JANUARY 2012

InsideJ A N U A R Y 2 0 1 2

The Southern Business Journal is a publication of The

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Ave., Carbondale, IL 62901, or at P. O. Box 2108,

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nationwide as one of the worst years –if not the worst year – for the sale ofhomes. But, the same may not holdtrue for Southern Illinois. With the endof the third quarter of fiscal year 2011,home sales ticked up for the period in10 of 16 Southern Illinois counties.Noteworthy gains in more heavily populated counties – Union, Jackson,Jefferson, Randolph and Williamson –offer hope for a better fourth quarterand 2012. Consumers still are gettingsoaked at the gas pump, but the disparity between the price for a gallonof gas in December to a year earliernearly disappeared. Check the rest ofthe data in Southern Illinois Indicators.

Pages 12-13

ACHIEVEMENTS Who is in the news? Find out who hasbeen hired, who has been promoted orwho has received an award for theirefforts in business. Make sure youcheck out our newest ‘Faces in theNews’ collection of business portraitsand learn more of achievements andhonors in regional businesses. If youknow of a business or business person who deserves recognition foradvanced training, a unique honor or abusiness expansion, please let usknow at sbj@thesouthern.com.

Page 16-19

ON THE COVER Herrin’s Annex Theater has been renovated and is now a café, open for business. Photo by Steve Jahnke.

InsideAmeren Illinois ....................................15

Bank of Marion....................................10

Bill Ecker, State Farm Insurance ..........15

Carbondale Civic Center ...................... 7

Country Financial, Dennis Woodside .... 7

Datalock .............................................. 3

Feirich, Mager, Green & Ryan.............. 15

Hyannis Air Service, Inc. .................... 20

John A. Logan College .......................... 8

Modern Copier, Inc. .......................... 15

Mutual Medical Plans, Inc. ................ 10

Oliver and Associates, Inc. ................ 17

Pepsi MidAmerica ........................ 17, 20

SIU Credit Union ................................ 24

SIU Small Business Development ........19

Southern Illinois Healthcare................ 22

Southern Illinois University.................... 5

Directory of Advertisers

YOUR BUSINESS Asking the right questions: Regardless of the type of business,employers rarely want to talk aboutstaff turnover. It’s uncomfortable formost because the business’s actualturnover is rarely as low as desired.New columnist Angela Holmes-Youngcalls on her human resources expertise in recommending employersto pay attention to turnover; it’s notsomething to be avoided or ignored. It makes better sense to honestly talkabout turnover and take steps tounderstand what the turnover rate issaying about the business.

Page 6

ELDER LAW Runaway government targets homes:The federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 requiresstate Medicaid programs to take backwhatever it paid for the care of a Medicaid applicant. After “spending-down” to qualify for Medicaid, the onlyproperty of substantial value that married couples are likely to own istheir home or farm. Thus, the homenearly always is the main target ofestate recovery – even in the face ofan Illinois Supreme Court decisionthat put limits on estate recoveryactions on homes.

Page 11

INDICATORS Bucking the national trend: The year2011 long may be remembered

Find more business newsat www.sbj.biz.

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 3

Cover StoryLocal leaders

offer tips on how to grow

a business

A desire to grow a business is part of theDNA of every entrepreneur, businessowner and manager. If you sold one widgetlast year, you want to sell two this year.Being a success in Anytown, USA leads to adesire to duplicate efforts in SomewhereElse, America. Efficiency in making oneitem could mean that other products couldbe manufactured just as easily.

But expanding a business is not thateasy. The “want to” (or the “need to”) doesnot necessarily mean expansion success isautomatic. However, with some guidance,a good plan, strong vision and the rightcircumstances, expansion with newproduct or service lines, new locations ornew markets can succeed. Many SouthernIllinois business leaders have done it.

The poster childIf there is a poster child for expanding a

business, it is Ted VanAcker. Adermatologist originally from Michigan,VanAcker began practicing in Herrin in1996 after being recruited by SouthernIllinois Healthcare. He started with threeemployees and a dozen patients. Today,Southern Illinois Dermatology has 13locations through the lower quarter of thestate (including an Anna location thatopened in December) and is just one ofVanAcker’s enterprises. He also is thedriving force behind Dermacare BodyBoutique in Herrin and Murphysboro,Egyptian Day Spa, Egyptian Fitness Centerin Murphysboro and Harrisburg, eventcenters in Murphysboro and WestFrankfort, as well as The Annex Coffee Deliin Herrin. All told, VanAcker now has 110employees.

Most often, he says, the growth of hispractice has come through an invitation of

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Cover Storysorts — hospital personnel asking him tosee patients in their area — but he oftenlooks to simply fill a need.

“Obviously, the greater the need, thegreater likelihood of success,” he explains.

VanAcker says another factor toconsider is competition.

“My thought is why offer a product orservice that is already available within thecommunity when there are so many othercommunities in need and plenty ofbusiness opportunities that are currentlynot being offered,” he says.

He adds that expanding a business intonew territories brings with it economicadvantages.

“Expansion allows a business to benefitby growing off of a well-establishedplatform. That having been said, it isimportant to make sure a business has agood, successful and profitable workingmodel before attempting expansion ofthat business.”

Expansion leads to economies of scale,which have allowed Southern IllinoisDermatology to purchase supplies andmaterials in bulk and centralize functionssuch as billing, accounting, marketing andinformation technology. VanAcker addsthat with multiple offices, he has quicklylearned how to streamline and standardizebusiness practices. Since some of hissatellite offices are used just one or twodays each week, he’s entered intoagreements with other medical providersto also use the facilities in a cost-savingsand sharing arrangement.

New locationsMike Mills of 17th Street Bar & Grill did

not set out to own four restaurants inSouthern Illinois and be a part ofestablishments in New York and LasVegas.

“In some ways, all of thoseopportunities looked for us,” says AmyMills Tunnicliffe, Mills’ daughter, whohandles marketing and special projects forthe Murphysboro-based barbecuer. “Wenever sat down and wrote a businessstatement. For us, a huge part of success isbeing authentic, communicate, surroundyourself with good people and just lookaround.”

Expansion to Marion came after years ofcourting by the city, culminating in thenaming of a street — 17th Street, of course

(Marion’s only numbered street) —specifically for the restaurant. In O’Fallon,17th Street took over the location of apreviously successful business; and, inSparta, the restaurant was asked to takeover an existing restaurant. The out-of-state efforts also were the results ofentrepreneurs reaching out to Mills.

Still, Mills and Tunnicliffe did theirhomework in considering new locations.

“What we’re looking for is traffic, officebuildings, because you have to have alunch crowd to succeed, and location. It’sa matter of location, location, location,”Tunnicliffe says, invoking the time-honored real estate cliché.

In addition to adding locations, she saysother expansion efforts have succeeded, aswell.

“Everything that we do contributes tothe whole,” she says of branded foodproducts and T-shirts available forpurchase. “We used to have just one shirt,and Dad said we weren’t in the T-shirtbusiness, but they do add to the bottomline. They absolutely are helping to brandthe business, and they take the brand allover the world. We’re not making a hugeamount on apparel, but it adds to thewhole.”

PeopleBoth Tuncliffe and VanAcker say that

expansion efforts require high-qualityemployees, who share the vision andvalues of business leaders.

“First of all, you have to continue todevelop good people, who can be yourbrand when you’re not there. You can’t bein four places at once,” Tunnicliffe adds.“They have to be good people who eat,sleep and drink your brand and that youcan trust. The people you surroundyourself with are key; we’re hiring forpersonality and the emotional quotient,not other things.”

VanAcker says he looks for staffmembers who have personality and peopleskills.

“I like to hire people that I feel have theskills to manage other people and do itwell and do it nicely,” he says. “I think thathas had a lot to do with our success.”

Dave Jackson, owner of Jackson Poolsand Spas in West Frankfort and Du Quoin,says personnel concerns in expansionshould not be limited to employees. Thatmeans making sure family members “buyin” to expansion, as well as having theright staff.

“Look at family first and rememberyou’re into this together,” he says. “Don’trisk it if you don’t have the support athome. Likewise, don’t do it if you don’thave the right employees. If I have amillion pool stores, but don’t have qualitypeople to run them and serve thecustomers, I’d be in a world of trouble.”

Taking care of those employees also canbe more difficult after expansion. ToddDarnstaedt of Today’s Technology AutoRepair in Carbondale discoveredincreasing the size of his staff, as part ofrelocation to a larger building, meant morework outside of fixing cars.

“When you go from three employees toeight, it brings in a new aspect ofbusiness,” he says. “Now, it makes sense tome why companies have full-time humanresources people to handle everything.”

Darnstaedt adds that the growing painsof expanding a business affect not justmanagers, owners and employees, but alsocustomers.

“Whenever customers talk to the sameperson all of the time, you have to becareful when you bring a new employee in,because customers have to becomecomfortable with the new employee,” heexplains. “I’m big on introductions andtaking the time to talk up the newemployee and his experience tocustomers. That sets the customer atease.”

FROM PAGE 3 Things to think about before expanding your businessWill economies of scale benefit your business model?Can you reach new customers less expensively by doing business in new places or

by offering new services? Are there ways you can bring down costs through cost- orfacility-sharing agreements like Dr. Ted VanAcker?

Have you done your homework?Are your competitors expanding? Where are your clients? Amy Mills Tunnicliffe

cautions businesses considering expansion to think about “cannibalization.” Willyour new locations hurt your already-established business?

How will you fund expansion?Are your accounts receivable a mess? If so, you probably need to focus on the health

of your existing core business before starting a new venture.Can your business survive expansion?Do you have trusted leaders who share your passion and vision? Are you willing to

delegate and be more “hands-off”? Are you already personally stretched too thin?Remember, customers will feel your growing pains, too.

