go magazine - april 2014

Grundy County’s Own Magazine • April 2014

Grundy merchants talk value of doing business locally

Summer internship program explodes with growth • and more…

Morris Retail associationpromotes downtown shops

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2 • MORRIS DAILY HERALD • GO MAGAZINE

MORRIS DAILY HERALD • GO MAGAZINE • 3

Photographer: Heidi Terry-LitchfieldAd Director: Rich PonulakArt Direction and Design: Rob SzekelyAd Sales Representatives: Gina RingerDenise Pankey

General Manager: Robert WallManaging Editor: ChristinaChapman-Van YperenShaw Media Correspondents: Jeanne MillsapJean Tyrell

GO magazine is published four times a year by the Morris Daily Herald (A division of Shaw Media), 1804 N. Division St., Morris IL 60450. The entire contents may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or part, without written permission of the publisher. Advertisements appearing in GO magazine are not endorsements by the publisher. The publisher is not responsible or liable for errors or omissions in any advertisement beyond the paid piece of that advertisement. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission from the publisher. © 2014, Morris Publishing Company.

Grundy County’s Own Magazine

A division of Shaw Media 1804 N. Division St., Morris, Illinois 60450 815-942-3221 www.morrisdailyherald.com

MORRISDAILY HERALD

MORRISDAILY HERALD

Spring is finally here, summer is just around the corner and the Morris Downtown Development Partnership, Inc. (MDDP) is busy planning downtown events for 2014. These events bring both locals and visitors to our nostalgic downtown to not only enjoy the event, but to enjoy all that our downtown has to offer. Many visitors comment on our beautiful downtown, shops, restaurants and recreational activities.

The 12th annual Gus Macker Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament is just around the corner on June 7 and 8. Anyone can play – male or female, young or old, short or tall, the most experi-enced or no experience at all! Registration is open at www.macker.com, and will continue online until May 19. Applications mailed in must be post-marked by May16th. Special events this year will include the Slam Dunk Contest, Dream Court, 3 Point Shoot Out Contest and Free Throw Contest. Additionally, Sheriff Kevin Callahan and States Attorney Jason Helland will have a rematch of their own Free Throw Contest. The Morris tournament also features striped officials on each court.

Liberty Days is returning to Downtown Morris on June 26, 27 and 28. There will be plenty of music and activities for children and adults alike. Special guests this year will be President and Mrs. Lincoln! You won’t want to miss President Lincoln reciting the Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation. Adding to the fun

will be the musical program, “Abraham Lincoln in Song.” Other activities include inflatables, Touch a Truck, Giggles the Clown and an Arts Festival. A full schedule of events will be | available soon on www.downtownmorris.com

The fifth annual Liberty 5K Run/Walk will be held on Thursday, July 3rd in downtown Morris. This chip timed race, on a certified course honors, supports and recognizes our military personnel. Local Marines will be joining the run while singing cadence and “Patriots 4 Heroes” will have a tent with children’s activities and opportunities to support military personnel. This year run-ners will finish the run to sounds of the Morris Community High School pep band near the finish line. And you won’t want to miss the “after party” sponsored by Ebbey George’s Bar and Grill. Registration is underway at http://raceroster.com/events/2014/1773/liberty-5k-runwalk.

Finally, on November 28th and 29th Morris will celebrate their annual “Home for the Holidays” weekend. This exciting weekend features an annual holiday house walk and a variety of activities for children and adults alike. Activities such as Breakfast with Santa, Children’s Lantern Making and Walk, Carriage rides and a lighted Holiday Parade welcoming Santa to town are perfectly situated in beautiful, Nostalgic Downtown Morris.

Although the Morris Downtown Development

Partnership may be best known for its events, their mission to preserve, enhance and promote downtown Morris goes far beyond these activities. Marketing initiatives include printing numerous flyers including Downtown Maps, Schedule of Events, Canal Town brochure, Downtown Walking Tour and Heritage Homes brochures. Addition-ally they maintain the downtown website (www.macker.com), and social media pages, work with tour groups planning visits to downtown Morris, maintain downtown display cases to promote downtown events and activities, and create and distribute a quarterly newsletter. This year the Marketing Committee has been busy finalizing plans for a large monument sign directing visitors to the downtown district to shop, dine and enjoy all that our downtown has to offer.

In addition to creating brochures that promote the history of downtown Morris, the MDDP’s Historic Preservation Committee has coordinated the sale of Morris a Nostalgic Portrait books, maintained the Heritage Home Plaque Program and saw that our downtown district received the National Register of Historic Places designation.

