JULY 2010

InsideJ U L Y | 2 0 1 0

The Southern Business Journal is a publication of The

Southern Illinoisan. Contact us via mail at 710 N. Illinois

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

Carbondale, IL, 62903. Also reach us on the Web at

www.sbj.biz and via e-mail at SBJ@thesouthern.com. The

Journal is published 12 times per year monthly, and

mailed to businesses, community development leaders,

chambers of commerce members and other

professionals in Southern Illinois. Copyright 2010 by

The Southern Illinoisan, all rights reserved. A subscription

may be obtained by calling 618-529-5454 or

618-997-3356, or by visiting our Web site.

Contact usPublisher: Bob Williams n 618-351-5038

Editor: Gary Metro n 618-351-5033

Advertising: Abby Hatfield n 618-351-5024

Circulation: Trisha Woodside n 618-351-5035

Database Coordinator: Mark Doman n 618-351-5042

FORMULAS FOR SUCCESS Put me in coach, I’m ready to play:Baseball and the rituals and traditionof the game offer strategies for success in the larger game of life.Teamwork, leadership, a strong workethic and trust are all part of baseballand essential to success in anyendeavor. Think about it. How can weexpect to get ahead in life if we don’tconsider practice more important thanthe game, take our eyes off the ball,fail to watch for the curveballs thrownour way or miss golden opportunities tohit a home run?

Page 11

INDICATORSSales on increase for new vehicles:The Illinois Secretary of State’s officereported new vehicle sales jumped13.2 percent in April over the samemonth one year earlier for the 18 counties of Southern Illinois. Increaseswere reported in the counties ofAlexander, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson,Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski,Saline, Union, Washington, White andWilliamson. There also was good newson the jobless front for the period. Theunemployment rate dropped in all 18counties for the month of April, the lastmonth for which complete statisticsare available, for a 1.7 decrease in joblessness across the region.

Pages 12-13

ACHIEVEMENTSCatch up: Find out who has beenhired, who has been promoted or whohas received an award. If you know of abusiness or business person whodeserves recognition, please let usknow at sbj@thesouthern.com.

Pages 18

InsideCentury 21 House of Realty ................ 7

Corbell Telephone and Electronics ........ 5

Feirich, Mager, Green & Ryan ................ 5

Graphics Galore .................................. 7

Hyannis Air Service ............................ 17

Jim’s Mobile Offices and Homes .......... 6

John A. Logan College ........................ 24

Midwest Backgrounds, Inc. ................ 22

Milwood .............................................. 9

Oliver and Associates, Inc. ................ 10

Pepsi MidAmerica .......................... 3, 22

Property with TLC, LLC .......................... 9

Raymond James Financial Service ...... 6

Sandberg, Phoenix and Von Gontard .. 10

SIU Credit Union .................................. 8

Southern Illinois Healthcare................ 15

Southern Illinois University ................ 20

University Mall .................................. 13

Your Jeweler ........................................ 9

Directory of Advertisers

COVER STORYHome sales looking up: It’s no secretthat the federal tax credit of $8,000for first-time home buyers and the$6,500 credit for repeat buyerssparked growth in home sales, bothnationally and in the region. But eventhough the tax credit program hasexpired, home sales in Southern Illinois still are tracking upward.Experts see opportunities for both buyers and sellers; there is a goodselection of available homes andsome quick sales are being reported.Those homeowners who are sellingrapidly are gaining from the ever-reliable real state maxim, “location,location, location.” But there isanother important consideration in theregional market for homes: pricepoint.

Pages 4-5

FINANCIAL OUTLOOK Global economy/local impact:Investors are worried about the financial meltdown facing Greece andas many as four other members of theEuropean community. Growth in theglobal market is hampered by thatinstability and also by increasing concerns about inflation in China andBrazil, along with the massive oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico,financial reform legislation advancedby the U.S. Senate and the likelihoodof growing state and municipal layoffsin the coming year. There is an opportunity for learning from the difficulties, however, and Illinois wouldbe wise to look at examples of belt-tightening in Europe as a model forbudgetary restraint in Illinois.

Page 6

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 3

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

Mark Your CalendarE V E N T S | M E E T I N G S

July 1Beginning Excel 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

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

July 7Beginning Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

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July 8Beginning Access 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

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QuickBooks 2009: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,Room H125, John A. Logan CollegeCenter for Business & Industry.

July 12Beginning Word 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

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

Beginning/Intermediate Adobe

Photoshop: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., RoomH125, John A. Logan College Center forBusiness & Industry.

July 13Beginning Access 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

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

July 14Team Building: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,

Room F110, John A. Logan College Centerfor Business & Industry. Cost is $90.

July 15Intermediate Excel 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

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

July 20Intermediate Access 2003: 8:30 a.m.

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

July 21Intermediate Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., Room F112, John A. LoganCollege Center 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.

July 22Intermediate Access 2007: 8:30 a.m.

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

Intermediate QuickBooks 2009: 8:30a.m. to 4 p.m., Room H125, John A.Logan College Center for Business &Industry.

July 27Beginning/Intermediate Adobe Acrobat:

8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Room F112, John A.Logan College Center for Business &Industry.

Aug. 2Beginning Excel 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

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

Aug. 3Beginning Excel 2003: 8:30 a.m. to

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

Aug. 4Beginning Access 2007: 8:30 a.m. to

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

Aug. 5Beginning QuickBooks 2009: 8:30 a.m.

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

JULY 2010SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL4

Cover StorySouthern Illinois home sale market looking good

for both buyers, sellers

As the housing market in SouthernIllinois goes, so goes Jim Johnson’sbusiness. As the owner of Another LookHome Inspections in West Frankfort,Johnson is called upon to make thenecessary evaluation of a propertybefore any sale is final. In recentmonths, he’s been busy — a result of anupswing in home construction and salesin the region.

The National Association of Realtorsreports that April sales of single-familyhomes were up more than 20 percentover last year, and first-quarter sales inIllinois increased more than 23 percentcompared to early 2009. Johnson says,as far as he can tell, the Southern Illinoishome market is on the upswing.

“It seems to have been picking up,”Johnson says. “April and May were reallypretty good.”

Johnson and local real estate agentscredit some of the increase in home salesto the recently expired $8,000 incometax credit on new home purchases.

“It’s hard to say if the market haspicked up on its own or if it’s all due tothe tax credit,” Johnson explains. “Partof it also might be that interest rates aredown, and some people think thatmeans the strong market will keepgoing.”

Jim Steinbach, owner of Five StarRealty in Carbondale, says he thoughtthe market would slow without the taxcredit, but that has not been the case.He adds that while the housing sector isless than vibrant, things are improving.

“It’s not booming, of course, but it iscoming along,” he says. “While it takes ashort time to get in a recession, it takes along time to get out.”

The increase in housing sales showsthat the national improvement isreaching Southern Illinois, says VickiVaughn, an agent with Century 21 Houseof Realty in Marion.

“We had a very good first quarter,” she

explains. “Things have slowed downsome since the tax credit, but things arestill good. We have a lot of listings andare doing a lot of showings.”

Benefits for both buyers and sellers

Vaughn says the improvement in theSouthern Illinois housing market is goodnews for both sellers and buyers.

