BN Inc. January 2015

PLUS

A look inside a unique retailer

JANUARY 2015

Builder takes on lofty project Expert advice on economic development, social media and more

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INSIDE

BNinc.

A woodburned trademark is shown with samples ready for tasting at The Olive Bin. From left, 18-yearold dark balsamic vinegar, cranberry pear white balsamic vinegar, blood orange olive oil and tuscan herb olive oil.

Connecting Central Illinois business

jULIE bECHTEL Publisher

Terry O'Neill Advertising director

MARK PICKERING Pantagraph editor

karen Hansen Editor, BN Inc.

STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

JANUARY 2015 www.pantagraph.com/bninc A publication of Pantagraph Publishing Inc. 301 W. Washington St. Bloomington, IL 61701 The entire contents may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or part, without permission of the publisher.

Advertisements are not endorsed by the publisher. The publisher is not responsible or liable for errors or omissions in any advertisement beyond the paid price of that advertisement.

New subscriptions, renewals, inquiries or change of address, mail to: BN Inc. Advertising 301 W. Washington St., Bloomington, IL 61701

Cover Story‌

Features‌

Setting new priorities‌

Economic development‌

Businesses partner with schools to help train future workers

Page 10

Business Bio‌

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Connecting Central Illinois business

Page 15

Social media‌ Using new tools of communication requires strategic planning.

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Health‌

Olive love‌

Plan ahead to stay healthy while traveling internationally.

The Olive Bin’s owner discusses how she got started in her business and what she has learned.

Going up‌

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Newest addition to downtown Bloomington saves old warehouse.

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Family law‌ Legal profession is contagious for Finegan family.

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To advertise or questions regarding advertising, call 800-747-7323, 309-820-3359. © 2015

by Lee Enterprises Inc. Any editorial content or advertising published is the property of Lee Enterprises Inc.

Enterprise zones: A look back and ahead.

News in brief‌ Find out the latest happenings in the B-N area.

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steve smedley, The Pantagraph‌

on the

cover:

Bloomington Area Career Center students Tristen Hall, a Tri Valley High School junior, and Taylor Rarick, an El Paso Gridley High School junior, work with McLean County Nursing Home residents Ahmaree Johnson, 95, left, and Dorothy Pulaski, 91, at the home during November

January http://pantagraph.com/bninc STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph

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Business bio

the olive bin

STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

Traci Trunk, right, owner of The Olive Bin, and Liz Mikel, marketing manager, pose in the store, 3907 G.E. Road #6, Bloomington. Trunk got the idea for the business after visiting a similar store in South Carolina.

A new taste for B-N ‌The Olive Bin in Bloomington recently celebrated its first anniversary. The business, 3907 G.E. Road, #6, was started by Traci Trunk after she visited a similar store in South Carolina. In addition to 40 varieties of olive oil and vinegar, the business also offers one-of-a-kind gifts and gift baskets as well as private parties.

Traci, what made you want to open your business? Tell us about the experience in South Carolina that inspired you.‌

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My good friend, Cynthia, lives in South Carolina, and while I was visiting her she dragged me into an oil-and-vinegar store.

I was just going to stay in the car — but she wouldn’t let me, and it worked out that she didn’t. I walked into the store, enjoyed their version of tasting, and thought, “Bloomington-Normal could use a store like this!”

I’m really not a cook, but knew I could make delicious meals easily with these flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

And, I thought, if this gets me interested in cooking, it can help so many others love to prepare food too!

Tell us about the olive oils and vinegars do you stock? What countries do they come from? How often are they rotated?‌

We pride ourselves on having the freshest and largest variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars in Bloomington-Normal. Our olive oils come from all over the world — Chile, Australia, Italy, Portugal and the U.S.; to name a few places. Our balsamic vinegars are all aged and produced in Modena, Italy;

January 3

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Connecting Central Illinois business

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Retail, Office, Land, Lease Space, Investment & Multi-Family

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Car wash with 1 Automatic and 3 Self Service Bays. Well maintained and high traffic location. Heated bays/aprons, credit card and newer air chamois system.

Multi use, flex, office, warehouse, Production-Assembly & storage. Newer spacious office addition. East wing-2 story, Heat, A/C, restrooms on both floors, Lift. Warehouse has 1 dock & 1 drive in door, 14’ clearance. Existing business to relocate. 31,720 Sq. Ft. Office, 9,520 Sq. Ft. Warehouse, 7,380 Sq. Ft. and Production area, 7,380 Sq. Ft. 50 parking spaces. Easy access to all interstate highways. Under appraisal.

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SEE ONE OF THESE REALTORS FOR ALL YOUR COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE NEEDS!

®

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Business bio

the olive bin

What types of recipes can they be used in?

What advice do you give FROM page 3 in “pairing” oils and they are PGI (Protected Geographic Indi- vinegars?‌

olive bin

cation) certified.

Our supplier is located in California; they receive the oils and vinegars and infuse natural flavors at their mill. These are then shipped immediately out to us at our store, where we display and serve them from airtight, stainless steel containers called “fustis.” We rotate out the variety of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) we are carrying every few months, based on what is coming in freshest from our farms. Through the winter, we typically carry olive oils from the southern hemisphere; in the summer, typically from northern hemisphere.

Our website (www.TheOliveBin.com) is a great resource for recipes and pairing ideas. Each oil and vinegar has its own page, with ideas for use, pairing suggestions, and actual links to specific recipes that contain that product.

The oils and vinegars are great, both “paired” together and used individually, for salad dressings, meat marinades and as a light “sauce” for pastas. The olive oils can actually be used in substitution for other oils or melted butter in baking; and the balsamics add a great twist to any baked good when drizzled over the top. (Think Blood Orange brownie drizzled with our raspberry or strawberry

balsamic vinegar!)