For additional information on the Morris Downtown Development Partnership, Inc., please visit www.downtownmorris.com or call (815) 941-0245. n

Morris Downtown Development Partnership busy planning events for 2014

MDDPSubmitted by Julie Applegate, Executive Director

Local

It’s their livelihood.And three local business owners said “Shop

Local” in Grundy County involves emphasizing relationships with customers and fulfilling customer needs as the standard for doing business.

Shopping local can mean anything from going to the downtown bakery for a doughnut to buying anything made in the U.S.A., said hardware shop owner Steve Matteson, who owns Ace Hardware stores in Morris, Coal City and Minooka.

When customers walk in, Matteson said his busi-ness is to identify not only what the customer wants, but how the shop owner can fulfill those needs.

After 40 years of doing business in the area, Matteson said identifying the customer and knowing his or her needs has helped him shape his business as the retail climate changed with the advent of “big box” stores competing for clients.

“Those [customers] who are time-stretched and have to, for example, get out and get that yard project done, want to come in, grab and go,” Matteson said.

He sees customers as using his hardware store as a place to find an item when running to a larger store just isn’t time efficient. Matteson recognizes modern customers are busy or driven by job demands, and want to get in and out of the store quickly.

He also knows his store can offer help to a

“Do-it-Yourselfer” who has a home project and needs assistance identifying exactly what is needed to complete the project.

“We help the customer with what they need the first time. Nobody wants to go back [to the store with a return],” Matteson said.

He even suggests that with cellphone technology, clients take a picture of their project and the picture can help his staff.

“There’ll be someone at the store that can help you out with it,” he said.

Mike Harrington, owner of Harrington’s Fine Jewelry on Liberty Street in Morris, said the same thing: local means personal customer service.

He talked about selling a wedding ring to a couple, and then some years later seeing the woman with her children in town.

The business, Harrington said, is “about relation-ships and being responsible to people around me. Things that I do for people may go on for a few generations … the service we give has to be a local thing.”

Building and staying in business involves trust.“On a very important purchase, it makes sense to

deal with people you know,” he said.“Most of my customers are like family to me,”

he added.Clara Miller runs Coley B’s Embroidery in down-

Grundy merchants talk value of doing business locally

Story by Jean TyrellShaw Media Correspondent

For small- town business

owners, shopping

local is more than a trendy

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town Minooka. She specializes in custom embroidery. She said shopping local helps the merchant out as well.

“It helps your local people survive. We live here too,” Miller said.

Money needs to come into local business, she said, so they in turn can support local causes.

She also pointed out another value to the com-munity of locally owned stores – a percentage of the tax paid on purchases goes back to the local community.

John Harrington, finance director of the village of Minooka, said that in any Illinois municipality, 1 percent of the 6 percent amount taxed on pur-chased goods gets returned to the local community.

More money coming into a business means you can hire more people, too, Miller said.

Miller, who has been doing business since 1999, said she can custom make a product in a short turnaround time; something that larger, non-local retailers, may not be able to do.

But like Harrington and Matteson, she agreed that creating quality products and service is of paramount importance to doing business locally.

“If I don’t shop local, that bakery will close,” Matteson said. n

Adam Glerup, an employee at Matteson Ace Hardware, mixes a custom paint color for a customer (above left).

Mike Harrington, owner of Harrington’s Fine Jewelry, often spends one on one time with his customers, showing them jewelry he sells in his store (above right).


Retail

When visitors discover the many unique businesses in downtown Morris, they are often delighted and plan on making the trip again.

They comment on what a wonderful concentra-tion of charming shops and scrumptious restaurants the town has, right in the middle of an ambiance of history.

Karen Gronski, who owns Athletic Outfitters with her husband Eric, said it’s a message she hears all the time from customers.

“We just had a couple in here who had been to Starved Rock and were visiting small towns on their way back,” Gronski said, “and they just couldn’t say enough about Morris and all the wonderful shops. ...That doesn’t happen by accident.”

The Gronskis are members of the Morris Retail Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes business downtown. There are 38 member businesses, composed of jewelry, home décor, clothing, fabric, restaurants, art galleries and several other businesses.

Karen Gronski is treasurer of the association.

“It’s a way of coordinating downtown and organizing us as a group,” she said. “We work to make downtown a destination, not just a place to make one visit to one business. We want to keep our downtown vibrant. We like to make it fun and give people a reason to go down and shop.”