Will growing dilute your passion?Does expansion take you away from why you started the business in the first place?

If you’re not excited about your business, your employees and customers won’t beeither.

— LES O’DELL

STEVE JAHNKE / SBJThe SI Dermatology building in Murphysbororesides in what was formerly a post office.

STEVE JAHNKE / SBJBridgett Granados of Murphysboro gets herreceipt after purchasing some items from theDermacare Body Boutique at SI Dermatologyin Murphysboro.

SEE COVER / PAGE 9

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JANUARY 2012SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL6

Your BusinessWho, where, why, when and how:

Asking the right questions about your turnover

The question noone wants to answer:What is yourturnover? We haveall been asked thisquestion. Maybe youwere asked at ameeting by acolleague. Maybeyou were asked by apotential client or in

front of a group of people at a networkingevent. Did you smile and answer thequestion proudly? Did you stutter with ananswer because, honestly, you do notreally know? Did you fudge the numbers abit to make yourself and your employerlook better? I think we can agree thissituation has happened to all of us at onetime or another. Talking about turnover isuncomfortable for most of us because ouractual turnover is rarely what we want it tobe — zero. Don’t ignore this problem anylonger. Talk about turnover and take stepsto understand what it is telling you.

Turnover can be categorized asvoluntary or involuntary. Someorganizations even label turnover as“good” or “bad,” but truly all turnover isundesirable for many reasons. Highturnover reflects poorly on yourorganization because it is a metric that isassociated with employee morale andquality, among other things. Basically,high and sometimes average turnover isalmost always an indicator of a largerproblem. Make sure your business tracksmonthly turnover and reviews that dataoften. This tracking task is often assignedto human resources, which is fine, butensure that the data is shared. Someorganizations ask managers or supervisorsto track it, as well. These reports should bereviewed by your CEO and all of your topmanagement.

In addition to generally tracking yourturnover, the details of each instance ofturnover should be reported. If theemployee left voluntarily or resigned,there are several questions that should be

asked to ensure all relative data isgathered. What is the reason that theperson left? Is this person leaving for moremoney elsewhere, fewer work hours, ordoes this person not like the job itself? Didthis employee have issues with his/hermanager or problems with co-workers? Becareful that your supervisors are not justsweeping the details under the rug.Oftentimes, if there is a problem with asupervisor, the turnover may be justifiedwith a simple comment, “That personneeded to go.” You may hear the phrase,“If they don’t want to work here, there areplenty of people that do.” Be careful ofcomments like these that may bedistracting you from understanding thetrue reason for the resignation and thepossible problem that exists. You needfactual details and data in order to analyzethe underlying issues. Do not stop yourinvestigation with one person. Ask others,including co-workers. If the reason thatthis person left is an indicator of a biggerissue, you need to know. This datacollection investigation should becompleted quickly, so any problems can beaddressed. Leaving unsolved issues maycause other good employees to jump ship.

If the employee was fired, do you knowwhy? Was there a conduct issue? Was apolicy violated? Who approvesterminations at your organization beforethey happen? Look to see if thistermination is consistent with othersimilar situations. Additionally, was aninvestigation conducted into whathappened before the employee wasterminated? Was the employee given hisor her chance to explain what happened?Do you have a standard investigation thatyou employ in this scenario? The list ofpotential questions that you can ask hereis long. Ensure that confidential recordsare kept, detailing all terminations. Reviewtermination patterns by manager anddepartment. Is one manager responsiblefor most of your turnover?

Turnover is expensive. We all knowthat, but just how expensive is it? Take thetime to actually quantify your cost ofturnover. Whether you do it or youdelegate the project, take the time to

include all relevant cost items. Include thecost of the recruiting and selectionprocess. Add in the post-offer checks andtesting. Include all of the time spent by HRstaff and managers during all of thoseinterviews. Don’t forget to include benefitcosts and other recognition programs. Ifall new hires get a cake party, a parkingplace and a uniform, include those costs,too. Don’t forget to include all trainingcosts for both the new hires and thetrainer who is training them. Aftergathering this data and adding it all up,you may be surprised at exactly how muchmoney you are losing when someonewalks out your door.

After calculating your organization’scost of turnover by person, take thatnumber and apply it to your annualturnover. This dollar figure can bestaggering if you have had even a fewemployee turnovers in the year. Let’s faceit; people are some of the biggestinvestments that an organization willmake. This applies to all industries andnot-for-profits, as well.

Don’t let your turnover scare you anymore. Use data and analysis to unlock thestory that the turnover is telling you. Onceyour turnover is quantified, you may beable to see some correlations. Use the datato ask questions. Don’t forget to share thedata and analysis with others to see whatconclusions they make. Compare yournumbers to the industry average and alsoto other employers in Southern Illinois.

Keep an open mind. You might besurprised at what the turnover data willtell you. One of my clients wasexperiencing high turnover only on thefirst shift. After analyzing the data andlooking at the reasons why people wereleaving, he found his answer. Employeeswere eventually being fired for coming inlate too many times. When asked whythey were late so much, each employeesaid that the shift started too early, andgetting there on time consistently wasalmost impossible, no matter what timethat person went to bed. The employerreviewed the first shift start time, whichwas 4 a.m. The only reason the shiftstarted at 4 a.m. was because that was

“the way they had always done it.” Afterthe employer changed the start time to 6 a.m., the attendance problems andturnover issues went away.

Finally, ask your HR department to doan exit survey with employees on their lastday. Most employees on their way out maynot tell you everything that you hope tolearn, but you are bound to get someinformation. A company I worked forpreviously decided to mail out exit surveysonce the former employee had been gonefor a few months. The mailing included aself-addressed stamped envelope for thesurvey to be returned.

At the end of the day, turnover makes usall look bad. It is a failure on the part of thecompany in one way or another. Ourselection process may not haverecommended the best candidate. Maybewe failed to train the employee, and thatperson was not competent to perform thetasks required. It is possible thatmanagement did not mentor the newemployee. If a policy was broken or issuesexisted, we failed to rehabilitate theemployee. Understand your turnover.Understand what it is costing you. Use thetools you have, or develop new proceduresto attack your root causes for turnover.

Key questions to ask when analyzingturnover data:lWho? (name of terminated employee)lWhere? (department or section of

terminated employee, position vacant)lWhy? (reason employee gave for

resignation or termination reason)lWhen? (length of time employee

worked there (seniority), last day worked,termination date)lHow? (method used by employee;

length of notice, if provided)Next month: On-boarding. What is it

and why should I try it?

ANGELA HOLMES-YOUNG is a managementand human resources consultant for YourProfessional Partners, Inc. in Marion. Sheconsults with clients of all sizes in a variety ofhuman resource areas and executivecoaching. You can reach her by email atangela@yourprofessionalpartners.com or bycell at 618-559-9399.

Holmes-Young

BY ANGELA HOLMES-YOUNGSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

JANAUARY 2012 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 7

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Entrepreneur’s MailbagLife planning is the new resolution

Going into 2003, Iwas expecting myfirst son, and, as thenew yearapproached, I foundmyself thinkingabout life in a wholenew way. Prior tothis, my thoughtswere of my corporatelife and of leisurely

activities. What I thought were resolutionsat the time were much bigger and life-changing than I realized, and the primaryreasons that The Entrepreneur Café, LLCexists today. Back then, I was working acorporate job, but didn’t find it veryenjoyable. I was spending more hours atmy desk than I cared to and wishing all thewhile that I could be at home hanging outwith my son. Looking back, what I trulydesired was more time to spend with thoseI loved most, greater control over myschedule, a little more joy and fulfillmentin my days and the opportunity to impactthe world. I knew that I wouldn’t get towhere I wanted to be without facing sometough questions, and, in doing so, I woulduncover answers that would alter the restof my life.

Developing a life plan is a process to helpyou better identify your personal andprofessional priorities. A decade ago,owners started businesses with a success-at-all-cost approach, which doesn’t leavetime for much else. Today, manyentrepreneurs are starting businesses andrunning them in a manner that fits theirlifestyle and provides them with animproved quality of life. If you are juststarting out in business, a life plan can helpguide you through the developmentalstages, so that you build a company thatmakes you happy and is in step with howyou live. If you happen to be wellestablished, then a life plan could be yourreality check.

When I sat down to do my life plan, Iwas looking to better define myself as anentrepreneur and build a structure for howThe Entrepreneur Café, LLC would be run.One of the first things that came to mindcentered on my core values. My corevalues included hard work, valuing people

and having an impact on my community.Being raised by my great-grandmother, Iwas able to lean on many of the greatlessons she taught me in building afoundation for my business. I’m also a firmbeliever that a dream and somedetermination can take you a long way. Atthis stage in life, what is it that you dreamabout? Or, has your day-to-day becomemundane or routine? Thankfully, I stilldream with the same “anything ispossible” attitude that I had when I was akid. One of the toughest things I face inbusiness these days is when I encountersomeone, who, because of life’scircumstances, has stopped dreaming orsimply forgotten how. The next question isan important litmus test of where youmight be in life right now. Are youcurrently having fun? Or, put another way,are you happy? If you are a businessproprietor, the answer to this questionmay change by the second as the economygoes; but, I urge you to ask the questionand then be patient enough to wait for anhonest answer.

When I started working on my life plan,my list of personal questions was prettyexhaustive. I pondered the type ofemployees and work environment Iwanted to have, what my financial goalswere, and how my small efforts wouldimpact the world around me. As a result ofthis process, I now live a life centeredaround my faith, family, impacting otherpeoples’ lives and, oh yeah, I happen to runa company that gives me the freedom to beactively involved in all of those things.Whether you are already in business andplanning your company’s next steps or justsetting out in 2012, I would encourage youto set the resolutions aside and trydeveloping a life plan. Earlier, I asked if youwere happy in your current occupation,business or the manner in which you runyour business. If not, what questions doyou need to ask, and what changes do youneed to make so that things turn outamazingly different in the upcoming year?