You can pair any oil and vinegar together to create endless possibilities of flavor combinations! We recommend to our customers to actual try some mixing of oils and vinegars in the store — to get creative in pairing things together before you get home, so you know what you’re getting. Any time you can combine multiple flavor profiles (sweet with spicy, savory and sweet, herbal-citrusy), you’re sure to get a fascinating pairing that will be (often surprisingly so) all-encompassing in its deliciousness.

Every week in the store, we do a “Pairing of the Week” to encourage customers to try mixing oils and vinegars. During that week, you can try the two mixed together in our sample shaker bottle; and then you can purchase a small sample set See olive bin / Page 6

HEARt Of AMERICA REALtORS®

Commercial Real Estate Services

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John Armstrong

Mike Flynn

Michael O’Neal

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Gary Trembley

Greg Yount

309-662-3377 • 802 S. Eldorado Rd., Bloomington, IL • www.CBHOACOMMERCIAL.com www.pantagraph.com/bninc

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January 5

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Business bio

the olive bin

of the oil and vinegar for $9.99. You can like us on Facebook to see what our pairing is each week.

What are some of your customer favorites?‌ Tuscan herb olive oil is an all-time favorite in the store. This flavored olive oil is a great one for bread dipping (add parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper for an extra flavor), pasta, roasting vegetables, meat marinades, and more.

It pairs very well with our traditional 18-year balsamic vinegar, among other flavored balsamics. The tuscan herb-traditional 18-year pairing is known as our store’s “signature pair.”

Other favorites include our butter olive oil, which is great for popping popcorn; blood orange olive oil, for delicious brownies and a great salad dressing paired with cranberry pear balsamic vinegar; garlic olive oil, with its versatile nature for all cooking; and blackberry ginger and raspberry balsamic vinegars for serving over ice cream.

Can people learn to taste the difference between olive oils?‌ Absolutely. Just like a person can learn through experience the different flavor profiles in wine, craft beers or quality-roasted coffee, he or she can start to decipher the notes of flavor in different olive oils with continued exposure. In the store, we’re happy to show any customer the different flavors/notes in each of our extra virgin olive oils, as well as walk through an official tasting experience — to learn how to best bring out the notes of each oil and compare the differences between each of our products. The most easily discernible difference is that of quality; almost any customer can come in to the store and quickly taste the difference in taste in our fresh, well-made olive oil from that of ones bought in an average grocery store.

Why are the oils and vinegars storied in a

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STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

Liz Mikel, marketing manager, used labels on bottles of flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar at the store.

stainless steel tank rather than bottled individually?‌ As mentioned previously, we pride ourselves on the freshness of our oils and vinegars. Each container (called a “fusti”) is rotated out, cleaned and refilled regularly. We allow our customers to taste directly from the fustis, and once they have found the flavors they like, we fill the bottles for them directly from the fusti. This ensures the product is fresh, and makes for an educational experience for each customer as they watch their bottle poured for them. During busy seasons, we do pre-fill a few bottles of our popular flavors for the week to provide a convenient and timely experience for all customers who visit the store; these bottles are filled by our staff and cycled out within the week to guarantee that quality and freshness.

What other products do you carry?‌ We carry a wide variety of pastas, soup

mixes, bread mixes, stuffed olives, and martini mixes. We also carry soaps made with olive oils, lotions and body butter.

During the holiday season, we create a variety of gift baskets with some of our most popular olive oils and balsamic vinegars, as well as these other products.

These are made up and ready for you to take with you any time — making your holiday gift shopping fun, unique, and easy. We can also help you make your custom gift basket orders for a slight upcharge. Corporate businesses have found that The Olive Bin baskets make great client gifts!

What types of events do you do on your Private Party Mondays?‌ We have hosted a large variety of different private tasting parties on our Private Party Mondays. We’ve had corporate groups come for an educational experience, See olive bin / Page 7

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Business bio

the olive bin

STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

Owner Traci Trunk fills bottles of tuscan herb olive oil at the store, which recently celebrated its first anniversary. fraternal groups host their monthly meetings, and groups of friends — men and women — come together to socialize and taste together.

For all private tasting parties, we offer our everyday tasting of all of our oils and vinegars, as well as samples of our olives or other specialty products. In addition, we do a brief educational talk for the group — focusing on topics such as how the products are harvested; the health benefits of oils and vinegars; and recipes and ideas for use, based on what the host wants us to discuss. The group is also allowed to bring in their own food and drink — so the private parties can really have whatever environment the host would like to create.

Who is your typical

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customer?‌ We have a large variety of customers — everyone from teenagers to seniors, foodies to those who don’t know how to cook at all. We’ve enjoyed helping the wide array of people who walk in find the exact right olive oils and balsamic vinegars for their needs, whether it’s easy cooking or gourmet meals.

What lessons have you learned in your first year of business? Have things turned out the way you expected?‌ As this is our first experience owning a retail store, there will always be surprises!

Probably the most valuable lesson we’ve learned is how critical it is to have a great team. Our employees — both full- and

part-time — are incredible, and the store couldn’t continue to operate and thrive without the team we have. We’ve learned, too, how much people value great customer service; our customers are often pleasantly surprised at the attention they receive from our team while in the store, and it’s a great benefit of having a locally owned small retail business.

Tell us something about your business that most people probably don’t know.‌ People are still surprised to taste flavored balsamic vinegar with ice cream. It sounds strange, but it really is delicious. If you haven’t tried it, you have to come in and have this unexpected treat!

January 7

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Connecting Central Illinois business

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YouNT & LAuRAPROPERTIES PRITTS GREGGREG YOUNT: AVAILABLE HEART OF AMERICA REALTORS

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Office ‐ For Sale 5,697 sq. ft.

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4013 Pamela Drive, BL 23,381 sq. ft. ‐ Corner lot in growing area, near many new developments.