Gronski said it was the Bookers, owners of The Fabric Center, who took them to their first MRA meeting when they bought Athletic Outfitters in 1988. Back then, it was part of the Grundy County Chamber called “Morris Retail Committee.” Four years ago, the association separated from the chamber and became its own organization.

Over the years, the group has done several promotions that it doesn’t do anymore, such as showcase live models in their windows. Gronski said to celebrate springtime, junior high-aged kids would dress up and pose in the windows for shifts.

It was a fun promotion, she said, noting her daughter Lauren was one of the models. She remem-bers her posing in a rowboat in a fishing scene.

Retail association promotes

“All the events we do make shoppers more aware of what we have here.

”6 • MORRIS DAILY HERALD • GO MAGAZINE

For more information about Morris Retail Association and its events, visit www.shopmorrisil.com or the association’s Facebook page.

Another event that has gone by the wayside was a game of riddles that ran in the Morris Daily Herald. Each riddle had to do with the downtown businesses. An Easter promotion had competitors adding up the number of eggs in shop display windows.

“We’ve tried many things,” Gronski said.MRA Chairwoman Jane Kerr, of Apple Butter/

Shugies, said it’s about keeping downtown Morris a thriving destination. The two most popular events it hosts each year are Girls Night Out, which is scheduled this year for May 8, and Midnight in Morris, which will be Dec. 5.

Residents and out-of-towners alike schedule those two events in their calendars each year, Kerr said, and they bring friends and family for a fun night out. It’s also a tradition to wear pajamas to Midnight in Morris.

The dues to be a member of the Morris Retail Association are $300 a year, and it all goes to adver-tising. It has paid off, too, the retailers say.

Kelly Norby, owner of Le Mouton Rouge

Knittery, said the MRA has definitely brought her more business.

“They just do so many nice things downtown to draw people in,” she said. “All the events we do make shoppers more aware of what we have here.”

There’s even an insurance company in the retailers’ association.

“It keeps me connected with what’s going on downtown,” said Terri Gilmoure, owner of Country Financial. “They make sure the downtown remains vibrant. ... I think they’ve done an unbelievable amount of good here. They are pushing our down-town in places people don’t even realize.”

Last year, the Morris Retail Association hosted five events – Cabin Fever Days, Girls Night Out, Sidewalk Sale Days, Under the Harvest Moon, and Midnight in Morris.

A new event for 2014 will be the Ugly Christmas Sweater Extravaganza, which will be held during Home for the Holidays right after Thanksgiving. Money will be raised for charities at all of this year’s MRA events. n

KellyNorby, owner of Le Mouton Rouge Knittery arranges the yarn in her Liberty Street store (opposite page).

Local Morris stores like Apple Butter /Shugies like to stock items that are Morris specific (top left).

LeMouton Rouge Knittery prides itself in stocking vibrant hard to find yarns for it’s customers (top right).

Colorful yarns are on display in Le Mouton Rouge Knittery(bottom left).

Apple Butter/Shugies is welcoming spring, carrying items for the garden (bottom right).

Story by Jeanne MillsapShaw Media Correspondentdowntown shops


Moving Into 2014 wIth MoMentuM

AccomplIshments And AchIevements from 2013:Internship Program

Thanks to the support of the education and business communities, professional, summer internships were awarded to 12 students. In 2014, we are planning for 28 internships.

New Development

During the 2013 year, nearly $130 million of new investments in Grundy County were committed or under construction. These projects included: Trader Joe’s, AirGas, MetalStamp, Primus, and the Inland Logistics Port of Coal City.

GoAls/chAllenGes for thIs yeAr:Continue to attract quality jobs to the area to lessen the unemployment rate.

Apply and receive acceptance for a Grundy County Enterprise Zone.

Work proactively to attract private investment in Grundy County.

Continue to work in attracting a four year university to locate in the County.

Business


What a difference a few years make. Thankfully, Grundy County is attracting significant new investment and new jobs. During 2013 and into 2014, nearly $150 million in new investment is planned for our communities and those projects represent the creation, and in some cases retention, of nearly 740 jobs.

Here’s a line-up of exciting new projects ahead:

Trader Joe’s is open for business. Grundy County

was successful in attracting Trader Joe’s logistic facility after a multi-state search in 2012. Construc-tion began in late 2012 and opened in Fall 2013. Slated to eventually employ upwards of 500 people, the $80 million project is a great addition to ProLogis International Centre South.