CAVANAUGH L. GRAY is the director ofbusiness development for The EntrepreneurCafé, LLC. For information on developing alife plan or for more information on how tostart, grow and succeed in small business, besure to follow The Entrepreneur Café, LLC onTwitter @TheECafe or at www.ecafellc.com.

Gray

BY CAVANAUGH L. GRAYSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Economics of expansionDarnstaedt says the expansion of Today’s

Technology from a 1,500-square-footfacility to one four times as large was madepossible in part by a sluggish economy,adding that the per-square-foot cost of thenew location is about half as much as thesmaller facility.

“It was an economic decision for us. It wasa good time to expand a business because theeconomy was down; the banks were muchmore willing to listen to us and more willingto take a risk.”

“A bad economy can lead to lots of goodopportunities,” says Robyn Laur Russell,director of business development andinternational trade at SIU.

In fact, she says tough times can be theperfect impetus for expanding a business.

“In the time of a downturn, if you’re notmaking your core revenue or even therevenue that you are used to making, youneed to look at additional revenue streams orways of increasing profit margins,” she says.

Expansion can include taking action onpreviously-shelved ideas, new locations,additional products or service lines, she says,or even taking your business global bybeginning to market internationally.

Additionally, she says prior to consideringany expansion, business leaders should makecertain that the business is healthy enoughto grow by carefully analyzing financialstatements, market conditions and plans.

Sometimes it is best to grow very slowly,Jackson says. His Du Quoin location begansimply as a seasonal outlet for poolchemicals. Once that was successful (“Itwent through the roof,” he says), hetransitioned the location to a full-servicestore with pools and spas. Now, plans are inthe works for a new chemical outlet inRandolph County later this year.

“I want to do it right,” he says. “We’re notgoing to expand and have our existing storessuffer. We’ll start off small and grow as themarket is ready. We’ll go with baby steps.”

Still, Jackson hopes to eventually expandthe location into his third store becausegrowing a business gets easier withexperience.

“Expansion allows a business to replicateits products/services with much less effortthan developing the template of the originalbusiness,” VanAcker says. “Most everythingin life is easier and improved upon whenduplicated or replicated over and over.”

LES O’DELL of Carbondale is a regularcontributor to Southern Business Journal andThe Southern Illinoisan.

JANAUARY 2012 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 9

Financial PlanningIt’s all up to you: A post-divorce action plan

You have justgone through oneof the mostchallenging anddifficult periods awoman canexperience in herlife — a divorce.While many thingsmay still be up inthe air, one aspect

of your life that you should make sureyou’re in control of is your finances.

Financial planning for divorcedwomen is not that much different thanfinancial planning for married couples.Several basic elements are the same.However, the differences offer both goodnews and bad news. The good news: Youcan make plans and decisions basedsolely on your needs and goals. Therewon’t be miscommunication orconflicting ideas. The bad news: It’s allin your hands. Any mistakes will be yourown, and a poor decision can’t besalvaged by the income or assets of apartner.

The following post-divorce actionplan offers a few things worthconsidering:

One way to counter the bad news is tofind a trusted professional to seek advicefrom.

After a divorce, friends are often splitbetween spouses. Financialrepresentatives can be the same way. Ifyou lost yours in the divorce or never hadone to begin with, it’s a good time toconsider finding a professional who canhelp you make sound financial decisionsfor your new life.

To find one, start simply. Ask friendsor acquaintances who helped themwhen they went through a divorce. Theattorney who handled your divorce mayalso be a good source for a referral. It’simportant that the person who helps youis someone who has previously assistedor, best of all, specializes in helpingdivorced women.

Selecting the right financialprofessional for you is a critical step.After all, this person will be helping you

with the important financial decisionsyou now have to face. You may want toconsider the services of a certifiedfinancial planner professional,considered by many to be the goldstandard amongst adviser credentials,because this person is capable ofhandling a broad array of financialchallenges.

Long-term care insurance maybecome even more important post-divorce.

Long-term care policies are designedto cover the costs of care if you areunable to care for yourself because of ageor if you become ill or disabled. Long-term care is especially important forwomen because they typically pay morefor it than men do. The reason is simple:women typically live longer than menand usually require longer care duringthose additional years.

A woman’s retirement is usually moreexpensive than a man’s.

The reason that women usually needlong-term care insurance more thanmen is the same reason that retirementincome planning for women may bemore important. Women live, onaverage, five to 10 years longer than men.Eighty-five percent of people over 100are women. This means a woman’sretirement savings must, on average, bestretched out over a larger number ofyears.

While, in general, retirement planningfor a single person is easier in many waysthan for a couple, remember, you can nolonger rely on a spouse’s financialresources if a mistake is made. It’simportant to review your Social Securityestimates, any pensions you have andyour retirement assets. You can thencompare that to the kind of lifestyle youwould like to have during retirement.

Because retirement may be moreexpensive, you may want to make anemployer-sponsored retirement plan alarger deciding factor in any job search.Also, you may decide that you mustretire at a later date than you hadoriginally planned.

Update your beneficiaries andconsider using a trust to help manageyour assets. People often forget toupdate the beneficiaries of their life

insurance and retirement accounts aftera divorce. If not changed, your ex-husband may stand to inherit a largeportion of your assets. Also, the estatelaws give certain breaks to marriedcouples that are not available to a singleperson. Establishing the proper type oflegal trust may be a way to pass alongmore of your assets to your heirs, ratherthan to the IRS.

Finally, after you have moved on fromyour divorce, there may come a timewhen you consider remarriage. It’simportant that you understand thefinancial effects this may have. If youwere married longer than 10 years, youmay be collecting or entitled to 50percent of your ex-husband’s SocialSecurity benefit. If you remarry, you willno longer have that right. While you willbecome entitled to your new husband’sbenefit, you must know if your newhusband’s benefit will be lower orhigher, and how that will affect yourretirement.

Remarriage can also lead to blendedfamilies, blended assets and blendedincome. Your new husband may have hisown family from a previous relationship.A financial professional can help the twoof you prepare for this blending thatsatisfies the financial needs of each ofyou, as well as your new family.

While it’s all in your hands, partneringwith a financial professional can helpyou move on to the next phase of yourlife with a more solid plan for yourfinancial future.

SCOTT MCCLATCHEY is a certified financialplanner with Alliance Investment PlanningGroup, a Carbondale investment firmlocated at 115 S. Washington St. He can bereached at 618-519-9344 orscott@allianceinvestmentplanning.com.He also provides investment, retirementplanning and insurance services to SIUCredit Union members through the SIUCredit Union Investment Servicespartnership. Securities offered through LPLFinancial, member FINRA/SIPC.

McClatchey

BY SCOTT MCCLATCHEYSBJ CONTRIBUTOR Find more business news

at www.sbj.biz.

COVERFROM PAGE 4

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JANAUARY 2012 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 11

Elder LawProtecting the family home from a runaway government

The homegenerally is thelargest asset amarried couplekeeps, while alsoqualifying forMedicaid, to pay for long-term care.Consequently,it is the main target of estate

recovery by the government.What is estate recovery?The federal Omnibus Budget

Reconciliation Act of 1993 requires stateMedicaid programs to take back whateverit has paid for the care of a Medicaidapplicant. After “spending-down” toqualify for Medicaid, the only property ofsubstantial value that married couples arelikely to own is their home, or, if it is theirhomestead, their farm. Thus, after thesurviving spouse has passed away, thehome nearly always is the main target ofestate recovery.

Without getting technical, thegovernment uses two recoverymechanisms: a lien placed on real estateand other assets; or estate claim filedduring the probate process. In manycases, the government uses bothprocedures to “extract its pound of flesh.”

The home is not “exempt” for all time.At the time the ill spouse applies for

Medicaid benefits to help pay for long-term care, the home is an “exempt” asset.The home continues to be “exempt” aslong as the community spouse lives there.However, the home loses its protectedstatus when the community spousemoves out of the house or this person’shealth declines and must apply forMedicaid to help pay for his/her ownlong-term care.

In Illinois, if the community spousepasses away, having never receivedMedicaid assistance to pay for his/herown care, the government is supposed tohave no right to recovery against thecommunity spouse’s estate. This wasestablished more than five years ago bythe Illinois Supreme Court in Hines vs.Department. The court ruled that, while

the government has a right to go after theassets, if any, of the ill spouse, thegovernment has no right, under federal orstate law, to go after the estate of thecommunity spouse if that person hasnever received Medicaid benefits.

Despite the unambiguous ruling of theIllinois Supreme Court, the Medicaidbureaucracy continues to run amuck,trying to do an end-run around themandate of the Hines case.

Let’s take a look at the facts in Hines.Beverly and Julius were married for

more than 48 years. They had nochildren. In 1994, Julius’ declining healthrequired that he be cared for in a nursinghome. Julius began receiving Medicaidpayments, which continued until he diedin 1997 at the age of 66. The paymentstotaled $61,154.48. No probate estate wascreated for Julius following his death.

Because Julius and his wife, Beverly,held the marital home in joint title, fullownership of the home passed to Beverlywhen Julius died. Beverly lived on forseveral more years, eventually passingaway in May 2001. Unlike Julius, Beverlyneither applied for, nor received,Medicaid payments.

Beverly’s estate contained the home shehad once held in joint title with Julius.The home was sold for $69,641.89 duringthe probate process. In July 2001, thegovernment filed a claim against Beverly’sestate to recover the $61,154.48 inMedicaid payments it had made on behalfof Julius between 1994 and 1997.

