3. Bringing the medical fee schedule to a reasonable level for 

primary care providers. On September 1, 2011, the medical 

fee schedule for primary care providers was taken to below 

Medicare levels. In July 2014, those codes below Medicare 

were finally raised to Medicare levels. However, in that same 

month, Indiana enacted its first WC fee schedule at 200 percent 

of Medicare. It was presented that while Illinois ranks as 

the seventh most expensive state for workers’ comp, Indiana, 

despite charging 200 percent of Medicare, ranked 49 th . Other 

Illinois neighbors who have some form of directed care ranked 

as follows: Wisconsin, 23 rd (no fee schedule); Iowa, 24 th (no fee 

schedule); Missouri, 21 st (no fee schedule); and Kentucky, 40 th 

(with care codes paying 143 percent of Illinois). 

The silver bullet to kill the big bad work comp wolf in this state is directed 

care—not strengthened causation standards without directed 

care, as the legislature would suggest. One thing lost in the discussion 

is that all other forms of healthcare in this state, besides workers’ comp, 

are already directed through PPO and HMO networks. Directed care 

leads to more efficient use of healthcare dollars, which in turn leads to 

real cost savings for the businesses of the state. 



workplace 

Focus on the Right Things 

“EFFICIENCY IS DOING THINGS RIGHT; 

effectiveness is doing the right things,” as Peter 

Drucker, the famed author, educator and 

management consultant, once said. Whether 

individually or organizationally, the key to 

short- and long-term success is to focus on the 

most important issues. 

Jimmy L. Smith The problems that confront many organizations 

are determining just what to focus 

their efforts toward—and how to measure 

progress. Without a clear focus, organizations generally become 

bogged down with too many performance indicators, which confuse 

their organizations and result in significant waste. 

The role of key performance indicators (KPIs) is to provide the 

required information and motivation to assist in the achievement of 

desired results. KPIs should be clearly recognized throughout the organization. 

Their results should facilitate communication and decisionmaking 

initiatives across all levels of the organization. 

The following guidelines are offered as fundamental considerations 

which can be used to narrow a focus on the most important 

issues confronting organizations. 

1. KPIs should focus on the vital few. The late Dr. Joseph M. 

Juran, considered by many to be the foremost quality and 

process improvement guru of the 20th century, popularized the 

Pareto principle. If focused on the trivial many, too many things 

will consume valuable resources with less-than-significant 

results to the bottom line. Managers have a habit of wanting to 

measure everything, whereas KPIs should be laser-focused and 

process-based. 

2. KPIs should be strategic. They should be linked to the organization’s 

strategies, goals and objectives. They should measure 

performance toward the strategic intent that’s been determined 

by senior management. It is critical that the KPIs measure the 

most important issues in order to achieve meaningful success. 

3. KPIs should be relatable. KPIs are both financial and nonfinancial. 

While it is fairly easy to measure performance in terms 

of financial factors, it’s important to have KPIs which can be 

related to all levels of the organization. For instance, return on 

investment or return on equity would not typically be effective 

measures for production personnel. However, they can certainly 

relate to defect rates or units shipped (for a specified time 

base). If KPIs are not relatable, most of the organization will 

be confused and left out of the effort to help drive operational 

improvements. 

4. KPIs should be achievable. KPIs set at higher levels can 

adversely impact employee morale and subsequently, organizational 

performance. After Philip B. Crosby, author and management 

consultant, developed his zero-defect program in the 

1960s, many organizations adopted it as a KPI. These managers 

misinterpreted Crosby’s focus and encumbered their personnel 

with an impossible challenge. KPIs may be set with regard to 

benchmark levels. They can certainly be a stretch, yet they must 

be achievable. 

5. KPIs must have valid data. Organizations must ensure their 

measuring system is valid. As Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist 

who received the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physics, once said, “Accuracy 

and clarity of statement are mutually exclusive.” Striving 

to obtain any KPI data is a challenge in itself for many organizations, 

and data accuracy can be an even greater task. As an 

example, to determine the amount of variation of the measurement 

system, repeatability and reproducibility of measurement 

equipment should be performed to determine validity. In other 

words, will the KPI measurement system yield data that are 

meaningful, timely and reliable for effective decision-making? 

6. KPIs should be controllable. As Drucker said, “What gets 

measured, gets managed.” More importantly, what is measured 

must be controllable to obtain the desired strategic objectives. 

Individuals within the organization must be empowered to 

make necessary adjustments in order to generate positive 

performance outcomes. On its own, the simple act of empowering 

all levels of the organization leads to powerful results. 

The simple act of paying attention to something will cause the 

organization to make connections they never made before, and 

these areas will improve, almost without extra effort. 

7. KPIs should be embedded. KPIs should be embedded in 

everyday use as part of the working experience. All staff members 

should be exposed and trained to work in a KPI-driven 

environment. Sadly, many organizations fail to realize the 

importance of this step and are confused when they fall short of 

the desired results. All too often, organizations determine their 

latest and greatest KPIs without a concerted plan to educate 

their workforce as to what it takes to achieve success. 

Many organizations realize the power of KPIs, but some still wrestle 

with how to use them effectively. They need to remind themselves, 

however, that while Drucker’s quote, “What gets measured, gets managed,” 

is true, the challenge is to have the right measures—because the 

wrong ones can lead to disastrous results! 



workplace 

SMALL BUSINESSES 

DESERVE R&D CREDITS, TOO 

by Joel Norris and Saqib Dhanani HIRETech 

Tax court affirms what we already knew… 

SMALLER-SCALE MANUFACTURERS AND 

FABRICATORS used to get the short end of 

the stick from the IRS in regards to the Research 

and Development (R&D) Credit. A 

rule known as “The Discovery Rule” basically 

stated that if someone else had already made 

something, no one else could make it and 

claim the R&D Credit because the product 

had already been discovered. 

Until about five years ago, this rule 

wreaked havoc on smaller manufacturers 

because even though they were trying to 

design and develop products in competition 

with much larger organizations, the playing 

field was not even. They were overcoming the 

same obstacles and difficulties, but with fewer 

resources, fewer funds and then, fewer tax 

benefits. 

REBUFFING THE IRS 

Besides being plainly unfair, the Discovery 

Rule had other problems. It ignored the fact 

that while a large company had successfully 

developed a product, that company did not 

turn around and tell everyone else in the industry 

how to successfully produce it. Therefore, 

smaller companies literally had to reinvent 

the wheel without the tax savings reaped 

by their larger competitors. Primarily for 

those reasons, the tax court put the Discovery 

Rule out to pasture in 2009. 

In Eric G. Suder, et al. v. Commissioner, 

the tax court rebuffed the IRS’ position that 

developing similar, competing products is 

routine and not eligible for the credit. Instead, 

it found that the activities of every company 

must be examined on a case-by-case basis. In this case, a small manufacturer 

of phone equipment had claimed credits for designing and 

building various pieces of phone system equipment. 

The IRS took the position that no R&D took place because the 

company was merely recreating cheaper, competing products from 

much larger companies (e.g., Cisco). This was the IRS’ attempt to 

breathe life back into the draconian Discovery Rule: Cisco already made 

it; therefore it’s now easy to make. The tax court was not persuaded. 

The fact that someone else made a similar product had no bearing on 

its creation by a new company, it found, affirming that every company’s 

activities should be examined in its own context. 

EVERY COMPANY IS DIFFERENT 

While this case continues to signal the court’s willingness to keep the 

R&D Credit on a course away from the Discovery Rule, many small 

and medium-sized businesses still believe they live under its tyranny. 

This is simply not the case anymore: small and medium-sized businesses 

still can reap significant rewards by taking advantage of the 

R&D Credit. 

What is commonly heard from clients who don’t think they qualify: 

• We make the same things over and over again; 

• We manufacture many products, but they are too simple 

to be R&D; 

• We don’t have any scientists; 

• We aren’t a big company, and only the big guys get R&D credits; 

• We looked into the credit a few years ago, and we don’t qualify. 

Every company is different, with its own products, processes and people. 

The latest court decision highlights the importance of evaluating 

each company individually, and why finding an experienced tax specialist 

is imperative in ensuring your company gets the best benefit 

available. 

Saqib Dhanani, JD and Joel Norris, JD are attorneys at HIREtech, an 

international consulting firm specializing in complex federal and state tax 

and funding incentives. For more information, visit hiretech.com. 



healthcare 

SAVING LIVES: 

THE “80% BY 2018” INITIATIVE 

by UnityPoint Health – Peoria 

An effort to eliminate colorectal cancer as a major public health problem 

You can be a part 

of the 80% by 2018 

effort. Visit nccrt. 

org/tools/80-percentby-2018/80-percentby-2018-pledge 

and 

sign up online, or call 

the American Cancer 

Society at (309) 688- 

3480. 

UNITYPOINT HEALTH – PEORIA IS PROUD 

to be part of “80% by 2018,” a National Colorectal 

Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) initiative to 

eliminate colorectal cancer as a major public 

health problem. More than 500 organizations 

have committed to work toward the goal of 80 

percent of adults ages 50 and older being regularly 

screened for colorectal cancer by 2018. 

The NCCRT, an organization cofounded by 

the American Cancer Society and the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention, is rallying 

organizations to embrace this shared goal. 

“Colorectal cancer is the second leading 

cancer killer of both men and women in the 

United States,” says Dr. Tom Frieden, director 

of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

“but most colorectal cancer can be 

prevented.” 

“A day or two of annoyance is a small 

price to pay to avoid the risk of months of 

painful misery and loss of life,” adds Dr. James Ausfahl. “We look both 

ways before crossing the street to avoid being run over by oncoming 

traffic—why is it that we fear the colonoscopy that might catch the 

cancer before it runs us over?” 

EARLY DETECTION IS KEY 

Colorectal cancer causes considerable suffering among the more than 

140,000 adults who are diagnosed with it each year. The good news 

is that when adults get screened for colorectal cancer, it can be detected 

early—when treatment is most likely to be successful—and in 

some cases, it can be prevented through the detection and removal of 

precancerous polyps. However, about one in three adults between 50 

and 75 years old—around 23 million people—are not getting tested as 

recommended. 

“We are excited that UnityPoint Health – Peoria has become a 

pledge partner… dedicated to increasing colorectal cancer screening 

rates in their communities,” says Courtney Heiser of the American 

Cancer Society. “Screening tests provide the most effective way in detecting 

colorectal cancer at an early stage, and the 80% by 2018 initiative 

will help our providers put colorectal health at the forefront.” 


Colorectal cancer, commonly known as colon cancer, is estimated 

to have caused nearly 50,000 deaths during 2015. However, routine 

testing beginning at age 50 can actually prevent many cases—or find it 

at an early stage. But because many people are not getting tested, only 

about four out of 10 are diagnosed at this early stage, when treatment is 

most likely to be successful. 

“I suspect what people fear most is that cancer will be found,” 

notes Dr. Ausfahl. “There is no doubt that they fear the preparation 

somewhat, and the procedure as well—it is, after all, rather embarrassing 

to think about having it done. But compared to the fear of finding 

cancer, that seems to me to be small. Of course, finding the cancer 

when it is small and more easily addressed is by far less fearful and 

miserable than waiting until it’s obvious and likely to be beyond treatment. 

People often don't think through the fact that the cancer will, if 

present, continue to get worse with time.” 

FINDING THE CANCER WHEN IT IS SMALL AND 

MORE EASILY ADDRESSED IS BY FAR LESS FEARFUL 

AND MISERABLE THAN WAITING UNTIL IT’S OBVIOUS 

AND LIKELY TO BE BEYOND TREATMENT. 

TARGETING THE UNSCREENED 

In order to get to 80 percent, the NCCRT’s Public Awareness Task 

Group targeted three key unscreened audiences: the “Newly Insured”; 

the “Insured Procrastinators/Rationalizers”; and the “Financially Challenged.” 

Demographic and psychographic data were assessed to determine 

which audiences were best to microtarget: 

• Age. More likely to be younger than those screened; nearly two 

thirds are 50 to 59 years of age. 

• Insurance status. More likely to be uninsured (nearly one 

quarter) than those screened. 

• Income. Slightly lower income than those screened, with more 

than half earning under $40,000 per year. 

• Race/ethnicity. More likely to be Hispanic than those screened 

(nearly two in 10). 

• Education. Slightly more likely (around seven in 10) to have 

less than a four-year college degree than those who have been 

screened. 

• Cancer connection. Less likely to be a cancer survivor and less 

likely to have a close friend or family member with cancer than 

those screened (just over half). 

The American Cancer Society recommends colon cancer screening begin 

at age 50 for people at average risk. Those with certain risk factors 

that make them more likely to develop colon cancer—such as family 

history or colon problems—should start screening earlier, or get tested 

more often. Talking to your doctor is the best way to determine when 

to begin screening. 

“Not everyone is willing to undergo colonoscopy,” says Dr. Ausfahl. 

“The FIT screening or ‘virtual colonoscopy’ is better than nothing, 

but not as good as the ‘gold standard’ of colonoscopy—if for no other 

reason than that it can not only detect, but often handle the issue.” 

The death rate has been dropping for the last 20 years, largely because 

of increased screening. Yet fewer than six in 10 American adults 

ages 50 to 75 were up-to-date on screening in 2013. Those less likely to 

get tested include people with lower education and income, and those 

without health insurance. Approximately one in 20 Americans will be 

diagnosed with cancer of the colon or rectum in their lifetime. 


healthcare 

The new Intraoperative MRI 

operating suite allows surgeons 

to image patients while in the 

operating room, allowing surgeons 

to “see” if all the cancer has been 

removed before leaving the OR. 

ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF 

MEDICAL INNOVATION 

by Shelli Dankoff OSF HealthCare 

Bringing the latest in medical technology to central Illinois… 

INNOVATION IS DEFINED AS a new idea, 

method, device or process. It is something 

from which The Sisters of the Third Order of 

St. Francis have never shied away in nearly 

139 years of providing healthcare to central 

Illinois. 

DOWNSTATE INNOVATIONS 

In 1985, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center introduced 

the lithotripter, a nonsurgical way of 

dissolving kidney stones. It was the first of its 

kind in the state. There have been many more 

innovations at OSF in the 30 years since—many 

of them making their first appearance downstate, 

and sometimes even in all of Illinois. 

The latest is a new Intraoperative MRI 

operating suite, which will see its first patient 

this month. It is the first one in central 

Illinois and only the second in the state. The 

iMRI allows surgeons to image a patient while in the operating room, 

a particularly important innovation for patients with brain cancer, as 

it allows a surgeon to “see” if all the cancer has been removed before 

leaving the OR. 

Dr. Andrew Tsung, director of the Brain Tumor Center at the Illinois 

Neurological Institute, trained with iMRI technology at the MD 

Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and he is excited to have this new 

technology in Peoria. “The iMRI represents a significant advancement 

in the treatment of brain cancer,” he explains. “It will allow us to see 

cancer in a way that nobody else can, which in turn will lead to better 

removal at the time of surgery and ultimately better survival and 

improved quality of life.” 

A NEW DA VINCI 

In addition, OSF Saint Francis continues to be a leader in minimally 

invasive robotic-assisted surgery, a process it began in 2002 with the 

installation of its first surgical robot. In mid-2015, OSF added a third da 

Vinci Surgical System to expand patient access and further support the 

trend toward using minimally invasive procedures—versus open sur- 


gery or laparoscopy—when possible. Patients 

experience less pain, decreased risk of infection, 

less scarring, shorter hospital stays and 

recovery time, and a faster return to normal 

daily activities. 

OSF Saint Francis is the first Robotic 

General Surgery Epicenter in Illinois, and second 

in the nation, acting as a training ground 

for surgeons across the country to observe 

and train in robotic surgery. 

The latest technology—another first for 

downstate—is the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, 

which is especially designed for multiquadrant 

surgeries in the areas of gynecology, 

urology, thoracic, cardiac and general surgery. 

As with all da Vinci surgical systems, the surgeon 

is in full control of the robotic-assisted 

THE XI SYSTEM’S 3D-HD VISION GIVES 

SURGEONS A HIGHLY MAGNIFIED VIEW, 

VIRTUALLY EXTENDING THEIR EYES AND HANDS 

INTO THE PATIENT. 

device, which translates his/her hand movements 

into smaller, more precise movements 

of tiny instruments inside the patient’s body. 

The Xi System’s 3D-HD vision gives surgeons 

a highly magnified view, virtually extending 

their eyes and hands into the patient. 

CONTINUING ADVANCES 

Dr. David Crawford, director of robotic surgery 

at OSF Saint Francis, is enthusiastic about the 

new da Vinci Xi. “The new system has a greater 

range of motion in the working arms; this allows 

us to do more complex operations from 

a single position or ‘docking’ of the robot,” he 

notes. “Where we used to have to stop and reposition, 

we can just keep working, thus saving 

time, which means less anesthetic for the 

patient. The new system has also allowed us to 

approach incisional/scar hernias robotically, 

where we were more limited before.” 

The Xi will soon pair with another innovation 

on the horizon, according to Dr. 

Crawford. “The new robot will be able to work 

with a new OR table coming out this year. You 

will be able to change table positions to allow 

more complex surgery, and the robot can 

move along with it.” 

Ultimately, the latest medical innovations 

are brought to Peoria in the interest 

of doing what’s best for patients. The Sisters 

would have it no other way. 

Shelli Dankoff is media relations coordinator for 

OSF HealthCare. 


more 

Ingenuity in Agriculture 

Patrick Kirchhofer 

Peoria County Farm Bureau 

INGENUITY AND CREATIVITY HAVE 

ALWAYS OCCURRED ON THE FARM to 

make a job faster, easier, safer, less costly or 

more accurate. Agricultural inventions and 

innovations are happening at a rapid pace. 

They always have—and likely always will—as 

long as our society rewards hard, honest work 

and ingenuity. 

Over the years, the inventions of American 

farmers and those employed by agribusinesses 

have created an opportunity to provide safe, affordable food for 

people throughout the world. As our population grows—and with a 

finite amount of land to grow crops—we need to continue to innovate. 

The Peoria Farm Show was held at the Civic Center in December. 

It’s the largest indoor farm show in Illinois, and it's right in your backyard. 

Each year, the show features hundreds of exhibits highlighting the 

latest technologies in agriculture. Even if you are not a farmer, I think 

you would find the exhibits and equipment fascinating. 

A planter and a combine are farmers’ two most important pieces 

of equipment. As the words indicate, a planter "plants" the seed in the 

soil, and a combine "combines" harvesting and threshing the grain at 

the same time. 