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Coldwell Banker Commercial Heart of America Realtors 802 S. Eldorado Rd Bloomington, IL 61704

Coldwell Banker Commercial and the Coldwell Banker Commercial Logo are registered service marks licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

12/22/2014 9:45:54 AM

On the cover

vocational education

STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

Bloomington Area Career Center students in the Fire Science program practice working with fire ladders during a classroom activity at Normal Fire Department’s Station 2, at Adelaide and Gregory streets, in November. Normal Community High School senior Jacob Rodgers is lifting an extension ladder, in the class taught by Nick Isaacs, retired Bloomington Fire Department assistant chief.

Forging a new path Business partnerships help students surge into workforce Derek Beigh dbeigh@pantagraph.com‌

‌BLOOMINGTON — Anthony Vinson may be the only high school senior in Central Illinois who’s already found his second calling.

“I’ve wanted to be at least a volunteer (firefighter) as long as I can remember,” said Vinson, of Secor. “I’m a probationary firefighter for Secor, (but) I switched

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from wanting to be a volunteer only to wanting to get into full-time.”

Vinson, a student at El Paso-Gridley High School, now plans to go to Illinois Central College to study fire science, thanks to the Bloomington Area Career Center.

Vinson is one of about 450 BACC students from 16 local high schools getting a head start on college or a career across a dozen vocations, with more on tap.

An increasingly large part of those programs are local professionals who serve as mentors and partners to students, said BACC Director Tom Frazier.

“My goal is to keep things relevant for students so we’re preparing them for today’s and tomorrow’s jobs, and partnerships are a huge part,” he said.

With their help, he said, the center is See voc ed / Page 11

January http://pantagraph.com/bninc

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On the cover

vocational education

STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

Bloomington Area Career Center’s students Taylor Rarick, an El Paso Gridley High School junior, left, and Tristen Hall, a Tri Valley High School junior, work with McLean County Nursing Home residents Ahmaree Johnson, 95, third from left, and Dorothy Pulaski, 91, while completing in-the-field training at the home in November.

voc ed

FROM page 10

— while still offering college dual credits and skills students can use outside their careers — for many students, not just an alternative path to college but a better one.

“A lot of two-year degrees and certifications will make you more money than I make,” he said. “That’s an underserved market, and we’re trying to help fill it.”

B-N partnerships‌ One of BACC’s newest programs, Fire

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Science simply would not exist without early buy-in from the Bloomington and Normal fire departments.

Both departments allow students to use their facilities and equipment for specialized training that’s too expensive for the center to support, and hiring former local firefighters to teach “put that dose of reality” into the course, Frazier said.

Vinson said he learned a tremendous amount about the history, day-to-day procedure, and legal and ethical issues of firefighting from his instructors’ experiences. The course also covers fire progression and chemistry.

NFD Public Information Officer Matt Swaney said it’s a no-brainer for current firefighters to get involved as well.

“We’d love to see this program eventually lead to these young men and women choosing a career in fire service, and if it’s local that’s even better,” he said.

To that end, each department offers training both in general basic skills and in its specialties. Swaney said BFD’s hazardous materials training and NFD’s technical rescue training offer unusual types of experience to the program’s about 80 students.

“We went to stations three days a week.

January 11

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12/22/2014 9:45:48 AM

On the cover

vocational education

CARLOS T. MIRANDA, The Pantagraph‌

LaReese Jeffries, second from left, and her son Brandon Baraks, 16, get information from a group working with Kevin Schafer, computer maintenance technology teacher, center right, during Bloomington Area Career Center’s open house in November in Bloomington.

voc ed

FROM page 11

I was a little surprised at how much we actually got to do,” Vinson said. “It started out with basics — how to load a hose. A couple of stations had obstacle courses.

After a while we started using Bloomington’s training tower. We were able to do more in that, like forcing open doors.”

Swaney said “rural communities around us will benefit because these men and women will leave the program with an emergency medical certification at the basic level.”

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Frazier recommends juniors take Fire Science so they can graduate to EMT Basic (emergency medical technician) as seniors, as Vinson did, and pass a state exam to receive certification at the end of their high school years.

Vinson said without that option, it would be very difficult for him to complete a $2,000 certification course and become qualified for better jobs including, Swaney said, any at NFD. He hopes to see the two-year-old program bear fruit soon.

“It’s exposing kids at a younger level to fire service,” Swaney said of the program, “getting them into the skill set so

if they decide to go into this as a career or in the volunteer setting they have those basics mastered.”

Health field opportunities

While Fire Science students practice techniques to help them should an emergency arise, Nurse Assistant and Advanced CNA (certified nursing assistant) students do even more: get in the trenches of the health field.

The McLean County Nursing Home and Westminster Village retirement community offer the center’s CNA students chances to interact with their patients, reinforcing medical skills and developing

January http://pantagraph.com/bninc

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On the cover

vocational education

voc ed

FROM page 12

their bedside manner.

Cathy Scanlon-Still, director of nurses at McLean County Nursing Home, said visits from students doing clinical training — three groups of 15 visit for an hour four days per week — don’t allow the home to assign staff any differently but do offer fresh energy to the nurses on hand.

“For my staff it’s really rewarding to see (students) growing through the year,” she said. “The benefit for me is you might recognize students who do well and remember them when they come looking for a job.”

Scanlon-Still said the residents also enjoy interacting with the students.

During a recent visit, 91-year-old Dorothy Pulaski and 95-year-old Amaree Johnson chatted up Tri-Valley High School junior Tristen Hall and El Paso-Gridley junior Taylor Rarick as the students took their vitals.

Sara Roper, a 2009 Normal Community High graduate, said the two-year program helped her “see what different settings of healthcare there are” to guide her career.