The case eventually reached the IllinoisSupreme Court, where, based on the factsand an analysis of the applicable federaland state Medicaid laws, Justice LloydKarmeier (writing for the entire court)ruled that “... federal law does notauthorize a state to seek reimbursementof Medicaid payments from the estate of arecipient’s spouse.” Further, JusticeKarmeier decreed that, under Illinois law,the house could not be deemed part ofJulius’ estate for purposes of thedepartment’s action for reimbursementof the Medicaid payments made on hisbehalf; accordingly, “the proceeds fromthe sale of that property are therefore notsubject to the department’s claim.” Toread the entire decision, go towww.state.il.us/court/opinions/supreme

court/2006/may/opinions/html/100841.htm.

With the Illinois Supreme Court havingclarified the law more than five years ago,you would think that the government hashad sufficient time to get its case workersand auditors operating in compliancewith the law. Well, it has not. And, fromthis author’s perspective, it has nointention of doing so.

For example, the Illinois Medicaidbureaucracy has recently sought to avoidHines in three cases, in which thecommunity spouse did not apply for orreceive Medicaid: the community spousehad transferred his/her home to children;the community spouse had put his/herhome into a revocable living trust; andthe will of the community spouse set up atestamentary supplemental needs trustfor the benefit of his/her spouse in anursing home.

[Note: The transfer of the home by thecommunity spouse to a revocable livingtrust, or outright to her children, for lessthan fair market value would haveprevented the community spouse fromgetting Medicaid for himself/herself ifthat person had needed nursing homecare within five years of the transfer.]

In short, despite the decision of theIllinois Supreme Court in Hines,declaring the assets of the communityspouse to be his/hers (with no furtherownership interest by the ill spouse and,thus, unavailable for estate recovery), theMedicaid bureaucracy continues to goafter the homes, homestead farms andother so-called “exempt” assets of thecommunity spouse. With a runawaygovernment that does not respect the law,as declared by the Supreme Court,persons needing long-term care, who donot obtain the help of a knowledgeableattorney, stand little chance ofwithstanding the onslaught of agovernment that is running amuck.

RICHARD HABIGER is author of the Illinoisedition of “How to Protect Your Family’sAssets from Devastating Nursing HomeCosts: Medicaid Secrets.” He is an elder lawattorney, who focuses on asset protection,Medicaid and VA benefits. You may contacthim at 618-549-4529 or info@habigerelderlaw.com.

BY RICHARD HABIGERSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Habiger

ART SERVICESThe home generally is the largest asset a married couple keeps. Consequently, it is the maintarget of estate recovery by the government.

Find more business newsat www.sbj.biz.

S O U T H E R N I L L I N O I S I N D I C A T O R S

100

102

103

104

105

78

90

AJ F M A M J J OM A M

98

94

88

86

84

82

81

80

76

S’10

74

72

70

68

66

64J J A S O N D

’11

Chicago Fed MidwestManufacturing IndexThe CFMMI is a monthly estimate by majorindustry of manufacturing output in the SeventhFederal Reserve District states of Illinois, Indiana,Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. It is a compositeindex of 15 manufacturing industries, includingauto and steel, that uses electrical power andhours worked data to measure monthly changesin regional activity. It is compared here to thenational Industrial Production index forManufacturing (IPMFG). Base year is 2007.Starting in November 2005, the index excludedthe electricity component.

IPMFG Oct 1192.5

CFMMI Oct 1185.5

SOURCE: FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CHICAGO

Williamson County RegionalAirport passengers

884 736 p 20.1%

3,459 2,650 p 30.5%

Oct 11 Oct 10 Change

2010 Change

YTD TOTALS

MONTHLY TOTALS

Anna 89.5 120.9 114.5 113.3 112.3 111.7 p 8.2%Benton 65.7 69.5 69.4 71.4 72.4 75.0 q 7.3%Carbondale 446.8 598.0 565.5 587.7 607.4 610.4 q 2.0%Carterville 32.1 42.2 39.9 40.1 40.3 39.9 p 5.8%Chester 41.7 55.3 52.9 51.5 51.7 54.0 p 2.4%Du Quoin 84.5 77.1 100.8 91.9 94.4 103.1 q 25.2%Harrisburg 161.1 195.0 191.9 179.3 173.6 168.5 p 15.7%Herrin 115.9 153.4 147.2 135.9 134.4 137.5 p 11.6%Jonesboro 8.4 11.8 12.5 12.4 11.3 11.5 p 2.6%Marion 518.8 683.1 676.0 673.4 662.4 592.7 p 15.3%Metropolis 70.4 82.0 77.1 75.9 79.8 74.8 p 9.6%Mount Vernon 400.0 507.0 476.7 482.8 461.5 501.0 p 1.2%Murphysboro 98.6 130.6 129.1 117.1 94.9 93.0 p 40.4%Nashville 85.3 96.6 107.9 101.8 105.2 105.7 q 8.6%Pinckneyville 78.7 38.5 37.2 39.0 35.8 41.7 q 7.7%Red Bud 56.1 75.2 70.1 77.7 73.7 82.5 q 8.8%Sparta 97.6 128.5 126.4 130.5 129.5 133.1 q 3.5%Vienna 31.0 39.9 37.1 40.5 39.8 36.9 p 8.1%West City 66.4 87.8 91.9 89.6 82.8 77.7 p 13.0%West Frankfort 93.0 112.4 111.4 111.2 111.4 106.8 p 5.2%REGION $2,641.6 $3,304.8 $3,235.5 $3,223.0 $3,174.7 $3,157.6 p 4.6%ILLINOIS $115,475.3 $147,232.0 $139,593.2 $237,438.0 $180,162.7 $173,362.8 q 15.1%

YTD Sept 2011City 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006% change

06-10

Retail sales for Southern Illinois cities

SOURCE: LATEST STATISTICS AVAILABLE FROM THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE. FIGURES ARE IN MILLIONS.

Labor force Jobless Oct 2011 Sept 2011 Oct 2010 Change month Change year

Unemployment rates for Southern Illinois counties, state and nation

Alexander 3,058 370 12.1% 11.8% 11.1% p 0.3 p 1.0Franklin 18,016 2,008 11.1% 11.6% 11.5% q 0.5 q 0.4Gallatin 2,648 241 9.1% 8.9% 9.7% p 0.2 q 0.6Hamilton 4,008 331 8.3% 8.1% 9.0% p 0.2 q 0.7Hardin 1,900 194 10.2% 10.0% 10.3% p 0.2 q 0.1Jackson 33,603 2,542 7.6% 7.5% 7.3% p 0.1 q 0.3Jefferson 20,408 1,831 9.0% 8.8% 8.6% p 0.2 p 0.4Johnson 5,311 515 9.7% 9.6% 10.1% p 0.1 q 0.4Massac 7,275 634 8.7% 9.2% 8.0% q 0.5 p 0.7Perry 9,651 1,006 10.4% 10.4% 10.5% 0.0 q 0.1Pope 1,958 184 9.4% 9.5% 10.0% q 0.1 q 0.6Pulaski 2,760 283 10.3% 10.0% 10.0% p 0.3 p 0.3Randolph 15,801 1,282 8.1% 8.1% 8.2% 0.0 q 0.1Saline 13,184 1,278 9.7% 9.6% 9.5% p 0.1 p 0.2Union 8,314 912 11.0% 10.8% 10.4% p 0.2 p 0.6Washington 8,601 607 7.1% 7.0% 7.1% p 0.1 0.0White 7,923 629 7.9% 7.7% 8.0% p 0.2 q 0.1Williamson 35,745 3,053 8.5% 8.6% 8.6% q 0.1 q 0.1 .,REGION 200,164 17,900 8.9% 9.3% 9.3% q 0.4 q 0.4ILLINOIS 6,618,567 630,871 9.5% 9.5% 9.0% 0.0 p 0.5U.S. 154,088,000 13,102,000 8.5% 8.8% 9.0% q 0.3 q 0.5SOURCE: ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. FIGURES ARE NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED. 7,478 2,750 p 171.9%

2009ANNUAL TOTALS

O I S I N D I C A T O R S

Prices at the pumpAverage price per gallon of regular, unleadedgas as of Dec. 19 and Nov. 28, 2011.

694Carbondale

Consumer credit scoreCredit scores are numeric reflections of financialbehavior and credit worthiness and they are basedon information included in a credit report. Rangingfrom 330 to 830, a higher score means a lowercredit risk. Scores are from December 2011.

692U. S.

699State

698Region

SOURCE: EXPERIAN

SOURCE: AAA

Metro East $3.24 $3.20 $3.15Springfield $3.19 $3.17 $3.04Illinois $3.30 $3.40 $3.09U.S. $3.22 $3.30 $2.98

Dec 11 Nov 11 Dec 10

208

222

226

228

O

210

‘10

212

M

214

J J

216

A

218

S

220

NN D J F M’11

A

224

Consumer Price IndexThe CPI measures average price changes of goodsand services over time, with a reference base of 100in 1982-84.To put into context, a current CPI of194.5 means a market basket of goods and servicesthat cost $100 in 1982-84 now costs $194.50.

U.S. city averageNov 11 226.2

Midwest urbanNov 11 215.6

SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

95949392919089

96979899

100101102103104105106107108

J A NM J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D F M A M J

' 09

S O

' 10 ' 11

J

U of I FlashIndex

The Flash Index is an early indicator of the Illinois economy’s expectedperformance. It is a weighted average of growth rates in corporate earnings,consumer spending and personal income. An index above 100 indicatesexpected growth; an index below 100 indicates the economy is contracting.