Let's focus on a planter. If you drive through the country this April 

or May, tractors and planters will be rolling through fields planting soybean 

and corn seed, weather permitting. (In the Peoria area, there will 

also be some pumpkin seed planted.) The tanks on the planter hold the 

seed; there may be one large tank or several smaller tanks, one for each 

row of corn or soybeans. If it has one large tank, there will be numerous 

tubes going from the tank to each row being planted. 

One of the challenges for farmers is to plant seed consistently in 

the soil—to get even spacing between the seeds. It’s been proven that 

if the seed can be spaced the same distance apart in the soil trench, 

yields will improve. It's better to have every seed five inches apart than 

to have two seeds one inch from each other and the next two seeds 10 

inches apart. 

On most planters today, the seed is dropped one at a time into a 

seed tube. Approximately one to two feet long, the seed tube encloses 

the seed as it travels from the tank to the soil—one to two inches beneath 

the surface. As the tractor moves through the field at approximately 

five miles per hour, the planter goes over soil clods and plant 

residue, bouncing up and down. As a result, when the seed travels 

through the tube, it ricochets off the sides, and uneven spacing occurs. 

Just imagine throwing a marble into a two-foot-long metal pipe 

while riding a galloping horse and trying to space the marbles exactly 

10 inches apart from each other on the ground! 

A recent development to help resolve this issue is a seed belt. Instead 

of "free-flowing" through the tube, each seed is entrenched in a 

slot in a belt that carries the seed from the tank to the soil. As the slots 

are evenly spaced on the belt, the spacing of each seed is much more 

precise. True "picket fence" stands of corn plants can be attained with 

this simple concept of carrying the seed in a controlled manner clear 

down to the seed trench in the soil. 

This is just one of the thousands of agricultural innovations that 

are making the industry more efficient for the benefit of all people— 

and more innovations are sure to come. 

The 2016 Peoria Farm Show will take place November 29th through 

December 1st at the Peoria Civic Center. 



more 

Disrupt or Be Disrupted 

Jamie Engstrom 

Caterpillar Inc. 

“NO MATTER WHAT BUSINESS YOU ARE 

IN, someone can come up with an idea, access 

the capabilities they need—from logistics to finance, 

technology to talent—and be competing 

with you by lunchtime.” —Greg Satell, Forbes 

Regardless of industry, creating new economic 

value for your customer is at the top 

of the agenda today, as senior executives realize 

that technology can be an extraordinary 

catalyst for quick innovation. Gone are the days when taking years to 

get something to market was acceptable. Things have to be done in 

months, if not weeks. What are you doing to keep your business relevant? 

As executives, this is something we all need to consider! 

Technology now places at the fingertips of any average Joe or Jill 

the same opportunities and resources that were traditionally at the 

disposal of big brands. That means anyone, anywhere, can be your 

next competitor. Consider Airbnb. Founded in 2008, the company is 

quickly surpassing some of the world’s most well-known hospitality 

brands. They have no assets, no bricks and mortar, but large profit returns. 

It is a perfect example of the “shared economy” concept, meaning 

individuals can share their homes, tools, cars and other assets 

through a simple web application—and it is changing the way people 

engage in commerce. 

It’s about truly understanding your customer needs; the value 

to business comes with speed, differentiation and growth. The new 

business models lie at the intersection of new possibilities created by 

technology and incremental value driven by the changing customer. 

Together, these are the new, dual forces of disruption. 

It also means we need to change the way we think about business, 

and build new business models. Consider Caterpillar’s agreement with 

Yard Club, a startup that developed an online, peer-to-peer equipment 

rental platform for both Cat and non-Cat branded products. Caterpillar’s 

investment allowed Yard Club to expand beyond San Francisco 

and allowed Caterpillar to provide an innovative solution to customers 

in need of rental equipment. 

efit Easter Seals, and learn from senior executives who have already 

leveraged innovative concepts within their companies, creating new 

business models and applying disruptive methodologies to foster innovation. 

That evening, the Leadership Summit culminates with the 10th 

annual Passage to India event, a Bollywood-themed cultural experience 

dinner featuring authentic Indian cuisine prepared by local Indian 

chefs. For advance reservations or more information, email summitinfo 

@ci.easterseals.com. 

Jamie Engstrom is director of global technology services at Caterpillar Inc. and 

co-chair of the fourth annual Leadership Summit to benefit Easter Seals. 

“What’s becoming clear is that the age of the standalone brand is 

over. You’re either connected or you’re dead.” —Greg Satell, Forbes 

Are you interested in learning more about how companies are using 

new technologies and creating new economic value? Join us at the 

Peoria Civic Center on May 13, 2016 for Disruptive Business Models: 

Disrupt or Be Disrupted, the fourth annual Leadership Summit to ben- 



WHEN THERE IS 

BY STEVIE ZVEREVA 

Peoria’s i-team is tackling some of the city’s oldest problems 

with a novel approach. 

DATA 

fail fast 

WALKABILITY 

FACILITATE 

Public Health Benefits 

ideas 

CSO 

$ 

$200 million 


DELIVERY 

APPROACH 

SUSTAINABILITY 

Wo r k f o r c e 

GREEN 

i-TEAM 

GREEN interactive 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

stabilization 

benefits 

creative 

GRANT 

ACTIVELY 

ENGAGED 

novel 

priorities 

storm 

EPA 

concept 

water quality 

P o t e n t i a l 

Job Creation 

APPROACH 

H20 

REINVESTMENT 

crime mitigation 

neighborhood 


Kate Green, 

Anthony Corso 

and Kathryn 

Shackelford are 

Peoria's i-team. 

IT’S BEEN A YEAR SINCE PEORIA WAS SELECTED AS ONE OF 14 

CITIES TO PARTICIPATE in the $45-million expansion of Bloomberg 

Philanthropies’ Innovation Teams program. Since then, an innovation 

team has been appointed, offices renovated, committees organized, 

experts tapped, a global conference hosted, community outreach 

initiated, and priorities set around one mission: solving Peoria’s 

combined sewer overflow (CSO) problem. Though it could be 

decades before the seeds of the three-year grant—up to $1.5 million 

at $500,000 per year—come to full fruition, the magnitude of its 

selection is already being felt as Peoria attempts to become the first 

city in the nation to employ an all-green infrastructure solution in 

combating the problem. 

DRIVEN BY DATA 

The idea behind the Bloomberg program is to unleash innovation within 

the nation’s cities by addressing barriers to innovation and delivering 

change more effectively. While cities are uniquely able to transform 

the lives of their citizens, their governments aren’t always organized 

to support such innovation, the organization explains, especially for 

“horizontal” issues like poverty reduction and sustainability—which 

are “the shared responsibility of multiple departments and chains of 

command.” 

Cities tend to lack the strategies needed to overcome departmental 

silos in such multifaceted challenges, as well as the human capital, 

organizational capacity and financial resources needed to take on bold 

ideas. Enter Bloomberg Philanthropies’ “Innovation Delivery” approach, 

which attempts to minimize the risks associated with innovation, 

and so far, it seems to be working. 

The program’s initial, multi-year investment in five cities has already 

shown results in tackling a slew of tough problems. Its first grants 

in 2011 have helped reduce retail vacancies in Memphis, minimized 

ambulance trips to the ER in Louisville, cut licensing time for new restaurants 

in Chicago, moved the homeless into permanent housing in 

Atlanta and reduced New Orleans’ murder rate by about 20 percent 

in less than two years. Through the program’s expansion, 14 additional 

cities receive grant dollars, technical assistance, connections to peers 

and resources in other cities, unique training opportunities, and other 

tools to address their designated challenge. 

ON BUREAUCRATIC INNOVATION 

It sounds like an oxymoron. How do you breed innovation—an inherently 

flexible, creative process, within the confines of bureaucracy, the 

notoriously stiff, governmental status quo? That challenge—reshaping 

local government’s reputation and residents’ perception of its capacity 

to innovate—was enough to entice Anthony Corso, local architect and 

green building expert, to accept the appointment to become Peoria’s 

first chief innovation officer last March. Corso brings over 15 years of 

experience in urban design, sustainability and smart growth to his team 

of three, rounded out by project managers Kate Green and Kathryn 

Shackelford. 

Here in this small, nondescript office on the fourth floor of the Twin 

Towers Plaza, Corso says his team is close enough to City Hall to be part 


Bloomberg’s data-driven 

innovation process 

requires setting aside 

designated brainstorming 

time to think. 

of daily discussions, but far enough away for 

room to breathe—a delicate balance that’s 

key to their approach. “One of the primary 

goals of the program is to give you the time, 

space and resources to take the challenge and 

instead of just putting out fires, actually look 

at what the best practices are,” he explains, 

“what… might work for your context, meet 

people, talk about it, learn from other committees, 

and then bring it back.” This markedly 

thoughtful, deliberate approach is nothing 

new, “but it wasn’t a mechanism in city government 

[before] Bloomberg came in.” 

Peoria’s i-team functions much like city 

staff, but as an internal consultant, applying 

Bloomberg’s data-driven process to assess 

problems, generate interventions, develop 

partnerships and deliver measurable results. 

“Bloomberg’s famous quote is, ‘In God we 

trust; everybody else bring data,’” Corso notes. 

56 InterBusiness Issues -- January 2016 

After developing a solution, the i-teams are expected to move onto a new issue after three years, 

having transferred responsibility for its implementation into the hands of others. 

A CSO SOLUTION 

The Peoria i-team’s initial focus is a complicated affair. The city’s combined sewers—designed 

to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage and industrial wastewater in the same pipe—flow 

into the Illinois River some 20 to 30 times a year during periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt. 

These overflows contain not only stormwater, but untreated human and industrial waste, toxic 

materials and debris—a major source of water pollution. 

At the time of their construction in the late 1800s, combining stormwater and sewage in 

one pipe was common practice. In fact, 772 U.S. cities face CSO problems today, according to 

the EPA, which has mandated that Peoria remedy the issue—to the potential tune of hundreds 

of millions of dollars. Corso’s team is tasked with “identifying ways for Peoria to leverage the 

tremendous expense of solving the CSO problem while simultaneously improving the lives of 

residents in these areas through such means as job creation, sustainability and reinvestment.” 

“We’re trying to not dig up the combined sewage system,” he explains. “The goal already— 

before [we] came on board—was to try to leverage something like green infrastructure for the 

solution.” 

A green solution (think pervious pavement, planted trees and rain gardens) is also the 

most economical, costing roughly two thirds that of a “gray” solution (like pipes, tanks and 

MANY COMMUNITIES WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE BENEFITS WE’RE 

PROPOSING OUT OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE— 

TO PUT A SOLUTION IN THAT’S NEVER BEEN TRIED AND SEE HOW MANY 

RIPPLE EFFECTS IT HAS.


“WE’RE BRINGING IN EXPERTS AND LOOKING AT THINGS 

FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE, BUT THE PEOPLE IN THE 

NEIGHBORHOODS KNOW BEST WHAT’S GOING ON ON THE GROUND.” 

tunnels), according to one analysis. 

Current estimates for installing green 

infrastructure to control Peoria’s CSOs 

are around $200 million, with annual 

maintenance estimates between one and 

three percent of capital costs, according 

to OneWater, a city advisory committee 

that’s working with the i-team to tackle 

the needed improvements. In addition to 

lower costs, there’s another huge advantage 

to the green solution, Corso says: 

“the added bonus of impacting neighborhoods 

positively.” 

THE BENEFITS BEYOND 

Of the hundreds of U.S. cities with combined 

sewer systems, only a few have employed 

partial green solutions to remedy 

their infrastructure woes. Philadelphia’s 

Green Cities Clean Waters effort includes 

a range of soil/water/plant solutions that 

help intercept stormwater before it overwhelms 

the sewer system; Greencorps 

Chicago promotes environmental and 

economic stewardship by establishing 

and maintaining natural and public spaces 

through hands-on green industry job training. Peoria’s i-team has been tapping the knowledge of 

both, among others, but thus far, no city has solved its problem entirely with green solutions. In 

short, a lot of eyes are on Peoria. 

“All those communities would love to see the benefits we’re proposing out of green infrastructure—to 

put a solution in that’s never been tried and see how many ripple effects it has,” says Green. 

But why hasn’t a 100-percent green solution ever been tried, and what makes the team think it will 

play in Peoria? 

“We’re on the sand bar of the Illinois River,” Corso explains, surrounded by sloping bluffs. This 

unique topography and soil composition offer some natural advantages in diverting stormwater 

from entering sewers in the first place via infrastructure improvements, all within the publiclyowned 

right of way. According to the City of Peoria, rather than constructing capital-intensive, gray 

infrastructure, green techniques can help capture the 60 or so Olympic-sized swimming pools of 

water (37 million gallons) it’s been mandated to collect. 

Knowing the CSO problem can be solved by green infrastructure alone provides a huge opportunity 

to take a holistic approach, Corso explains, as the co-benefits of a green solution extend 

beyond beautification to improved walkability, neighborhood stabilization, job and workforce potential, 

crime mitigation, ecological and public health improvements, and more. 

LEARN AND FAIL FAST 

If innovation was a font, it would be the sprawling, handwritten type overwhelming the dry-erase 

walls of the Peoria i-team’s “Storm Room” (pun intentional). In this space designated for “brainstorming 

about stormwater” are an interactive timeline of dates, deliverables and deadlines. In 

November, the team wrapped up the idea generation phase of Bloomberg’s innovation model 

(though, Corso likes to stress, ideas never end)—which involved actively engaging people on the 

street, talking to experts and soliciting recommendations. 

According to their research, a successful solution must first be community-driven. “It’s not 

Peoria’s i-team met with the 

PowerCorps team on a site 

visit to Philadelphia earlier 

this year to learn how they are 

maintaining their city’s green 

infrastructure. 


a top-down approach,” Shackelford explains. “We’re bringing in experts 

and looking at things from a global perspective, but the citizens and 

people in the neighborhoods know best what’s going on on the ground.” 

They’re now preparing to share some preliminary thoughts on 

initiatives the city can move forward. “There are a number of different 

strategies we can use,” says Green, “and if we fail, we fail fast and move 

on to the next initiative.” That’s a huge part of what makes the Bloomberg 

grant unique. 

“Failure isn’t frowned upon—it’s actually kind of encouraged,” Green 

adds. “It means you’re out there… trying something different and new 

and bold. The issue there is to make sure to review your performance 

and make sure you’re hitting your metrics. If not, how do you change to 

make it successful? And if you can’t change to make it successful, move 

on to your next potential portfolio initiative.” 

LOOKING OUT TO LOOK IN 

“I hear a lot about innovative solutions,” says Corso, “and many times, 

they’re great for optimizing [one] thing… but tend to create other 

problems.” Call it the Australian cane toad conundrum. (Released 

into Australia in 1935 to rid Queensland of the beetles decimating 

its sugarcane crop, the venomous toads failed to control the 

invasive species and in turn overpopulated, becoming an invasive 

species itself.) The wrong fix could lead to a series of troubles, 

especially given the solution’s projected timeline: 18 to 20 years. 

Mindful that an easy fix is rarely the best solution, the i-team 

stresses the importance of ensuring public understanding and a 

solid foundation of support. 

“It’s a partnership,” says Green. “The strongest communities 

are the ones that have really strong, engaged citizens…. [We] are 

really just supposed to be representing the voice and the message 

of the people.” 

“We’re facilitators,” adds Shackelford. “We’re here to build 

a dialogue between the citizens and the experts.” As a Bloomberg 

city, Peoria has access to experts in cities tackling similar 

concerns: aging infrastructure, coordination of water utilities and 

sewers, water management issues, and other overarching challenges. 

Tapping these resources and adapting lessons from other communities 

will be invaluable, as the team learned last October when it hosted a 

Global City Network conference. The gathering of 17 national experts, city 

staff, policymakers and other stakeholders honed in on community-wide 

opportunities that can co-exist with green infrastructure and allowed experts 

to weigh in on Peoria’s approach. 

“The true challenge of building green infrastructure is not about 

deciding where to site planter boxes or which roads will have permeable 

pavement,” wrote one attendee, Owen Stone of Living Cities, “but in 

getting the community to understand and buy into a plan that will 

ultimately change the landscape for their neighborhood.” 

To this end, the i-team’s recently formed IDEAS [Innovation, 

Delivery, Engagement and Action] Committee brings together 

Albuquerque, 

New Mexico 

Education and 

career paths 

Tel 

Aviv, Israel 

Illegal 

immigration and 

cost of living 

THE "I" IN TEAMS 

In December 2014, Bloomberg Philanthropies 

announced the addition of 14 cities in the 

expansion of its Innovation Team program. 

Grant funding allows mayors in each city 

to create innovation teams to develop 

and deliver new approaches to a 

challenging issue. 

Jersey City, 

New Jersey 

Revitalization 

of struggling 

commercial 

district 

Jerusalem, 

Israel 

Poverty reduction 

and economic 

development 

Centennial, 

Colorado 

Traffic flow and 

congestion; 

pedestrian and 

bicycle safety 

Los 

Angeles, 

California 

Neighborhood 

revitalization 

Long 

Beach, 

California 

Economic development 

Seattle, 

Washington 

Integrated 

neighborhood and 

transportation planning; 

housing affordability; 

homelessness 

Peoria, 

Illinois 

Combined 

sewer 

overflows 

Boston, 

Massachusetts 

Housing access 

Minneapolis, 

Minnesota 

Core city services 

delivery 

Mobile, 

Alabama 

Neighborhood 

revitalization 

and economic 

development 

Rochester, 

New York 

Reducing 

poverty 

Syracuse, 

New York 

Infrastructure 


Innovation teams unlock 

the capacity within city 

governments to tackle big, 

challenging urban issues. 

neighborhood leaders from Peoria’s north 

and south sides, and its east and west bluffs. 

“We’re using those leaders as touchpoints… 

to start building a network within the neighborhoods,” 

says Shackelford. This outreach 

involves education: explaining what green 

infrastructure is, what its benefits can be, 

how installation would work, and “making 

sure that neighborhoods are actively engaged 

in deciding what that installation looks like,” 

Green adds. 

A huge piece of the puzzle will be the 

development of a workforce training program 

within the combined sewer area, training 

residents to take on the operation and maintenance 

of the new infrastructure. “They would 

be the public face of this program,” Corso 

stresses. “They are the best people to be the 

advocates and owners, so that peer-to-peer 

and neighbor-to-neighbor, [we’re] engaging 

people… to be part of the solution, to take 

ownership and to get workforce training—and 

to actually be paid to be part of the process.” 

