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CL church looks to buy building Willow Creek plans to renovate former industrial facility near downtown By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – One of the largest churches in the U.S. plans to buy the 193,000-square-foot former Oak Industries facility and the 25 acres it sits on, church officials said. The nondenominational Willow Creek Community Church of Crystal Lake has entered into a contract to buy
the property at 100 S. Main St. and plans to renovate the building, the church said in a news release. “We are thrilled to have a new home that will allow us to best serve our surrounding community for the next 100 years and beyond,” said Marcus Bieschke, the church’s lead pastor. Thousands of people from Crystal Lake and surrounding communities currently
participate in classes, groups, workshops, camps and events like Trunk or Treat and the Global Leadership Summit, the release said. Outreach Magazine put the membership of the church, which has seven locations in the Chicago metropolitan area, at 25,743 in 2013, making it the third largest church in the country. The plan is to complete the due diligence process, go
through the city’s zoning process so that a church can exist at the site and, if all goes well, close on the property in early 2016, the release said. The renovation would then follow with the hopes of opening the building to the public in fall 2017, the release said. The building currently houses six organizations and companies, including the nonprofit child care center Friendship House, the Aris-
ing Church and the massage therapy school Cortiva Institute. Willow Creek plans on discussing with each tenant, who have short-term or monthto-month agreements, on an individual basis whether the group or company will remain at the location or relocate, the release said. It is “absolutely essential” that the church is the best possible neighbor it can be
in the downtown area, and it will prioritize ensuring that Sunday morning traffic flow remains fluid, Bieschke said. Willow Creek currently leases space at 220 Exchange Drive in Crystal Lake, near the Pingree Metra Station, after coming to the area in 2003. The church has six other locations in South Barrington, West Chicago, Northfield, Chicago, Huntley and Lincolnshire.
Union, Rauner talks ‘stuck’
THE UBER EFFECT: THE FUTURE OF WORK?
Governor says no lockout of state employees By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Uber contractor Dereck Mwalongo of Crystal Lake drives his Toyota Camry while working Thursday. Mwalongo started working for Uber two months ago while he was in between jobs.
On-demand services reshape workforce
‘‘
I think [on-demand work] is going to be a continued evolution, and as a society, we’re going to have to figure out how that works.”
Crystal Lake driver part of trend in county By KEVIN P. CRAVER
I
f you need a ride and have the Uber app, Crystal Lake resident Dereck Mwalongo is available at the push of a button to get you where you need to go. About two months ago, Mwalongo decided to forego his job delivering for a pharmacy in favor of driving for the ride-sharing service. He now makes a decent wage without being tied to a work schedule – he can drop his children off at school before starting his workday. “It was a much better deal,” Mwalongo said. “You can do stuff when you want, and that’s what attracted me, Make your own timetable, when you want to work,
Pam Cumpata McHenry County Economic Development Corp. president
kcraver@shawmedia.com
and so forth.” Mwalongo and others like him are part of what experts are calling a surging “on-demand economy” that is bringing information technology together with freelance workers to supply whatever services people need, when they need it. And it’s not just for getting a personalized ride to the store or the airport. The Handy app hooks up customers seeking home repair or cleaning services with maids or repair experts. Need groceries delivered? Contact Instacart. And some companies, such as Pager and Medicast, are working to bring
back the house call by developing apps to bring doctors to patients. While many of these on-demand app services are available predominantly in large cities, it’s likely only a matter of time before they are just as ubiquitous in the suburbs. What that will do to the workforce is something experts and the government are just starting to grasp. McHenry County Economic Development Corp. President Pam Cumpata said an attorney she talked to several months ago brought up ride-sharing and whether people one day will be able to summon legal counsel at the courthouse
with the push of a button. “I think [on-demand work] is going to be a continued evolution, and as a society, we’re going to have to figure out how that works,” Cumpata said. While the ongoing state budget impasse has prompted the suspension of many of its programs, the McHenry County Workforce Network has been looking to adapt its entrepreneurial training so job seekers can take better advantage of this growing market, Director Julie Courtney said. She called it an opportunity to make it easier
See FREELANCERS, page A6
Voice your opinion: Have you ever used a ride-sharing app such as Uber to get a ride? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Bruce Rauner said Wednesday that he won’t lock out state workers if his administration and the largest public-employee union can’t agree on a new contract, but both sides acknowledged they are nowhere near a deal. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees’ contract expired June 30, although both sides have agreed to keep workers on the job through September. Rauner, a businessman-turned-governor who has made weakening public-worker unions a core piece of his political agenda, said “under no circumstance” would Bruce Rauner he prevent employees from coming to work if they hit an impasse. He said he’s trying to protect taxpayers by seeking concessions for a contract worth about $7 billion, or 20 percent of Illinois’ operating budget. But he said there has been little or no progress in negotiations, adding: “We’re stuck.” “If I wanted to do a lockout ... I would have already done it,” Rauner said. “I hope we don’t have to take a strike, but I don’t control that.” AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said Rauner’s actions “have not matched his words.” He noted Rauner said while campaigning for governor that he would shut down the government if needed to curb union influence, and the administration has recently reached out to retired employees to ask if they’d be willing to work if needed.
See TALKS, page A6
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