“The values are coming backsomewhat,” she says. “Home values arenot yet where we’d like to see them, butthey are coming back.”

Vaughn adds that there are morehomes on the market right now, withsome counties having hundreds ofhomes for sale at any given time. That isgood news for potential home buyerssuch as Steven Darby of Carbondale.Darby and his wife, Amanda, have beenshopping for a new home “on and off”for about 18 months.

“It seems that there are more homeson the market now than there were,” hesays. “Lately, there’s been, it seems,more house available for the money. Itgives us much better options right now.”

Real estate experts say more homeslisted for sale often translate into moreinterest — and sometimes quicker sales— for sellers such as Paul Doan ofMakanda. Doan recently sold his homewithin a few weeks of putting it on themarket.

“The day we listed it, we had someonewanting to look at it right away, and wehad four potential buyers look at it in thefirst week,” Doan says.

He says he believes his home’slocation and price were right.

“I think the Southern Illinois market ispicking up in spots, especially in certaingeographic areas and specific pricepoints,” he says.

Steinbach agrees. He says that mid-priced homes are making up asignificant segment of the market.

“Homes in the $90,000 to $170,000range are selling right now; the higher-

end homes are not selling. Eventually,when the economy gets better, though,that will change,” he says.

Vaughn also points out that higherdollar homes are seeing fewer buyers.

“They seem to be on the market a littlelonger due to the fact that there arefewer buyers looking in that price range,”she says.

Both Steinbach and Vaughn say theyfeel Doan’s assessment — that somegeographic areas in Southern Illinois aredoing better than others — is correct.

“The trend is that Jackson andWilliamson are doing better than othercounties, although Franklin County isalso doing well,” she says.

Lenders seeing more trafficReal estate agents are not the only

people seeing an increase in interest innew homes. Mortgage lenders alsoreport an increase in inquiries.

“I see a lot of people putting inapplications to get pre-qualified or to

BY LES O’DELLSBJ CORRESPONDENT

ART SERVICESThe National Association of Realtors reports that April sales of single-family homes were upmore than 20 percent over last year, and first-quarter sales in Illinois increased more than 23percent compared to early 2009.

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 5

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F M G R

Cover Storysee what they can qualify for,” says MikeRice, residential lending officer at TheBank of Carbondale. “There is a desireout there; a lot of people want to buy.”

Rice says low interest rates areattracting a lot of attention, but theweaker economy has impacted availablecredit.

“Credit has tightened up some, andsubprime loans are gone,” he explains.“Now you have to have reasonably goodcredit, and you have to have income thatcan be verified.”

He says his bank offers both thestandard conventional mortgage, whichrequires a 20 percent down payment, aswell as loans through the U.S.Department of Agriculture’s RuralDevelopment program. He says as manyas 40 percent of applicants areinterested in the USDA’s no-down-payment loans.

Rice says that more restrictive credit isa symptom of the national economy, notthe strength of local banks.

“In my opinion, we don’t have thebank problems here that they have inother areas,” he adds. “Our banks arevery secure.”

New construction reboundsNot only is the sale of existing homes

on the increase, but local builders saythat new housing starts are also on therise.

“I probably have more business nowthan I’ve ever had,” says Edd Knight,owner of Carterville-based E.A. KnightConstruction. He says his company iscurrently building five new homes andhas a list of others yet to be started.

Things are similar for Terry Mott,

owner of Mott Builders in Harrisburg.“I’ve actually started another crew,”

he says. “Things have picked up thisspring.”

He says people seem to be interestedin less expensive homes than a few years

ago, but he expects to continue to staybusy.

“I think that trend will continue aslong as interest rates stay low,” he says.

Knight says he is not certain why theuptick in construction.

“I can’t explain it,” he adds, “but I’msitting back and enjoying it.”

— LES O’DELL is a Carbondale freelancewriter who contributes to SBJ, TheSouthern Illinoisan and SI Magazine.

ART SERVICESReal estate experts say more homes listed for sale often translate into more interest — and sometimes quicker sales — for sellers.

JULY 2010SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL6

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Financial OutlookImpact of belt-tightening in Europe

being felt in Illinois

Investors arenervous, confusedand becoming moredefensive as theyworry about theramifications of thechallenges facingthe Europeanfinancialcommunity, asGreece and

potentially four other Europeancountries are now at risk of defaultingon their sovereign debt.

As Dr. Scott Brown, chief economist,Raymond James & Associates EquityResearch department, points out in hisWeekly Market Monitor of May 24-28,“the problem was addressed on May 9when the European finance ministersagreed to a stabilization fund, worth upto 500 billion Euros, to be supplementedby an additional 250 billion Euros fromthe International Monetary Fund (whichbrings the total size to roughly $1 trillion).”

As Brown points out, “the solution,which should be considered a least-worst alternative, is austerity cuts ingovernment spending and tax increasesfor specific countries. Such moves

dampen the pace of economic recoveryand, in some cases, may lead torecession.” The European Union alsoannounced tightened rules on hedgefunds and Germany unilaterallyannounced new curbs on traders ofgovernment debt and bank stocks.

Investors are aware of the difficulteconomic, political and financialchanges that will need to be imposed onthe populations of countries such asGreece, Portugal, Spain and Italy inorder to promote viable long-termsolutions there. In the meantime,investors worry about heightened risk inEuropean debt markets puttingdownward pressure on European bondprices and the growing risk to inter-bank lending in Europe, which canthreaten liquidity and economic growthand impact demand for U.S. goods andservices. This will, in turn, impactEuropean companies’ revenue andoperating income when translated intoU.S. dollars. The value of the euro (inU.S. dollar equivalents) declined from$1.36 to $1.23 (-9.6 percent) and $1.41 to$1.23 (-12.8 percent), respectively.

Also, more economists and strategistsare concerned about rapidly risinginflationary pressures in China andBrazil and rising interest rates in moreforeign markets. These conditions tendto slow economic growth, slow the

demand for imports (particularly whenthe value of local currencies areweakening) and deflate the value of localfinancial assets. The LIBOR rate inEurope has also been rising in recentweeks. Additional issues to perplex andworry investors include: the continuingcalamity in the Gulf of Mexico; the U.S.Senate approving its version of thebiggest planned overhaul of theregulations that govern the U.S.financial sector since the 1930s; andnegative news of the financial budgetarychallenges of municipalities causingexpectations of huge 2010 layoffsnationwide of teachers and othermunicipal employees.

On the good news front, the U.S.inflation rate hit a 44-year low in Aprilwhen the core Consumer Price Index(excluding food and energy) rose at onlya 0.9 percent rate versus the comparablemonth of 2009. The U.S. CPI actuallydeclined 0.1 percent in April versusMarch 2010 levels. Moderateemployment growth continues (withmore than 500,000 new private sectorjobs added year-to-date) even if theunemployment rate has risen to 9.9percent as the rate of new applicants re-entering the search for jobs isaccelerating. Real salary and wagesremain slightly negative and inflationarypressures appear likely to remain muted

near term. While credit conditionsremain fairly tight, business spendingcontinues to be the strongest driver toU.S. economic growth while consumerspending has strengthened in recentmonths as savings rates have declinedfrom 4.9 percent a year ago to 3.6percent in April of this year (but up fromMarch’s revised 3.1 percent), accordingto the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The month-to-month volatility ofthis number (which is subject to largerevisions over time), coupled with highconsumer debt loads and rising costs ofcarrying credit card balances, is likely tokeep consumer spending highly erraticover the balance of this year. This willclearly be a limiting dynamic to futureU.S. GDP growth.