TIME FOR CONSIDERATION 

“Some of these [initiatives] obviously will take 

much longer than a year,” Corso says. “That 

was one of the first questions we got: ‘You 

have a 20-year project. How do you deliver 

and adapt in one year?’” And Bloomberg’s 

model does allow for some flexibility based 

on a city’s unique challenges. Take budgets, 

for example. 

“We don’t have a budget yet,” says Corso. 

“We don’t have a consent decree yet—two of 

the big drivers in actually driving these larger 

initiatives. But we can move forward with 

grant applications and working to develop 

partnerships.” Peoria’s green solution will 

encompass a suite of smaller initiatives, what 

Shackelford describes as “low-risk, high-return” opportunities. 

Like a revamped street tree program, Corso offers. “It doesn’t 

sound super-sexy, but it actually has a pretty big impact on both 

stormwater management issues and the walkability of the streets in 

the combined sewer area.” And that’s not all. 

“If it’s a street tree program and a municipal nursery and a training 

area and a workforce corps focused on green infrastructure and 

landscape maintenance… you start to really add some resiliency to 

the whole thing. Then if one piece falls out, you still have some synergies 

between some of the efforts.” 

Such initiatives will be the i-team’s focus in early 2016 as it looks 

to external partners to co-develop implementation plans with the 

right metrics to launch, hand over and measure progress. As it moves 

ahead, the team will also continue to carve out the time necessary to 

innovate. 

“You need time to step back and reevaluate things,” says Shackelford. 

“It’s in that time… when you’re taking a bigger look that you 

realize, ‘Now I can see shortcuts!’ or ‘I see things that could function 

better if two people just got along.’ You may recognize these things 

working in the bureaucratic system, but there are not many opportunities 

where you can step back and… change something about it. 

“The biggest enemy of progress is ‘We’ve always done it this way,’” 

she concludes. The Bloomberg grant gives Peoria a chance “to look 

critically at ourselves—with the help of some of the greatest minds 

and leaders in the country—to solve problems.” 

As the leader of an innovation team, Corso is often asked to define 

the term, and for him, the generic definition just doesn’t cut it. 

“Ultimately… It is a new idea, or an old idea that’s been adapted to 

a context that creates some value for a community,” he says. “Sometimes 

it’s a process; sometimes it’s a deliverable; sometimes it’s a coollooking 

thing that you build.” 

But more importantly, he suggests, true innovation lies in the 

approach. “The challenge of the i-team is to carve out that space to 

shut the door… brainstorm for a day, sleep on it, come back, investigate 

some other things, talk about it again. It’s just like design—well, 

good design,” he adds, smiling, “where you develop something… and 

come back and say, ‘How can this be improved, and who else needs 

to be at the table? How can this be more effective?’… You’re never 

completely reinventing the wheel. You’re recombining best practices 

to try to get a better benefit.” 



focus 

INNOVATION AND 

COMMERCIALIZATION 

IN THE FEASIBILITY STAGE 

by Chad Stamper Illinois SBDC at Bradley University 

One of the primary purposes is to determine whether to pursue a business. 

YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR A NEW PRODUCT 

or service that seems like a winner. Jumping 

on the Internet, you spend the next couple 

of hours researching and don’t find anything 

else like it. You begin to contemplate the business 

model and how successful your idea will 

be. You are excited about the opportunities, 

but where do you go from here? 

In a previous article, I outlined the 

process that we at the Illinois SBDC (Small 

Business Development Center) at Bradley 

University use to help startups commercialize 

a new innovation and develop a business 

model (see the June 2015 issue of iBi.) To aid 

in commercialization, we advise our clients 

through a stage-gate process. The stages include: 

Discovery, Feasibility, Development, 

Introduction and Growth. Each stage-gate 

focuses on assessing three elements of business 

development, including innovation, the 

potential market and the business opportunity. 

Last time, I outlined the Discovery Stage. 

Here, we will focus on the Feasibility Stage. 

The Discovery Stage is about validating 

that an idea is novel and that prospective 

customers have a demonstrable need for the 

innovation. It’s about discovering competition 

and the barriers to bringing the idea to 

market, and assessing the requirements for 

starting a business. After addressing these 

issues, we focus on the feasibility of the innovation 

as a potential business. 

The Feasibility Stage is about validating 

product-market fit, identifying competitive 

products and pricing, and clearly identifying 

who will buy the product, and the market 

size. Questions to address in this stage are: 

THE FEASIBILITY STAGE IS ABOUT VALIDATING 

PRODUCT-MARKET FIT, IDENTIFYING COMPETITIVE 

PRODUCTS AND PRICING, AND CLEARLY IDENTIFYING WHO 

WILL BUY THE PRODUCT. 

Does the innovation meet the requirements of the customer? Does the 

size of the market warrant a business opportunity? What are barriers 

to entering the market? The elements to address in the Feasibility Stage 

include product feasibility, market feasibility and economic feasibility. 

PRODUCT FEASIBILITY 

Analyzing a product’s feasibility involves developing a working model of 

a product with the goal of demonstrating that it is technically possible. 

This step helps to confirm that the product works and identifies potential 

production barriers and engineering issues. Questions to be answered 

include: 

• What safety factors need to be addressed? 

• What are the regulatory issues? 

• What is the feasibility of producing the product? 

• What are the performance measurements for the product? 

• What is the feedback from potential customers on the technical 

features of the product? 

There are often methods for using off-the-shelf components, opensource 

software or even waste materials from other companies to produce 

a working model of an idea. We help clients identify potential 

means for building working models quickly and inexpensively, which 

might include introductions to faculty, engineering firms or other rel- 


evant professionals. We also provide instruction on how to get unbiased 

feedback on the technical features of their product from prospective clients. 

MARKET FEASIBILITY 

The goal here is to identify the product-market fit, begin to identify a 

price range at which the target market is willing to purchase the product, 

and to clearly define a value proposition. Questions to address include: 

• Does the product fit the customer’s expectations as learned in the 

Discovery Stage? 

• Has the target market been clearly identified and quantified? 

• Who is the competition? 

• What are the product differentiators? 

• What is needed for sustainable advantage? 

• What are barriers to market entry? 

As in the Discovery Stage, we utilize the Business Model Canvas, a 

template for developing or documenting business models, and concepts 

from The Lean Startup, a business development method based 

on lean manufacturing, to help clients answer these questions. Using 

licensed databases, established networks and professional experience, 

Illinois SBDC staff help clients identify methods and resources to identify 

competitors and potential distribution channel partners, and determine 

potential pricing strategies. 

ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY 

Once a client has an understanding of target markets, approximate 

costs and acceptable pricing, they can begin to analyze break-even 

points and project longer-term investment needs. To better understand 

the economic feasibility, we work with clients to begin putting 

together the financial model for a business. Questions to address in 

this element include: 

• What is the estimated cost of producing the product? 

• What is the price range a customer will pay for the product? 

• Is a business economically feasible? 

• Do the potential financial returns justify an investment? 

• What are potential revenue models that might be implemented? 

We can help by providing financial modeling tools and templates, as well 

as connecting clients with investors and bankers that can provide feedback 

on the business model, potential pitfalls and investment needs. 

We can also help develop an advisory team strategy and connect with 

potential advisors for an advisory board. 

One of the primary purposes of the Feasibility Stage is to determine 

whether to pursue a business. If a client decides to pursue a 

business, then this development stage should set the groundwork for a 

business model and financial projections for the business. Should the 

client decide not to pursue the business, we consider that a success as 

well, since he or she has not spent hundreds of hours and a substantial 

amount of money on a business that has little chance of succeeding. 

The Illinois SBDC at Bradley University is housed in the Turner 

Center for Entrepreneurship in the Foster College of Business. It offers 

a program of counseling and training to support the growth and 

success of area businesses, including startup assistance, financing, 

strategic planning, international trade, technology commercialization, 

government contracting and succession planning. 

Chad Stamper is director of technology commercialization at the Illinois 

SBDC at Bradley University, with more than 15 years of experience in 

bringing new products to market and launching companies. 


focus 

FROM INNOVATION 

TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

by Merle G. Rocke EcoThermics Corporation 

Tips for prospective innovators and/or entrepreneurs… 

AMERICA IS RECOGNIZED AS THE GLOB- 

AL LEADER IN INNOVATION—the creation 

of new, “out-of-the-box” ideas, processes or 

things. Many countries desire increased levels 

of innovation because of linkage to positive 

changes in efficiency, productivity, quality, 

employee engagement, customer satisfaction, 

competitiveness, market share and other significant 

benefits, such as a higher standard of 

living for all citizens. 

We know that creativity, knowledge 

and sound judgment are key components in 

coming up with innovative ideas. However, 

creativity alone is not sufficient. Innovation 

also requires development, production and 

implementation of these new ideas. The key 

difference between creativity and innovation 

is execution—the capacity to turn an idea into 

a successful implementation of a new service, 

process, product or venture. 

Ideas do not make people successful; it’s 

the other way around. What matters is the 

ability to generate ideas, discover the right opportunities 

to develop them, and act with drive 

and dedication to achieve meaningful goals. 

We have quite a history of innovation 

right here in Peoria. In the 1940s, Caterpillar 

President Louis B. Neumiller coined the 

popular phrase I-T-A-B-W-O-D-I (“Is there 

a better way of doing it?”). That question still 

resonates throughout Caterpillar today as Six 

Sigma teams continue to leverage its historic 

culture of continuous improvement. 

So, what is entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurs 

apply abilities and risk appetite to start 

and run new businesses often founded on new 

innovations. Accordingly, innovation offers 

two different paths to value creation: 

1. Enabling an existing business to grow 

and become more successful; and 

2. Offering entrepreneurs an opportunity 

to launch new ventures based upon 

new innovations. 

Three critical questions: 

1. How can individuals become more innovative? 

2. How can organizations find and develop more innovators? 

3. How can teams foster a greater culture of innovation—and 

reap the benefits year after year? 

EXPERIENCE AS AN INNOVATOR 

Before going any farther, I need to make one key point: I am not an 

expert at anything, and I don’t have all the answers. Only one individual 

has all the answers: The Lord God Almighty. 

But, I do have experience as an innovator. For example, in the early 

1980s, Caterpillar lost money for the first time in our corporate history. 

Demand for our entire product line was down significantly worldwide. 

We had to develop innovative ways to increase revenue and return 

to profitability. One solution was to offer supply chain management 

services to external clients (e.g., automotive replacement parts), utilizing 

existing service parts inventory management technology; recently 

vacated distribution facility space; and available, experienced logistics 

professionals in locations around the world. Accordingly, we formed 

Caterpillar Logistics Services, Inc. as a wholly owned subsidiary and 

steadily grew revenue and profit quarter after quarter, year after year. 

After retirement from Caterpillar, I formed M.G. Rocke & Associates, 

LLC to provide business performance improvement consulting 

services—focusing on action plans leading to reduced costs, fewer 

defects, reduced waste, lower levels of risk and reduced time to achieve 

critical goals. Then I served as senior vice president and chief operating 

officer of CGN & Associates, adding a staff of 70 consultants in India 

and China, thus paving the way for CGN to become CGN Global. In 

early 2008, several of us formed EcoThermics Corporation to commercialize 

innovative new natural refrigerant technologies and established 

our office and lab in the just-opened Peoria NEXT Innovation Center. 

KEYS TO SUCCESS 

I have learned a lot about innovation, and also about entrepreneurship, 

which can be an exciting way to commercialize new, innovative concepts. 

The fundamental principles leading to success in simple innovation 

or challenging entrepreneurial launches are quite similar. Based 

on my knowledge gained through experience, I’d like to share some 

insights with the hope that perhaps I can help others. 

The fundamental requirements: 

1. Clearly understand the problem you are trying to solve. 

2. Clearly understand the ramifications of your proposed approach/solution. 


3. Clearly understand your clients/customers—and their critical 

requirements. 

4. Periodically perform a deep SWOT Analysis (Strengths/ 

Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats). 

5. Carefully consider all the critical resources required for 

success: time, funding, talent, advisors, partners, facilities and 

equipment. 

THE KEY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CREATIVITY 

AND INNOVATION IS EXECUTION—THE 

CAPACITY TO TURN AN IDEA INTO A SUCCESSFUL 

IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW SERVICE, PROCESS, 

PRODUCT OR VENTURE. 

The beneficial attributes of any innovator or entrepreneur include: 

• Creativity—an opportunistic mindset, divergent thinking 

ability; 

• Passion—strong desire which is infectious and impacts others 

with whom you are in contact; 

• Vision—forward-looking approach to problem solving and 

opportunity development; 

• Drive—energy, stamina and insatiable curiosity, all focused 

on execution; 

• Focus—on specific strategies and actions, not easily distracted; 

• Integrity—strong ethics which impact the entire work team 

culture; 

• Flexibility—adaptive resilience, tolerant of things you cannot 

control, always have options; 

• Competence—achieved through knowledge, education 

and training; 

• Accountability—ownership, honest self-appraisals, selfmotivation 

and self-discipline; 

• Determination—resilience, persistence, perseverance in the 

face of setbacks; 

• Proactive—on the lookout for risks and opportunities, avoidance 

of reactivity where possible; 

• Healthy balance—physical, mental, professional, financial, 

relationship and spiritual health; 

• Intellectual balance—realism vs. idealism, intuition vs. 

analysis; 

• Pragmatism—data analysis vs. ideas and theories, stubborn 

self-confidence vs. humble realism; 

• Open-mindedness—ask for and consider opinions of others; 

• Resourcefulness—make the most of what you have: time, 

talent, funding, etc.; 

• Positive outlook—confident, giving, sharing, respectful, 

trusting; 

• Strategic thinking—challenge the status quo, frequently envision 

SWOT variables & impacts; 

• Constant love of learning—never-ending quest for more 

knowledge and experience; 

• Attention to detail—without losing the “big picture”; 

• Collaboration—social networking, always looking for win-win 

opportunities; 

• Courage—always do the right thing, not frightened by fear 

of failure; 

• Commitment—always do what you say you will do; 

• Prudent risk-taking—taking calculated risk, considering all 

the potential losses and benefits; 

• Formal articulation skills—both oral and written; 

• Recognize patterns—requires periodic “quiet time” to review 

and ponder the data; 

• Reflection—periodically pause to look back and ponder what 

you might have missed; 

• Leadership—inspire others to accompany you on the journey, 

communicate compellingly; 

• Modesty—always acknowledging that success is the result of a 

team effort, not individual effort; and 

• Thankfulness—consistently expressing gratitude and appreciation 

to God and all other parties. 

To summarize, here are what I believe to be the keys to entrepreneurial 

success: 

1. Your team is crucial; you need the strongest performer available 

in each individual role. 

2. Networking, leveraging and collaboration are also crucial—you 

cannot do it alone. 

3. Team members need to push and challenge one another. 

4. Recognize that mistakes and setbacks will occur; the team 

needs to learn and recover quickly. 

5. Celebrate successes and give credit where it is due—especially 

to your team and to God. 

Merle G. Rocke, CPIM is chairman and CEO of EcoThermics Corporation, 

a pioneer in the development of natural refrigerant heat pump technologies, 

located in East Peoria. 


Launching this spring, a 

first-of-its-kind tool will 

revolutionize how new 

nurses are integrated 

into healthcare systems. 


A NEW STANDARD IN 

MEDICAL TRAINING 

by Dr. John Vozenilek Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center, and Nikki Delinski OSF HealthCare 

IT’S THE MISSION OF JUMP TRADING SIMULATION AND EDUCA- 

TION CENTER to improve outcomes and lower costs through innovative 

simulation training of medical professionals. Hundreds of novice 

clinicians from OSF HealthCare and medical students from the University 

of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria utilize our center to 

practice scenarios in a realistic environment. 

The idea is for our future medical professionals to be trained in 

everything from communication skills to surgery before they interact 

with patients. It also allows those who’ve been practicing medicine for 

some time to further sharpen their skills. The goal is to reduce errors at 

the bedside and ensure patient safety. 

But that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the remarkable work 

we do at Jump. We are thinking “outside the box” to develop innovative 

tools and ways to improve care. The fact is, mistakes still occur in 

hospitals around the world—even during routine work that nurses and 

doctors face every day. 

We have found it’s necessary to look outside the scope of healthcare 

to solve these problems. This includes pairing clinicians with 

engineers to tackle issues together. We also partner with incubators, 

accelerators and technology companies to discover and advance innovative 

ideas that can transform our workflow. 

PROBLEMS WITH CURRENT NURSE TRAINING 

An ongoing partnership between OSF HealthCare, Jump, SIMnext and 

CSE Software aims to standardize nurse training and decrease some of 

the most common errors made in medical institutions. The collaboration 

will launch the Health Scholars app this spring. This first-of-itskind 

tool will revolutionize how new nurses are integrated into health- 


care systems. 

New nurses are typically prepared for their new roles via hourslong 

classroom instruction and computer-based training modules on 

high-risk concepts such as programming smart infusion pumps that 

deliver medications, fluids and nutrients to patients at controlled 

rates. Then they are expected to absorb much of their knowledge by 

shadowing superiors, otherwise known as “preceptors,” in the world 

of healthcare. Trainers observe trainees in patient care directives, and 

then these preceptors assert when learners can practice on their own. 

These elements still have a place in nursing education, but there 

are some inefficiencies that need to be addressed: 

1. New nurses don’t always retain the information learned in 

lectures or computer-based training; 

2. Seasoned nurses, in many cases, don’t have a standard way of 

doing things; and 

3. There are no real criteria establishing readiness. 

The Health Scholars app aims to tackle these issues by providing a 

guided, interactive platform that measures the performance of each 

trainee while standardizing how all nurses approach certain processes. 

HEALTH SCHOLARS AT THE BEDSIDE 

Health Scholars is a commercial-scale simulator application for use on 

any mobile tablet. It’s designed for new nurses to use at the bedside, with 

preceptors guiding the learning process. The app will first launch with 

short interactive training modules focused on medication and patient 

safety, as well as infection prevention. 

For example, a common mistake made in hospitals is the programming 

of a smart pump to administer high-risk medications. A nursein-training 

using the Health Scholars app could pull up the high-risk 

medication training module in a patient’s room and practice going 

through the process before touching the real pump. A preceptor could 

watch the trainee as he/she goes through each step and double-check 

the work. 

The app gives instructors a great reference tool to ensure all trainees 

are receiving the same education. It’s also a subtle reminder for superiors 

on task standards. 

Health Scholars offers fun ways to learn various procedures. If 

you’ve visited a hospital recently, you might have noticed different-colored 

garbage cans found in patient rooms. Each color is designated for 

different types of hazardous materials. New nurses can bring up a game 

in the app to recall proper disposal of certain waste. 

