Central Illinois Perspective - July 2, 2008

News

This week’s Perspective is a short one—like your work week! Enjoy the 4th of July festivities and have safe travels this weekend!

This evening, from 4:30 to 7pm, is the grand opening of the new farmers market in Peoria Heights. The event will include a mayoral ribbon cutting, live music from the Bridget Bourke Group, a culinary demonstration and more than 20 farmers and local food producers. The market is open from 4:30 to 7pm every Wednesday and features a variety from produce and flowers to tilapia and hand-made pasta.

The Peoria Park District presents its annual Fireworks Spectacular at Glen Oak Park on Thursday July 3rd. The amphitheatre gates open at 4pm and the flag is raised by the Peoria Central ROTC at 4:15pm. Entertainment includes PPD Hometown Idol Molly Smith, the Great Expectations Show Chorus, the Community Children’s Theatre, Jammsammich and the Peoria Municipal Band concluding with the big fireworks finale. Bring a picnic or purchase food offered by the Peoria Park District. For a small fee, CityLink will be shuttling people from Evergreen Square to the park. The event is free. For more information, call 688-3667.

Get a view of Abraham Lincoln’s life with the Lincoln: His Life, His Letters and His Legacy exhibit at the Peoria Historical Society’s Pettengill-Morron House Museum. Tours are at 1, 2 and 3pm Saturdays and by appointment through July 26th. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children. For more information, call 674-1921 or visit peoriahistoricalsociety.org.

The PGA McGladrey Team Championship, the Association’s only nationwide amateur best-ball competition, will hold a local qualifying event at Coyote Creek Golf Club on July 20th. The event, sponsored by RSM McGladrey and managed by the PGA of America, is open to golfers of any age and ability with a certified USGA handicap. Entry fees are $55 plus applicable green fees per person. For complete details on participating in championship, visit pga.com/teamchampionship or call the Coyote Creek Golf Club pro shop at 633-0911.

The 2008 USTA Futures of Peoria professional tennis tournament will run from July 5th to 13th on the clay courts at the Clubs at River City. Qualifying rounds begin Saturday morning at 9am and continue through Monday. The main draw starts Tuesday morning and continues through the week, concluding with the doubles final on Friday and the singles final on Sunday. Admission is free and both covered seating and lawn chair seating are available. Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria. For more information, contact Ron Murphy, tournament director, at 696-1431 or Martha Burdess at 696-4008.

InterBusiness Issues: July 2008

Just in time for the holiday, the July issue of IBI is hot off the presses! This month's cover features Colonel William P. Robertson, Commander of the 182d Airlift Wing. He is responsible for over 1,200 Illinois Air National Guardsmen. He maintains the combat-readiness of the Wing and ensures that all units can fulfill state and federal missions as directed. The Colonel is a Peoria native through and through, having attended Peoria High School, Illinois Central College and Bradley University.

In this issue....

• "Still Proud to be an American" by Jan Wright
  Sadly, for many, it will be a bit more difficult to sing along with Lee Greenwood this July 4th.
  
  
• "At the Centre of It All" by Emily Zulz
  Metro Centre offers a small-town, Main Street feel to your shopping experience, where you know the person behind the register and they know you.
  
  
• "Financial Market Headlines Getting You Down?" by Jeff Secord, Clifton Gunderson Financial Services
  Headlines sweep the media outlets on a daily basis, alerting us to the unsettled state of financial markets.
  
  
• "Making the Tough Calls: Supervising a Troubled Employee" by Libby Smith, Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery
  True or false: What an employee does on his/her own time, away from the job, is not a supervisor’s concern.
  
  
• "Promising Changes, Challenging Times" by Ken R. Spirito, Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria
  The Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria has made significant progress towards the redevelopment of its infrastructure at the Greater Peoria Regional and Mt. Hawley airports.
  
  
• "How Do I Know When It’s Time to Sell My Company?" by Bob Contaldo, Corporate Finance Associates
  Unlike us, it can live for generations—though the time will come when it must change hands.
  
  
• "Getting At the Heart of Leadership" by Cal Rychener, Northwoods Community Church
  Integrity gaps, not skill deficiencies, initiate the fall of leaders.
  
  
• "Caterpillar Announces Expansion Plan for Illinois Operations"
  Despite a sluggish economy in the United States, the company remains committed to investing in major Illinois plants to keep them competitive for the long run.
  
  
• "Achieve Optimum Health Through Wellness Planning" by Kim Wakefield, Optimum Health Solutions, Inc
  Over the past 10 years, worksite wellness has become an increasingly vital topic in HR meetings, executive offices and corporate boardrooms alike.
  
  
• "Research Credits—Are You Claiming Them?" by Jay Wadkins, RSM McGladrey
  Whether or not you have a separate research and development (R&D) department, chances are your company regularly engages in R&D activities.
  
  
• "Gainsharing: Tying Pay to Performance" by Dr. Woodruff Imberman, Imberman and Deforest, Inc.
  Two low-tech Illinois companies—one a job shop coater in Chicago and the other a galvanizer headquartered in Joliet—have established a track record proving low-tech is live and well in Illinois.
  
  
• "Solid Job Market Expected for Peoria"
  Peoria area employers expect to hire at a strong pace during the third quarter of 2008, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.