“I did (clinical rotations) in the (obstetrics) setting of (Advocate BroMenn Medical Center),” she said. “I got to help in the birth of babies and in the nursery. You have to be certified to get in the door, so it was very cool to get that experience at such a young age.”

Roper worked as a CNA and is now in her second year studying to become a physician’s assistant through Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She said she “would have needed to work a lot longer” to get where she is without BACC. “It was so important to get patient contacts and experience. Also I got great letters of recommendation and scholarship recommendations,” she said. “It would have been a lot longer, and who

STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

Bloomington Area Career Center student Taylor Rarick, an El Paso Gridley High School junior, visits Melba Wilson, a 94-year-old resident of the McLean County Nursing Home in See voc ed / Page 13 Normal in November.

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On the cover

vocational education

voc ed

FROM page 12

knows how it would have ended up. I’m just very lucky, I guess.”

Learning to design

For Mike and Susan Temple of Bloomington, the question isn’t why to help BACC but why not.

Mike Temple was in vocational training when he was in high school, so it’s near and dear to his heart,” Susan Temple said. “It’s important to help and provide opportunities for (students).”

The Temples helped BACC’s Civil Engineering and Architecture program by offering a real-life place to design.

Students have visited, measured and mocked-up new layouts for a property the Temples co-own at 921 Maple Hill Road, better known as the old Country Kitchen restaurant.

“It’s been several weeks they’ve been taking measurements,” Susan Temple said. “It’s strictly an education opportunity for the students.”

Bloomington High School senior Miles Riley said working with the space has taken the architectural design lessons he’s learned in class, including 3D modeling and drafting skills on industry-standard programs, to a new level.

He plans to use that experience as he pursues a degree in engineering and technology from SIUC. “It’s very fun to see real things you’ve designed printed out,” he said. “This is the closest thing to real-world experience

MIKE FLYNN

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you can get without getting paid.”

Bridge to a career

Frazier hopes to continue to expand BACC’s community partnerships in its current classes and in new ones.

Kevin Schafer, who will teach Computer Maintenance Technology when it kicks off for 2015-2016, hopes to get his students into local school district IT departments to build their experience and to cut district costs.

The next generation of students, meanwhile, is equally drawn to those partnerships.

“I don’t really know what I’m good at or what I’m going to do, but this is a good way to explore,” NCHS sophomore Preston McCormick said during a BACC open house.

Frazier thinks more partners can help the career center become even more effective in its mission and benefit the local economy.

“It’s giving kids a unique opportunity.

Four-year college isn’t for everybody,” Schafer said. “This is not necessarily a bridge to a university. It’s a bridge to a career.”

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STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

Josh Pack, a junior from Normal Community West High School, right, is one of several students in the fire science program offered by the Bloomington Area Career Center. He is working with instructor Nick Isaacs, center, while drilling on ladder use behind Normal Fire Department Station 2 in November.

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January http://pantagraph.com/bninc

12/22/2014 9:45:42 AM

Economic development ken springer

was the vice president of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council. He recently became president of the Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development.

Enterprise zones: past and future ‌In nine years with the Economic Development Council, I’ve seen my share of “flash-in-the-pan” incentive tools. Every couple of years, someone comes up with a new way to enhance economic development deals and the resultant program becomes all the rage in the ED community. Sometimes, new programs do truly work and over time become part of the standard economic developer’s toolbox (think property tax abatement, revolving loan funds and tax increment financing).

Most of the time though, these tools fail to live up to their hype and are summarily discarded.

Back in 1982, what was then called the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) began work on an incentive program designed to target low-income and distressed communities within the state of Illinois.

This program was based closely on redevelopment tools introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s administration in Great Britain in 1980. The program in question was called enterprise zone.

Belinda Trunell 309.287.6105 belindatrunell@remax.net

www.belindatrunell.remaxagent.com

Enterprise zones are targeted geographic areas within which businesses have access to a defined set of tax and regulatory incentives. Typically, incentives in the zone are provided by both the state and the local community in partnership. When the first zones came online in Illinois in 1984, the program quickly became a hit. The rest of the nation wasn’t far behind — by 1985, 40 US states had launched Enterprise Zone programs. In 1993, Congress got into the act and passed a national version of the enterprise zone concept, called the Empowerment Zone Program.

Far from being a flash-in-the-pan incentive, enterprise zones have grown to become one of a very few effective and reliable economic incentive tools available to economic developers. The beauty of the enterprise zone is that all of the incentives are approved and put in place up-front when the zone is first created.

Thus, when a business comes to town and locates in the zone, all of those incentives are available from day one. There is no

Willow Gramm Broker

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approval process to wade through — economic developers can guarantee these incentives up-front. In an era when speed wins deals, an enterprise zone is the fastest tool available to economic developers in Illinois.

It is therefore critically important to keep an enterprise zone active in McLean County. The existing Bloomington/Normal/McLean County enterprise zone is currently on its last legs and will expire completely on July 1, 2016. There is no way for our community to renew this See enterprise / Page 21

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January 15

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated.

BNinc.

Connecting Central Illinois business

12/22/2014 9:45:40 AM

Social Media sherry galbreath

is a local marketing communications consultant for small businesses. She may be reached at galbreathsherry@gmail.com.

Telling your story strategically You probably learned back in grade school about the questions you should ask when you write a story: who, what, where, when, why and how. As you work on marketing your business strategically, your story and how you tell it should follow the same framework.

Your business is most likely represented in some way, on some form of social media. How much thought and planning time have you given to your social media program? Or have you jumped on the bandwagon and started setting up accounts and posting all kinds of things about your business because you need to “be out there” with everyone else? It’s time to take a breath and think through what you are trying to accomplish with all the effort you put into social media!

Start your story the way you learned to build it in school, step by step.