THE APP’S PROGRESSION 

The idea to create an interactive training application was initially conceived 

as a way to streamline and improve how nurses are oriented into 

OSF HealthCare. Subject matter experts from OSF and SIMnext and 

software developers from CSE put their minds together to design an 

app targeting smart pump training. Jump is instrumental in testing the 

product and determining whether it’s positively impacting learning, and 

A nurse-in-training can pull 

up the medication training 

module in a patient’s room 

and practice going through 

the process before touching 

the real pump. 

preliminary results have been promising. 

New nurses at OSF were given the option of smart pump training 

during a two-hour instruction session or using the app, which takes 

anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Learners overwhelmingly 

chose the mobile tool. We found those who practiced on the app received 

the same quality education they would have received in the classroom. 

“I feel more confident after completing the smart pump app, then 

doing the competency on the actual pump, as opposed to traditional 

training,” said Erin Jones, a cardiothoracic unit nurse at OSF Saint Francis 

Medical Center. “On the app, you can push the exact buttons a nurse 

will touch on the smart pump. It will go through the motions as though 

you are using the real device. It’s extremely user-friendly.” 

The smart pump app was later expanded to include a module for 

high-risk medication administration training. This was also implemented 

into OSF nurse training, and there were significant improvements in the 

handing of this medication as a result. About 800 nurses were assessed 

and trained in one month’s time, without the need for overtime or time 

away from the patient’s bedside. 

These positive outcomes have led OSF to incorporate the app training 

into nursing orientation and reducing the time spent in a classroom. 

This year, nurses will use the mobile simulation exercises on their respective 

floors with guidance from preceptors. The results have also led to the 

evolution of the app to include more training scenarios. There’s still more 

work to be done to ensure its success. 

GETTING IT RIGHT 

SIMnext and CSE have reached out to the nursing program at St. Louis 

University to build valuable research around the smart pump component 

of the application. It will compare the effectiveness of training on the app 

versus traditional classroom education in a simulated environment. 

Health Scholars will go live in January within OSF. This will give our 

collaboration the opportunity to collect user feedback on the entire ap- 

“ON THE APP, YOU CAN PUSH THE EXACT BUTTONS A NURSE WILL 

TOUCH ON THE SMART PUMP. IT WILL GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS AS 

THOUGH YOU ARE USING THE REAL DEVICE. IT’S EXTREMELY USER-FRIENDLY.” 


plication. We will determine return on investment and whether we’ve truly 

transformed orientation into a better process. 

When we’re confident we have a superior product, we want to test the 

limits of this new technology. We are going to ask the tough questions: Does 

using Health Scholars result in fewer smart pump programming mistakes? 

Are we decreasing medication administration inaccuracies? Are we reducing 

hospital-acquired infections? Those are broad statements that are hard 

to prove, but we want to go there. We want to make sure we have a valid 

product before it’s launched to the broader public. 

PARTNERING WITH CSE 

If you define innovation as addressing a need through an alternative path 

or with alternative techniques or tools, the development of Health Scholars 

meets all of those criteria. It would be easy to assume only medical professionals 

could design solutions to the persistent problems surrounding 

patient safety. 

But we chose to take a chance. We reached out to a company with a long 

history of providing training applications to find out if it could give us a new 

perspective on old issues. Now we have an application we believe will transform 

training as we know it and save patient lives. Health Scholars would not 

be possible if it weren’t for the innovative thinking of OSF, SIMnext, Jump 

and CSE leaders that working together would result in great things. 

We all look forward to the successful launch of this app in April—and 

continuing this partnership to tackle other obstacles plaguing the healthcare 

industry. 

Dr. John Vozenilek is vice president and chief medical officer for simulation 

at Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center. Nikki Delinski is clinical 

education programs specialist for OSF HealthCare and project manager for 

SIMnext and Health Scholars. 

A RESEARCH GRANT 

FOR SIMULATION 

Researchers from Jump Trading Simulation and Education 

Center and Northwestern University are teaming up to 

evaluate how on-site simulation may improve critical care 

outcomes and save lives in rural areas through the integration 

of telehealth. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 

awarded Northwestern and Jump/OSF HealthCare a $750,000, 

three-year grant to conduct this research. 

The team will train clinicians on using telehealth to treat 

patients with sepsis in rural emergency departments. Sepsis 

affects more than one million Americans each year, costing 

upwards of $54 billion to treat. Septic shock has a fatality rate 

of up to 30 percent, but early recognition and treatment can 

reduce mortality and morbidity greatly. 

The idea is for medical personnel from rural hospitals 

to consult with specially trained critical care experts over 

videoconferencing as they treat patients. Conducting this 

training through simulation gives clinicians the practice they 

need with this new technology in their own environments 

before using it in real situations with real patients. 

If Jump can validate this idea, it may be used to target 

other time-sensitive critical conditions in rural emergency 

departments—like stroke, acute heart conditions, pediatric 

critical care and trauma—which could improve patient safety in 

the country’s many rural emergency departments. 


focus 

One of Caterpillar’s most popular 

products, the 336E H hydraulic hybrid 

excavator uses up to 25 percent less 

fuel and is 50 to 75 percent more 

efficient than the previous model. 

CATERPILLAR’S CULTURE 

OF INNOVATION 

by George Taylor Caterpillar Inc. 

How we think like a customer and act like a startup… 

FOR 90 YEARS, Caterpillar has carried the 

worldwide reputation as sturdy, reliable and 

Built For It. But the reason we have earned 

that reputation is that we’re always focused 

on what’s next. Innovation is inherent here 

at Caterpillar. 

In fact, our company was founded on 

innovation—like the distinctive steel belt that 

“crawled” through muddy fields, giving us our 

name. And we were the first to put a diesel 

engine into a tractor. In today’s high-tech 

world, we often forget innovation is not just 

about bits and bytes—but we know that’s important, 

too. That’s why we created a division 

that’s focusing on our efforts in digital, analytics 

and innovation, and it’s why we’re working 

with some of the best minds across the world 

to make sure our company has the culture and 

talent we need to innovate. 

THINK LIKE A CUSTOMER 

Today’s manufacturing is sleek, clean and 

rooted in technology. But it isn’t technology 

for technology’s sake; it’s about focusing on 

what our customers need to drive improved 

business results. In other words, before we begin, 

our teams at Caterpillar try to think like a 

customer. 

Once we have a clear idea of the problem 

our customers need us to solve, we work to 

take our machines and engines to the next 

level. Our innovative teams have delivered 

smart, connected technologies that are improving 

productivity, fuel efficiency, safety, 

infrastructure and more. In fact, in the industries 

we serve today, Caterpillar has the 

largest population of connected machines and 

engines in the world, and we’re using big data 

and analytics to help our customers become 

even more successful—getting big things done 

faster, more efficiently and at a lower cost. 

Recently, our teams tested how Cat 

Connect technologies are transforming road 

construction, cutting the time spent building 



a road in half. We had teams building two roads—one with technology, 

and one without—and our findings demonstrated just how important 

our efforts to innovate are. Machines equipped with our cutting-edge 

technology cut labor time by more than 30 percent compared to the 

traditional methods of building a road. And the icing on the cake is that 

those technology-enabled machines also helped reduce fuel consumption 

by 37 percent and saved an estimated 12 acres of forest by reducing 

emissions. And that was a single project. We have dozens of other 

examples of improving our customers’ experience by giving them the 

tools and technology to enable their success. 


That has never been more important than it is today. Companies that 

don’t commit to the future will find themselves victims of what I refer to 

as “digital Darwinism.” It’s why we invest heavily in research and development 

and why we hire the best minds to keep us moving forward. Our 

company is more committed than ever to delivering the quality products 

we’ve become known for, but with a renewed emphasis on acting like a 

startup—experimenting, learning to move quickly and getting it right. 

Innovation is not always easily achieved, but the benefits to our customers 

make it all worthwhile. 

Our 336E H hydraulic hybrid excavator stands out as a textbook 

example. We set out to make a best-in-class, diesel-electric hybrid excavator 

that delivers greater fuel efficiency and performance than the 

competition, and we did it. But it was a journey that involved trial and 

error, listening to customer feedback, and turning to the amazing minds 

working here at Caterpillar to find a solution our customers needed… 

one that didn’t exist in our industry. That solution began with a prototype 

so ugly it was nicknamed “Medusa” by the design team. But with time, 

inspiration and innovation, our team delivered a hybrid excavator that 

uses up to 25-percent less fuel, and proved to be 50 to 75 percent more 

efficient than the previous model. It has become one of Caterpillar’s most 

popular products because customers are out there voting for it every day. 

COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE 

There’s no doubt we’re the best there is at making iron equipment, but 

in today’s world, we know it’s helpful to work with other companies to 

bring the very best technologies and products to our customers. So, we 

have a venture capital team constantly searching for companies with 

which we can collaborate. Last November, we hosted the Caterpillar 

Corporate Startup Challenge, inviting 10 startups from around the 

world to come and pitch us. 

A panel of judges made up of key Caterpillar stakeholders was 

there to determine if these companies could help us make our customers 

even more successful—and the talent we see through these efforts 

is just phenomenal. There is such an opportunity when you combine 

minds from eager, young startups with the best and brightest we have 

here at Caterpillar. 

Our customers deserve the best, and we’re determined to innovate 

and improve so they can keep making a difference across the world. 

We’ll do that by thinking like a customer and acting like a startup… 

and never forgetting where we came from. Innovation is at the core of 

our company, and it always will be. We’ll be Built For It for the next 90 

years, because we will keep looking for the next big thing to make sure 

our customers and dealers succeed. 

George Taylor is chief marketing officer and vice president of Caterpillar’s 

Marketing & Digital Division. 

Introducing The 

BEST OF PEORIA 

A list of the people, places and things 

that make the Greater Peoria region 

the best place to live, work and play… 

according to YOU! 

peoriamagazines.com/BOP 

Best Of 

‘16 PEORIA 

PEORIAMAGAZINES.COM 

THE BEST OF... 

• Arts & Culture 

• Food & Drink 

• Sports & Recreation 

• Business 

• Community Life 

The nomination process begins February 1, 2016, 

with voting to follow. 

Think local: nominees must be located 

within the Tri-County region (Peoria, Tazewell 

and Woodford counties). 



focus 

THE BUILDING BLOCKS 

OF BREAKTHROUGHS 

by Francesco Fazio Doblin by Deloitte 

In today’s contested markets, simple innovations alone are never enough for longterm 

success. 

INNOVATION IS ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING SOURCES of 

trend-breaking growth, yet all too often, companies fail at it because 

they approach innovation as if it is an art, assuming brainstorming and 

random moments of genius will help them win. They won’t. 

For many years, executives equated innovation with the development 

of new products. But creating new products is only one way to 

innovate, and on its own, it provides the lowest return on investment 

and the least competitive advantage. 

In truth, innovation almost never fails due to lack of creativity, but 

almost always because of a lack of discipline. 

THE INNOVATION CODE 

At the heart of any new discipline, there often lies a simple, organizing 

system—an underlying structure and order governing what works and 

what fails. This is what the Ten Types of Innovation framework brings 

to innovation. Consciously understanding it makes innovation easier 

and more effective. 

The Ten Types framework was derived by analyzing hundreds 

of successful innovations throughout history and trying to answer a 

simple question: “What makes these innovations successful, and what 

is common about them?” The innovation strategists at Doblin by Deloitte 

had their big epiphany moment when they observed that any one 

of those successful innovations could be explained by a combination of 

a finite number of types: the Ten Types. 

This is the genetic code to innovation, a useful tool businesses can 

use both to diagnose and enrich an innovation they’re working on, and 

to analyze existing competition. It makes it especially easy to spot errors 

of omission—missing dimensions that will make a concept stronger. 

Quite simply, if you want your next innovation to be successful, try 

to hit at least five of these types, simultaneously. 

The resulting framework is structured into three color-coded 

categories. The types on the left side of the framework are the most 

internally focused and distant from customers; as you move toward 

the right side, the types become increasingly apparent and obvious to 

end users. To use a theatrical metaphor, the left of the framework is 

backstage; the right is onstage. 

There are more than 100 innovation tactics—specific, known 

ways you can use the Ten Types of Innovation. These are like the elements 

that bond together to form molecules; you can use them to 

construct the breakthroughs that will help you make a real impact on 

your industry. 

SIX PRINCIPLES FOR USING THE TEN TYPES 

EFFECTIVELY 

1. Understand all ten types. Virtually all projects can 

improve just by knowing and deeply understanding the 

value and subtleties of each of the types. 

2. De-emphasize reliance on products and technology. 

These are the easiest capabilities for competitors to copy. 

3. Think about categories as well as types. Consciously try 

to imagine new ways to configure assets, build platforms 

and foster fresh experiences. 

4. Use the types that matter most. Use diagnostics to 

understand which types you and others in your industry 

tend to overlook. 

5. Understand what your users really need. User research 

can help you know what is relevant to customers and what 

surprises other types might help to deliver. 

6. Use enough of the types to make a splash. Using five or 

more types, integrated with care, is nearly always enough 

to reinvent a category and become newsworthy. 

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS 

Simple innovations use one or two types of innovation, and every 

company needs to pursue them. Failure to consistently, relentlessly 

improve the known is one of the surest routes to failure. Unfortunately, 

too many companies do only simple innovation. In today’s 

contested markets, simple innovations alone are never enough for 

long-term success. They can build a lead on competitors, but they 

don’t create the firms, brands or platforms that thrill us. 

When a market grows up and gets complicated, it demands 

more sophisticated innovation, which uses many types of innovation 

combined elegantly and orchestrated with care. Under the 

covers, inside your firm, these require working across internal 

boundaries and silos—challenges that bring additional complexity. 

You can cut through this with multi-disciplinary teams to bring in 

the necessary talent and knowledge, and with systems in place to 

tell everyone how they can tackle tough challenges with curiosity, 

confidence and courage. 

Naturally, sophisticated innovations are more difficult to pull 


The Ten Types of Innovation 

Network 

Connections 

with others to 

create value 

Process 

Signature or 

superior methods 

for doing your 

work 

Product 

System 

Complementary 

products and 

services 

Channel 

How your offerings 

are delivered to 

customers and 

users 

Customer 

Engagement 

Distinctive 

interactions 

you foster 

Profit 

Model 

Network 

Structure 

Process 

Product 

Performance 

Product 

System 

Service 

Channel 

Brand 

Customer 

Engagement 

Configuration Offering Experience 

Profit Model 

The way in which 

you make money 

Structure 

Alignment 

of your talent 

and assets 

Product 

Performance 

Distinguishing 

features and 

functionality 

Service 

Support and 

enhancements 

that surround your 

offerings 

Brand 

Representation 

of your offerings 

and business 

Source: The Ten Types of Innovation [Doblin] 

Deloitte University Press | DUPress.com 

off, not least because they have longer development horizons than simple 

innovations. But consider the flip side: once you launch them, they 

are likely both to delight customers and confound competitors. Often, 

you will be able to succeed with them for years before challengers can 

catch up. Almost all of the enterprises we identify as leading innovators 

routinely use multiple types of innovation—and handily outperform 

the average firms that innovate more naïvely. 

FINDING YOUR INNOVATION BREAKTHROUGH 

As the pace of change continues to increase, innovation is imperative. 

Customers demand it. Competitors may outflank you if you don't 

achieve it. Talented employees might not join your firm if you don't deliver 

it. Analysts expect it. Investors reward it. 

The innovation strategists at Doblin by Deloitte have laid out 

fresh viewpoints and have a Ten Types of Innovation book, app and 

tactic cards that can help companies innovate their way to meaningful 

and sustainable growth. For more information, visit doblin.com/ 

tentypes. 

Francesco Fazio is a principal at Doblin by Deloitte. 


focus 

WHAT THE HECK IS AN 

INNOVATION AGENCY? 

by Mark Hemmer 

Unless you’re actively staying on top of technology, it can be daunting to catch up. 

TECHNOLOGY JOBS ARE HARD TO DEFINE SOMETIMES. If you’re 

a farmer, explaining what you do, how you do it and what it yields is 

simpler. You can explain how to plant crops. You can show someone 

a combine (or even take them for a ride!), and you can hand someone 

an ear of corn. For those working in the tech sector, it’s a little more 

complicated. You may hear things like: 

“So you do a lot of things with the computer?” 

“You’re, like, a blogger or something?” 

“Ohhh, so you fix Internet problems?” 

Understandable. Technology is moving light years ahead of society at 

large, and unless you’re actively staying on top of it, it can be daunting—or 

even infeasible—to catch up or digest it. It's a sign of smart delegation 

and great vision for the long term to clearly establish not only 

who is going to drive innovation at your company, but how you’re going 

to do it, and most importantly, why it’s important for your organization. 

PARTNERS IN PROBLEM SOLVING 

Just as brilliant sports executives hire analytics teams to keep up with 

games that are transforming before their eyes, major corporations need 

to find the right team and framework to help them innovate effectively. 

That’s where an innovation agency can come in. At its bare bones, an 

innovation agency is simply a company dedicated to solving problems in 

new ways for the benefit of others. Hiring the right agency with the right 

structure and vision can be the difference between leading your industry 

and falling behind. 

AN INNOVATION AGENCY SHOULDN’T WAVE THE 

NEWEST TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR FACE TO DAZZLE 

YOU; AN EFFECTIVE AGENCY WILL LEVERAGE ONLY THE 

TECHNOLOGY YOUR GOALS CALL FOR. 

Peoria’s OneFire is an example of such an innovation agency. An 

excerpt from its website captures what sets effective innovation agencies 

apart: “We don’t just use the latest and greatest technology to provide 

a ‘cool factor.’ We partner with our clients and leverage technology to 

solve real business challenges—from improving processes to generating 

demand to helping clients’ boost their bottom line.” 

An innovation agency shouldn’t wave the newest technology in 

your face to dazzle you; an effective agency will leverage only the technology 

your goals call for. But how does it happen? 

There are a handful of approaches in taking a client challenge, assessing 

how to meet it, and delivering. Oftentimes, companies think they 

already have an idea that solves their problem and just need a way to 

build it. More often than not, this approach wastes money and time because 

the solution wasn’t fully vetted before work started. 

In other situations, companies have so many great ideas they don’t 

even know where to start, and ideas often fail to materialize into some- 


thing tangible. This could be a new product idea, an improvement to an 

existing process or a transformational service that could help a company 

enter a completely new market. 

