SVM_Business Journal_061419

PUBLICATION • SUMMER 2019 • VOL. 22, NO. 6

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Sauk Valley

Business Journal Staying

p wer Hill’s It should come as no shock that rs Electric is good at keeping moto ars running; the business has 100 ye of experience under its belts PAGE 3

AL SO IN TH IS IS SU E

Dix on sho p has lot s of dea ls, and ste el Family funeral home adding new location O, how sw eet it is at an Ore gon bak ery

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INSIDE

Welcome ...

to the summer 2019 issue of

STAYING POWER

Sauk Valley

It should come as no shock that Hill’s Electric is good at keeping motors running; the business has 100 years of experience under its belts

Business Journal A

Summer 2019

Pages 3-5

A FAMILY OF DEALMAKERS

Every day is a family get-together for the crew at a Dixon shop, where Mom and her daughters – with a little help from Dad – have their hands full keeping the shelves full of antiques and collectables Pages 6-7

PUBLICATION

O, HOW SWEET IT IS

Oregon native opens her own bakery

Publisher: Don T. Bricker General Manager/Advertising Director: Jennifer Heintzelman

Pages 8-9

A GROWING FAMILY BUSINESS

Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media of Dixon and Sterling-Rock Falls. No portion of Sauk Valley Business Journal may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media.

Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this publication.

A funeral home whose roots stretch back to the 1860s is adding an eighth location Pages 10-11

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BUSINESS CENTENNIAL | HILL’S ELECTRIC

Staying power It should come as no shock that Hill’s Electric is good at keeping motors running; the business has 100 years of experience under its belts

BY TODD MCKENNA Sauk Valley Media

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

Jeff and Ann Guthrie bought Hill’s Electric in downtown Rock Falls from his stepfather Robert in 2011. The business is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

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ROCK FALLS – Life was quite different when Max Hill and his wife Gertrude first opened Hill’s Electric in 1919.

So was the location. Hill’s actually began in Memphis, Tennessee, when Max first hung out his “Open For Business” sign. He moved to Rock Falls in 1925, setting up shop in a small building in the 200 block of West Second Street known then as the old Teaches Blacksmith Shop.

Hill’s Electric would move again, to its current location on First Avenue, in 1933 when Max bought two lots and then erected the building the business has called home ever since. It’s that building where Max stayed and worked for 46 more years before finally deciding it was time for retirement.

HILL’S continued on 44

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Happy 100, Hill’s Electric

Hill’s Electric Motors Service Inc., 305-307 First Ave. in Rock Falls, is open from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Call 815-625-0305 or find it on Facebook for more information about sales and services.

HILL’S

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In what would become a trend, he sold the business to an employee, Bob Sandusky, and his wife Faye. Knowing the bar had been set high, Bob stayed a part of the business for several decades as well before he sold it to another longtime employee, his stepson Jeff Guthrie and his wife, Ann. “Bob was here 60 years before he suckered me into buying it,” Jeff said with a laugh.

By that time, Jeff already had logged 22 years with the company.

“I used to come in and sweep floors and empty trash on the weekends as a teen,” he said.

Through the years, he learned the trade of rewinding and refurbishing motors from Bob and the other guys who worked at Hill’s Electric.

When Bob decided to focus solely on just the electric motor part of the business and not the contracting portion, a few of the employees went out on their own to fill

Summer 2019 the electrical contractor need. That is where Engel Electric in Sterling came from, for example.

For as busy as they are, there still are only three full-time employees and one part-time worker at Hill’s Electric.

They are trusted technicians by many in the area who bring their business to the shop because they trust the quality of the work performed.

“Our main customers are farmers, factories, hospitals and some municipalities,” Jeff said. “One time in Rock Falls the sewer flooded, so I worked 20 hours in a row to dry the motors out.”

It’s that kind of dedication to customers that has led him to open for business at 6:30 a.m. during the week and also be available even on special occasions.

“We’re always on call. We even came in on Christmas for a farmer who had a motor go out in his cattle barn,” Ann said. He hated to call them on a holiday, “but the cattle have to get fed, so we came in and helped him.”

Besides the work they do on most any type of motor, Hill’s Electric also sells a wide array of belts for most equipment, including lawnmowers and augers.

HILL’S continued on 54

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HILL’S

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Perhaps most impressive, however, is Jeff’s collection of obsolete items that have gone out of production a long time ago. Often he will get calls from panicked customers who can’t find the item they need anywhere.

“We have a lot of carbon brushes and most are obsolete, so if you can’t find one we may have it,” Jeff said. “We have obsolete tools, too. The barbershop next door buys brushes they can’t find for their clippers from us and I had a guy call me from Columbus, Ohio.

“It pays to not throw stuff out.”

The couple have no big plans for a huge party for the 100th anniversary, mostly because they’re not really sure when the exact date is. Instead they will just celebrate all year and keep continuing the tradition and quality work that has kept Hill’s Electric going.

Jeff wants to go about another 10 years before looking toward retirement, which would put him into his fourth decade at the business, he said.