Airgas, one of the nation’s largest suppliers of industrial, specialty and medical supplies has chosen a site in Minooka as its new Midwest location. The state of the art air separation unit will be in production in the Spring, 2015. Airgas will provide approximately 50 quality jobs.

Locally headquartered company, Primus Electronics began construction on an expansion to its facilities constructed in 2008. Primus is a leading wireless telecommunications distribution company located on Sandridge Road in unincorporated Grundy County. The company current employs approximately 60 people and the expansion will add 11 new positions.

Metalstamp was considering a move outside the area until they found a site in Minooka where they are now constructing a multi-million dollar facility. Metalstamp is a progressive electronic metal stamping manufacturer primarily serving the auto industry. The new facility will retain 44 employees and an additional 8 quality jobs will be provided as the business grows.

Utility Concrete Products, LLC is a leading Midwest precast concrete company. UCP produces precast concrete products for the communication, electrical, and transportation industries among others. The company located in Channahon in 2003 and now ten years later is planning a multi-million dollar expansion to serve new customers and add new products to its successful line. UCP is one of the areas larger employers with approximately 120 people on staff and nearly 40 new jobs are anticipated with the expansion.

NFI Industries is currently under construction in ProLogis International Centre South. It is anticipated they will be opening for business this year. The new logistics facility anticipates hiring nearly 180 employees for the 77,000 square foot building. The strategic Minooka location was important in their decision to locate in Grundy County.

Inland Logistics Port of Coal City announced its plans to construct a 225 acre rail served industrial park. The Village of Coal City and the Union Pacific Railroad entered into an agreement to construct the lead track into the park, an important first step.

Further site development is anticipated for 2014.

Grundy Workforce Initiative

This year, the Grundy Summer Internship program will set a new benchmark. There are 27 internships available for local high school juniors and seniors at 12 different businesses throughout Grundy County. There was also a record number of applicants. Nearly 179 students have applied for the positions. This is a great opportunity for students to discover professional careers available in their communities while businesses receive quality students for the future workforce. Thanks to the support of Senator Rezin, and business and education leaders, this program will continue to be a pipeline for employment in Grundy County.

Pending Projects not yet Confirmed

Costco - $110 million meat processing facility proposed for Morris. Within a year, this project could employ approximately 100 people.

Blair Road Hotel – A nationally recognized franchise hotel is being proposed for Minooka. The hotel would have 83 rooms, an indoor pool, and meeting rooms. n

Submitted by Nancy Ammer, Chief Executive Officer, GEDC


As it approaches its second year, the summer internship program for area high school students has exploded in growth this year.

Last year, 12 students interned at three companies. This summer, there are 28 open positions with 12 companies.

“We’ve had an overwhelming response,” said Lance Copes, director of the Grundy Area Vocational Center, which provides vocational opportunities to local high school students in fields including automotive technology, building trades, criminal justice, health and welding, among other industries.

“It’s been tremendous.”The internship program was

initiated by state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, last year for the purpose of introducing young men and women to careers available in Grundy County. There was a mutual desire, she said, of educators and industry to bring college students back to the area after graduation.

A partnership was formed with the four local high schools – Coal City, Gardner-South Wilmington, Minooka, and Morris – and local businesses, coordinated by the GAVC and Grundy Economic Development Council.

Copes said he knows the reason the program has tripled this year.

“We provided them with the best students,” he said, “and they were overwhelmed by them and what they were able to accomplish.”

Copes said Aux Sable Liquid Products was a champion of the program during its inception and

again this year, awarding four internships both summers.

“We were literally blown away by the quality of students who we brought in last year,” said Scott Seibert of Aux Sable. “It was refreshing to see.”

Last year, Aux Sable had interns in its accounting, IT, legal and engineering departments. This summer, a position with its pipeline group will replace legal, and that intern will be able to go out into the field and assist with inspections, help locate lines, post flags and perform other jobs.

It can be challenging to create meaningful jobs for the students, Seibert said, but the interns are bright and have been able to catch on quickly. Aux Sable even had one of its interns return to work during Christmas break at her request. Seibert said the company may bring back a couple of its former interns for more summer work.

The possibility even exists, he added, for a more intensive relationship with an intern that could involve scholarships in return for a commitment to return to work for the company after college graduation.