Whatever the case, innovation in a broad sense can mean many 

things to many people. That is why OneFire developed the “Nucleus 

Process”: to help its customers navigate the landscape and provide a 

consistent, repeatable process for understanding and managing their innovation 

efforts. 

the right agency enables you to focus on your business specifics, while 

placing the development and execution of your innovation strategy in 

more-than-capable hands. Your team becomes stronger as a result, and 

you'll be the example your competitors try to follow. 

THE FLOW OF AN IDEA 

The graphic above is a simplified outline that shows the general flow of 

an idea through OneFire’s Nucleus Process. Each step contains several 

specific action items, leveraging proven methodologies and research 

from across the current business and entrepreneurial landscape. The 

top row is where an idea starts—from ideation to the development and 

testing of a proof of concept. Once an idea has proven viable through 

extensive research and validation, the bottom row is where an idea develops 

into an actual product or solution, which is then delivered back 

to the client. 

In a nutshell, an innovation agency can help each step of the way, 

providing insight and thoroughness in areas where you may not have 

expertise. 

Is it necessary to use an outside innovation agency? Some companies 

form a group within their own organization that is service-minded 

and dedicated to solving problems for everyone else. This internal 

group then acts as an agency to other parts of the company. Other 

companies recognize their strengths and outsource innovation and 

problem solving to an outside company. While many organizations 

have people with great ideas, few have the time or capacity to evaluate 

those ideas, screen them, prove them as valid, and then develop and 

implement them. Agencies like OneFire enable innovation within an 

organization by capturing employee ideas and delivering on the ones 

that make business sense. 

Partnering with an innovation agency is one way to stay current in 

today’s fast-paced digital world. The important thing to note is that it is 

less about buying a single product or service, and more about forming 

a long-term partnership to help solve your business problems. Hiring 


Randon Gettys of Startup Peoria with Josh Swank of Virtual 

Halo, winner of the third KeyStart pitch competition, September 

2015. Swank’s personal security app provides users an opportunity 

to share location information and connect to trusted sources 

while on the go. He was awarded a $5,000 investment from 

Attollo and a four-month membership at The Nest Coworking. 


KEEP 

AN 

EYE 

by Randon Gettys Startup Peoria 

Photography by Tory Dahlhoff 

KeyStart provides fast access 

to capital in order to turn ideas 

into real companies. 

ON KEYSTART 

THREE MINUTES GOES BY REALLY FAST. 

This is, of course, a loaded statement; anyone 

who has ever been underwater for a bit longer 

than desired could make a compelling point 

in opposition. But when a person is explaining 

something new—something that he or she 

has created—three minutes goes by really fast. 

That is what we are asking people to do 

with KeyStart, a business idea submission and 

pitch competition administered by the Greater 

Peoria Economic Development Council’s 

(GPEDC) Startup Peoria program. KeyStart 

awards a $5,000 investment to one new business 

idea per bimonthly program cycle. The 

purpose is to provide entrepreneurs with fast 

access to capital in order to turn ideas into 

real companies. 

WHAT IS KEYSTART? 

A two-part program, KeyStart is both a business 

idea submission competition and a live 

pitch competition. Anyone can apply online 

with their new business or business idea. 

From the pool of applicants, four finalists are 

chosen by a selection committee. And then 

comes the fun part. 

Every two months, GPEDC puts on an 

event not unlike ABC’s Shark Tank —though 

I hesitate to use that analogy. (As one real-life 

investor put it, Shark Tank is to investing what 

WWE wrestling is to the Olympic sport. But 

the setup and interaction is similar.) 

Three mic’d-up judges sit at a table with 

paper and pen, preparing questions that arise during each three-minute 

presentation. Facing them, at the front of the room, is an antique 

shipping pallet that serves as a tiny stage for presenters, flanked by a 

60-inch digital monitor for slide decks. All of that is framed by an 8’ x 

8’ backdrop with the logos of the program sponsors. 

Serving as emcee at KeyStart is one of the many duties of my position 

that gives me great joy. I use the opportunity to talk about Startup 

Peoria and its programs; plus, I get to express myself as I move the 

event along. 

I then introduce each finalist, who has a mere three minutes to 

explain his or her entire business model to the judges. After those 

three minutes, the judges take turns asking difficult questions of the 

presenter, who must answer them on the spot. The quality of these answers 

can be the difference between winning and not winning. But the 

non-winners gain value, too. Not only do they leave with constructive 

feedback on their business or idea, they are welcome to apply to future 

KeyStarts to show the judges what they’ve learned. Speaking of learning, 

KeyStart has a startup story of its own. 

FILLING THE GAPS 

Startup Peoria is always looking for gaps in the startup ecosystem of 

Greater Peoria. When we find a gap and decide we have the capacity to 

address it in a meaningful way, we look for a model, so as not to recreate 

the wheel. In the case of KeyStart, it was Startup Peoria cofounders 

Jake Hamann and Amy Lambert who identified the need for such a 

program, and they found Start Garden, a program in Grand Rapids that 

awarded $5,000 each week to a new business or business idea by way 

of popular online vote. 

Start Garden differed from KeyStart in that it launched with a 

multimillion-dollar venture capital fund; the purpose of the weekly 

awards was to create a pipeline for future deal flow for the larger fund. 

The goals for KeyStart were more modest, and the fact was, we did not 

have millions of dollars to spread like grass seed. 


KeyStart is both a business idea submission competition 

and a live pitch competition, open to the public. 

Each finalist has three minutes to explain his or her 

business model to the judges. 

So, with high hopes, we embarked on a 

private campaign to find funding for a year’s 

worth, or $60,000, of monthly KeyStarts. We 

were grateful to the organizations and institutions 

who let us make our case, but one 

by one, they told us no. And then an angel 

came. 

Sort of. It was an angel, but an angel of 

a different sort. In early 2015, Peoria-based 

angel investment firm Attollo stepped up 

to fund $30,000 worth of KeyStarts on the 

condition that Startup Peoria would take 

care of the program design and execution. 

We obliged. 

During the planning process, there 

was much discussion about whether our assumption 

that Greater Peoria could support 

our original goal of 10 quality applicants per 

month would hold up. We learned quickly 

that a monthly program cycle was too rapid, 

so we adjusted it to bimonthly, and I am 

proud to report that we executed four successful 

KeyStart competitions in 2015. The 

winners so far include: 

• Shelf—a mobile software application 

that employs near-field communication 

technology to add a digital 

learning experience to static exhibits; 

• Alluvian—sustainably produced 

natural men’s grooming products; 

• Virtual Halo—a personal safety app for Apple Watch; and 

• Device Tree—a mobile device protection service that fills 

the market gap between carrier insurance and device repair 

shops. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

As we reevaluate the KeyStart program, we do so according to a set 

of goals set before the program launched, combined with what we 

have learned by doing four of them. Aside from the obvious goals 

of providing small amounts of capital to launch new companies, 

we set out to expose the community to early-stage equity investing, 

to draw previously unknown entrepreneurs and investors into 

the Greater Peoria startup community, and to hold a regular public 

pitch event for community engagement. While we are achieving 

those goals to a satisfactory extent, there is much room for improvement. 

We enter 2016 with commitments for two more KeyStart investments. 

This is one of Startup Peoria’s cornerstone programs, 

and my hope is that it grows into something bigger and better than 

it is today. 

I have some wild ideas—and some of them might even be 

good—so keep an eye on KeyStart, and please consider yourself 

invited to attend an upcoming event. The details and application 

materials can be found at startuppeoria.com. Thanks for reading, 

but I think my three minutes is up... That went by really fast. 

Past sponsors for KeyStart include First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust, Attollo, 

DJ4U and OneFire. 



focus 

Joseph Rich, research 

leader at the USDA Ag 

Lab in Peoria, prepares 

enzyme reactions using 

a robotic liquid handler. 

INNOVATION: 

A VIEW FROM THE LAB 

by Joseph O. Rich National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research 

It is not certain where the next great innovation will come from, but we are prepared to recognize 

it when it gets here. 

A RANGE OF ORGANIZATIONS, including 

many businesses and governments, rightly 

express the need for “innovation,” though the 

word could easily be on its way to becoming 

one of those overused corporate buzzwords. 

One can almost envision the head of R&D being 

told by the CEO to “go forth and innovate.” 

My experience with innovation, however, is 

not so straightforward. I have found that innovation 

really stems from a great deal of unglamorous 

hard work in the lab. 

RECOGNIZING THE SOLUTION 

What is innovation? Dictionary.com calls it 

“the act of innovating; introduction of new 

things or methods.” I think we can learn more 

from some of the synonyms: revolution, upheaval, 

transformation, metamorphosis, 

breakthrough, novelty, newness, creativity, 

originality, ingenuity, inspiration and inventiveness. 

The antonyms—stagnation, habit, 

"old hat" and rut—also provide useful perspective 

on the need for innovation. Who really 

wants to be stagnant or in a rut? I’d rather 

be creative, original and novel. 

This quote is found along with the 

Google definition of innovation: “No appliance manufacturer can survive 

without an ongoing commitment to innovation.” A commitment to 

innovation is good, but what is really needed is a commitment to longterm 

investment in the research that is necessary for breakthrough 

innovations—which also requires a commitment to all of the “failed” 

innovations that inevitably come with the goal of creating something 

novel, original or inspiring. Somewhere within these failures is where 

the commitment to innovation can break down. What really needs to 

be asked is not “Are we committed to innovation?”, but rather, “Are we 

prepared to support long-term research that does not immediately improve 

the next quarter’s bottom line?” 

Many—I could easily argue most—of our society’s needed innovations 

will not be preplanned. Albert Einstein summarized it well when 

he said, “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called 

research.” Most research, at least my research, relies on some level of 

serendipity. To paraphrase Louis Pasteur, the world-renowned French 

chemist and microbiologist, “Serendipity favors the prepared mind.” 

David Burkus, in a 2013 Harvard Business Review article, stated that 

innovation is “not an idea problem; it’s a recognition problem.” These 

observations support the need for broad investment in fundamental 

and applied research. As scientists in the lab and on the front lines of 

innovation, we need to be prepared to recognize the good ideas and 

solutions that are already in front of us. 

A case in point is Viagra. Before you laugh out loud, sildenafil 

citrate was originally developed by Pfizer in the late 1980s and early 

1990s as a heart medication. The results of the early clinical trials were 


underwhelming and offered little promise that it would be therapeutically 

beneficial. Patients in the clinical trials, however, reported a now 

well-known, significant side effect from its use. This observation, combined 

with improved understanding of specific biochemical pathways, 

was critical to identifying a new treatment for erectile dysfunction. The 

rest is history, and Viagra has become one of the largest-selling drugs in 

the world, with over $7 billion in sales from April 2014 to March 2015. 

Not too bad for a failed heart medication. 

INNOVATIONS FROM THE PEORIA AG LAB 

We recently observed the 75 th anniversary of the Peoria Ag Lab (officially 

known as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Center 

for Agricultural Utilization Research). During that time, USDA scientists 

have performed wildly innovative research at this corner of University 

Street and Nebraska Avenue, which has had—and continues to have— 

far-reaching impact. The 5,000 or so people who came through the lab 

on the second weekend of October were able to see some of the research 

highlights that have resulted from the hard work in our laboratory. 

One of these innovations, the large-scale production of penicillin, 

was the direct target of a large, planned research program in the 1940s. 

The discovery of penicillin in 1928, on the other hand, resulted from the 

serendipitous observation by Alexander Fleming of a petri dish covered 

with bacteria—except for the area around where a mold had contaminated 

the plate. 

Many other highlighted innovations needed a whole lot of serendipity, 

such as the low-glycemic index sweetener Xtend sucromalt, used 

in the Glucerna line of diabetic foods; or Super Slurper, the super waterabsorbent 

material from corn starch that led to dozens of products, 

including disposable baby diapers; or the novel sunscreen and cosmetic 

ingredient SoyScreen (produced by iActive, a local startup company), 

which combines a compound found in all plants with soybean oil into 

a product with UV absorbance and antioxidant properties; or making 

biodiesel fuel from the seed oil of pennycress (a common weed), which 

offers farmers a potential new revenue crop without interfering with 

their usual corn-bean rotation scheme. 

All of these innovations share one thing in common: They all made 

it into the commercial market. The period of time between the recognition 

of a potential solution and where the product begins to make 

a commercial impact is measured in years… and frequently decades. 

While there are many pitfalls in this process, including a wide variety 

of technical, regulatory and market issues, it is through the persistence 

of technical and business staff in overcoming these pitfalls that great 

inventions become great innovations. 

What will the Ag Lab’s next great innovation be? The answer is 

not an easy one, but the people I work for are really interested in the 

answer. It could be a novel antibacterial natural product that helps address 

antibiotic resistance… technologies that improve the efficiency of 

biofuel production… next-generation biofuels or consumer/industrial 

products made from biomass… new water treatment technologies… 

new biological pesticides… technologies to more accurately assess the 

safety of our food supply. It could be any of these, or even all of them. 

All of these and more are being worked on at the Peoria Ag Lab. It 

is not certain where the next great innovation will come from, but our 

minds are prepared to recognize it when it gets here. 

Joseph O. Rich, PhD is research leader for the Renewable Products Technology 

Research Unit at the USDA’s National Center for Agricultural Utilization 

Research in Peoria. 


focus 

NONPROFIT INNOVATION: 

CREATING SPACES 

by Eileen A. Ruby Setti Ruby & Associates 

Innovation cannot take place without creating the spaces necessary for it to happen. 

MY PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER stood as 

tall as the average fifth grader. The daughter of 

an Iowa farmer, a teacher, mother of four and 

the wife of a small businessman, Grandma was 

wicked smart. She was certainly intelligent 

enough to earn a teaching degree from Iowa 

State Teacher’s College in the mid-1930s, but 

what set Dorothy Ruby apart was her ability to 

creatively solve problems. 

For example, late one evening when my 

father was 15 years old, he was attempting to 

hoist the engine out of his prized 1947 Ford. 

He was making such a racket in the garage 

that my grandmother investigated the source 

of the commotion. The engine was two inches 

short of clearing the car because the low garage 

ceiling prevented the hoist from lifting 

the engine any higher. The engine was stuck, 

and my father was stumped. 

Grandma wiped her hands on her apron 

and assessed the situation. She asked her son 

how the hoist operated and what he had already 

tried to solve the problem, and listened 

intently to his explanation. Thinking for a few 

seconds, she smiled and gave him two directives: 

Let some air out of the front tires to 

gain enough clearance for the hoist to free the 

engine from the car—and stop making such a 

loud ruckus! 

OBSTACLES TO NONPROFIT 


The word innovation is used often in today’s 

economy. Companies must innovate—or 

strategically predict changes in their market 

and efficiently transform their products, services 

and processes to remain competitive— 

and it’s no different for nonprofits. Research 

indicates that nonprofits coordinate innovative 

responses to complex social problems 

like homelessness, illiteracy, poverty and 

obesity; however, they struggle to continually 

innovate over time as social problems erupt and evolve in our 

communities. Social scientists identify several obstacles preventing 

nonprofit organizations from ongoing innovation: 

• First, and likely foremost, is funding. Historically, charitable 

contributions in the United States have remained fairly 

constant, but the number of nonprofit organizations and the 

breadth of community services the sector offers has increased 

exponentially in the last two decades. The result is an extremely 

competitive fundraising market in communities across the 

country. In response, organizations fight to hold onto existing 

programs to which funders are dedicated, rather than exploring 

new efforts requiring new funding streams. Innovation is 

perceived as expensive and risky. 

• Staff and board leadership are stretched thin. The effort to 

maintain daily operations often supersedes long-term sustainability 

efforts. People are busy! Planning retreats, environmental 

scans, information gathering, skill building and training 

are labor-intensive and often ignored in favor of short-term 

management and governance issues. The organization’s focus 

is on daily operations rather than innovating towards the 

future while also managing daily operations. 

• Often, the structure of a nonprofit makes it nearly impossible 

to innovate. Nonprofits operate with limited staff and 

resources, thus prohibiting their ability to create or modify. 

Innovation is ignored merely because existing resources barely 

sustain existing services. 

• Finally, nonprofits have a tendency to resist change. 

The idea of innovating or changing a program or service is 

perceived as a direct threat to the organization’s mission and 

the people it serves. Furthermore, many nonprofit leaders are 

averse to implementing new management or administrative 

practices because it feels too “for-profit-like.” 

THE SPACE FOR INNOVATION 

In light of these obstacles, how does a nonprofit organization become 

more innovative? By creating the spaces necessary for innovation. 

• The Problem Space. Take a good, hard look at your organization 

and your community. Where are the problems? These 

areas beg for innovative thinking, but they must first be 

identified. Question your internal and external stakeholders 

and listen, listen, listen. Then consider transforming your 

organization, collaborations or bringing the issue to the 



attention of other service providers. Innovation first requires a 

problem, so find one! 

• The Growth Space. The philosophy is simple—the needs of 

clients and communities change, therefore nonprofits must 

also change. Period. Allocate resources for staff to attend 

trainings, encourage the CEO to meet with his or her peers, 

and continuously train board members. Growing the skills 

within the organization grows the entire organization. But do 

more than just learn—bring that knowledge into the organization 

to make improvements. New skills and knowledge 

transforms how the organization functions. Knowledge is key 

to innovation. 

• The Failure Space. Innovation involves failure. It’s risky. 

However, if change is managed through planning and 

monitoring, breakdowns can be quickly solved and most 

catastrophes averted. The point is to plan, monitor and learn 

as you go. Mistakes are part of the innovation process and not 

a reflection on the quality of the organization or its people. 

Rather, learning from failure is a sign of perseverance. Innovation 

requires perseverance. 

• The Get-Out-Of-Your-Space Space. Go away! All too often, 

nonprofit leaders immerse themselves in their organization 

and in their mission at the expense of all others. Take the time 

to learn from organizations with similar missions operating 

in other communities. Take a field trip and return with one or 

two best practices to implement at home. Innovation does not 

have to be original—only new to your organization. 

• The Forward Space. An organization cannot creatively solve 

problems if it is focused on work already completed. Think 

of it this way: Have you ever traveled on an interstate in 

reverse? Of course not! Rather than giving reports at meetings 

chronicling what happened last month, focus on what is going 

to happen in the next 30 to 90 days, which allows the experts 

in the room time to be proactive and develop innovative solutions. 

Then allocate financial and human resources to those 

efforts, create a timeline and monitor progress. Innovation is 

proactive—not reactive. 

• The Thinking Space. In the midst of managing the everyday 

struggles of a nonprofit, take time to consider greater issues. 