Lastly, all of the financial problems inEurope hit home right here in Illinois. Atleast one European country required allstate employees to take a 5 percent paycut on all income over $80,000. Francejust raised its retirement age from 60 to62. It will be nice when Illinois startsrighting its own ship.

— MICHAEL P. TISON is an investmentadvisor and registered principal withRaymond James Financial Services, Inc.,with offices in Harrisburg and Marion.He can be reached at 618-253-4444 ormichael.tison@raymondjames.com.

Tison

BY MICHAEL P. TISONSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 7

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Sports BusinessUniversity of Nebraska and the Big Ten:

Looking at the power of football and academics

Early June was adifficult month forseemingly happyfamilies. First, itwas learned thatthe Gores wereseparating. Then,the Big TwelveConference wastorn asunder by thedepartures of

Colorado and Nebraska with morechanges possible in the future. TheGores’ breakup appeared to beconsiderably less acrimonious thanthat of the Big 12.

The major impact of this locally isthe entrance of the University ofNebraska at Lincoln into the Big Ten.The Big Ten is the oldest and moststable major college sports conference.The only departure from theconference has been the University ofChicago, which deemphasized athleticsin 1946. The conference is comprised oflarge public high quality researchuniversities.

Most of the focus has been on theathletic implications of the change.Nebraska will bring a premier footballprogram to the conference, giving theleague four of the 10 programs with the

most wins, including Michigan (1),Nebraska (4), Ohio State (5) and PennState (7). Clearly, football was thedriver of the change with the Big Tenneeding at least 12 teams for aconference playoff game that will addboth revenue and late-season visibility.Nebraska also brings a strong women’sprogram with top 10 basketball andvolleyball teams.

Colorado and Nebraska exercisedwhat is known as first-moveradvantage in acting quickly anddecisively in the game of musicalchairs. Most of the Big 12 leaders wereoffering statements of support for theconference, many were secretly seekinga new home. It was reported in theLawrence newspaper that the daybefore Colorado bolted to the Pac 10,the CU chancellor visited the KUchancellor in Lawrence to discussmatters of institutional concernwithout bothering to mentionColorado’s departure.

The focus of the entrance ofNebraska into the Big Ten has largelybeen on the athletic benefits to theleague and the new entrant. The leaguewill gain greater exposure, and afootball playoff game, and Nebraskawill receive a substantial increase intelevision revenue because of the BigTen’s prominent position with muchlarger media markets and the now

profitable Big Ten Network. What hasnot been emphasized is the huge boostthe move will provide to the overallstatus of the UNL.

The Committee on InstitutionalCooperation is a parallel organizationthat includes the 11 Big Ten universitiesalong with the University of Chicago. Itwas organized to advance the academicmission of their member institutions.These are world-class researchinstitutions that brought about arevolution in higher education in themiddle 50 years of the 20th Century.The emergence of large public researchinstitutions (such as the public Big Tenmembers and the University ofCalifornia system) brought high qualityto higher educational opportunities tothe masses. Entry into this elite groupis a major coup for Nebraska. It isassumed that UNL will be invited tojoin the CIC in due course.

This process reverses the logic ofUniversity of Chicago President RobertMaynard Hutchins, who spearheadedthe withdrawal of Chicago toemphasize academics. Nebraska willincrease its academic position becauseof its athletic (football) prowess bygaining access to an elite group ofpublic research universities. If NotreDame and Missouri actually had thechance to join the Big Ten, they will atsome point rue the day that they failed

to act. For example, while Notre Dameis still a great force in football and is anelite university in terms of the qualityof its undergraduate students andprograms, it lacks the cachet of a majorresearch institution that associationwith the other Big Ten (CIC) schoolsmight provide. Note also the folly ofthose who suggested in the early 1980sthat Illinois leave the Big Ten becauseof the perceived unfairness of thepunishment meted out by theconference to the football program.

Nebraska is poised to take advantageof its new position. Nebraskans stillhave the quaint notion that a stronguniversity can provide widespreadbenefits to their state, similar to thebeliefs in the older Midwestern statesin decades past. The state appearswilling to provide increased support forboth academics and athletics. Thismay, in part, be the result of Nebraska’s5 percent unemployment rate when thenational rate is around 10 percent witheven higher rates in most otherMidwestern states. However, increasedsupport is likely to continue for thelong term.

— J. FRED GIERTZ is a professor ofeconomics within the University ofIllinois’ Institute of Government andPublic Affairs. He can be reached at217-244-4822 or jgiertz@ad.uiuc.edu.

Giertz

BY J. FRED GIERTZ SBJ CONTRIBUTOR

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No matter whereyou look, you arelikely to find aheadline on thepresent state ofsmall businessesand their lack ofaccess to capital.Instead of gettingWall Street’s take onthe situation, I

decided to go straight to the sources.While teaching Small BusinessManagement over the last several years, Ioften checked in with regional bankers toget their opinion on the current financiallandscape and how it affects smallbusinesses in the region.

State of current lendingThe consensus among lenders is that

today’s environment is, in a word, tough.Many would agree that things havegotten slightly better, but acknowledgethat we are still a long way from beingOK. According to Sara Palmer, financialcenter manager at Fifth Third Bank inMarion, “The environment is a lottougher today. In years past, familyreputation, collateral and businessesoutside of the box could get financed.The Small Business Administrationmakes it easier for these businesses to getfinancing. It is also a much longerprocess; instead of a couple of days, it isat least a 10-day to two-week process.”While some entrepreneurs would saythat the lending guidelines have gottenmore stringent and that banks aren’tlending, Tim Hecht, assistant vice

president of Percy Banking Center inPercy, has a different perspective. “Thereis no demand at this time for smallbusiness loans, as many small businessesare operating on very short capital,” hesaid.

The intangiblesLenders say they have had to become

more prudent in their lending decisions.However, business owners should not beso quick to throw in the towel. Smallbusiness lending is not an exact science.There are often lending intangibles thatcould tip the scale in the owner’s favor.For starters, an entrepreneur looking tosecure a loan must have industryexperience. In addition, you can’tunderestimate the power of sufficientcash flow. Stephen Schauwecker,

executive vice president of First SouthernBank in Carbondale says, “The primaryintangible that I look for is character.However, I can tell you that there are nowmany more well-intentioned borrowersthat are unable to meet their contractualagreements. No longer is a lender able torely on many years of performancewithout taking a good look at the currentfinancial condition.”

Proper planningMy last question centered on the role of

a well prepared business plan in securinga loan. Ron Gibbons, community bankpresident for MidCountry Bank inHarrisburg, views the development of abusiness plan as very important. “Forthose that do not have a business plan, Ireview with them the information thatwill be needed for completion. They areencouraged to return after their plan iscomplete, so that we may exploredifferent loan options that may beavailable.” John Barnett, assistant vicepresident of Old National Bank inCarbondale, notes that business ownersshould be more specific. “The mostimportant part of a business plan isprojecting sales, income, expenses andtrends,” he said.