He has a standard to live up to, after all, but knows hanging on won’t be difficult, because he and Ann enjoy what they do, he said.

“I enjoy it, and the secret is love what you do.” n

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

Hill’s Electric repairs, rewinds and sells electric motors. A wall-sized cabinet features hundreds of parts and brushes for motors, including many that are obsolete and no longer are in production, and so are hard to find. “It pays to not throw stuff out,” Jeff Guthrie said.

Sauk Valley Business Journal

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Summer 2019

DIXON | DEALS AND STEELS

A family of dealmakers Every day is a family get-together for the crew at a Dixon shop, where Mom and her daughters – with a little help from Dad – have their hands full keeping the shelves full of antiques and collectables AVALYNDA CASEY For Sauk Valley Media

At Deals and Steels, collecting, recycling and upcycling is a family affair.

The antiques and collectibles shop, which opened Oct. 1, is run by owner Kim Thrasher and her daughters, shop coordinator Ashley Musgrave, 30, bookkeeper Brittany Lunn, 29, and Kayla Musgrave, 23, buyer and furniture designer.

“We try to be unique in the way that we blend old and new,” Thrasher said Don’t let all that estrogen fool you: “We aren’t just an antique shop for women, but we are also a shop for the guys – with the specialty tools and collectible toys.”

DEALS continued on 74

AvaLynday Casey/Sauk Valley Media

The whole family has a seat at the table at Deals and Steels – even 14-month-old Emersyn, who was supervising the crew as they set up a display of dinnerware, just in time for an Easter dinner. From left: bookkeeper, and Emersyn’s mom, Brittany Lunn, owner Kim Thrasher, and shop coordinator Ashley Musgrave.

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Summer 2019

DEALS

CONTINUED FROM 6 t

The ladies browse antique shows, auctions, and other shops, keeping an eye out for what’s selling. They have shelves full of dishes, glassware, gifts and household goods – old and new.

The girls’ dad, Jeff Musgrave, contributed his collections of toys, tools, working machines, Schwinn bicycles and rare items found during years of buying and selling – and he’ll make you a good deal.

“It’s really the work of my daughters and their mom. I just want to support them because they like to do it.”

There are wooden dressers brightened with trendy white chalk paint, new table ware and dish sets, home décor, rare furniture pieces, custom pillows and lamps.

One of their favorite pieces, a radio-record console, is staying in the family. “When I saw that, I couldn’t let it go. We turn it on about every day. I love it,” Ashley said.

Thrasher comes from a family of entrepreneurs. She grew up working around her mom’s antique and upholstery shop, and had a shop of her own in Indiana where she sold silk flowers, wedding arrangements, and crafts.

The family scopes out trends with hands-on detective work. “We attend the third Sunday market in Bloomington and

Page 7

More information

Deals and Steels Collectibles, 2123 W. Third St. in Dixon, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Find Musgrave Industrial Corp. Deals & Steels on Facebook or call 815-6779217 for more information on the shop or on becoming a vendor.

Glassware, tools, toys typerwriters, and more – you’ll find a lot deals, and steel, at a Dixon shop. we see what other people are buying, like chalk-painted furniture – whites and gray items,” Thrasher said.

“Repurposing with a coat of paint makes it look so great. People can change the look of a room so easily.”

When Brittany isn’t crunching numbers, she’s adding her own touches to some of the items.

“I like to take a furniture piece that is still in good shape and sand it down a lit-

tle and paint it. That doesn’t require a lot of preparation, and it turns out so nice.”

The inventory is always changing.

“We keep looking for more merchandise; we want to replenish what sells well,” Thrasher said. “We have a repeat customer base because we change out new products and displays regularly.”

The women also welcome new vendors to their shop, and would love to see what partnerships might develop. n

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Summer 2019

OREGON | O’S BAKERY

O, how sweet it is Oregon native opens her own bakery

BY CODY CUTTER ccutter@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5552 @CodyCutter35

OREGON – Olivia Gorzny remembers baking cookies and angel food cake as a child with her grandparents. These days, she’s still baking, but it’s for business and pleasure – her business and her customers’ pleasure.

Gorzny, 23, of Oregon, held a open house April 27 for her shop, O’s Bakery at 302 W. Washington St., where she features all kinds of treats made of “sugar, spice and everything iced.”

Gorzny’s plan is to eventually have set hours at the shop, but for now she’s doing only custom orders, and requires at least a week’s notice.

The business is an expansion of her line of cookies, O’s Cookies, which she has been marketing since 2015. During that time, she worked at a bakery in Coralville, Iowa, while attending the University of Iowa.

O’S continued on 94

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

Olivia Gorzny, owner of O’s Bakery, shows off some of the sweet treats she makes and bakes at her new Oregon shop, O’s Bakery.

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O’S

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“My boss at the coffee shop I worked at, Kim, thought I should start selling cookies and see how it went,” Gorzny said. “It took off, and then I tried to keep up with orders on breaks home from college.”

The aroma of fresh, decorated sugar cookies and cakes make up most of the shop’s smells, but Gorzny also makes chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and peanut butter cookies.