Why‌ In social media, this is the most important question you can ask. Just because everyone else has a Facebook page, does it make sense for you? What will your Facebook or Google+ page or Twitter feed accomplish? What messages do you need to convey, and can you convey them consistently? Does social media support your business brand? These are questions you need to think about carefully, because the answers will become the basis of your strategy. Too often, businesses approach social media as a place to post and share whatever comes to mind about their business, without thinking through the reasons for doing so. Before starting any social media marketing program, you

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must make a plan for providing content that will benefit your business, and your customer. Answer the question “Why?” before posting anything.

increasingly older!) Whatever your audience, there is a social media site that will reach them best. Do the research to find out which ones are best for you.

Who‌

When‌

Every social media site has its prime audience, as does every business. Who are you trying to reach, and where are they? Do you understand what your audience needs and wants from you? Part of any good marketing planning is identifying and analyzing the audience, and social media is no different. Profile your best customer, the single person who is most likely to purchase your product or service, and keep that profile in mind as you select your social media vehicles and develop your messages.

Have your ever stopped following someone or unfriended someone because they bombarded you with messages you don’t care about, or even found annoying? There is a balance between reaching out to your audience consistently and overloading them. Find that balance! Not posting often enough will cause them to forget you, and posting too often will cause them to unfollow you. The vehicle you use makes a difference in your posting frequency. Posting on Twitter three or four times a day is acceptable, but doing the same on Facebook will surely lose your followers.

What‌ Consistent messaging is crucial to supporting your brand and engaging your target audience. Every post should support your business objectives in some way. Good planning and focusing on what your audience wants and needs will guide you in developing your content and telling your story. Remember, it’s not about you — it’s all about what your audience needs and will respond to.

Where‌ Every social media site has its prime audience. Look at the questions you answered earlier about who you want to reach. Want to reach women? Pinterest. Business people? LinkedIn. Baby boomers? Facebook (Are you surprised?

Facebook demographics are trending

How‌ It is very easy to get caught up in social media, and spend far too much time if you aren’t careful. Remember, Facebook is not free — meaning that the time you spend on social media is time you are not spending on other important parts of your business.

Pick and choose carefully based on your target audience. Make the most of social media scheduling tools to plan and write your posts for several days at a time and not have to be online constantly.

Following these steps in building your social media strategy will get your social media program off to a good, strategic start with results that will keep your customers engaged and interested.

January http://pantagraph.com/bninc

12/22/2014 9:45:38 AM

Workplace health Dr. Thomas sutter

is medical director of Advocate Medical Group Occupational Health, which has offices in Bloomington and Chicagoland. The Bloomington site operates a travel clinic. Dr. Sutter is board certified in occupational medicine and is a certified Medical Review Officer (MRO), a certified Independent Medical Examiner (IME) and a certified Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).

Tips for healthy international travel ‌As the cold Central Illinois winter days mount up, you may be planning to get away by traveling to areas with warmer climates — many of which are outside U.S. borders. Whether you’re going for pleasure, business or mission work, a visit to a travel medicine clinic would be a wise first step before heading out on your international adventure.

Travel medicine clinics provide

immunizations, vaccines, preventive medicines, advice and information for those traveling internationally. A comprehensive travel medicine clinic has experienced providers who offer personalized health advice and special precautions based on where you are going and your health history. In addition to providing all of the necessary shots and immunizations, a good travel medicine

clinic will also give you details about the political climate of where you’re heading, and inform you of any potential risks in the area. They can give you information about the medical facilities in the country where you’re traveling, and recommend contents for helpful first aid travel kits.

Here are 15 international travel tips I recommend you consider before jetting See health / Page 21

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January 17

BNinc.

Connecting Central Illinois business

12/22/2014 9:45:37 AM

Lofts

STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph‌

Joe Haney holds a section of the nine-inch concrete floors he drilled as part of the renovations of the 407 Upper West Lofts building he has converted into six residential apartments. The floors had to be drilled in order to run utilities. Haney and his wife, Ruth, back left, are shown in November in a finished apartment they just rented at 407 W. Washington St.

Lofty project New downtown apartment building saves old warehouse Maria Nagle mnagle@pantagraph.com‌

‌BLOOMINGTON — Joe and Ruth Haney were understandably concerned when four years ago part of the facade of an old downtown Bloomington warehouse crashed to the sidewalk.

“The wall was down for maybe a year to a year-and-a-half. They had cleaned it up and hauled the debris away, but they didn’t

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repair the building,” Joe Haney recalled.

Since 2008, the building at 407-409 W. Washington St. sat mostly vacant until the owners of Haney Plumbing and Rental purchased it in 2011 at public auction for $46,000.

“I see almost any old building and I think I can save it, but this one piqued our interest mainly because of owning property across the street at 408 W. Washington St. since 1994,” said Joe Haney.

See more Check out more photos of 407 Upper West Lofts at www.pantagraph.com.

“We thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to devalue our property,’” Ruth Haney said.

“So that was the driving force for why Joe went to the auction.”

Today, the once empty, crumbling twostory warehouse has been “re-purposed,” with an $800,000-plus investment by the Haneys, into 407 Upper West Lofts — the latest addition to the downtown’s offering of high-end, luxury apartments.

Working with architect Gary Hocker, renovations began 14 months ago. The Haneys are now leasing out the six units, See lofts / Page 19

January http://pantagraph.com/bninc

12/22/2014 9:45:36 AM

lofts

FROM page 18

“I could live here because

it has the conveniences we have in our home – the whirlpool bathtub, the highend French-door refrigerator, the convection oven, fullsize washer and dryers."

Ruth Haney all serviced by an elevator to their second-floor location.

The apartments all have 12-foot high ceilings with loft-style exposed aluminum ducts and open floor plans featuring top amenities. Each has a 10-by-10-foot patio with a seating ledge, two bathrooms and two bedrooms with walk-in closets. The units range in size from 1,500 square feet to 1,800 square feet.