Other questions posed to our bankersincluded the effects of personal andbusiness credit on lending and commonpitfalls that hinder the chances of gettinga loan. Faced with increased risk, it is easyto see why so many lenders have exitedthe small business segment. Overalllending is down significantly and smallbusinesses can expect to face strictlending requirements for the foreseeablefuture.

— CAVANAUGH L. GRAY is the director ofbusiness development for TheEntrepreneur Café L.L.C. in Carbondale.He can be contacted atcgray@ecafell.com or 618-206-7013. Formore information on small businesslending or for more information on howto start, grow and succeed in smallbusiness, be sure to follow TheEntrepreneur Café L.L.C. on Twitterwww.twitter.com/TheECafe or atwww.ecafellc.com.

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 9

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Economic ConditionsEuropean debt and U.S. markets:

Why is Wall Street stressed?

It would bewonderful if the U.S.financial marketscould “decouple”themselves fromwhat is going on inGreece, Portugal andSpain.Unfortunately, thedebt situation inthese countries is

like a ripple in a pond. The question is,how strong will the ripple ultimately beand will its full force reach our markets?

The problemGreece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and

Ireland are all carrying enormous debts.On May 1, the New York Times put up achart breaking this down: Greece owes$236 billion, which, believe it or not, is thesmallest debt among these five countries.Portugal’s debt stands at $286 billion, andit owes roughly a third of that to Spain.Spain carries around $1.1 trillion in debt,and its economy is in horrible shape (20percent unemployment). According to theBank for International Settlements, itowes $220 billion to France and $238billion to Germany. Ireland has $867billion in debt, with about 40 percent of

that owed to the U.K. and Germany. Italyowes $1.4 trillion, including $511 billion toFrance (almost 20 percent of France’sGDP).

After the Euro was launched, Greecehad access to a whole bunch of cheapdebt, and the country used itnonchalantly. In the years since theestablishment of the Euro, Greece’s debt-to-GDP ratio has remained repeatedlyabove 100 percent.

Europe’s biggest banks are heavilyexposed to these debts, and so are some ofours, including Citigroup, Bank ofAmerica, Goldman Sachs, JPMorganChase and Morgan Stanley. In fact, thesefive banks have $2.5 trillion of cross-

border exposure in the crisis, withCitigroup the most exposed. So, you havepotential risk to these banks, the Euro, andthe European and world economy.

The offer on the tableFortunately, Greece has the chance to

accept a $146.5 million bailout from theInternational Monetary Fund and theEuropean Union in exchange for austeritymeasures (less government spending and alower standard of living). This would helpGreece avoid default — that is, having torenegotiate its debt and assume more.

McClatchey

BY SCOTT MCCLATCHEYSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

SEE ECONOMIC / PAGE 16

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 11

Formulas for Success

“Now that’s goodbaseball!” I say thisoften at my son’sbaseball gameswhen I am givingthe other baseballmoms a fist bumpfor a good play. I ampart of a baseballfamily. We love thegame. We try to

visit a new Major League Baseball fieldevery year, and I thoroughly enjoy theseason. As an SBJ contributor andbaseball fan, I wanted to write about thevaluable lessons that baseball can teachus about our careers and our workplace.My son is a baseball fanatic. My husbandhas told him time after time that if youwant to be successful, you have topractice, be committed and respect thegame. I am often amazed as to what thegame of baseball has taught him aboutlife. I have come to realize that theprinciples of baseball have also taught ushow to be successful in the workplace.

Cal Ripken Jr.’s Baseball Hall of Fameinduction speech was not only inspiring,but also relevant to the workplace. Cal’sspeech discussed commitment,preparation, teamwork, personaldevelopment and pride. Of course, we allremember when Cal broke Lou Gehrig’srecord of 2,130 consecutive gamesplayed (usually known as “The Streak”)by playing three more years and reaching2,632 consecutive games — virtually 15straight years of starting every game. Calstated, “Some fans have looked at ‘TheStreak’ as a special accomplishment, butI always looked at it as just showing upfor work every day. I see thousands ofpeople who do the same. You all may nothave received the accolades I have, butI’d like to take the time out to salute youfor showing up, working hard andmaking the world a better place.”

Cal’s idea of workplace commitmentextends beyond perfect attendance. Cal

stated that teamwork, leadership, workethic and trust are all part of the game.These principles are also part of theworkplace. It means consistentlyperforming your job well by showing upfor work every day and being proud ofwhat you have accomplished. Cal’sspeech talked about how baseballimitates life. Everything that happens inbaseball happens in life, and everythingthat happens in life happens in baseball.How can we, as business professionals,use Cal’s example in our own workplaceto inspire and motivate employees? Ihave taken a few baseball terms andtranslated the baseball term into theworkplace. These terms can help us besuccessful professionals in our game.

Never miss practiceWe all know those employees who call

in for work because they have a stuffynose or a headache or maybe they just donot feel like coming to work. Successfulprofessionals never miss work. Theyshow up day after day, and they are theones who will wake up at 3 a.m. toshovel the snow out of their driveway, sothey can still get to work on time.Perfect attendance is not rewardedmuch anymore; we do not want sickemployees coming to work andspreading illness. But we can recognizeemployees who are always prepared, payattention to detail, strive to improvethemselves and take pride in their ownwork — no matter what their jobs. Asmanagers, supervisors and executives,we can inspire our employees and leadby example, the way Cal Ripken Jr. does.

Keep your eye on the ballKeeping up with technological

changes in the workforce and theincreased need to multitask, we oftenthink we need to “control” every aspectof our professional and personal lives.We must be able to delegate tasks toother members of the team and let go ofthose things that are out of our control.If we “keep our eye on the ball,” we will

be more successful withaccomplishing thosethings we can control.

Step up to the plateEveryone would admit

to having a lot to do anda lot on his or her “homeplate.” However, whenopportunities arise,“step up to the plate”and offer to take on newprojects, help otheremployees with tasksand lead new initiativesfor your company. Becommitted to excellenceand be willing to handlethe strikes and balls thatcome your way.

Step out of the boxWe often walk into meetings trying to

“swing” at those strikes and we missbecause we want to win. Although we allhave the goal of victory, we should strivefor mutual satisfaction. Think “win-win.” Many people approach a worksituation with a personal agenda. Thereis no “I” in TEAM. People can’t win bythemselves. That’s why it is important to“step out of the batter’s box.” Workplacerules have changed and we should try tolook at things from a differentperspective and think out of the box. Wedo not need to approach the situation assomeone who is going to win.

Watch out for curveballsDevelop the skills of curveball hitters.

We need to be adept at handling theunexpected and react professionallywhen those curveballs cross home plate.In today’s unpredictable and chaoticworkplace, our reactions to thesecurveballs can teach us valuable lessons.We often let our emotions get involved,especially when we experience a conflictwith a co-worker. By removing ouremotions and allowing time for

reflection, we can clearly see thesituation and then decide what, ifanything, to do about it.

Hit a home runMany opportunities may arise within

your company. Be a role model and hit ahome run. Everyone who knows AlbertPujols knows that he is capable of hittinga home run any time at bat. Every at-batis an opportunity for him. In relation,every day at work is an opportunity forus to use our talents to shape the cultureof our organization.