If a slice of sweetness is more to your liking, round cakes, from 6 to 12 inches, are available in chocolate, vanilla, funfetti lemon, carrot, strawberry and cinnamon.

“I typically prefer to make round cakes to sheet cakes,” she said.

Gorzny also likes whipping up cake pops – lollipop-shaped cakes with filling on the inside and frosting on the outside.

“They are a unique treat, and easy to eat,” Gorzny said. “In my experience, kids also love anything they can eat on a stick, so they have been a popular item for me.”

How popular are her treats? The cake pops and cookies were gone just 2

More info

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

O’s Bakery is at 302 W. Washington St. in Oregon. hours into her open house.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It was a great day.”

Gorzny, a 2014 graduate of Oregon High School, began her professional sweets career at Conover Coffees and

O’s Bakery, 302 W. Washington St., Oregon Custom orders can be placed online at olivia@ osbakeryil.com or text 815-4409637.

Cash, check and credit and debit cards are accepted.

Find O’s Bakery on Facebook for more information.

Chocolates at Conover Square after high school. She also managed the Coralville Chili’s restaurant for 2 years.

O’s also will have a booth at the Rockford City Market every Friday from May 17 to Sept. 23. n

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Summer 2019

LANARK | LAW-JONES FUNERAL HOMES AND CREMATORY

A growing family business A funeral home whose roots stretch back to the 1860s is adding an eighth location

BY PHILLIP HARTMAN phartman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @phartman19

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

Growth is the key word right now for Law-Jones Funeral Homes and Crematory, with its eighth location soon to be built in Lanark and more family members joining the growing business. Owner Matthew Jones’ (center) sons, Levi Jones (left) and Chris Anderson, have come aboard as deputy coroners.

MOUNT CARROLL – If you were trying to keep up with the Joneses these days, you’d be pretty busy.

The family behind Law-Jones Funeral Homes and Crematory is getting ready to break ground on another location – the eighth in its fleet of funeral homes – and has welcomed two more family members to the fold.

Owner Matt Jones plans to break ground on the new location later this year across state Route 64 from Eastland High School, on Lanark’s east side, and open by the end of summer. The new facility will be about 3,500 square feet.

LAW-JONES continued on 114

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Summer 2019

LAW-JONES

More info

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Contact information

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“We’re working on the final details, and dealing with the weather,” said Jones, adding that they hope to keep construction costs around $450,000. The land cost about $80,000.

Among the new site’s amenities: room for funeral services, a play area for children and a refreshments area.

Space also can be rented for community events.

Law-Jones also has locations in Chadwick, Elizabeth, Hanover, Mount Carroll, Savanna, and Thomson, and Preston, Iowa. Cremation services are provided at the Savanna site.

The funeral home’s staff also is growing. Jones’ sons, Chris Anderson, 29, and Levi Jones, 25, joined the company last summer. They are deputy coroners finishing their professional certifications, which takes 14 months, he said.

Chris and Levi grew up in Mount Carroll and attended West Carroll High School.

Levi attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, studying music composition and playing keyboards and percussion in several bands. He is best known as a member of the southern Illi-

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Go to lawjonesfuneralhome.com or call 815-273-2264 for more information.

Law-Jones locations

Savanna – 309 Chicago Ave. Preston – 111 S. Main St. Mount Carroll – State route 64 & East Stree Elizabeth – 107 S. Main St. Thomson 1854 state Route 84 Hanover – 202 Monroe St. Chadwick – 217 Main St.

History

George Haas opened up a funeral home in Savanna in 1865, which was eventually purchase by Robert Fuller in 1905. Donald Hunter owned the business for from 1952 until 1962, when it was purchased by Melvin and Jean nois folk and rock band, Porch Fire. Levi lives in Preston.

Chris attended Augustana College in Rock Island and worked in the insurance field before joining Law-Jones. He has three children and lives in Mount Carroll.

Family is a central element of LawJones. Matt’s father, the late Mel Jones,

Jones after Hunter’s death, becoming the Hunter-Jones Funeral Home.

In 1965, the Law Funeral Home, owned

by Nan Law and son, Si, and Gretchen Law, merged with the Hunter-Jones Funeral Home, becoming the Law-Jones Funeral Home, a partnership that lasted until Si’s death in 1986.

After Si’s death, Michael Jones, Mel and Jean’s first sone, returned home from his career as a metalurgical engineer to join his father’s business. Mel Jones suddenly passed away on April 4, 1989, at the age of 50. A few months later, Matthew, the Jones’ third son, left a career in technology as a sales engineer and returned to Savanna to join Michael in the family business, before answering the call to ministry in 2002, and leaving the business in Matthew’s hands.

–Source: lawjonesfuneralhome.com partnered with Si Law in 1965 to found the company in Savanna.

Matt’s mother, Jean Jones, continues to keep the financial records and accounts payable, while Matt’s daughter, Elle Jones, 22, works in the administration office in Savanna.

The company also has 14 part-time employees and assistants. n

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