Ruth Haney picked out the high-end finishes, including cabinetry, quartz or granite countertops, tile backsplashes, stainless kitchen appliances and marble bathtub and shower surrounds.

“I could live here because it has the conveniences we have in our home – the whirlpool bathtub, the high-end French-door refrigerator, the convection oven, full-size washer and dryers,” she said.

“If you go into most of our units you will see high-end faucets that look like restaurant-style faucets. We’ve used mostly Kohler fixtures. The vanities are very unique. They’re more furniture-style vanities. I like the vessels. Each unit has its own high-efficiency gas furnace and hot water heater.”

Each apartment has a different layout and finishes.

“We didn’t want them to be the same,” she said. “We wanted them to have their own personality. That’s why we designed each unit to show off all of its unique features.”

Indoor parking and 1,600 square feet of rental commercial space are located on the ground floor.

“There are very few units in this downtown area that can offer you indoor parking.

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STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph ‌The Haneys sit on one of the finished exterior porches.

The 407 Upper West Lofts building at 407 W. Washington St., Bloomington.

Joe Haney holds a Wabash Clay Co. brick in a loft apartment. Haney has repurposed many of the original bricks as part of the project.

These people will be able to pull their cars in and out and will have two parking spaces per unit,” Ruth Haney said.

Two of the units have been leased for $1,500 a month each.

“The amount of the lease is a deterrent to a lot of folks. So it’s young professionals who seem to gravitate toward these types of units,” Joe Haney said. Also, dogs are not allowed.

The 100-year-old building initially housed the Murray-Medbery Co.’s wholesale automobile and accessories business.

Later, Montgomery Wards sold tires and gardening and small farm implements there before it became a used office furniture store and then the Salvation Army’s thrift store.

After buying the building the Haneys

immediately replaced the collapsed facade, and leaking roof. Then they removed the exterior steel facade and replaced it with a new brick facade in the original arts-andcrafts-style commercial building.

The building is the fifth that the Haneys have rehabbed in the west portion of the downtown just north of the U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

“I grew up on the west side of Blomington and I used to walk by these buildings every day on my way to school, never dreaming I would own them,” Joe Haney said.

“Really it’s a labor of love. I think it’s one of the most gratifying achievements you can actually do. You’re saving a piece of history.”

“This building now is mint condition.

The structure is just in beautiful condition.

It will be here when a lot of the newer buildings are gone.”

For more information, call the Haneys at 309-828-9161.

January 19

BNinc.

Connecting Central Illinois business

12/22/2014 9:45:33 AM

Family Law “I told them it was a lot

of hard work and not an 8 to 5 job. But there’s a certain satisfaction to having someone come in whose life is a complete mess and you’re able to help them get back on track.”

Jim Finegan

STEVE SMEDLEY, The Pantagraph

Sons Phil Finegan, left, and Rob Finegan stand with father James Finegan, center, in the Finegan Law Office, 111 W. Front St., Bloomington. While all are members of the legal profession, each has a different area of focus.

All in the family Practice of law is focus for Finegans Edith Brady-Lunny eblunny@pantagraph.com‌

‌BLOOMINGTON — In certain families, career choices seem to be contagious.

For Jim Finegan, the legal profession he joined more than 40 years ago has become equally attractive to two of his sons, Phil and Rob Finegan. But with different areas of the law as their focus, the common bond of law degrees is where the similarities end for the trio of Bloomington attorneys.

Bankruptcy is the main area of focus for the Finegan Law Firm at 111 W. Front St., operated by Jim Finegan for more than two decades.

Phil Finegan divides his time between the family office and defense work under a contract with the McLean County Public Defender’s office. He left the McLean

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County State’s Attorney’s office several months ago after about a year as a prosecutor.

The decision to leave the state’s attorney’s office was difficult, said Phil Finegan.

“People in the state’s attorney’s office are very close. It was unique to leave and have a full case load against the friends I just left,” he said.

Among the co-workers he left was his younger brother Rob Finegan, who worked a stint in California’s oil refinery business before going to law school.

Like his brother, Rob Finegan was looking for “courtroom experience and exposure,” from the prosecutor’s job.

Jim Finegan knew in grade school that he would be a lawyer when he grew up.

“I always tended to be fairly logical and confident. And I was never shy about public

speaking,” said Finegan.

An offer from Costigan and Wollrab brought Finegan to Bloomington for his first job after law school. When Finegan started his own firm and he and his wife Laurel started a family, their five children became familiar with the business.

“I was always interested in the law from watching Dad and from doing odd jobs around the office,” said 34-year-old Phil Finegan. He recalls acting as his dad’s courier, delivering paperwork to the Law and Justice Center.

Obvious to the Finegan children were the pluses and minuses of their father’s job.

“I told them it was a lot of hard work and not an 8 to 5 job. But there’s a certain satisfaction to having someone come in whose life is a complete mess and you’re able to help them get back on track,” said Jim Finegan.

From their positions on opposite sides of the courtroom, the Finegan brothers each see changes that they believe would improve the justice system.

Longer sentences beyond the 14 years available in most aggravated drunk driving cases would allow tougher consequences when a person has died, said Rob Finegan.

If expanded, the attention given to mentally ill defendants could keep more out of jail, said Phil Finegan.

“Sometimes problems go unidentified and situations are overlooked. We need to provide more treatment and that should happen before people go to jail,” said Phil Finegan.

January http://pantagraph.com/bninc

12/22/2014 9:45:28 AM

health

FROM page 17

off to warmer pastures: 1. Update all appropriate immunizations. Make sure you have been immunized for both Hepatitis A (transmitted via contaminated food and water) and Hepatitis B (transmitted via blood and body fluids).