Cal Ripkin Jr. was always thinking anddevising strategies. His motto was hisfather’s: “If you take care of all the littlethings, you’ll never have a big thing toworry about.” It’s obvious that there aremany workplace lessons that have beenbrought to us from the baseballdiamond. I hope that I can use Cal’sexamples as I continue to mold mychildren in hopes that they, too, will besuccessful in the game of life. Moreover,as a family, we will continue to supportAmerica’s favorite pastime. Baseball.

— DENA KIRK is the manager of Fit ForWork in Herrin and can be reached at618-942-3088 or dena.kirk@sih.net.

Kirk

BY DENA KIRKSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

PROVIDEDDena Kirk and her son, Logan, are baseball fanatics.

Skills built by baseball also can be used to achieve success on the field of life

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

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105

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109

110

111

112

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114

115

78

90

DN D M A M J J A S O’08

N F M AS O

98

94

’09J

88

86

84

F

82

81

80

76J

’10

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 2002.Starting in November 2005, the index excludedthe electricity component.

IPMFG Apr 10103.0

CFMMI Apr 1085.2

SOURCE: FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CHICAGO

Williamson County RegionalAirport passengers

584 227 p 157.3%

2,670 1,004 p165.9%

May 10 May 09 Change

2009 Change

YTD TOTALS

MONTHLY TOTALS

Anna 31.5 114.5 113.3 112.3 111.7 109.7 p 4.4%Benton 16.8 69.4 71.4 72.4 75.0 70.4 q 1.4%Carbondale 155.1 565.5 587.7 607.4 610.4 579.4 q 2.4%Carterville 9.8 39.9 40.1 40.3 39.9 32.7 p 22.0%Chester 12.2 52.9 51.5 51.7 54.0 51.1 p 3.5%Du Quoin 26.4 100.8 91.9 94.4 103.1 95.0 p 6.1%Harrisburg 50.7 191.9 179.3 173.6 168.5 164.9 p 16.4%Herrin 41.9 147.2 135.9 134.4 137.5 127.9 p 15.1%Jonesboro 2.9 12.5 12.4 11.3 11.5 11.5 p 8.7%Marion 167.7 676.0 673.4 662.4 592.7 545.9 p 23.8%Metropolis 18.9 77.1 75.9 79.8 74.8 69.4 p 11.1%Mount Vernon 127.2 476.7 482.8 461.5 501.0 475.3 p 0.3%Murphysboro 32.3 129.1 117.1 94.9 93.0 94.6 p 53.4%Nashville 22.1 107.9 101.8 105.2 105.7 101.1 p 6.7%Pinckneyville 8.9 37.2 39.0 35.8 41.7 38.0 q 2.1%Red Bud 17.6 70.1 77.7 73.7 82.5 82.5 q 15.0%Sparta 31.1 126.4 130.5 129.5 133.1 127.7 q 1.0%Vienna 9.5 37.1 40.5 39.8 36.9 32.7 p 13.5%West City 22.3 91.9 89.6 82.8 77.7 70.8 p 29.8%West Frankfort 28.8 111.4 111.2 111.4 106.8 102.3 p 8.9%REGION $833.7 $3,235.5 $3,223.0 $3,174.7 $3,157.6 $2,983.0 p 8.5%ILLINOIS $35,244.7 $139,593.2 $237,438.0 $180,162.7 $173,362.8 $167,459.0 q 16.6%

YTD March 2010City 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005% change

05-09

Retail sales for Southern Illinois cities

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

Labor force Jobless Apr 2010 Mar 2010 Apr 2009 Change month Change year

Unemployment rates for Southern Illinois counties, state and nation

Alexander 3,090 310 10.0% 12.5% 9.0% q 2.5 p 1.0Franklin 18,182 2,383 13.1% 15.6% 11.6% q 2.5 p 1.5Gallatin 2,732 283 10.4% 11.3% 8.6% q 0.9 p 1.8Hamilton 4,111 391 9.5% 12.1% 10.8% q 2.6 q 1.3Hardin 1,862 215 11.5% 12.7% 8.6% q 1.2 p 2.9Jackson 33,291 2,527 7.6% 8.5% 5.9% q 0.9 p 1.7Jefferson 20,524 2,047 10.0% 11.2% 10.3% q 1.2 q 0.3Johnson 5,265 566 10.8% 12.3% 9.1% q 1.5 p 1.7Massac 7,289 663 9.1% 10.1% 7.6% q 1.0 p 1.5Perry 9,474 1,184 12.5% 14.2% 11.3% q 1.7 p 1.2Pope 1,889 197 10.4% 11.5% 8.4% q 1.1 p 2.0Pulaski 2,905 349 12.0% 12.1% 9.7% q 0.1 p 2.3Randolph 15,564 1,433 9.2% 10.3% 8.2% q 1.1 p 1.0Saline 12,872 1,311 10.2% 11.2% 8.3% q 1.0 p 1.9Union 8,161 1,063 13.0% 14.7% 10.2% q 1.7 p 2.8Washington 8,334 699 8.4% 9.4% 7.7% q 1.0 p 0.7White 7,536 683 9.1% 10.5% 7.8% q 1.4 p 1.3Williamson 34,962 3,458 9.9% 11.2% 8.2% q 1.3 p 1.7 .,REGION 198,043 19,762 10.0% 11.7% 9.0% q 1.7 p 1.0ILLINOIS 6,669,566 77,184 10.8% 11.7% 9.4% q 0.9 p 1.4U.S. 154,715,000 15,260,000 9.9% 9.7% 8.9% 0.2 p 1.0SOURCE: ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. FIGURES ARE NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED. 2,750 2,636 p 4.3%

2008ANNUAL TOTALS

COM

ING

SOON

N 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 June 8 and May 16, 2010.

694Benton

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 May 2010.

692U. S.

699State

698Region

SOURCE: EXPERIAN

SOURCE: AAA

Metro East $2.85 $2.95 $2.60Springfield $2.65 $2.74 $2.85Illinois $2.83 $3.00 $2.87U.S. $2.72 $2.86 $2.62

June 10 May 10 June 09

208

200

204

206

A

210

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212

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220

S O N D J F’09

M

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 averageApr 10 218.0

Midwest urbanApr 10 207.8

SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

95949392919089

96979899

100101102103104105106107108

D J A M J J A

’07

S O N D J F M A MN D J

’08

F M A M J J A S O N

’09

F M

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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.