Nov 11 98.7

Home sales Total units sold, including condominiums

SOURCE: ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Alexander 4 5 q 20.0% 19 15 p 26.7% $41,750 $50,000 q 16.5%Franklin 70 71 q 1.4% 259 258 p 0.4% $40,700 $42,500 q 4.2%Gallatin 5 2 p 150.0% 8 9 q 11.1% $57,000 $35,800 p 59.2%Hamilton 0 0 0.0% 8 7 p 14.3% $0 $0 0.0%Hardin 6 4 p 50.0% 8 13 q 38.5% $80,000 $75,750 p 5.6%Jackson 107 99 p 8.1% 358 382 q 6.3% $100,500 $104,000 q 3.4%Jefferson 87 67 p 29.9% 264 278 q 5.0% $90,000 $78,000 p 15.4%Johnson 20 25 q 20.0% 78 64 p 21.9% $99,750 $62,000 p 60.9%Massac 25 22 p 13.6% 91 92 q 1.1% $70,000 $89,750 q 22.0%Perry 20 27 q 25.9% 116 126 q 7.9% $82,750 $75,000 p 10.3%Pope 5 2 p 150.0% 8 6 p 33.3% $75,000 $15,000 p 400.0%Pulaski 2 1 p 100.0% 6 13 q 53.8% $66,250 $39,000 p 69.9%Randolph 28 31 q 9.7% 131 135 q 3.0% $92,000 $83,900 p 9.7%Saline 38 33 p 15.2% 122 100 p 22.0 % $64,450 $47,000 p 37.1%Union 31 21 p 47.6% 84 94 q 10.6% $99,000 $115,000 q 13.9%Williamson 172 165 p 4.2% 590 654 q 9.8% $115,000 $98,000 p 17.3%ILLINOIS 29,644 24,719 p 19.9% 103,455 107,782 q 4.0% $145,500 $153,000 q 4.9%

Q3 11 Q3 10 Change 2010 2009 Change Q3 11 Q3 10 ChangeMEDIAN SALES PRICE

SOURCE: INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Hotel/motel statsTotal amount of revenue generated in Carbondaleby hotels and motels for room rentals only.

New vehicle sales Total cars, trucks sold based on title applications filed.Excludes motorcycles, trailers.

SOURCE: ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE. LATEST DATA AVAILABLE.

Alexander 10 10 0.0% 126 137 q 8.0%Franklin 80 76 p 5.3% 965 989 q 3.3%Gallatin 25 20 p 25.0% 222 184 p 20.7%Hamilton 18 17 p 5.9% 236 224 p 5.4%Hardin 7 5 p 40.0% 97 94 p 3.2%Jackson 117 125 q 6.4% 1,320 1,348 q 2.1%Jefferson 66 73 q 9.6% 848 842 p 0.7%Johnson 29 23 p 26.1% 327 353 q 7.4%Massac 24 19 p 26.3% 269 278 q 3.2%Perry 53 42 p 26.2% 558 565 q 1.2%Pope 13 6 p 116.7% 73 85 q 14.1%Pulaski 11 9 p 22.2% 129 124 p 4.0%Randolph 70 88 q 20.5% 844 936 q 9.8%Saline 71 68 p 4.4% 793 719 p 10.3%Union 36 43 q 16.3% 486 447 p 8.7%Washington 49 33 p 48.5% 446 515 q 13.4%White 42 44 q 4.5% 571 471 p 21.2%Williamson 148 159 q 6.9% 1,796 1,868 q 3.9%REGION 869 860 p 1.0% 10,097 10,179 q 0.8%

Oct 11 Oct 10 Change 2010 2009 Change

$734,276 $716,125 p 2.5%

$4,460,511 $4,386,234 p 1.7%

July 11 July 10 Change

2009 Change

YTD TOTALS

MONTHLY TOTALS

$7,725,727 $7,520,856 p 2.7%

2008ANNUAL TOTALS

Workplace

JANUARY 2012SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL14

Something to remember: Your employees are your customers

We often spendmuch more timewith our co-workersand customers thanwe do with ourfamilies and friends.Do our relationshipswith our co-workersand customers look

like the relationships we have with ourfamilies and friends? The magic formulathat successful businesses have discoveredis to treat employees like family andcustomers like friends, where the linebetween personal and professional is oftenblurred. When employees are valued, theywork harder.

A company that has a culture that treatsemployees with care and respect also hasthe capability to delight and amaze itscustomers. Great leaders create

environments where employees areempowered and confident. Research hasshown that when employee satisfaction isapproached as aggressively as customersatisfaction, companies place themselveswell ahead of the competition.

As leaders, we must create a culture andan infrastructure that support meaningfulinteractions with both our employees andour customers. Although your customersand employees play different roles in thesuccess of your business, they both

contribute to its longevity. Good employeerelations will affect the bottom line.Having employees who want to do a goodjob will drive revenue and lower costs.

Building a relationship with anemployee involves more than just beingcourteous and nice. It’s about identifying ahuman connection that deepens the senseof trust and confidence and finding acommon bond.

According to Patrick Lencioni, author of

Kirk

BY DENA KIRKSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

InvestmentsWider investment opportunities may be found abroad

Americaninvestors tend to geta bad rap when thediscussion turns toinvesting abroad.Many marketobservers note thatavoiding foreigninvestmentopportunities meansforgoing the

sometimes favorable returns internationalinvesting can offer. American investors aretoo insular, which indicates a lack ofawareness that much of the world’sinvestment value is outside of the U.S.

It is true; only 40 percent of Americaninvestors own foreign stocks or bonds.However insular that may appear, thistrend apparently is less pronounced in theU.S. than in most foreign countries.Figures from Franklin TempletonInvestments show that on a global basis,only 34 percent of investors own assetsbased outside of their home nations. Forinvestors everywhere, it seems, homecountry bias is widespread.

That doesn’t mean it’s wise to ignore theglobal possibilities because research shows

a portfolio leavened with internationalelements can potentially increase returns,sometimes substantially. And, hunting forvalue abroad is no longer the difficultchore it was years ago. Certainly, somespecial risks remain, but others may beeasing. Emerging democracies are beefingup their accounting and financialregulations because they want to presentreliable markets to the world’s investors.Of course, as headlines from the MiddleEast and Europe this year illustrate, thereare pockets where figures can’t be trusted,where accounting systems are notstandardized, where corruption remains aproblem and where political uncertaintymakes investors justifiably wary.

At an earlier time, it was thought thatinvesting abroad gave investors access tomarkets that tended to move differentlyfrom one another and the U.S. markets.Instant communication and globalizationhave negated that to a large degree; and,nowadays, as the last few years haveindicated, the world’s markets tend tomove in tandem.

But, the potential value of investinginternationally will not be denied. Asmeasured by capitalization figures,approximately 58 percent of world stockinvestment potential is located outside ofthe U.S. On the fixed-income front,

60 percent of the world’s investmentopportunities are in developing andemerging economies and in corporationsrepresented on foreign bond markets.

Deciding upon foreign exposureAs with most financial questions, there

is no universal answer concerning thepercentage of your portfolio that might beadvantageously invested in foreign stocksand bonds. Financial experts tend to agreeonly on the idea that foreign exposure is asound idea. How much is a separatequestion, and recommendations can vary,although most seem to settle into the 10 to20 percent range. Only you can decidewhat is prudent and within your owncomfort zone.

Examining your existing portfolioThere is one first step everyone can take,

and that is to look within your portfolio todetermine how much global exposure youalready have. Without trying to go global,you may have investments that areinternational in scope. If you own stock inlarge U.S. firms that do business aroundthe world — think of major oil companies,earth-moving equipment manufacturersor soft drink providers, among others —you have an interest in the global economy

because the income and profits of suchfirms depend to a significant extent onforeign sales and the state of the currencymarket.

If you’re inclined to diversify byassigning a portion of your portfolio toforeign assets, you may want to make thatinclusive of foreign exposure you alreadyhave.

Quantifying the foreign elementYou have several choices in how to

invest abroad — in individual stocks andbonds, through mutual funds or viaexchange-traded funds. The questionremains as to how much of your assets toput in foreign hands.

There is no “correct” apportionment,but one approach considers yourinvestment goals and risk tolerance, alongwith your time horizon. Saving forretirement, with a high-risk tolerance and a longtime horizon, you might hold 20 percent of your large stock portfolio ininternational equities. As your timehorizon shortens and you begin to hold alarger part of your portfolio in fixed-income investments, you might wantsome of those holdings in foreigngovernment or corporate bonds.

Tison

BY MICHAEL P. TISONSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

SEE WORKPLACE / PAGE 23

SEE INVESTMENTS / PAGE 15

JANAUARY 2012 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 15

618.684.6550Toll Free: 800.455.7262

Fax: 618.684.33122139 Walnut St., Murphysboro, ILmodernofficeconnections.com

CopiersPrintersOffice FurnitureCash RegistersP.O.S. SystemsOffice SuppliesShredders

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Attorneys at LawProviding Business and Personal Legal Services to the Midwest

Located in the Westown Centre • 2001 West Main, Carbondale • (618) 529-3000

Visit our web site at www.fmgr.com

Commercial Transactions

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Employment Matters

Municipal Law

Administrative Law

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F M G R

You would probably want to diversifycarefully within the general investmentclasses, ensuring that you have anappropriate mix of large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap exposure among yourequity holdings, and appropriateproportions of government and corporate bonds among your fixed-income assets.

Whatever your decisions, prudent

investors make them carefully and inconsultation with their financial advisers.Investing internationally may addexcitement and novelty to your portfolio,but while the potential advantages are real,so are the risks, and they may be differentfrom what you’re used to on the domesticfront.

MICHAEL P. TISON is an investment adviserand registered principal with Raymond JamesFinancial Services, Inc., with offices inHarrisburg and Marion. He can be reached at618-253-4444 or michael.tison@raymondjames.com.

INVESTMENTSFROM PAGE 14

JANUARY 2012SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL16

Achievements

Poshard receives Ethanol AwardSIU President Glenn Poshard was

recognized by Illinois Corn GrowersAssociation for his work in support of theethanol industry during the association’sannual meeting recently in Bloomington.