2. Check to see if you are traveling to a region that requires a Yellow Fever vaccine. If so, be sure that your travel clinic is authorized to provide the vaccine — not all are.

3. Take your malaria pills if your travel provider recommends prophylaxis medicine.

4. Ask your travel medicine provider to supply you with medicine for self-treatment of traveler’s diarrhea.

5. Protect yourself from typhoid fever by obtaining a pack of four pills or a shot.

6. Get your yearly flu immunization.

7. Seek an appointment with a travel medicine provider at least one month

enterprise FROM page 15

zone. In its place, we will have to secure approval for an entirely new enterprise zone, which will run from 2016-2031.

This requires going through a complex and lengthy application process in

prior to travel in case you need more than one booster shot.

8. Consider how to obtain health care while abroad. Most international travelers obtain medical evacuation insurance for emergencies.

9. Be cautious around all animals. Do not pet animals. One cannot be sure that animals do not have rabies.

10. Take along insect repellant (insect repellents need to have DEET to be effective against ticks).

11. Always travel with hand sanitizer or wipes, sunscreen and a small first aid kit.

12. Protect your personal security — always make sure at least one person knows where you are.

13. Alert your health care provider of any recent travel out of the country if you become ill after returning home.

14. The CDC says that motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of healthy U.S. citizens in foreign countries. Select safe transportation/vehicles when in a foreign country.

15. Finally, enjoy experiencing other cultures and lifestyles but respect local

customs in the way you dress, behave at religious sites and display affection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend using the “Three Ps” when traveling internationally: Be proactive: Plan ahead by learning about your destination, visiting a travel medicine specialist and thinking about your current health status.

Be prepared: Plan ahead for becoming ill or injured while traveling, and pack smart. Know what to do should you need medical attention, and be sure to leave a detailed itinerary and other important information about your trip with someone back home.

Be protected: Make sure you’ve taken all necessary precautions before you leave. Avoid unnecessary risks on your trip. Pay attention to your health while traveling and after you come home.

A good travel medicine clinic can make sure you have your “Ps” covered and can answer any “Qs” you may have. Don’t risk ruining that trip of a lifetime — make that appointment before you go!

which our community will be competing with hundreds of others for a very limited number of available zones authorized by the state.

In the coming months, you will see officials from EDC and the local communities working hard to create a new enterprise zone for McLean County. Success is not guaranteed. To have the best shot possible,

we need to show broad support from the community for an enterprise zone. If you support economic development, please consider contacting your state and local elected officials on behalf of a new enterprise zone. Access to this tool will greatly affect the way we approach economic development in McLean County into the coming decades.

Using powerful technology, The Pantagraph reaches more people in more ways than ever before. In fact, each week we reach 87% of adults in print, online and via mobile technology. Let us show you how we can deliver powerful results to your bottom line.

For more information on how we can help your business grow, contact your Pantagraph Consultant today.

Retail Advertising 309-820-3359 Classified Advertising 309-820-3357 Digital/Online Advertising 309-820-3312

Pantagraph Audience Report January - December 2012.

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January 21

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12/22/2014 9:45:26 AM

News in brief Government/taxes‌

City to launch OV court by February‌ BLOOMINGTON — City attorney Jeff Jurgens said he hopes to have Bloomington’s new administrative court handling all city code violations by February.

By a 7-2 vote, the City Council adopted an ordinance creating the administrative court that will have jurisdiction over all city ordinance violations, including property, building code and behavioral violations such as public intoxication.

Instead of going to circuit court, alleged violators will go to City Hall to appear before a hearing officer.

Soccer, rec center in Normal parks wish list‌ NORMAL —Soccer fields, a recreation center and programs for seniors were among the items on the wish lists of a handful of Normal residents who attended a meeting Dec. 8 to offer input on a new five-year parks and recreation master plan.

All of the public comments as well as those gathered from the Normal City Council and other stakeholders will be used by Hitchcock Design Group of Naperville to create a new master plan.

The last master plan was done in 2005.

The state requires an updated plan before municipalities submit grant applications to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

City to push for blocked state park grant‌ BLOOMINGTON — Despite being told a $750,000 state grant is off the table, the Bloomington City Council moved ahead Dec. 8 with prioritizing park and trail projects with the expectation the city could get the money.

The council rejected in November a plan to use the grant obtained by state Sen. Bill Brady to expand McGraw Park and lease it Central Catholic High School for football practice. State Senate Republicans then blocked the grant.

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The council approved seeking the grant again and using $300,000 to improve and expand Constitution Trail, $250,000 for Miller Park pavilion infrastructure repairs and upgrades, and $200,000 to renovate Sunnyside Park.

Jail expansion could cost $43M to $50M‌ BLOOMINGTON — The preferred option to cure housing deficiencies and a shortage of beds at the McLean County jail could cost between $43 million and $50 million, according to early estimates from an architectural consultant.

Dewberry Architects Inc. and Mark Goldman & Associates were hired by the county to develop a plan to address housing deficiencies for mentally ill and other inmates and meet future space needs at the jail.

Matarelli recommended that the county consider an option that would provide 224 new beds and likely meet the county’s space needs through 2035.

Bloomington not likely to rejoin MetCom‌ BLOOMINGTON — With most aldermen favoring the status quo, the city of Bloomington isn’t likely to rejoin MetCom, the countywide emergency communications system, it left acrimoniously in 2006.

Five of the city’s nine aldermen told The Pantagraph they are leaning toward not rejoining MetCom, which answers 911 calls and dispatches police, fire and other emergency services for the rest of McLean County. Mboka Mwilambwe, Judy Stearns, Joni Painter, Karen Schmidt, and Diana Hauman agreed a consultant’s report favoring the status quo helped sway them.

The city hired independent consultant Mike Leaf of MLJ Inc. of Moline to collect information about the city’s center and meet with MetCom to discuss the potential issues of consolidating Bloomington into MetCom again.