May 10 90.6

Home sales Total units sold, including condominiums

SOURCE: ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Alexander 4 2 p 100.0% 17 32 q 46.9% $24,500 $8,500 p 188.2%Franklin 58 59 q 1.7% 276 332 q 16.9% $51,250 $38,400 p 33.5%Gallatin 1 0 NA NA NA NA $25,000 $0 NAHamilton 0 3 q 100.0% 7 8 q 12.5% $0 $27,500 q 100.0%Hardin 3 2 p 50.0% 0 0 0% $146,000 $52,000 p 180.8%Jackson 67 58 p 15.5% 383 467 q 18.0% $108,000 $73,200 p 47.5%Jefferson 45 51 q 11.8% 332 381 q 12.9% $60,000 $55,000 p 9.1%Johnson 16 14 p 14.3% 78 92 q 15.2% $91,500 $105,000 q 12.9%Massac 21 21 0.0% 112 128 q 12.5% $59,900 $85,000 q 29.5%Perry 28 30 q 6.7% 126 149 q 15.4% $56,000 $44,500 p 25.8%Pope 3 2 p 50.0% 10 9 p 11.1% $30,000 $19,500 p 53.8%Pulaski 1 2 q 50.0% 13 4 p 225.0% $74,000 $15,000 p 393.3%Randolph 30 22 p 36.4% 149 136 p 9.6% $65,950 $83,500 q 21.0%Saline 28 22 p 27.3% 80 78 p 2.6% $43,500 $70,250 q 38.1%Union 17 14 p 21.4% 101 91 p 11.0% $58,000 $67,500 q 14.1%Williamson 121 122 q 0.8% 639 705 q 9.4% $160,000 $180,000 q 11.1%ILLINOIS 21,242 17,194 p 23.5% 107,075 140,378 q 23.7% $144,600 $145,000 q 0.3%

Q1 10 Q1 09 Change 2008 2007 Change Q1 10 Q2 09 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 6 p 66.7% 137 169 q 13.3%Franklin 63 63 0.0% 989 1,341 p 7.5%Gallatin 12 10 p 20.0% 184 294 p 30.7%Hamilton 16 17 q 5.9% 224 287 p 10.4%Hardin 9 4 p 125.0% 94 109 q 19.3%Jackson 92 90 p 2.2% 1,348 1,969 p 21.4%Jefferson 49 51 q 3.9% 842 1,270 p 14.9%Johnson 39 20 p 95.0% 353 481 p 14.8%Massac 25 19 p 31.6% 278 422 p 3.7%Perry 44 45 q 2.2% 565 689 p 8.0%Pope 5 4 p 25.0% 85 123 p 10.8%Pulaski 10 4 p 150.0% 124 221 p 11.1%Randolph 55 70 q 21.4% 936 1,208 p 7.3%Saline 73 46 p 58.7% 719 1,064 p 15.7%Union 38 34 p 11.8% 447 596 p 11.6%Washington 44 35 p 25.7% 515 621 p 4.4%White 40 29 p 37.9% 471 721 p 8.6%Williamson 141 129 p 9.3% 1,868 2,515 p 9.7%REGION 765 676 p 13.2% 10,179 14,100 p 11.1%

Apr 10 Apr 09 Change 2009 2008 Change

$634,575 $588,283 p 7.9%

$1,551,848 $1,616,593 q 4.0%

Mar 10 Mar 09 Change

2009 Change

YTD TOTALS

MONTHLY TOTALS

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

2008ANNUAL TOTALS

JULY 2010SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL14

WorkplaceMost gender communication differences

are based in biology

Yes, acontroversialstatement to make.But important tounderstand andaccept in order toapproach thesecommunicationdifferences with anopen mind andpositive attitude.

Certainly there are variations amongmen and women. However, the studiesbelow (and I’ve included only a few)highlight some key differences and erasethe notion that differences stemprimarily from social conditioning andare therefore merely stereotypes.

When you think about it, doesn’t itmake sense that if we are builtdifferently, inside and outside,physically and genetically, that we wouldcommunicate differently as well?

In “Why Do Men Act The Way TheyDo?” an article reprinted from the NewYork Times Magazine by Reader’s Digestin September 2000, Andrew Sullivanreports: “Men and women differbiologically mainly because menproduce some 10 times as muchtestosterone as most women do, andbecause this chemical profoundly affectsphysique, behavior and mood.” (Manyexperts now claim that men have 10 to100 times more testosterone thanwomen.)

When researchers injected newbornfemale rats with testosterone, they wenton to develop male mounting behavior.Newborn male rats that had thehormone blocked failed to developnormal sexual organs, and presentedthemselves to untreated male rats in away typical of female sexual behavior. Inour society, males commit more crimes,four to one, than females, and theproportion is even higher with violentcrimes.

Other results of the male fetaltestosterone wash: Women have 400

percent more neurons then men in thebrain centers for language and hearing;men have 2.5 times the brain spacedevoted to sex, as well as larger centersfor action and aggression. In women, thecontrol center for anger and aggressionis larger, not the center itself, so it’sgenerally easier to anger a man.

In April 2006, the headline of anarticle written by Ronald Kotulak, ascience writer for the Chicago Tribune,read this way: “Gender and the Brain —New evidence shows how hormoneswire the minds of men and women to seethe world differently.” In the article,Larry Cahill, a neurobiologist at theUniversity of California, Irvine, says,“The bias of mainstream neurosciencefor the last 25 years has been, ‘OK, surethere’s some sex differences way downdeep in the brain in this little structurecalled the hypothalamus, but otherwisethe brains of men and women werepretty much the same. That was wrong,as wrong as could be.”

Scientists thought that sex differenceswere generally controlled by thehypothalamus, a small organ in thebrain. Recently, however, a hormonecalled kisspeptin has been discovered,which at puberty triggers otherhormones, which in turn stimulateestrogen and testosterone, initiatingphysical changes. Blocking kisspeptinprevents these changes from takingplace. This hormone bath also affectsthe brain and impacts female/malecharacteristics.

Another intriguing recent finding waspublished in the journal Nature in thefall of 2005. That study identifies thegenetic difference between men andwomen at about 1 percent.Comparatively, the genetic makeup ofchimpanzees and humans differs by only1.5 percent. So, women and men differgenetically almost as much as humansdiffer from chimpanzees!

The Science Daily on March 3, 2008,reported that although researchers havelong agreed that girls have superiorlanguage abilities than boys, until nowno one has clearly provided a biological

basis that may account for theirdifferences. For the first time, and inunambiguous findings, researchers fromNorthwestern University and theUniversity of Haifa show that areas ofthe brain associated with language workharder in girls than in boys duringlanguage tasks, and that boys and girlsrely on different parts of the brain whenperforming these tasks.

The Napa Valley Register, in earlyMarch of this year, reported that clinicalpsychologist Dr. Daniel Peters, whopractices in Napa and San Ramon, saidthe reason for the contrast in Englishtest scores between boys (lower scores)and girls has to do with braindevelopment. Girls have largerhippocampuses, the part of the brainthat aids in learning and, in particular,language arts. Girls also use morecortical areas of the brain for verbal andemotional functioning, Peters said.

Conversely, boys use more corticalareas dedicated to spatial andmechanical functioning, he said. Theresult is that, neurologically, girls arebetter wired for language skills thanboys, Peters said.

“What are boys and men alwaysknown as? Not being able to expresstheir feelings or even themselves,” Peterssaid. “Writing is just another layeredversion of being able to expressthemselves. Boys and men just don’tseem to be as good at that as girls andwomen.”

A larger corpus callosum, which is theconnective tissue between the right andleft hemispheres of the brain, and alarger portion of the brain dealing withemotions, are thought by someresearchers to give women a leg up onrelationship-building andcommunication skills. Of course, just aswomen can compete successfully inmath and science, men can improvetheir skills in these verbal/intuitive areaswith study and practice.