Poshard was presented with the EthanolAward, which recognizes thecontributions of individuals who promotethe ethanol industry.

Smith attends Medicareconference

Pat Smith of Pat Smith NurseConsulting, Inc., in Cutler attended theNational Alliance of Medicare Set-SideProfessionals’ annual meeting andeducational conference recently in NewOrleans. Some of the topics discussedwere ethics, liability issues and the latestcourt cases.

Smith, a certified lifetime nurse careplanner and Medicare Set-Asideconsultant, also attended the AmericanAssociation of Nurse Life Care Planners

educational conference in Kansas City,Mo. The focus of this conference wastraumatic brain injury.

Banterra Bank joins OMEGA network

Banterra Bank recently joined OMEGAnetwork of 20-plus banks operatingnationwide. With 7,000 active merchants,OMEGA Processing serves a widespectrum of businesses.

Based in Eldorado, Banterra Bank has 28facilities in Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana andMissouri. A new processing partnershipwith OMEGA Processing Solutions, LLC,the national payments powerhouse fromFort Thomas, Ky., further augmentsBanterra’s commitment to customerservice, particularly to its businesscustomers.

Extra Help, Inc. to receive chamber award

Marion Area Chamber of Commercerecently announced that the 2011

Business/Industry of the Year Award willgo to Extra Help, Inc. in Marion.

Founded in 1995 by Teresa Katubig,Extra Help has 29 employees, withfacilities in Marion, Edwardsville and St.Louis, and more than 1,000 clients in 31states. The chamber will present theaward at its annual banquet Jan. 20 in theWilliamson County Pavilion in Marion.

Hospital earns gold seal of accreditation

Pinckneyville Community Hospital hasbeen awarded a three-year term ofaccreditation in mammography as theresult of a recent American College ofRadiology review.

The ACR gold seal of accreditationrepresents the highest level of imagequality and patient safety.

Esmaeeli named ASME fellowAshgar Esmaeeli, Ph.D., a resident of

Carbondale and an associate professor inthe Department of Mechanical

Engineering and Energy Processes at SIU, has been named a fellow of American Society of MechanicalEngineers.

The fellow grade is the highest electedgrade of membership in ASME.

Steinbach retires,Woosley joins staff

Diana Steinbach recently retired fromthe office of Michael Clay, DMD, inMurphysboro after 46 years as a dentalhygienist. She has worked for threedentists during her career, which has beenspent in the same office in Murphysboro.

Amanda Woosley recently joinedClay’s staff as a dental hygienist. A native of Murphysboro, Woosleygraduated from John A. Logan College’sdental hygiene program.

Porter named appearancecoordinator

Tammy Porter of Marion has beennamed Miss Illinois’ new appearancecoordinator.

Porter is owner and president ofPersonal Health Advocates, Inc. inMarion. She worked as a registered nursefor 20 years in Southern Illinois,Southeast Missouri and WesternKentucky. Her hometown is WestFrankfort.

Hospital to offer mobile nuclear medicine services

Hamilton Memorial Hospital District inMcLeansboro now offers mobile nuclearmedicine services. DMS HealthTechnologies, a national mobile diagnostic imaging services provider,recently signed a multi-year agreementwith the hospital.

The accredited mobile unit offerspatients a clean, clinical setting for theirscan, which is conducted by a professionalnuclear medicine technologist.

Joy Global’s growth leads to NY Stock Exchange

Joy Global, Inc. recently completed thetransfer of its stock listing to the New YorkStock Exchange. The company’s commonstock had been trading on NASDAQ underthe JOYG symbol.

Locally, Joy Global has more than 40employees at facilities in Mount Vernonand Nashville.

Faces in the news

Poshard Smith Woosley PorterSteinbach

Faces in the newsHave you been promoted? Send a photo. Has a colleague at work

completed an intensive continuing education program? Send a photo. Others in the business community will want to know it, so please considerpassing on your employment news and photos to the Southern Business

Journal. Feel free to email the information to sbj@thesouthern.com.

Cagle

Thies Bigham Alcoy PrudencioKruse Clay

Find more business news at www.sbj.biz.

Pepsi MidAmerica Wishes You A Happy and Safe Holiday!A Happy and Safe Holiday!

7 UP Cake with Coconut Frosting RecipeIngredientsCake:1 cup butter, softened½ cup vegetable shortening2 ½ cups sugar5 eggs1 teaspoon lemon extract3 cups flour7 ounces, 7UP, at room temperature

Coconut frosting: 1 egg, beaten¾ cup sugar1 tablespoon flour2 tablespoons butter8 ½ ounces crushed pineapple, undrained3 ½ ounces flaked coconut

Directions: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan and set aside. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and shortening with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add lemon extract. Add flour and 7UP alternately, beating after each addition. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 80 minutes or until cake tests done. Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then turn out cake onto wire rack to cool completely. Prepare icing: In a small saucepan, cook egg, sugar, flour, butter and pineapple with juice over very low heat (if heat is too high, the egg will curdle). Stir frequently and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and blend well. Spread on cooled cake.

icing: In a small saucepan, cook egg, sugar, flour, butter and pineapple with juice over very low heat (if heat

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1.800.827.7020

JANUARY 2012SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL18

AchievementsMarion office named Branch of the Year

Branch of the Year for the Illinois-Wisconsin region of Heights Finance, asubsidiary of Mid Country Financial, hasbeen awarded to the Marion branch at 1301Enterprise Way. The Marion office is one of60 branches in the region.

Jeff Sobel is branch manager for theMarion office. He has been with HeightsFinance since 1978 and has receivednumerous awards throughout the years.Missy Moore, the senior customer servicerepresentative, has been there 11 years.And, Kirstin Antes in CSR has been therefive years.

Baptist Express clinic opens in Walmart

Baptist Express Care, affiliated withWestern Baptist Hospital, recently openeda clinic in Walmart SuperCenter on IrvinCobb Drive in Paducah.

The clinic provides fast, affordableaccess to basic health care services, such ascheck-ups, vaccinations, screenings andminor injuries for people 3 and older. It isopen seven days a week.

Kempf recognized for top-producing agency

Carolyn Kempf of Elite Travel, Inc. hasbeen recognized as having the topproducing agency for Hawaii in SoutheastMissouri.

Kempf represented Cape Girardeaurecently at the second annual Hawaii TravelExchange in Maui. The event broughttogether the top 150 travel agents in thenation to take part in property siteinspections and educational sessions.

Cagle wins 12th Cadillacfrom Mary Kay

Mary Kay senior sales director JaneCagle of Energy recently received the keysto a new Cadillac in recognition for havingachieved Mary Kay’s Cadillac-level salesaward.

This is the 12th free Cadillac Cagle haswon during the last 30 years. She won it onJuly 1 and picked it up Oct. 4 at MarionChevrolet Cadillac.

Thies opens State Farm officeA ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 1

celebrated the opening day for a new State

Farm agency in Steeleville. Owned by agentTerrin Thies, the office is at 311 W.Broadway in downtown Steeleville.

Thies, whose roots are in Steeleville andthe surrounding area, had recently beenliving in Bloomington-Normal. Hegraduated from Illinois State University andthen moved on to State Farm Insurance,where he has been working for the last sixyears.

Bigham joins Blake Law GroupMatthew D. Bigham recently joined

Blake Law Group, P.C., which has offices inBelleville, Collinsville, Edwardsville andWaterloo.

Bigham received his undergraduatedegree from University of Illinois and hislaw degree from St. Louis University Schoolof Law.

Stine Seed agronomist earns credentials

Stine Seed Co. regional sales agronomistKyle Ross of Lagro, Ind., recently wasnamed a certified professional agronomistby the American Society of Agronomy.

Ross serves growers in Southern Illinois,Southern Indiana and Kentucky.

Hammet elected ABDI directorDavid Hammet, general manager of

Golden Eagle Distributing, LLC in Marion,recently was elected to the Board ofDirectors of Associated Beer Distributors ofIllinois.

Hammet will serve a three-year termrepresenting the southern region of Illinois.Originally from Kentucky, he has been inthe beer distribution business since 1988.

Melhorn named top sales advisorChris Melhorn of Hurst has achieved

top honors for lia sophia’s ExcellentBeginnings Program for outstanding salesaccomplishments.

For more information about lia sophia,contact Melhorn atwww.liasophia.com/chrismelhorn.

Hassakis appointed to advisory board

Mark D. Hassakis, immediate pastpresident of the Illinois State BarAssociation, recently was appointed byGov. Pat Quinn as a member of theDepartment of Juvenile Justice

Advisory Board.Hassakis is a trial attorney who

represents injured victims in SouthernIllinois and upstate.

Parton attends insurance seminarJohn Parton of Marion, a Modern

Woodmen of America representative,recently completed a five-day educationalprogram at Modern Woodmen’s homeoffice in Rock Island.

Local hospitals achieve recognition

Hamilton Memorial Hospital District inMcLeansboro, Hardin County GeneralHospital in Rosiclare and WashingtonCounty Hospital in Nashville are three of 51 critical access hospitals in Illinois thathave met Medicare requirements for Stage 1meaningful use of electronic healthrecords.

Critical access hospitals are located insmall, rural communities throughout thestate. Use of electronic health records ispromoted by the Centers for Medicare andMedicaid and the Office of the NationalCoordinator for Health InformationTechnology to improve quality, safety andeffectiveness of health care.

Garden receives beautification award

Lourdes Hospital’s Greenberg SerenityGarden is a recipient of the Paducah CivicBeautification Board’s 2011 annual BusinessAward.

Four businesses, including Lourdes, wereselected for this honor for improvements inlandscaping or structure. The garden wasnamed for longtime Lourdes Foundationdonor Norman Greenberg.