At minimum, staff and boards should gather once a year 

away from the organization to contemplate changes in the 

community and discuss long-term sustainability. While such 

retreats can be viewed as wasteful and time-consuming, this is 

the opportunity to hatch innovative ideas. Innovation requires 

quality thinking and planning. 

In all, innovation is sparked by actively listening, constantly learning, 

making mistakes, generating new approaches to problems, creating 

a simple plan of action, allocating resources to the effort and monitoring 

progress. However, none of this can happen without creating 

the space for innovation in the first place—so let some air out of the 

tires. 

Eileen A. Ruby Setti is a partner in the consulting firm Ruby & Associates, 

which provides specialized services for nonprofits, and a PhD Candidate at 

Northern Illinois University studying public and nonprofit organizations. 


2016 EVENTS 

LOCAL LEGENDS 

Each July, iBi hosts an exclusive reception to honor “local 

legends”—those individuals who have had a lifetime 

of impact on the Peoria-area community. Guests will 

celebrate these special honorees at a reception at the 

Country Club of Peoria. 

40 LEADERS ALUMNI SOCIAL 

On August 4 th , iBi will host a social event and networking 

opportunity for previous 40 Leaders Under Forty award 

winners. The 40 Leaders Alumnus of the Year will be 

presented to a previous winner who continues to make 

an ongoing impact on the community. This fun, casual 

event takes place at a Peoria Chiefs game at Dozer Park. 

40 LEADERS UNDER FORTY 

Now in its 23 rd year, this event celebrates the rising stars 

of central Illinois. Through nominations submitted by the 

community, 40 of the area’s top business and community 

leaders are selected and honored at a prestigious 

reception at the Par-A-Dice Hotel. The 2016 class of 40 

Leaders Under Forty will be recognized on November 3 rd . 

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE 

In December, iBi highlights area women who are making 

a difference in central Illinois. From government and 

healthcare to business and nonprofits, they are leading 

in times of great change. This event consists of a panel 

of women discussing relevant business topics at a 

breakfast meeting. 

peoriamagazines.com/events 


focus 

EXPRESSIONS OF TECH INNOVATION 

IN THE (NON-)COMMERCIAL WILD 

by Clint LeClair, MD 

Innovation is only possible if your creation is legally shielded. 

I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS ARTICLE FOR 

SEVERAL WEEKS before putting fingers to 

keys. The truth is, the common knowledge 

of how to protect your ideas isn’t freely discussed 

in Peoria, which leaves our local garage 

inventors just waiting to be ripped off 

by some of the more unscrupulous corporate 

and legal predators out in the business wild. 

Well, that’s exactly what IP protection is all 

about: how to avoid getting ripped off while 

commoditizing your creativity into a product 

with a definable value. 

IP protection also provides the foundation 

for a protected exchange in which one 

might innovate and build on top of another’s 

inventions. Let’s delve into the different ways 

you can unleash your creativity for the world 

to enjoy, share, attribute, and with wellplanned 

foundational steps, BUY! 

A WORLD MORE CUTTHROAT 

For centuries, the patent world made sense to 

the common maker. The first to invent a useful 

and novel widget could file whenever he 

or she wanted to, within one year of making 

it public. In 2011, the America Invents Act 

changed all that to whoever files the patent 

first—and in many inventors’ opinions, the 

creative world just got much more cutthroat. 

The ethos of a makerspace is to innovate, 

invent or reconfigure the world into 

the one we want to live in personally. In this 

process of modification and creation, routine 

debates over the value of protecting our ideas 

according to our end goals would spontaneously 

propagate. And the end goal is the true 

determination of what steps an inventor 

may wish to take to “make the world a better 

place.” 

With these preconceived notions, I 

humbly submit to you, the aspiring maker, 

several different measures of IP protections 

and test-case examples. This primer is in no way complete—and I 

hope you find a point of contention. Only by having these conversations 

can we as a city innovate and self-educate in a collectively 

beneficial way. 

OPEN SOURCE 

This is a makerspace’s favorite stance, due to its communal inclusion 

of all ideas great and small. Those inventions that are intended to be 

platforms are most commonly open-source (OS) technologies, where 

software or hardware must follow the parameters of the Open Source 

Initiative: 

1. Free redistribution; 

2. Freely accessible source code; 

3. Derived works are encouraged based on the original work; 

4. Integrity of the author’s source code; 

5. No discrimination against persons or groups; 

6. No discrimination against fields of endeavor; 

7. Distribution of license is the same for everyone; 

8. License must not be specific to a product; 

9. License must not restrict other software; and 

10. License must be technology-neutral. 

Best application if your tech is designed for: 

• Dependence by vendors or whole industries; 

• Security—fast response time for patches and stability of intellectual 

assets; 

• Flexibility—for individual requirements or integration/interfaces 

for a system chain; 

• Cost—reduced for base product, industry built upon installation, 

customization and/or implementation; 

• Innovation—a dedicated, cooperative community for process 

support and development. 

Successful examples: the Internet (specifically, TCP/IP), Linux, Android, 

Drupal, Wordpress, GitHub, Arduino, “Open Hardware.” 

Your work would most benefit from being open-source if your 

physical product or code is intended to be a platform for others to build 

on top of; integral to the function or security of an industry; or deficient 

in research and development and/or quality control, but could evolve 

quickly through supportive crowdsourcing. A well-curated collective 

of contributors is always smarter than any one individual, and when a 

group collaborates, that group’s adoption is half the formula of creating 


impact. While the platform itself is not the money maker, support and 

supply of the derivative works are. 

OPEN PATENTS/CREATIVE COMMONS 

(AKA “COPYLEFT”) 

These concepts are lumped together due to the intention behind 

them, yet the execution is completely different. 

The intent: As the creator of a physical object or author of media/ 

code, you would like to retain the rights of creative ownership of your 

work, but are willing to relinquish other rights. This allows greater 

collaborative efforts while ensuring attribution of credit, at the very 

least. 

Open patents require the inventor to fulfill the requirements and 

file a patent on his or her original work. The patent is then shared 

so others may utilize and even improve upon the original work. The 

rights to the improvements are accepted as pertaining to the original 

work; therefore, exclusive rights to patent the improvements remain 

with the original patent holder. 

Creative Commons is a series of licenses that differentiate the 

rights retained under the “copyleft” umbrella term. As open patents 

are almost entirely for hardware purposes, Creative Commons licenses 

are for authored works, both analog and digital. While relatively 

new, they are legally binding versions of copyright law, and unless 

specifically stated, retain all the rights of a traditional copyright license. 

Per the Creative Commons Foundation, the different licenses 

you can specify for your authored works include (from least to most 

restrictive): 

1. Attribution (CC BY). This license lets others distribute, 

remix, tweak and build upon your work, even commercially, 

as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the 

most accommodating of licenses offered, recommended for 

maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials. 

2. Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA). This license lets others 

remix, tweak and build upon your work even for commercial 

purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new 

creations under identical terms. All new works based on 

yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also 

allow commercial use. This is the license used by Wikipedia; 

it is recommended for materials that would benefit from 

incorporating content from Wikipedia and similarly licensed 

projects. 

3. Attribution-NoDerivs (CC BY-ND). This license allows for 

redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it 

is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you. 

4. Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC). This license lets 

others remix, tweak and build upon your work non-commercially. 

Although new works must also acknowledge you and 

be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative 

works on the same terms. 

5. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC- 

SA). This license lets others remix, tweak and build upon 

your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and 

license their new creations under identical terms. 

6. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND). 

This is the most restrictive of the six main licenses. It only 

allows others to download your works and share them with 

others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them 


in any way or use them commercially. 

Best application if your tech (or authored content) 

is designed for: 

• Community building. While your 

tech has immediate value for your 

customers, by opening up your works 

for modification, customer complaints, 

wishes and observations are shared 

back to you in evolutionary steps. 

This provides a means to redistribute 

the best modifications back to 

your community of customers with 

economies-of-scale savings in production—providing 

the convenience of 

rapid improvement for them, while 

maintaining stewardship and control of 

feature development of your creation. 

• Portfolio sharing. If your content/ 

invention has a function that materially 

helps in the research or content 

creation of related materials, then a 

portfolio of related tech is gathered 

under a mutually shared contract 

amongst content providers/patent 

holders. 

• Controlled distribution of content. 

As the original author/creator, you 

control how much of the value proposition 

you capture of your original 

and derived works. With the least 

restrictive license, you ensure that 

you are properly attributed for your 

inspiration and hard work. At its most 

restrictive, you as the license/patent 

holder determine who can charge, 

who can distribute and how much 

modification of your work you will 

allow. 

Successful examples: Tesla Motors battery 

patents, Mercedes Benz safety patents, blogs, 

videos, digital articles, Twitter, Vine, Facebook 

“sharing.” 

If you want to increase distribution of 

your works, this strategy allows for rerelease, 

modification and commercialization under 

licenses that you specify. Yes, this strategy 

includes any content you wish to go “viral.” 

TRADITIONAL 

PATENT/COPYRIGHT: 

As stated earlier, patent filing procedure and 

rights have recently changed, whereas copyright 

is as it’s always been. 

“First to File”: Ever notice how inspiration 

has a tendency to strike multiple inventors 

at relatively the same time? If we all 

played fair, the argument would hold that the 

basic building blocks igniting that inspiration 

may have been present for all the inventors. 

If we all played fair. 

No longer can you mail your idea to yourself as sufficient proof 

that you thought of it first. In order to patent your inspiration, you 

must be the first applicant to successfully demonstrate that your invention 

is: 

1. Statutory—not electromagnetic signals or forms of energy; 

not music, literary works or compilations of data; and not 

data structures or programs; 

2. Novel/new—not known to the public before it was invented; 

not described in a publication more than one year prior to 

patent filing; and not used publicly or for sale to the public 

more than one year prior to patent filing; 

3. Useful—the invention must be able to perform the task 

described in the patent application; and 

4. Non-obvious—the innovation cannot be an obvious 

improvement of a prior device by a person skilled in the field 

of application. For example, a contractor would recognize 

that a Phillips screwdriver with a longer shaft to reach a 

more distant screw is an obvious improvement based on the 

current Phillips screwdriver. 

Copyright is an automatic protection upon finishing and publishing 

your work that protects from unauthorized reproduction for the life 

of the author plus a categorized number of years, a minimum statute 

of 25 years. But if you, the author, truly want to cross your “t” and dot 

your “i,” you’d best register your finished work with the U.S. Copyright 

Office. 

But coders beware: ideas and formulas are not copyrightable! If 

you write a program in one language, it’s true that no one can legally 

copy your code for their own purposes without your permission. 

However, anyone can write a similar program in another language to 

attain the same functionality. 

Once upon a time, one particular program language had the 

best functionality features for a particular device; this was Apple’s 

early thesis that Microsoft is slowly adopting—albeit a little too late 

to matter. But as computing power, storage and networkability gets 

faster and better, the barrier of “best language” is quickly fading from 

distinct first-mover advantage! 

A CONCLUSION 

Hopefully, this primer has got you thinking about how to protect the 

value of your work. As much as I’d like it to be thorough, however, it 

would surely be better deemed as “food for thought”—a starting point 

for researching your best options. The best advice is that which comes 

from a licensed professional with an educational and professional 

background in your area of interest—whose time you paid for. Unfortunately, 

there is a startling lack of IP attorneys in Peoria, particularly 

when there is so much hype about the economic impact of innovation. 

You can count on one hand the number of IP attorneys in Peoria who 

are free to take walk-in clients. What are the chances they’ve defended 

your particular type of IP, let alone successfully? 

If you are looking to commercialize your work, seek the absolute 

best counsel you can find—even if it means heading to New York City 

(ad/enterprise-tech, fintech, cleantech) San Francisco (software), London 

(fintech) or Boston (hardware, biotech). If you can’t afford to see 

the best, at least go to St. Louis or Chicago to find an IP lawyer with a 

degree in your particular field of interest. 

Innovation is only possible if your creation—your expression 

of tech—is legally shielded to defend itself in the (non-)commercial 

wild. 

Clint LeClair, MD is founding president of River City Labs, NFP and founder 

of Protogro, a local biotech incubator. 



focus 

The Innovation Board has proven to be a fun, 

effective way for TCRPC to go out into the 

community to gather input for planning processes. 

INNOVATION IN PUBLIC 

ENGAGEMENT FOR REGIONAL 

PLANNING 

by Nick Hayward Tri-County Regional Planning Commission 

TCRPC seeks to be innovative in how it engages residents during its planning processes. 

TRI-COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COM- 

MISSION is a regional planning agency that 

serves Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties. 

TCRPC focuses on providing transportation 

planning, land use planning and 

environmental planning services in order to 

help the Tri-County region become a more 

attractive, competitive and dynamic place to 

live, work and visit. In recent years, we have 

helped coordinate planning for new roadways 

and trails, helped local communities develop 

comprehensive land use plans, and assisted 

with efforts to improve the health of the Illinois 

River and local waterways. 

As a government agency, our planning 

work impacts the lives of residents in the 

Greater Peoria area. Therefore, public engagement 

is an important part of our planning work. Through public 

engagement, we seek to inform local residents of planning processes 

underway, gather ideas on projects that should be included in final 

plans, and obtain feedback on what projects should be given the highest 

priority in final plans. Effective public engagement is important— 

but finding the best ways to inform residents of planning processes and 

gather their input can be challenging. 

Given the busyness of our daily lives, where does “get involved 

with local planning processes” rank? After work commitments, spending 

time with family, community service activities, personal hobbies 

and other interests, how much time is left for attending a long meeting, 

reading lengthy background material and sharing input? The challenge 

with effective public engagement is identifying easy and fun ways in 

which residents can be involved. 

With that in mind, TCRPC has sought to be innovative in how we 

engage residents during our planning processes. Our recent innovations 

in public engagement include… 


ONLINE ENGAGEMENT 

The Internet has changed how we do just about anything, including 

public engagement. Recently, TCRPC has used a website called Mind- 

Mixer to engage residents in planning processes. With MindMixer, 

specific questions can be posted online so residents can log in anytime 

to answer the questions, share ideas, post comments and rate the ideas 

of others. They can also post comments on a map identifying specific 

physical improvements they would like to see. With MindMixer, residents 

can not only interact with project planners; they can interact 

with their fellow residents. 

TCRPC is currently leading a regional bicycle planning process 

called BikeConnect HOI. Its purpose is two-fold: to identify a regional 

bicycle network that connects communities, and to identify other ways 

Greater Peoria can become a more bicycle-friendly region. Check out 

the BikeConnect HOI MindMixer website, online at bikeconnecthoi. 

mindmixer.com. 

INNOVATION BOARD 

Effective public engagement must include going out into the community 

to gather input from residents. One way we do this is by using our 

Innovation Board, a portable chalkboard developed to gather public 

input at community events. As different questions are posted on the 

Innovation Board, residents, armed with sidewalk chalk provided by 

TCRPC staff, can write their responses on the board. The Innovation 

Board has proven to be a fun, effective way for TCRPC to go out into 

the community to gather input for planning processes. 

The Innovation Board has been used recently to gather input for 

the region’s Long Range Transportation Plan and the BikeConnect 

HOI Regional Bicycle Plan. Some of the events at which the Innovation 

Board has appeared include Bradley University’s Welcome Week, 

the Central Illinois Artists Organization’s First Friday event, and the 

Central Illinois Black Expo. 

OPEN HOUSE EVENTS 

Meetings remain a valuable way to gather and share information about 

a planning process, so TCRPC has sought to make them fun and easy 

to attend by using an open-house format so residents can come to the 

meeting at any time and stay as long as they like. Different stations are 

set up throughout the meeting room so residents can learn about the 

planning process and provide input at their leisure. 

Residents also have the opportunity to engage in fun activities. 

At an open house for the Long Range Transportation Plan, residents 

played the “Money Game” in which they used “play money” to vote 

for the transportation projects they thought were most important for 

the region’s future. At an open house for BikeConnect HOI, residents 

had a chance to win several gift certificates donated by local bicycle 

shops. They were also able to draw on large maps to provide their ideas 

for where bicycle connections should be established in the future. By 

making these meetings fun, TCRPC hopes residents have fun as they 

participate in local planning processes. 

TCRPC continues to look for ways to be innovative in our public 

engagement work. How can we make it easy and fun for you to participate 

in a planning process? Whether online, at a community event or at 

an open house, we hope to interact with you soon! 

Nick Hayward, AICP is a planner with Tri-County Regional Planning 

Commission. Let him know your thoughts at nhayward@tricountyrpc.org 

or (309) 673-9330. 



Send your business news to info@peoriamagazines.com or fax 309.693.3546 

in brief 

Cullinan Properties is constructing a 7,200-square-foot building at the Plaza at Grand Prairie in north Peoria. 

A C C O U N T I N G 

Heinold Banwart, Ltd. announced the addition of Kimberly 

Pouilly, CPA, as a staff accountant in its consulting 

and tax departments. 

A R C H I T E C T U R E 

Dewberry announced the acquisition of Wilson Architectural 

Group of Houston, Texas. The combined organization 

will do business as Dewberry│Wilson. 

B A N K I N G 

F&M Bank announced the addition of Scott 

Weistart as vice president, commercial banking 

in the Peoria office. 

Bryan Gruss joined Associated Bank as assistant vice 

president, senior bank manager for the location on 

Brandywine Drive in Peoria. 

D E V E L O P M E N T 

Cullinan Properties is constructing a 7,200-square-foot 

building at the Plaza at Grand Prairie in north Peoria. The 

complex will house Massage Envy, Great Clips and two 

other retail storefronts. 

E D U C ATI O N 

Midstate College announced the launch of the Pharmacy 

Technician Diploma Program beginning in the spring 

term. It is designed to prepare students to work as entrylevel 

pharmacy technicians or assistants under the direction 

of a licensed pharmacist. 

Bradley University’s Department of Physical Therapy 

received a $4,500 grant from the Community Foundation 

of Central Illinois to purchase equipment for its new Clinic 

for Fitness and Function. A Motomed exercise bike was 

purchased to serve individuals with neurological conditions. 

E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P 

Startup Peoria announced its latest KeyStart winner, 

Branden Martin, with his business model for Device 

Tree, a mobile device protection service. Martin will 

receive a $5,000 investment from Attollo. 