Emotions being controlled in thecerebral cortex also help explain whywomen generally feel and expressemotion more readily, more visually and

more verbally, than men.Physiologically, men cannot access theirfeelings and emotions as easily aswomen can. The difference in visibleexpression of emotion is one of thebiggest trouble spots between men andwomen.

Brain areas responsible for emotions,memory and tracking gut feelings arelarger and more sensitive in women.Who knew? Biology explains women’sintuition. Most emotions in men triggerrational thought, not so much gutsensation.

Pain areas in women’s brains arevisibly activated when they see or aretold that other people are in pain. Men’sbrains do not respond the same way.

Those are only a few of the biologicaldifferences between men and women.We are very different! And that’s a goodthing. All we need to do is to becomeaware of the resulting communicationdifferences and learn how to work withthem more effectively. I will addresssome of these differences in futurecolumns and offer tips and strategies tohelp improve communication betweenmen and women. Until then, viva ladifference!

— JANE SANDERS is a speaker, trainerand facilitator in the areas of gendercommunication, strategic business orwork/life planning, presentation skills,authentic leadership confidence,recruiting and retention of women, andselling to women. She also facilitatesbrainstorming, best practice, andstrategic planning sessions and retreats.Her clients include Toyota, MassMutual,Prudential, U.S. Steel, Walgreens, MayoClinic and many more. Located inMount Vernon, she is the creator of the“Undercover Confidante” service,offering discovery and solutions tochallenging employee issues. Sanders isauthor of “GenderSmart: Solving TheCommunication Puzzle Between Menand Women,” available on her website.She can be reached toll-free at 877-343-2150, jane@janesanders.com orwww.janesanders.com.

Sanders

BY JANE SANDERSSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

http://www.sih.net

JULY 2010SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL16

Employment LawVictims’ Economic Security and Safety Act

protection extended to more employers, employees

Almost sevenyears ago, the Illinoislegislature enacted alaw that required 12weeks of unpaidleave in a 12-monthperiod for employeeswho were victims ofdomestic or sexualviolence (includingstalking) or who had

family/household members who werevictims of such violence. The law, calledthe Victims’ Economic Security andSafety Act, or VESSA, took effect Aug. 25,2003. Originally, VESSA applied only toemployers with 50 or more employees.Because that number has beensignificantly reduced, it’s probably a goodtime for a refresher on the law.

The purpose for leave under VESSA is topermit the affected employee time toobtain medical attention, victim services,counseling, safety planning, relocationhelp or legal assistance without fear of jobloss. Remember, this leave does not haveto be for violence against the employee; itcan be for the employee to help a familymember or even an unrelated member ofthe employee’s household.

If leave is requested, employers can

require a sworn statement from theemployee supporting the need for theleave. An employer may also ask forindependent documentation of thedomestic situation, such as report from avictim services organization, an attorney,a member of the clergy or a medicalprofessional. A police report may alsoprovide documentation of the need forleave.

During the leave time, the employeemust remain on the employer’s grouphealth plan under the same terms as if theemployee had continued in employment.The employee will still be required to paythe employee’s portion of health insurancepremiums if required to do so beforetaking the leave. The taking of the leavecannot result in the loss of any benefitswhich accrued before the leave. Once theleave is over, the employee must berestored to the same or an equivalentposition with the same benefits, pay andother terms of employment.

The employee can substitute paid leavetime such as vacation, personal or sickdays in lieu of unpaid leave. However, anemployer cannot force an employee to usethese types of paid leave as part of VESSAleave. This is different than the Family andMedical Leave Act, or FMLA, whichpermits an employer to require theemployee to use paid days before usingunpaid days. VESSA is also different from

FMLA in a couple of other significantways.

First, under FMLA, an employee has towork for at least a year before beingeligible for leave; under VESSA, there is nominimum time of employment beforeusing the leave. Second, VESSA requiresonly 48 hours notice before using leavetime, while FMLA normally requires 30days notice. Third, VESSA applies todomestic violence incidents involvinghousehold members who are not familymembers and to spouses of the employee’schildren. FMLA applies only to medicalconditions of family members.

Fourth, FMLA applies only to employerswith 50 or more employees. Withamendments that were effective in Augustof 2009, VESSA now applies to employerswith 15 or more employees, making itsreach much more widespread. (Note,however, that employers with 15 to 49employees are required to provide onlyeight weeks of unpaid leave, rather than 12weeks.)

There is another facet of VESSA whichcould create serious problems for anemployer. VESSA includes a provisionprohibiting discrimination against peoplewho exercise their rights under VESSA orwho are, or are perceived to be, victims ofdomestic or sexual violence.

There may be instances where theworkplace is disrupted by a person

involved in a domestic violence situation.Historically, an employer might tend toput the safety of all employees first andtake some action to exclude the employeeinvolved in domestic violence from theworkplace. VESSA explicitly prohibits thiskind of action, stating that an employercannot discriminate against an employeebecause “the workplace is disrupted orthreatened by the action of a person whomthe [employee] states has committed orthreatened to commit domestic or sexualviolence against the [employee] or the[employee’s] family or householdmember.” Unfortunately, VESSA mayforce an employer to choose betweenworkplace safety and a charge ofdiscrimination.

Finally, as with so many state andfederal employment laws, employers arerequired to post a notice informingemployees of their rights under VESSA.So, if you have 15 or more employees, besure you have a VESSA notice posted.

— ED RENSHAW is a partner with theCarbondale law firm ofFeirich/Mager/Green/Ryan. F/M/G/R is ageneral practice law firm offering a fullrange of legal services, including labor andemployment law, commercialtransactions, banking, real estate, workers’compensation, municipal law and estateplanning.

Renshaw

BY ED RENSHAWSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

(As a sovereign nation, Greece cannot gobankrupt.) Many economists think Greecewill go into a deep recession (ordepression) which could last most of thedecade.

The potential rippleIt looks like the bailout will be accepted

by Greece and its EU partners. This meanssome confidence will return and otherEurozone nations with big debts will be

slightly less threatened. However, Greecestill has a risk of default.

Should Greece default even with thebailout, some major lenders in France andGermany would be hit very hard. Theywould have to raise capital ratios andreduce the frequency of loans. That wouldhamper economic growth in France,Germany and in turn across Europe. Incoming months, the U.S. and othernations could feel the pinch from such aslowdown.

Keep in mind, Greece only representsabout 2 percent of the Eurozone economy.In the roughest scenario, Spain or Italydefaults and the shock wave to European

banks (and U.S. banks exposed to the debt)is significantly greater. What wouldhappen then? A credit freeze acrossEurope? Diving stocks? A trashed Euro? Aflight to gold?

These are merely scenarios, not presentrealities. But, in a nutshell, this is whathad Wall Street biting its nails this spring.

Is the bailout truly a solution?It was unpopular throughout the EU,

but the right step to take. The movecertainly helped defend the stability of theEuro; in fact, German Chancellor AngelaMerkel and French President NicolasSarkozy have jointly pledged to preserve

the Euro’s value.The worry is that other bailouts will be

needed to preserve the fiscal health ofother Eurozone nations. We all hope thesecountries can effectively manage theirdebt levels, for the sake of the stockmarket and the economy in our country.