Bunyan joins Scheffel & CompanyMarsha Bunyan, a former bank

examiner with the Illinois Department ofFinancial and Professional Regulations,recently joined the accounting firm ofScheffel & Company, P.C.

Pilot Travel Center opens in Marion

Pilot Flying J opened a new Pilot TravelCenter recently at 2611 Vernell Road inMarion. The 8,542-square-foot travelcenter features eight fuel islands and sixdiesel islands, along with DEF and biodiesel

at the pump, as well as high-speed pumps.The Marion facility also features a

Subway restaurant; pay phones; an AirVac,fax and copy services; Western Union andmoney orders; an ATM; lottery and Lottotickets; an arcade; laundry services; andgeneral merchandise for professionaldrivers and highway travelers.

ISP raises $4K in charity auctionIllinois State Police District 19 recently

raised more than $4,350 from a charityauction and other monetary donations.

As a result of the auction, District 19 willbe able to make a $625 donation tocharitable organizations already identifiedin all of the seven counties it serves. Thedonations are being made to organizationscoordinating programs for underprivilegedchildren in the area during this holidayseason.

Harrah’s Metropolis supports United Way

Harrah’s Metropolis recently presented acheck for more than $12,000 to MassacCounty United Way for the 2011fundraising year. The totals are the sum ofemployee payroll contributions throughoutthe year and a property donation of $8,000.

Massac County United Way supportsvarious local organizations, includingdomestic violence outreach, youthempowerment and senior citizen care.

Real Living achieves national recognition

The National Association of Realtorsrecently released figures showing that RealLiving, the franchisor of Real LivingMcCollum Real Estate, is the nation’sfastest-growing real estate company, basedon net office growth from 2009 to 2011.

David McCollum is broker/owner ofReal Living McCollum Real Estate, withoffices in Benton and West Frankfort.

Robbins joins medical staff at HRMC

Dr. Tara Robbins has joined the staff ofHeartland Regional Medical Center inMarion.

Robbins is a family practice doctor andsports medicine specialist. Originally fromSesser, she has been training in San Diegoand will see patients at Graham FamilyHealth with Dr. Eric Graham in Marion.

JANAUARY 2012 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 19

AchievementsKruse to retire from First National Bank

Kenneth Kruse, senior vice president ofoperations, is retiring this month afterworking 48 years for First National Bank ofSteeleville.

Kruse started his financial career June 15,1964, in the bookkeeping department. Hewill remain on the bank’s board ofdirectors, and his plans include operating atax preparation business.

“I plan to die young, as old as possible,”Kruse said.

Therapists complete ASTYM training

Three therapists from Joyner TherapyServices recently completed ASTYMcertification. Physical therapist DexterAlcoy and physical therapist assistantsDaniel Prudencio and Allen Clayattended training at PerformanceDynamics in Indianapolis, Ind.

This brings the total number oftherapists certified in ASTYM at JoynerTherapy Services to nine. Joyner TherapyServices has clinics in Marion, Harrisburgand Golconda. ASTYM is an evidence-based rehab therapy that stimulates thebody’s healing response.

Prudencio sees patients in the Marionclinic; Clay and Alcoy see patients in theGolconda clinic.

Exhibitors needed for health conference

Exhibitors are needed for the fourthannual Southern Illinois Men’s HealthConference, which will be March 24 at JohnA. Logan College in Carterville.

Businesses or agencies interested indisplaying their products and sharinginformation about their services maypurchase exhibit spaces, which are limitedand reserved on a first-come, first-servedbasis. The deadline for applications is Jan. 31.

For more information or to request anexhibitor application, call Women forHealth and Wellness, Inc. at 618-985-2828,ext. 8604, or visit www.simenshealth.org.

Former JALC director joins firmLyndsay Hughes, former director of

Illinois Procurement Technical AssistanceCenter at John A. Logan College inCarterville, recently joined AtlasProfessional Consulting, LLC as vicepresident of contractual services.

Hughes specializes in governmentcontracting. Most recently, she helpedsmall businesses in Southern Illinoispursue and obtain government contracts atthe local, state and federal levels. Duringthat time, she helped companies in theSouthern Illinois region generate more than$450 million in government contracts.

Now Serving Entrepreneurs and

Small Business OwnersSmall Business OwnersIn 2 convenient locations -

Carbondale & Marion.Call today for an appointment:

618-536-2424

Illinois Small Business Development Center/International Trade CenterSOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CARBONDALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center150 E. Pleasant Hill Road, Suite 110Carbondale, IL 62903

sbdc@siu.eduwww.siusbdc.com

The Illinois Small Business Development Center/International Trade Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and hoted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

AT A GLANCECourse to help businesses prepare disaster plan

Preparing your business for a disaster can help save lives, merchandise and money.That’s why University of Illinois Extension is offering “Ready Business,” a disasterpreparedness course for businesses.

Taught in a classroom setting, this 6.5-hour course will be offered from 9 a.m. to3:30 p.m. Feb. 21 in Anna (location to be determined); Feb. 22 in Gambit Event Centerin Vienna; and Feb. 23 in Harrah’s Conference Center in Metropolis.

This course is for owners, managers and employees of small and medium-sizedbusinesses. Cost is $35 per participant; seating is limited to the first 50 who register.

After taking part in this training, participants will understand the need forbusiness continuity and disaster preparedness planning; know the concepts ofbusiness continuity and disaster preparedness planning; discover their disaster risks;and begin writing their individualdisaster plans.

To enroll in this course, call JohnsonCounty extension office at 618-658-5321before Feb. 10.

Find more business newsat www.sbj.biz.

Here’s wishing you a safe and

1-800-827-7020www.pepsimidamerica.com

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JANAUARY 2012 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 21

Business Fine PrintBuilding permitsMarionWilliamson County Habitat for Humanity, 112

S. Vicksburg, $30,000Roofers Mart, Inc., 3309 Commercial Loop,

$42,278Glenda McDonald, 1705 Felts Drive,

$220,000

MetropolisJohn Baker, 715 E. 8th St., $1,000Sharon Borden, 1018 Market St., $2,500Little Tractor, 1641 W. 10th St., $10,000Wiley Godfrey, P.O. Box 117, $42,895

Mount VernonMartin McCluskey, 900 7th St., $0Pilot Travel Center, 4610 Broadway, $130,000Kathy Moon, 1316 George, $0Downtown Development, 820 Main, $0Good Samaritan Regional Health, 4003

Veterans Memorial, $9,854,623Tom Newton, 14262 N. Memory Lane, $0Tom Newton, 14262 N. Memory Lane,

$10,000Dusty’s Outdoor Media, 4303 Broadway, $0City of Mount Vernon, 2404 Forest, $0Neeta Kaushal, 16 Kingsridge, $75,000City of Mount Vernon Public Works, 12th and

Casey, $1,500Scott Mactaggert, 616 10th St., $1,500Ed Sanders, 600 21st St., $2,500Brad Por ter, 4348 Woodglen Acres,

$130,000Old National Bank, 400 34th St., $100,000Community First Bank of the Heartland, 900

42nd St., $5,800Richard Towal, 728 Kensington, $21,852Larry and Michelle Gowler, 16610 E. Fairfield

Road, $3,000Sensation Station, 206 Main St., $0Farm Credit Services, 410 Potomac,

$1,197,870

MurphysboroPaul Thompson, 52 Crescent Drive, $1,000Brenda Staple, 2128 Dewey St., $4,200Paul Thompson, 601 Walnut St., $3,000Margie Gale, 1316 Illinois Ave., $4,000Frank Cano, 708 S. 21st St., $995Christopher Adamow, 2014 Commercial Ave.,

$3,200Larry Reardon, 2125 Hor tense St.,

$2,208Jim and Sharon Lawless, 1332 Olive St.,

$10,000Wayne Derouin, 1003 Roberta Drive, $4,500

Ralph Bastien, 1303 Illinois Ave., $1,770L. E. Gray, 632 N. 11th St., $9,000Paula Duncan, 2111 Wall St., $15,110Cindy McCoy, 1923 Division St., $25,028

BankruptciesChapter 7James S. Morrison, 6408 Wilson Road,

OakdaleKenneth Joe Carter, 1155 Glenbeth Drive,

CarbondaleBrian K. and Angela K. Paris, 1412 Sycamore

Road, CartervilleMichael J. Badali, 15880 U.S. 45 North, New

BurnsideStephanie Davis Campbell, P.O. Box 4, CarmiJanice D. Stoops, 1681 Finney Road,

MurphysboroJohn M. Jones, 615 N. Jackson, HarrisburgDaniel Shane Mayberry, 3608 Elm St., CairoConnie C. Morrison, 801 Candy Lane, No. 43,

MarionEdward K. and Mary C. Wittenbrink, 252

Debra Lane, SpartaRobert Dale and Carolyn D. Robertson, 705

W. Broadway St., SpartaBobby E. and Julie N. Helton, 401 N. 18th,

HerrinKirk W. and Brittany L. Baugher Jr., 355

Liberty Road, HarrisburgKenneth R. and Myrtle M. Lawson, 985 Sugar

Creek Road, GorevilleJerry R. and Jody L. Page, 600 Pleasant

Court, MarionDawn L. Siwinski, 565 Mallards Landing,

Tunnel HillBradley M. and Martha A. Weber, 123 Baggott

St., ZeiglerBrian S. Wright, 104 S. Division, Mount

CarmelRobert M. and Loretta M. McConkey, 1312

Opdyke St., ChesterCarole M. Jones, 12624 N. Liebengood Lane,

Mount VernonJason C. and Kimberly D. Graff, 10414 Hickory

Ridge Road, MurphysboroGreenRetreat, LLC, 3925 Chautauqua Road,

CarbondaleBarry L. and Barbara D. Jones, 907 S. Russell

St., MarionDavy W. Dippold, P.O. Box 1523, BentonSophie Smith, P.O. Box 11, UllinJohn D. Pas, 10928 N. Panzier Lane, AshleyBrian S. Jann, 609 High St., EldoradoMicah D. and Katie M. Thorn, 519 N. Division,