Davis named McLean

County coroner‌ BLOOMINGTON — The McLean County Board unanimously appointed Kathy Davis as coroner on Nov. 18, replacing Beth Kimmerling, who retired Nov. 14.

Davis, 44, received her doctor of nursing practice from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and a master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner from Illinois State University.

Davis was an advanced practice nurse in emergency medicine for Advocate Medical Group, an advanced practice nurse at Carle Foundation Hospital’s Convenient Care and she teaches at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Education‌

McLean Co. school tax rates holding steady‌ BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington and Normal taxpayers will not be alone in seeing modest tax increases from their local schools this year.

Among eight McLean County districts, four are set to see small jumps in tax rates; one is expected to hold steady; two should decline; and information for one was not available.

District 87, Unit 5, LeRoy and Ridgeview tax rates are set to increase between 2 and 5 cents per $100 equalized assessed valuation for 2015: 2 cents, 2 cents, 4 cents and 5 cents, respectively.

Olympia is set to hold steady, while Lexington and Tri-Valley should decline, 1 cent and 3 cents, respectively.

ISU fund blitz raises $331,402 in a day‌ NORMAL — Illinois State University’s Giving Tuesday fundraising blitz attracted 1,152 gifts totaling $331,402.

Lora Wey, director of annual giving, said, “’Pleased’ is a better word than ‘surprised,’” to describe her reaction to the results from Dec. 3.

“We really had no expectations because See briefs / Page 23

January http://pantagraph.com/bninc

12/22/2014 9:45:25 AM

briefs

FROM page 22

we’ve never done it before,” she said.

This was the first time ISU has made a one-day fundraising push like this and the first time it made extensive use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook to spread the word.

Heartland touts return on investment‌ NORMAL — In a report filled with figures, one stood out for Heartland Community College President Rob Widmer: 32.7 percent.

That’s the estimated return on investment calculated for Heartland students who complete an associate of applied sciences degree or long-term certificate program, according to a study recently released by the Illinois Community College Board.

“A significant portion of that is the nursing program,” Widmer said.

The return on investment was determined by comparing the “investment” of college costs and foregone wages with the expected increase in wages over a 40-year career.

Statewide, the average rate of return on initial investment was 14.2 percent.

ISU signs deal with Chinese university‌ NORMAL — As part of its efforts to provide students with a global perspective, Illinois State University has signed an agreement with Wuhan University in China that will lead to faculty and student exchanges.

“Wuhan University is a first-rate research university, but they also offer strong education programs,” ISU President Larry Dietz said.

The agreement calls for exchanges of faculty, staff and students; training and joint research activities; and exchange of academic material and other information.

institution will do its best to spread out any cuts in state funding.

He thinks, however, that higher education should be thought of as part of the solution, not a source of the state’s financial problems.

James Applegate, executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, sent an email to university presidents in late November telling them to be prepared for state funding to drop by as much as 30 percent in the next 18 months.

ISU received about $74 million in state funding for operations this fiscal year — roughly 18 percent of its overall operating budget.

Unit 5 prevails in busing dispute‌ SPRINGFIELD — A legal battle between McLean County Unit 5 and unionized school bus drivers appears to be over.

In a decision announced by the Illinois Supreme Court said it would not hear an appeal by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union concerning a case in which the Normal-based school district hired Cincinnati-based First Student Inc. to handle student transportation services for the district.

Curt Richardson, an attorney who also is director of human resources for Unit 5, said the high court’s action brings the case to a close and validates the outsourcing decision.

AFSCME Council 31 spokeswoman Renee Nestler said that while the case stemming from the district’s 2012 action may be over, the union’s dispute with the district continues.

State Farm CEO: Illinois failing students‌

BLOOMINGTON — State Farm Chairman and CEO Ed Rust had some harsh words for state education leaders.

“We are failing in our promise to deliver a quality education for the children across Illinois, and it’s having devastating impacts,” said Rust.

ISU braces for 30 percent The quality of Illinois education took state funding cuts‌ center stage as Advance Illinois released NORMAL — Illinois State Univer- its “The State We’re In 2014” biennial sity President Larry Dietz said the school report card at State Farm corporate

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headquarters in Bloomington.

The report graded Illinois 15th nationally in early childhood, 30th in K-12 and 25th in postsecondary education. It held steady or declined across each category, according to letter grades provided by Advance Illinois.

New CDM exhibit a hit with toddlers‌ NORMAL — Oliver Apps grilled hamburgers and played in a nearby fort while other children sat on a blanket and had a picnic.

None of them were even remotely fazed by the bitterly cold temperatures, brisk winds or snow falling outside.

Oliver, 5, of Bloomington and the others were among several kids and parents who got a sneak peak at the Children’s Discovery Museum’s new inside exhibit, “My Great Backyard,” during a soft opening for members and donors on Nov. 25.

The exhibit, funded through a $209,000 Illinois Department of Natural Resources grant and a $60,000 PNC Grow Up Great Program grant, is specifically geared toward children 5 and younger, said Brad Stefl, exhibits manager.

Educators push education policy agenda‌ NORMAL — Roger Eddy knows presenting a solid education policy agenda to legislators may not be enough to spur change.

“We want to get their constituents saying to them, ‘Why aren’t you listening to what educators say about education?’” he said. “We have to, as educators, take back the future of public education.”

Eddy, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Boards, and other education officials gathered Nov. 9 in Normal to push Vision 20/20, a long-range plan to reshape Illinois public education.

Illinois Association of School Administrators Executive Director Brent Clark expects a few issues to become priorities eventually, including overhauling the state’s school funding model; decreasing the importance of standardized tests in judging schools; and enabling active school officials to serve on the Illinois Board of Education.

January 23

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