Last year’s participating industries included Aux Sable, Grainger, and Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers. Copes said several additional businesses signed on this year, including Metal Stamp, Rezin Orthopedics, Spaceco Inc., and LyondellBasell.

Coal City School District 1 Super-intendent Kent Bugg has been a key supporter of the internship program.

“It’s been a focus of mine for about five years,” he said. “We have so many talented kids here who go to college then don’t come back. We have amazing kids, and we don’t want to lose them to communities like Naperville and Chicago.”

Juniors and seniors have already applied for this summer’s intern-ships by submitting a portfolio of their qualifications, including school transcripts and a resume. The packets have been sent to the industrial part-ners who are scheduling interviews.

In addition to the students

learning more about careers in their hometowns, Copes said they learn interviewing skills and how to write effective resumes, subjects GAVC stresses to all its students. They also get a chance to work in their chosen field and determine if it’s really what they want to do for a living.

“If they don’t like it,” he said, “they can make a change while they’re still in high school. There are so many different ways of winning with this program.” n

Summer internship program explodes with growth

Story by Jeanne Millsap | Shaw Media Correspondent

Local internship program creates opportunities for area students

Education

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When you hear “Chamber of Commerce”, what do you think of? Do you think, ‘oh, that’s the place to get event information...’ or ‘they sell gift certificates…’ or ‘that’s where I call to find a certain area business…?’ Well, the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry are all of those things and more.

Simply, the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry represents businesses in and around Grundy County and our Visitor’s Center has information on events that take place in and around the County. The visitor’s center stuff is easy – with the help of various organizations, the Visitor’s area is stocked with recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike. We welcome new residents to the area with ‘welcome packets’ and provide maps and resource guides to folks visiting our area.

The Chamber portion is a little more complex. Businesses become members of the Chamber and we, in turn, promote their business through a variety of outlets including: our website, our business referral program, our member directory and our new resident greeter program. We create events that help members meet their next customer. Events like our monthly Business After Hours, our annual Golf Outing and our Family Fest community expo give members more opportunities to network and market their businesses/organizations. Programs like our Lunch & Learn and Training Workshops, offer educational opportunities to members and their employees. At our leads (or referral) group meeting, I introduce the Chamber as an organization that helps small and medium size businesses with their marketing and human resource needs. It’s part of my 30 second spiel on the Chamber and since many of the busi-nesses involved with the Chamber are small and medium size businesses – it’s a good description of our focus.

Members are also the only businesses that can redeem the Chamber Gift Certificates – which last year totaled to over $145,000. These certificates are very popular – people buy them for birthdays, weddings, graduation gifts. Businesses use them to recognize employees for safety and service awards. They are a great way to say thanks to a coach, teacher, or good friend.

As you can tell the emphasis is on ‘members’. Do we allow non-members to take part in programs and events? Sure, but we charge more. Why, because it is through the members that the Chamber is able to grow the programs and services it offers. The members finance the building that residents visit as well as the staff that answer the phones, create the publications and coordinate the monthly activities.

The Chamber is governed by a Board of Directors that set the vision and mission of the organization. They’ve created a multiyear plan that will continue to strengthen and grow the Chamber. This plan has paved the way for the Chamber to open a satellite office in Coal City and merge operations with the Channahon Minooka Chamber. In addition, we’ve created a Chamber Foundation providing Scholarships for local students and a Women in Business division creating professional and personal develop-ment opportunities for area women.

If, after reading this column, you are still not sure what the Chamber does for businesses, visitors and residents, I urge you to visit us at any of our conveniently located offices: the former Rock Island Train Depot at 909 Liberty Street in Morris, in the heart of downtown at 660 S. Broadway in Coal City or near I-80 at 500 Bob Blair Road in Minooka – or anytime on the web at www.grundychamber.com. n

What does the chamber do?

MORRIS

Submitted by Caroline Portlock, Executive Director, Grundy County Chamber of Commerce

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Choosing a healthcare provider is an important decision. Whether you’re lookingfor a primary care provider or a specialist, we offer 165 options in 37 different specialties.Plus, you’ll find providers on the Morris Hospital medical staff in Braidwood, Channahon,Coal City, Dwight, Gardner, Marseilles, Mazon, Minooka, Morris, Newark, Ottawa, Seneca andYorkville. That’s a lot of options, without having to search far from home.

To learn more about the providers byspecialty, visit morrishospital.org/doctors.specialtyspecialty, v, visit morrishospital.org/doctors.isit morrishospital.org/doctors.

go magazine - april 2014

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