CartervilleLia Jo Novack, 1422 Mann Place, Carmi

Christopher A. Lyall, P.O. Box 3963,Carbondale

Harvey L. Hammers, P.O. Box 1223, MarionIan Vickers, 406 Oak St., AnnaJesse Brian Farlow, 8555 City Lake Road,

Du QuoinLinda K. Stein, 913 Illinois Ave., MurphysboroMelissa May Moore, 319 W. Fourth St., Mount

CarmelFloyd Kirk Jr., 1001 Catherine St., MetropolisJohn Theodore and Anna Faye Heflin, 1774

Belgrade Road, MetropolisJeffrey L. and Heather K. Lemons, 1042

Fairfield Road, Mount VernonKaren Suzanne Tullis, P.O. Box 53, GeffJason A. and Deborah J. Harrelson, 203

Meadow Hills Drive, McLeansboroCasey A. Emery, P.O. Box 53, StonefortMark Allan and Tammy Sue Phillips, P.O. Box

197, CambriaDeborah Kaye Reed, 1400 W. Chestnut St.,

MarionJohnny R. and Darlene Schneider, P.O. Box

514, DongolaCarl C. and Susan Sanders, 315 Harrison,

Mount VernonRonnie Lee Welch, 820 22nd St., CairoBenjamin J. and Tequila A. Young, 95 Country

Club Lane, AnnaDavid A. and Amanda M. Zmuda Jr., P.O. Box

184, CypressAmy M. Hepler, 2204 E. Clark, West FrankfortKevin D. Porter, 3402 Veterans Memorial

Drive, Apt. 508, Mount VernonMelvin W. Wilson, 311 W. Church St.,

West SalemJody B. Benbrook, 305 Barr St., CartervilleKaren J. Frattini, 904 N. Highland, Apt. C,

MarionChristopher M. and Tammy L. Head, 12352 S.

Park Road, Benton

Chapter 13Terry K. and Mindy S. Angleton, P.O. Box 556,

RosiclareHoward W. Blythe, 1505 N. Maureen, MarionBennardo E. Gallo, P.O. Box 118, BentonJerry D. and Mary E. Evans Sr., 720 Pear St.,

CartervilleMichael H. and Mary E. Thomas, 201 S. Olive,

CartervilleScott Andrew and Cynthia Jo Parrone, 815 N.

22nd St., MurphysboroLinda M. Lenard, 902 S. State St., ChristopherLori A. Farr, 207 24th St., CairoEarl H. and Helen J. Todd, 401 N. 18th, HerrinChanel M. Lane, 220 N. Blanche, Mounds

Wilma Bayley, 553 County Road, 1050 E.,Norris City

Jerry D. Meyer, 7 Court C., HerrinChristopher T. Larimer, 809 Davis St.,

Johnston CityCindy Edna Tegtmeier, 403 E. Jackson, MarionTammy S. Agin, 1330 S. McKinley, HarrisburgCindy A. Peters, 303 Meadow, RoyaltonRicky Joe and Cathy Lynn Cronin, 1094 County

Road 1700 N., CarmiJames W. and Karla M. Noel, 316 Lindsey

Drive, MetropolisJuan P. and Rosa SL Caballero, 1117 Olive

Branch Road, MoundsDeborah L. Hale, 608 W. Maple St., NashvilleCarolyn Sue Tuttle, P.O. Box 10, ColpCarla Jo Tapley, 430 Thompson Lane, SimpsonCarla J. Mohring 1912 E. Clark, West FrankfortDavid L. McKinnies, 501 Kathleen Road,

Du QuoinKarla S. Coleman, 13747 N. Two Mile Creek

Lane, Mount VernonMark L. and Janet R. Lukens, 112 N. Eighth,

HerrinVicki R. Douglas, 1112 S. Feazel St.,

HarrisburgDerek L. and Michelle L. Key, 7547 Norris

Drive, MarionMandy D. Kahl, 280 Sweet Potato Road,

DongolaTina M. Juee, 1203 Durham Drive,

Johnston CityDennis R. and Tiffany A. Jones II, 3033 Dr.

Springs Road, CartervilleFrancene Renee Brock, 508 N. Stuyvesant

St., BentonSylvia Lorene Beadles, Route 1, Box 117,

ElleryDaniel K. and Victoria A. Hicks, 208 W. Locust

St., HarrisburgKeith L. Kiner, P.O. Box 481, SpartaEric P. and Kimberly L. Boyd Tarver, 314 W.

Walnut St., CarbondaleJoe R. and Debra K. Couch, 1641 County

Road 225 East, AlbionChristopher Ames Hamblin, 904 W. Monroe,

HerrinTroy Brian and Robin Ann Hurt, 508 N. State,

CrossvilleJeffrey A. and Robyn L. Bryant Clover, 132

Francis Lane, MurphysboroBradley S. and Melany D. Tracy, Route 1, Box

115, NobleKenneth L. McSparin, P.O. Box 111, PittsburgKristina L. Otterness, 2 Greenbriar Lane,

ChesterTeddy E. and Tina M. Leek, 29 Olmsted Road,

Villa Ridge

JANAUARY 2012 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

Mark Your CalendarJan. 4

Beginning Access 2003: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 5Beginning Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning Adobe Photoshop: 8:30 a.m.to 4 p.m., Room H123, John A. LoganCollege Center for Business & Industry.

Jan. 9Beginning Outlook 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room H123, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 10Beginning Access 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning iPad 101: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room H127, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 11Intermediate Access 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Time & Stress Management: 8:30 a.m.to 4 p.m., Room F110, John A. LoganCollege Center for Business & Industry.Cost is $90.

Jan. 12Intermediate Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning Adobe Illustrator: 8:30 a.m. to4 p.m., Room H123, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 13Beginning QuickBooks 2009: 8:30 a.m.

to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. LoganCollege Center for Business & Industry.

Jan. 17Intermediate Access 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 18Beginning Excel 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 19Beginning Excel 2010: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

iPad for Educators: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,Room F119, John A. Logan College Centerfor Business & Industry.

Jan. 20Beginning Access 2010: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning Adobe inDesign: 8:30 a.m. to4 p.m., Room H123, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 23Intermediate Excel 2010 : 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning Adobe Dreamweaver: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room H123, John A.Logan College Center for Business &Industry.

Jan. 24Advanced Access 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning iPad 101: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room H127, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 25Intermediate Excel 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning Adobe Flash Professional:8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room H123, John A.Logan College Center for Business &Industry.

Team Building: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,Room F109, John A. Logan College Centerfor Business & Industry. Cost is $90.

Jan. 26Advanced Excel 2010: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Jan. 27Beginning Adobe Flash Catalyst:

8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room H123, John A.Logan College Center for Business &Industry.

Jan. 30Beginning Adobe Acrobat Pro: 8:30 a.m.

to 4 p.m., Room H123, John A. LoganCollege Center for Business & Industry.

Jan. 31Beginning Adobe Bridge: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room H123, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Feb. 1Beginning Access 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan College

Center for Business & Industry.

Feb. 2Beginning Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning Adobe Photoshop: 8:30 a.m.to 4 p.m., Room H123, John A. LoganCollege Center for Business & Industry.

Feb. 3Beginning QuickBooks 2009: 8:30 a.m.

to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A. LoganCollege Center for Business & Industry.

Feb. 6Beginning Access 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Feb. 7Beginning Access 2010: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room H123, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Feb. 8Intermediate Access 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Feb. 9Beginning Excel 2010: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Beginning Adobe Illustrator: 8:30 a.m. to4 p.m., Room H123, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

Feb. 10iPad 101: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room

H127, John A. Logan College Center forBusiness & Industry.

For more information on John A. Logan or to register for classes, call 618-985-2828, ext. 8510 or email cbi@jalc.edu.John A. Logan College Center for Business & Industry is at 700 College Road, Carterville, and cost is $55 unless otherwise noted.

“The Three Signs of a Miserable Job,”there are positive ways to value employeesand treat them as your customers.Lencioni notes that miserable jobs aren’tabout the work the employee does, it’sabout the misery an employee suffers.

It is important to value people. Thebook discusses change that each of us canachieve by valuing people. The three areasto evaluate are as follows:

Anonymity: All human beings need to be

appreciated. Do you know the people youwork with? Their interests, what they dowith their time, where they are at in theirlives today.

Irrelevance: Employees need to knowthat their job affects the success of theorganization. They need to understand thevision beyond what they are doing andhow their job directly influences others.

Self-assessment: Do your employeesknow how to assess their own success? Doemployees have a means for assessingsuccess or measuring performance in a

way that is relevant to what they do?Lencioni puts it bluntly: “No one gets

out of bed in the morning to programsoftware or assemble furniture or dowhatever it is that accountants do. Theyget out of bed to live their lives, and theirwork tasks are only a part of their lives.People want to be managed as people, notas mere workers.”

What is the difference between a goodcompany and a great one? The people. Inaddition, how do you get people to givetheir all to care for their customers? Treat

them like family. Employees who arehappy at their workplace have yourcustomer’s interests in mind because theyknow they are a valued part of yourcompany. Employees who are treated likefamily members have a feeling ofbelonging and contributing to somethingbigger than themselves.

DENA KIRK is a supercoach and serviceexcellence adviser at Herrin Hospital, whereshe also serves as administrative director forSIH and RIC Rehabilitation Services.

WORKPLACE: Your employees are your customersFROM PAGE 14

Find more business news at www.sbj.biz.

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