F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S 

CliftonLarsonAllen announced the following promotions 

and career achievements: Adam Pulley, principal, state 

and local government, nonprofit; Jeffrey Becker, senior, 

state and local government; Marsha Lovejoy, senior; Brittanie 

Reneau, senior, commercial services; Steve Perrone, 

senior, public sector; Matt Roedell, senior; Ryan Whalen, 

senior, healthcare; Ryan Charter, senior, financial institutions; 

Jake Bramm, senior; Nathan Sutter, senior; Rita 

Callister, accountant 1; Reddy Bommareddi, engagement 

director, public sector; Jeff Castagna, engagement director, 

financial institutions; and Kelly Fenoglia, business 

operations manager. 

CliftonLarsonAllen welcomed the following new hires 

to its Peoria office: Evan Smith, assurance associate; 

Drew Foreman, assurance senior; Jennifer Addis, tax 

intern; Joanne Augustine, client service assistant; Blaine 

Adams, tax associate; Curt Faber, assurance manager; 

Mike Thompson, outsourcing senior; and Tom Burroughs, 

assurance associate. 

H E A LTH C A R E 

Dr. Jeff Orcutt has joined Children’s Hospital of Illinois 

and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria 

as a pediatric cardiologist and assistant professor of clinical 

pediatrics. 

Whitney’s Walk 2015 raised a record-breaking 

$163,148.52 for local suicide prevention programs through 

various fundraisers held throughout the year. 

The University of Illinois College of Medicine at 

Peoria was awarded more than $440,000 by the National 

Institutes of Health to expand a study focusing on dysfunction 

in the brain’s immune system and how it impacts 

the development of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Dr. Rodney E. Willey has opened a new practice, Koala 

Center for Sleep Disorders, to provide treatment for 

snoring and sleep apnea through oral appliance therapy. 

Dana Stephens, CPNP will join UnityPoint 

Clinic – Pediatrics – Morton as a certified 

pediatric nurse practitioner. 

Gailey Eye Clinic broke ground at the site of its future 

Peoria location at Orange Prairie and Wood Sage roads. 

The clinic expects to relocate in July 2016. 

UnityPoint Health and HealthPartners plan to jointly 

launch a new insurance company, offering individuals and 

employers a new integrated option when it comes to their 

healthcare and coverage. 


in brief 

OSF HealthCare announced the new minimum wage 

for all its mission partners will be $10 an hour, benefiting 

about three percent of its 17,000-person workforce. 

The Pekin Hospital Foundation announced that the 

2015 Jewels & Jeans Gala raised more than $80,000 for 

Pekin Hospital’s new surgical waiting area. 

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality awarded 

Northwestern University and Jump Trading Simulation 

and Education Center/OSF HealthCare research 

teams a $750,000, three-year grant to conduct research 

on the use of telehealth in training rural providers to treat 

patients with sepsis. 

The Antioch Group announced its designation as a 

resource for St. Jude Midwest Affiliate patients who need 

psychological services. 

M A N U F A C T U R I N G 

The Caterpillar Board of Directors voted to maintain 

the quarterly cash dividend of 77 cents per share of common 

stock, payable February 20, 2016 to stockholders of 

record at the close of business on January 20, 2016. 

N O N P R O F I T O R G A N I Z ATI O N S 

Dana Weber, community volunteer, and Christopher 

Stewart, program director for WNGY Energy 102.3, 

joined the Pediatric Resource Center Community Board. 

The Central Illinois Youth Symphony celebrated 50 

years of making music by commissioning Dr. John Orfe of 

Bradley University to write a new musical composition. 

The J.B. and Anne Hodgdon Family Foundation, Special 

Persons Encounter Christ (SPEC) and Chapter 51 of the 

Early Ford V-8 Club donated funds and other resources to 

EP!C to help improve its training rooms. 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria announced 

it received a $50,000 grant from the Comcast Foundation 

to help expand My.Future, a hands-on technology 

training initiative to equip kids with the skills needed to 

compete in the 21 st -century economy. 

Patty Fuchs, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois, 

announced her retirement after 22 years of leading 

the organization, effective in June 2016. 

State Senator Chuck Weaver’s Leaders Change Illinois 

organization awarded grants to the Peoria Area Revolving 

Fund, T.H.I.N.K. mentor program, Lead Up Peoria, 

and Friends of Proctor Center State ID program. LCI also 

announced it will provide strategic planning support to 

America’s Gold Star Families. 

Caterpillar Inc. employees and retirees, together with 

the Caterpillar Foundation, pledged more than $13 million 

to United Way agencies across the United States as 

part of its 2015-2016 campaign. 

The Peoria Jaycees announced its 2016 board of 

directors: Jenni Wickert, president; Saad Jaka, chapter 

management vice president; Kristina Weaver, community 

development vice president; Kristina Hoecker Peckmann, 

membership vice president; Sarah Smith, individual development 

vice president; Rachel Lynn Dressler, treasurer; 

Abbie Amber, chapter management local director; Helen 

White, community local director; and Barry Pinter, individual 

development local director. 

The Country Club of Peoria announced its 2016 board 

of directors: David Puterbaugh, president; Tyler Petersen, 

vice president; JR Runkel, secretary; Chris Atkinson, 

treasurer; Marty Best; Amy Paul Cassulo; Bob Gates; Tom 

Hammerton; Matt Hohulin; Katie McCord Jenkins; Rick 

Peters; Sid Ruckriegel; and Dr. Sarah Zallek. 

P R O F E S S I O N A L 

O R G A N I Z ATI O N S 

The Better Business Bureau presented the 2015 Torch 

Awards for Business Integrity to the following recipients: 

AAA Certified Confidential Security, Bix Basement 

Systems and LeadIT, Torch Award for Business Integrity; 

Bruce Kensinger of Menold Construction & Restoration, 

Jeff Bell Customer Service Award; Oberlander Alarm of 

Peoria, Truth in Advertising Award; Steve Jackson of Prairie 

Home Alliance, Patron of Integrity Award. 

The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce recognized 

the following individuals and organizations at its 40th 

annual Community Thanksgiving Luncheon: Neighborhood 

House Association, Community Wealth Award; Cracked 

Pepper Catering & Bakery, Outstanding Small Business 

Award, 1-25 employees; Bix Basement Systems, Outstanding 

Small Business Award, 26-150 employees; Rev. 

Linda Butler, ATHENA International Woman of the Year 

Award; Amanda Campbell, ATHENA Young Professional 

Award; and James K. Polk, Tom Connor Service Award. 

Steve Sink, managing partner for Phoenix Affiliates, was 

appointed marketing chair for M&A Source, a leading 

merger-and-acquisition association for M&A professionals. 

R E A L E S T ATE 

Eight real estate agent entities surpassed the $100-million 

mark in individual real estate sales with Jim Maloof/ 

Realtor, collectively reaching $1.413 billion in career 

sales. The agents include Mark and Jennifer Monge, 

Brian Monge, Mark Wagner, Mari Halliday, Donna Jones 

Craig, Denise Adams, Ann Bucklar and Julia Tucker, and 

Dale Jorgenson. 

R E C R E ATI O N A N D 

E N T E R T A I N M E N T 

SMG Management and the Peoria Civic Center 

Authority Board announced the appointment 

of Anne Clayton as the new general 

manager of the Peoria Civic Center. Clayton 

has been serving as interim general manager for the past 

six months, in addition to her role as director of finance. 

R E S T A U R A N T S & 

F O O D S E R V I C E S 

Rhodell Brewery and Murray Place Development reached 

an agreement with Meat N Place to service the brew 

pub. The food truck will be on site at the Murray Building 

each Friday. 


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CLASSIFIEDS 

Call 309.683.3060 with your listing today! 

classifieds 

INVESTMENT PROPERTY 

Coldwell Banker Commercial 

Honig Bell 

War Memorial Dr & Montello Dr. Wedgewood 

Swim Club. 8.5 ac, zoned commercial. 40,000 cars 

a day. Stoplights, access to shopping, banking, all 

services. Great location for apts, shopping strip, 

professional ofcs. Jack Bennett 696-8095. 

Maloof Commercial Real Estate 

311 Main St, Peoria. The Nut House, longstanding 

Peoria business. Sale price $105,000. 

Larry Krup 693-3000. 

1315 Commerce Dr, Peoria. 12,165 sf. Leased 

through 2018. Sale price $2,282,000. Cap rate 

7.25%. Dan Maloof 693-3000. 

RE/MAX Traders Unlimited–Commercial 

Multiple investment properties avail from 

$450,000 to $1,950,000. 635-8901. 

LAND 


Devonshire Realty 

Allen Rd Lots A-D, Peoria. SUD Plaza. 15+ ac 

avail. Zoned C-2. Divisible. For sale. Bruce Alkire 

696-7391, Joe Gehrig 645-9735. 

SW corner of Morton/Courtland, Morton. 0.97 

ac avail. Zoned B-3. For sale. Bruce Alkire 696- 

7391, Joe Gehrig 645-9735. 

70 Commerce Dr, Morton. Nelson Global 

Products. Nine ac avail. Zoned I-2. For sale. Bruce 

Alkire 696-7391, Joe Gehrig 645-9735. 

Krause & Washington, Peoria. 5.03 ac. For 

sale. Zoned I-3. Bruce Alkire 696-7391, Joe Gehrig 

645-9735. 

Rt 29, North of Henry. Approx 33 ac. Bruce 

Alkire 696-7391, Joe Gehrig 645-9735. 

Cullinan Properties 

Germantown Crossing, Germantown Hills. 

One lot remaining with newly improved site lines. 

95 ac avail. Great location on Rt 116. Zoned 

commercial. Join Casey's General Store, Nena's 

Ace Hardware, CEFCU and others. Kim LeHew 

999-1706. 

520 E Highland, Morton. 2.4 ac corner lot for 

sale on Main St. Sale or build to suit opport. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

Court St & Veterans, Pekin. East Court Village. 

0.57 –265 ac for sale/lease. Kim LeHew 999- 

1706, Mike Puritz 630-286-0127. 

456 Camp St, Levee District. 1.65 ac near East 

Peoria Downtown. Sale or build to suit opport. 

Kim LeHew 999-1706. 

134 Center St, Levee District. 74 ac near East 

Peoria Downtown. Sale or development opport. 


Outlots at Grand Prairie. 0.06-3.06 ac avail. 

Sale or build to suit. Kathleen Cullinan Brill 

630-286-0179, Kim LeHew 999-1706, Mike Puritz 

630-286-0127. 

2401 Block, N Main St, East Peoria. 2.19 ac. at 

Eastport Plaza. Can be subdivided. Sale or build to 

suit. Kim LeHew 999-1706. 

The Levee District. Two prime outlots at 0.8 ac. 

For lease or sale. Kim LeHew 999-1706, Kathleen 

Cullinan Brill 630-286-0179. 

Joseph & Camper Commercial 

Centennial Dr, East Peoria. 9.83 ac for sale. 

Will Hayes 643-0717. 

6115 N Sheridan Rd. 3.73 ac for sale. May be 

divided. $690,500. Brad Joseph 339-6286. 

1720 War Memorial Dr. 3.29 ac for sale 

$695,000. Zoned C-1. Tom Camper 256-1020. 

Entec Dr, Bartonville. 6.13 ac for sale $299,900. 

3 ac are buildable. Tom Camper 256-1020. 


1101 & 1145 Wesley Rd, Creve Coeur. 40.188 

ac w/barge terminal. Sale price $2,500,000. Dan 

Maloof 693-3000. 

Cornerstone Bsns Park, Peoria. 2.49 ac total. 

Great for ofc/retail location. Sale price $6.25 psf. 

Dan Maloof 693-3000. 


Legion Rd, Washington. (4) 1.066 ac lots or 4.26 

ac parcel. Behind CEFCU on Rt 8. Near Walmart/ 

Menards. $2.50 sf. 696-1933. 

Eastgate Village. 1-6 ac commercial lots by 

ICC. Serves multiple markets. Join McDonalds & 

Lincoln Ofc. 696-1933. 

North Pekin. 1 & 1.32 ac lots next to Denny’s & 

KFC. 696-1933. 

Farmington Rd. Outlot plus 65 ac next to Itoo 

Hall. Join Dollar General on Farmington Rd frontage. 

696-1933. 

2121 W Altorfer, Peoria. 150’ x 200’ lot visible 

from Pioneer Parkway. $125,000. 696-1933. 

Centennial Dr, East Peoria. 7+ and 13+ ac 

tracts for sale. $149,000 ea. 635-8901. 

Peartree outlot. 1.8 ac next to La-Z-Boy Gallery 

in north Peoria. 635-8901. 

Main St, East Peoria. 5.5 ac next to East Peoria 

casino. Riverfront. 635-8901. 

Commerce Dr, Morton. 4.41 ac zoned I-2. 

$677,000. 696-1933. 

Wald/Land Corporation 

Knoxville Crossing, Rt 40 & Wilhelm Rd. 

Lot 1: 1.684 ac. Next to Walgreens & proposed 

Schnucks. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

Allen Rd & Pioneer Pkwy. In front of ShopKo. 

Outlots avail for sale. 1.3 ac at $14 psf. 1.21 ac at 

$12 psf. Russell Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

Walmart Supercenter, N Allen Rd. Outlot for 

sale. 1.08 ac. Russell Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

Rt 6 & Allen Rd. Medina Plains Corporate Park. 

1.5-10 ac lots. All util in place. Call for pricing. 

Michael Landwirth, Russell Waldschmidt 676- 

7600. 

700 Block Detweiller. 3.34 ac divisible. All util 

avail. $3.50 psf. Michael Landwirth 676-7600. 

Rt 116 at Star Lane, Bellevue. 1 ac. $1.35 psf. 

Michael Landwirth 676-7600. 

Rt 8, Sunnyland. 0.576 ac. $90,000. Julie Waldschmidt 

676-7600. 

OFFICE 


2020 W War Memorial Dr, Peoria. Executive 

suites. 350 - 5,055 sf on upper floors. Kim LeHew 

999-1706. 

5011 W American Prairie Dr, Peoria. Prairie 

Place. 1,800 sf great retail/ofc opport. Raw space. 


4541 N Prospect Rd, Peoria Hts. 9,664 sf 2nd 

fl. 412 - 1,345 sf 1st fl retail or ofc. 3,751 sf 3rd fl. 


N Main St at EastPort Plaza, East Peoria. 

2,054 sf turnkey endcap and 900 - 1,221 sf in-line 

space. Kim LeHew 999-1706. 

Horan & Company 

6926-F N University. Tanglewood Center. Approx 

1,000 sf: large main room, rear storage/office 

area, storage closet, 1 restroom. Avail now. Lease 

$725/mo + util. Agency owned. Steve Horan 

453-2411. 

6926-G1 N University. Tanglewood Center. 

Approx 1,350 sf: large main room, 2 storage 

areas, 1 restroom. Avail now. Lease $1,040/mo + 

util. Agency owned. Steve Horan 453-2411. 


Approx 1,850 sf: entry, large main room, storage 

area, 2 ADA restrooms. Avail now. Lease $1,250/ 

mo + util. Agency owned. Steve Horan 453-2411. 

1917 W Altorfer. Pioneer Park. Approx 700 sf: 

large open ofc area, store room, 1 restroom. Avail 

now. Lease $550/mo + util. Agency owned. Steve 

Horan 453-2411. 


classifieds 

8214 N University. Approx 2,920 total sf. 1,910 

sf ofc: reception area, 2 private ofcs, 2 store 

rooms, 1 restroom, break area, conference room, 

open class/work room. Addtl 960 sf of loft area 

above part of office. 1,092 sf whse: 1 dock door. 

Avail now. Lease $1,225/mo + util. Agency 

owned. Steve Horan 453-2411. 

8216 N University. Pioneer Park. Approx 800 sf. 

Reception area, private ofc, conference room, 

1 restroom. Avail now. Lease $625/mo + util. 

Agency owned. Steve Horan 453-2411. 

8218 N University. Pioneer Park. Approx 800 sf 

ofc: reception area, 2 private ofcs, store room, 

2 restrooms. Avail now. Lease $625/mo + util. 


8226 N University. Pioneer Park. Approx 1,200 

sf ofc including: 3 private ofcs, lunch room, 1 

restroom, reception area, open ofc. Avail now. 

Lease $800/mo + util. Agency owned. Steve 

Horan 453-2411. 


2400 Main St, East Peoria. 24,252 sf for sale 

$1,600,000. Tom Camper 256-1020. 

5900 S Adams, Bartonville. 2,000 sf for sale 

$129,900 or lease $8.22 psf. Tom Camper 256- 

1020. 

252 E Washington St, East Peoria. 350-950 sf 

for lease $450-975/mo. Will Hayes 643-0717. 

206 S First Ave, Morton. 2,022 sf for sale 

$149,900 or lease $1,200/mo. Will Hayes 643- 

0717. 

3100 Knoxville, Peoria. 471-3,065 sf for lease. 

$500-$2,000 per month. Call for details. Will 

Hayes 643-0717. 


1023 Jackson, Morton. 2,800 sf will divide. 4 

private ofcs, break room. Lease $12 psf nnn. Zac 

Maloof 693-3000. 

9118 Lindbergh, Peoria. 4,212 sf. Private 

ofcs, exam rooms, waiting/reception area. Sale 

$975,000. Dan Maloof 693-3000. 


7800 N Sommer, Parkway Plaza. 2,500 to 

6,060 sf retail/ofc for lease. 635-8901. 

5016 N University St. 1,638 sf ofc suite for 

lease. 635-8901. 

3406 N Rochelle, Peoria. Affordable ofc space 

for lease or sale. 5,100 sf. 635-8901. 


3915-21 Sheridan. 2,400 sf divided ofc space in 

rear of bldg, parking for 20. $4.50 psf gross. Julie 

Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

3837 N Sheridan. 3,332 sf ofc/retail. Open floor 

plan with attached garage. Julie Waldschmidt 

676-7600. 

4615 N Sheridan. 1,815 sf ofc/retail. End cap 

location next to Jeffrey Alans and Rizzi's. $16.50 

psf nnn. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

321 Main St. 10,416 sf ofc/retail on 3 floors. 

Adjacent to Peoria County Courthouse. $395,000. 

Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

Pioneer Pkwy at Knoxville. Mt Hawley Ct. 

900-1,500 sf. Ofc/retail $17.50 psf nnn. Julie 

Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

Germantown Crossing. 4,220 sf divisible retail/ 

ofc. $11 psf tn. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

2004 Court St, Pekin. 1,474 to 3,454 sf retail. 

High traffic. Adj to Walgreens across from County 

Market. $12 psf tn. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

OFFICE / RETAIL 


Plaza at Grand Prairie. Now under construction. 

Join Massage Envy and others. Preleasing 

multi-tenant bldg in front of HyVee/ 

Gordmans. 1,000 - 4,000 sf spaces avail. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

5011 W American Prairie Dr, Peoria. 1,800 

sf ofc/retail/restaurant raw space. Kim LeHew 

999-1706. 

4541 N Prospect Rd, Peoria Hts. 412 - 1,345 sf 

1st fl ofc/retail space. Kim LeHew 999-1706. 

The Levee District. Over 86 ac. Over 500,000 

sf ofc/retail space. 1,000 – 8,000 sf avail. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

North Main St at EastPort Plaza, East Peoria. 

2,054 sf and 900 - 1,221 sf inline space. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

Court St at Veterans, Pekin. East Court Village. 

In-line spaces/outlots avail. For sale or lease. 


105 N Main St at Washington St, East Peoria. 

Town Centre II. 41,000 sf divisible. Kim LeHew 

999-1706, Mike Puritz 630-286-0127. 


8101 N. UNIVERSITY 

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-495-1800 

OR CALL 691-3121 

OFFICE and WAREHOUSE 

OFFICE or Retail 

8214 N. UNIVERSITY--2,920 sft ofc/w’house: 1,092 sfst warehouse w/ 1 dock 

door. 1,931 sft ofc incl’s open class/work room, 2 storage areas, conference 

room, 1 restroom, break area, 2 private offices, reception area. Add’l storage 

loft above part of ofc. Lease = $1,225/mo GROSS + utilities. AGENCY OWNED. 

STEVE HORAN 453-2411 

6926-F N. UNIVERSITY--1,000 sft ofc/retail: Sales area, storage room, extra 

closet, 1 restroom. Lease = $725/mo GROSS + utilities. 

AGENCY OWNED. 


6926-G N. UNIVERSITY--1,850 sft ofc/retail. Large main room, storage 

area, 2 ADA est rooms. Lease = $1,250/mo GROSS + utilities. 

May be combined with 6926-G1. 

AGENCY OWNED. 


OFFICE 

6926-G1 N. UNIVERSITY--1,360 sft ofc: Large open area. 2 storage rooms, 1 

restroom. Former use as hair salon. Lease = $1,040/mo GROSS + utilities. 

May be combined with 6926-G2. 

AGENCY OWNED. 


1917 W. ALTORFER--700 sft office: Large open office area, store room, 

1 rest room. Lease = $550/mo GROSS + utilities. 

AGENCY OWNED. 


8216 N. UNIVERSITY--800 sft ofc: Reception area, 2 private offices, 

1 restroom. Lease = $625/mo GROSS + utilities. 

AGENCY OWNED. 


8218 N. UNIVERSITY--800 sft office: reception, 2 private offices, 

store room, 2 rest rooms. Lease = $625/mo Gross + utilities. 

AGENCY OWNED. 


8226 N. UNIVERSITY--1,200 sft ofc area: reception area, 3 private offices, 

main office area, lunch room. Lease = $800/mo GROSS + utilities. 

AGENCY OWNED. 


SEE OUR WEBSITE AT HORANREALESTATE.COM FOR THE MOST CURRENT INFO ON OUR COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL LISTINGS 

KIMBERLY BATTON 

MANAGING BROKER 

696-9995 

CALL US FOR OUR CURRENT 

RESIDENTIAL LISTINGS 

STEVE HORAN 

453-2411

classifieds 

134 Center St, East Peoria. 7,456 sf development 

opport avail. For lease or sale. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 


6926-F N University. Tanglewood Center. 

Approx 1,000 sf. Large main room, rear storage/ofc 

area, storage closet, 1 restroom. Avail 

now. Lease $725/mo + util. Agency owned. 

Steve Horan 453-2411. 


Approx 1,350 sf. Large main room, 2 storage 

areas, 1 restroom. Avail now. Lease $1,040/mo 

+ util. Agency owned. Steve Horan 453-2411. 


Approx 1,850 sf. Entry, large main room, storage 

area, 2 ADA restrooms. Avail now. Lease 

$1,250/mo + util. Agency owned. Steve Horan 

453-2411. 


12200 Brentfield Dr, Dunlap. 753-3,425 sf 

spaces avail. $7-10 psf nnn. Tom Camper 

256-1020. 

4917-4927 Sheridan Rd, Peoria. Variety of 

space avail. Lease incentives. $12.50-14 psf 

nnn. Tom Camper 256-1020. 

416-418 SW Adams, Peoria. 5,452 sf. Former 

pawn shop. Sale $295,000. Tom Camper 256- 

1020. 


618 Glen Ave, Peoria. 3,392 sf vanilla box. 

Great signage with 2 pylons. Lease $11 psf 

nnn. Dan Maloof 693-3000. 

2433 N Knoxville Ave, Peoria. 1,440 sf. 

Central Peoria location. Lease $825/mo gross. 

Jason Miller 693-3000. 

Oak Cliff Park 

Oak Cliff Park, Knoxville & Lake, Peoria. Several 

sizes for lease. Days 682-9683, evenings 

645-0091, 691-8429. 


Sterling at Reservoir, Peoria. Sterling Plz. 4 

suites avail. 582-10,000 sf suites. $5-$10 psf 

nnn. Steve Rouland 251-0340. 

4111 N Prospect, Peoria Hts. Ofc/retail. Sassy 

Lady Plaza. 2,000 sf basement addtl $11 nnn. 

Ryan Blackorby 657-6787. 

1201-1205 W Jefferson, Morton. 3 ac with 

house, apt & ofc/retail bldg, garages for 9 cars. 

$379,900. Yvonne Lucas 208-0439. 

8305 N Allen Rd, Peoria. 7,790 sf avail. Lease 

$13 psf nnn. Owner will divide. Yvonne Lucas 

208-0439. 


7330 N University Ave. Windsor Sq. 1,010- 

3,200 sf. $10 psf tn. Julie Waldschmidt 

676-7600. 

Germantown Crossing. 4,220 sf divisible 

retail/ofc. $11 psf tn. Julie Waldschmidt 676- 

7600. 

Pioneer Pkwy at Knoxville. Mt Hawley Ct. 

900-1,500 sf. $17.50 psf nnn. Julie Waldschmidt 

676-7600. 

3837 N Sheridan. 3,332 sf ofc/retail space. $9 



location next to Jeffrey Alans and Rizzi's. 

$16.50 psf nnn. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 


Adjacent to Peoria County Courthouse. 

$395,000. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 


High traffic. Adj to Walgreens across from 

County Market. $12 psf tn. Julie Waldschmidt 

676-7600. 

OFFICE / WAREHOUSE 


8214 N University. Approx 2,920 total sf. 1,910 

sf ofc: reception area, 2 private ofcs, 2 storerooms, 

1 restroom, break area, conference 

room, open class/work room. Addtl 960 sf of 

loft area above part of ofc. 1,092 sf whse: 1 

dock door. Avail now. Lease $1,225/mo + util. 



East Peoria Business Center. 1,000-3,000 sf 

spaces avail for lease. Call for details. Tom 

Camper 256-1020. 

200 Enterprise, Pekin. 23,800 sf flex whse for 

sale $1,899,000 or lease $9.75 psf net. Tom 

Camper 256-1020. 

15704 Von Achen, Chillicothe. 6,348 sf for 


classifieds 

sale $189,000. Additional 2,028 sf mezzanine 

avail. Tom Camper 256-1020. 

509 S Fourth, Dunlap. 4,992 sf for sale 

$269,000. Retail/whse/ofc can be divisible. 

Will Hayes 643-0717. 


3805 Main St, East Peoria. 28,729 sf total. 

Fenced lot. Great frontage. Lease $3.25 psf 


14120 Old Galena Rd, Peoria. 5,000 sf for 

lease $5 psf or sale $290,000. 10,000 sf for 

sale $580,000. Jason Miller 693-3000. 


1616-1620 W Chanute. High cube whse space 

in Pioneer Park. 696-1933. 

1703 W Candletree Dr. 3,955 sf divided into 

1,955 sf ofc/retail & 2,000 whse. Overhead 

door. $6 sf plus $1.87 nnn. Steve Rouland 

251-0340. 

Other 

8306 N University. Pioneer Park, Approx 

12,500 total sf. 2,300 sf ofc: showroom area, 3 

restrooms, 1 pvt ofc, break area, more. 10,200 

sf whse: heated w sprnklr syst, 2 dock doors. 

Can divide. Avail now. Lease negotiable, as 

low as $3.50/sf. Rick 256-3753. 

RETAIL 


Plaza at Grand Prairie. Now under construction. 

Join Massage Envy and others. Pre-leasing multitenant 

bldg in front of HyVee/Gordmans. 1,000 

- 4,000 sf spaces avail. Kim LeHew 999-1706. 

4541 N Prospect Rd, Peoria Hts. 963 sf 1st fl 

with Prospect Rd frontage. Pabst building. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

N Main St at EastPort Plaza, East Peoria. 

2,054 sf endcap. 900 & 1,221 sf inline space. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

Court St, Pekin. East Court Village. Inline spaces/ 

outlots avail. 1,289 - 47,000 sf. For sale or lease. 

Pre-leasing new small shop. Kim LeHew 999-1706, 

Mike Puritz 630-286-0127. 

5011 W American Prairie Dr, Peoria. Prairie 

Place 1,800 sf ofc/retail/restaurant avail. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

The Levee District. Retail and ofc space avail. 

For lease or sale. 1,000 – 8,000 sf avail. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

105 N Main St at Washington, East Peoria. 

Town Centre II. 41,000 sf avail, divisible. 28,100 

apd. Kim LeHew 999-1706, Mike Puritz 630-286- 

0127. 


6926-F N University. Tanglewood Center. Approx 

1,000 sf large main room, rear storage/ofc area, 

storage closet, 1 restroom. Avail now. Lease $725/ 



Approx 1,350 sf large main room, 2 storage areas, 

1 restroom. Avail now. Lease $1,040/mo + util. 



Approx 1,850 sf entry, large main room, storage 

area, 2 ADA restrooms. Avail now. Lease $1,250/ 


7014 N University. Tanglewood Center. Approx 

1,300 sft: reception, 5 priv rooms, store room, 1 

restroom. University frontage. Avail now. Lease 

$1,070/mo + util. Agency owned. Steve Horan 

453-2411. 


Evergreen Square, 801 W Lake, Peoria. 2,680- 

16,000 sf for lease. $11.50-$14.00 psf nnn. Will 

Hayes 643-0717. 

1301 W Pioneer Pkwy, Peoria. 900-3,100 sf 

for lease $8-$12 psf. Call for details. Tom Camper 

256-1020. 

Campustown Shopping Ctr, Peoria. 2,000 sf 

for lease. Call for details. Brad Joseph 692-1135. 

404-426 Riverside Dr, East Peoria. 1,000- 

3,000 sf for lease. $12.00 psf nnn. Tom Camper 

256-1020. 


620 Glen, Peoria. 1,633 sf. storefront location w/ 

2 pylon signs. Lease $13 psf nnn. Busy location. 

Dan Maloof 693-3000. 

4325 N Sheridan Rd, Peoria. 1,984 sf. Busy 

location near Glen & Sheridan. Lease $13.50 psf 



1906 NE Jefferson. Perfect for handyman. House, 

2 garages, large storage yard, rear access to alley. 

Zoned commercial. $79,000. 696-1933. 

3514 Willow Knolls, Willow Station. 1,200 sf 

retail/ofc. $11 psf nnn. Upscale multi-tenant facility. 

Steve Rouland 251-0340. 

3520 Willow Knolls, Willow Station. 1,920 sf 

retail/ofc. $11 psf nnn. Upscale multi-tenant facility. 

Steve Rouland 251-0340. 



High traffic. Adj to Walgreens across from County 

Market. $12 psf tn. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

Pioneer Pkwy at Knoxville. Mt Hawley Ct. 900 

to 1,500 sf. $17.50 psf nnn. Julie Waldschmidt 

676-7600. 

3837 N Sheridan. 3,332 sf retail. $9 psf nnn. 


7330 N University. Windsor Sq. 1,010-3,200 sf. 

$10 psf tn. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 

Germantown Crossing. 4,220 sf divisible retail/ 

ofc. $11 psf tn. Julie Waldschmidt 676-7600. 


location next to Jeffrey Alans and Rizzi's. $16.50 



Adjacent to Peoria County Courthouse. $395,000. 


400 Plaza Dr, Chillicothe. Plaza Park Shopping 

Center, Rt 29. 22,000 sf on 1.3 ac. Ceiling 

heights 20’, loading dock. Rental $6 psf nnn. Sale 

$990,000. Michael Landwirth 676-7600. 

WAREHOUSE / INDUSTRIAL 


90 Hoffman Rd, Spring Bay. 4,000 sf industrial 

bldg. 5 ac. Lease $3.75 psf gross. Jason Miller 

693-3000. 

1610 Globe, Peoria. 32,016 sq. ft. leasable. 

Fenced, 4 docks, 1 overhead door. 24’ ceiling in 

whse. Dan Maloof 693-3000. 


8214 N University. Approx 2,920 total sf. 

1,910 sf ofc: reception area, 2 private ofcs, 2 

CALL 

683-3060 

WITH YOUR LISTING TODAY! 

storerooms, 1 restroom, break area, conference 

room, open class/work room. Addtl 960 sf of 

loft area above part of ofc. 1,092 sf whse: 1 

dock door. Avail now. Lease $1,225/mo + util. 


FOR SALE 


Honig Bell 

Closed KFC bldg, Canton. Next to McDonalds 

and HyVee. Commercial property, equipment 

and furnishings. For sale or lease. Jack Bennett 

696-8095. 


134 Center St, East Peoria. Near Levee 

District. 7,456 sf avail. For lease or sale. Kim 

LeHew 999-1706. 

2020 W War Memorial Dr, Peoria. 19,556 sf 

ofc bldg for sale/lease. Kim LeHew 999-1706. 

North Main St at EastPort Plaza, East Peoria. 

Outlot sale or bts opport: 2.19 ac. Can be subdivided. 

Restaurant opport. For lease or sale. 

Approx 7,500 sf. Kim LeHew 999-1706. 


Broadway Village, Pekin. +70,000 sf bldg w/ 

multi-tenant possibilities. Sale $875,000. Suzi 

Miller 693-3000. 

4911 Executive Dr, Peoria. 20,688 total sf. 

Partially leased. High traffic frontage. Sale 

$986,375. Dan Maloof 693-3000. 


1050 Main St, East Peoria. 12,000 sf ofc 

bldg across from Par-A-Dice Hotel. Rental $12 

psf nnn. Sale $1,440,000. Michael Landwirth 

676-7600. 

400 Plaza Dr, Chillicothe. Plaza Park Shopping 

Center, Rt 29. 22,000 sf on 1.3 ac. Ceiling 

heights 20’, loading dock. Rental $6 psf nnn. 

Sale $990,000. Michael Landwirth 676-7600. 


ADVERTISING 

INDEX 

2 Chez .................................................51 

AAA Confidential Security Corp.............................52 

AAIM Employers’ Association .............................37 

Adams Outdoor Advertising ...............................21 

AgingCare Management..................................97 

AMEC Foster Wheeler....................................51 

Ameren Illinois ..........................................31 

American Heart Association ...............................36 

Associated Bank.........................................45 

ATS.....................................................1 

Barnard Communications .................................97 

Best of Peoria ...........................................72 

Busey ..................................................29 

CEFCU .................................................63 

Central Illinois Endoscopy Center...........................81 

CGN Global .............................................94 

Coldwell Banker/Devonshire..........................100-101 

Coldwell Banker/Honig-Bell ..............................110 

Commerce Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

Consolidated Land Surveying .........................97 

COPS Paper Shredding. ..............................65 

Creve Coeur Club of Peoria ...........................43 

CSE Software. ..............................Back Cover 

Cullinan Properties. ..............................2, 107 

Dewberry .........................................33 

Downtown Development Corporation ....................4 

DVI .......................................Inside Back 

Easter Seals/Passage to India. .........................8 

Easter Seals/Black & Blue Ball ........................19 

EmbroidMe........................................97 

Farnsworth Group ..................................41 

First Mid Illinois Bank & Trust ..........................7 

First State Bank of Illinois ............................83 

Fortner Insurance ...................................85 

Goodwill of Central Illinois ...........................75 

Great American Popcorn Company .....................93 

Great Clips..............................................45 

Heartland Bank ....................................87 

Hediger & Meyers Insurance. .........................77 

Heyl Royster........................................5 

Hickory Point Bank ..................................23 

Hometown Community Banks .........................15 

Horan & Company Real Estate .......................103 

Hyatt Place Bloomington ..............................9 

Illinois American Water. .............................37 

IWIRC..................................................85 

Janssen Building .......................................102 

Joseph & Camper...................................108-109 

Junior Achievement......................................25 

Kuppler & Associates ....................................97 

Maloof Commercial Real Estate ..................102, 104-105 

Midstate College ........................................53 

Midwest Food Bank.......................................6 

Momentum Technologies .................................33 

Ketra A. Mytich .........................................97 

Oberlander Alarms .......................................39 

OSF Saint Francis .............................33, Inside Front 

Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino ..................................27 

Pediatric Resource Center.................................71 

Peoria Chiefs............................................98 

Peoria Civic Center.......................................61 

Peoria County Farm Bureau................................50 

Peoria Magazines..................................35, 39, 87 

Peoria Marriott Pere Marquette ............................86 

Peoria Public Radio.......................................69 

Peoria Symphony Orchestra ...............................91 

POGO Marketing ........................................96 

Potter & Anderson .......................................89 

RE/MAX Unlimited Commercial ...................45, 47, 49, 51 

Riverplex Recreation and Wellness Center...................61 

Soderstrom Skin Institute .................................73 

Sonshine Portrait Design..................................91 

South Side Bank.........................................10 

UnityPoint Health – Methodist | Proctor .....................17 

Wald/Land Corp ........................................106 

Walz Label & Mailing Systems ............................99 

WMBD.................................................81 

Women of Influence......................................13 

Look for the 

new issue of 

PEORIA 

PROGRESS 

later in January! 

PEORIA 

PEORIA 

INSIDE: 

Business & Development 

Healthcare & Education 

Shopping & Dining 

Arts & Entertainment 

Sports & Recreation 

Open FOr Business 

Manufacturing, agriculture, HealtHcare & tecHnology 

small TOwn, Big CiTy 

restaurants & retail, arts & entertainMent, sports & recreation 

inside: 

Caterpillar: A Renewed Commitment 

112 InterBusiness Issues -- January 2016 

Made in Central Illinois 

Charms of the Region 

Community Impact

Central Illinois Business Publishers, Inc. 

5005 N. Glen Park Place, Peoria, IL 61614 

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