— SCOTT MCCLATCHEY is a founder andLPL Financial Advisor with AllianceInvestment Planning Group, aCarbondale-based investment firmlocated at 115 S. Washington St.He can be reached at 618-519-9344 or scott@allianceinvestmentplanning.com.

ECONOMIC: DebtFROM PAGE 10

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 17

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Elder LawIf you expect to need care within five years,

take action now to protect your assets

At the risk ofsounding like theboy who cried wolfonce too often, youneed to take heedthat Illinois is finallyabout to adopt thedraconian federallaw called the DeficitReduction Act.

This means you,the reader, need to take immediate actionto protect yourself, your loved ones, yourhome and your lifetime savings, if youown a home or farm or have savings or

investments, and, within the next fiveyears you may need:l care or assistance to continue living in

your home.l to transition to assisted living.l care in a nursing home.First, consider a little background for

context.In 2005, Congress got very concerned

about the rising cost of health care and, inparticular, the cost of nursing home andother long-term care, the majority ofwhich is paid for through the Medicaidprogram. On Feb. 8, 2006, Congresspassed and President Bush signed into lawthe DRA. The federal DRA law requiredIllinois to adopt rules to implement theDRA by July 1, 2006. Those rules were

written in May 2006 and passed “up theline” per this author’s June 2006conversation with the two Illinoisassistant attorney generals who wrote thenew rules. Since that time, the DRAimplementation rules have not beenadopted and, thus, Illinois has been inviolation of the federal DRA law.Undoubtedly, this is a legacy of the Gov.Rod Blagojevich years.

On March 24, the Illinois Department ofHealthcare and Family Services (the stateagency that is in charge of the Medicaidprogram in Illinois) issued a four-pagedocument captioned, “Summary of LongTerm Care Eligibility Rules.” This authormanaged to obtain a copy throughconfidential sources. While neither the

source nor I have seen the actual rules, thesummary indicates that the DRAimplementation rules are about to beadopted, and, to the horror of myself andother elder care and elder lawprofessionals, will make Illinois one of thetoughest states in the nation — muchtougher than what was required byCongress when it enacted the DRA.

The summary provides for thefollowing:lFive-year “look-back” period. [Note:

this does not mean you cannot protectyourself or your assets if there is less thanfive years. It simply means that Medicaidis entitled to look at all asset transfers

BY RICHARD HABIGERSBJ CONTRIBUTOR

Habiger

SEE ELDER / PAGE 22

JULY 2010SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL18

AchievementsA W A R D S | P R O M O T I O N S | R E T I R E M E N T

VNA-TIP HealthCare opens in McLeansboro

VNA-TIP HealthCare recently acquiredHamilton Memorial Hospital District’sHome Health Agency.

The new office is at 303 W. Randolph St.in McLeansboro, allowing shortercommutes and quicker responses to homesin the area. In effect since Feb. 1, the namehas changed to VNA-TIP Healthcare. Theemployees remain the same.

VNA-TIP Healthcare is the largestindependent home health care agency inthe bi-state region, founded in 1917.

Nuernberger opens Allstate officeAllstate exclusive agent Kai

Nuernberger recently opened aninsurance office at 4503 W. DeYoung St.,Suite 105C, in Marion.

His new agency, called Kai NuernbergerInsurance Agency, offers customers a fullline of Allstate insurance products and

services, including auto, homeowners,renters, business and commercial, boat,RV, life, retirement and Allstate MotorClub.

He can be reached at 618-997-8710 for more information or to receive a quote.

Coracy participates infamiliarization trip

Helen Coracy of B and A Travel Servicein Carbondale recently returned from anall-expense paid educationalfamiliarization trip to Italy as the guest ofGlobus Vacations.

During the seven-day trip, Coracyaccepted the agency’s recognition as aGlobus Premier Agency Partner forsuperior sales performance and productknowledge. Information on GlobusVacations worldwide vacation destinationsmay be obtained from B and A TravelService in Marion and Carbondale or atwww.bandatravel.com.

Coracy reappointed to travel agent advisory board

David Coracy of B and A Travel Servicein Carbondale and Marion has beenreappointed to the travel agent advisoryboard for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

The 25-member board recently metduring the annual conference ofAuthorized Disney Vacation Planners atWalt Disney World Resort to shape creativemarketing strategies for Disney’scontinuing theme park campaign,“Celebration Vacations.”

Holistic Wellness Institute opens in Carbondale

Dr. Linda Hostalek’s Holistic WellnessInstitute recently opened in the MurdaleShopping Center just three doors east ofthe Neighborhood Co-op at 1827 W. MainSt. in Carbondale.

Formerly Holistic Healing Arts located inHerrin, Hostalek’s new practice, Holistic

Wellness Institute, is focused on wellnesscare and education, featuring a number ofclasses, workshops and retreats.

For more information, call 618-457-5577or visit www.tinyurl.com/HolisticWellness.

Edward Jones branch awarded for excellence

Gary Gray and Susan Buttitta of thefinancial services firm Edward Jones inHerrin recently received the firm’s ClientService Excellence award.

Edward Jones, which ranked No. 2 onFortune magazine’s “100 Best Companiesto Work For” in 2010, is headquartered inSt. Louis.

Owen Automotive and Detailing opens

Guy Owen, formerly of Kenny ShreveFord in McLeansboro, recently openedOwen Automotive and Detailing at 506 N.

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 19

AchievementsA W A R D S | P R O M O T I O N S | R E T I R E M E N T

Harris Place in McLeansboro. Hours ofoperation are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday.

A Ford certified technician and Forddiesel specialist, Owen has 32 years ofexperience in truck and auto repair.

For an appointment, call Owen at 618-925-1937.

Gibbs-Monroe elected to board of directors

Tina Gibbs-Monroe, a Harrisburgresident and Ameren Illinois employee, hasbeen elected to serve on the Prevent ChildAbuse Illinois Board of Directors.

Gibbs-Monroe, who has long been activein community affairs, is a strong advocatefor the prevention of child abuse. Sheserves as a community relationscoordinator for Ameren Illinois and isbased in Marion.

She was elected to the board at theorganization’s June 2 annual meeting.

Crossroads CEO receivesOutstanding Achievement Award

Ed Cunningham, CEO of CrossroadsCommunity Hospital, has been honoredwith an Outstanding Achievement Awardfrom Community Health Systems, one ofthe nation’s leading systems of generalacute-care hospitals.

Cunningham has served as CEO ofCrossroads since April 2007.

St. Mary’s receives OutstandingPatient Experience Award

St. Mary’s Hospital is among the top 5percent in the nation for patientexperience, based on an analysis of patientsurveys from 3,775 hospitals across thecountry by HealthGrades, the leadingindependent health care ratingsorganization.

St. Mary’s Hospital was one of only 14recipients of the HealthGrades OutstandingPatient Experience Award in Illinois andonly one of six recipients in Illinois to beranked in the top 5 percent in the nation.

TrustBank opens new branch in Carbondale

TrustBank opened a new branch April 5at 3200 Fishback Road in Carbondale.Trust Services include acting as trustee of atestamentary or living trust, serving as the

executor of an estate or acting as an agentin providing investment managementservices.

Michael Neill, TrustBank trust officer,is managing the Carbondale branch office.He has 25 years of experience in thefinancial services industry. Also, he is alicensed attorney and a certified financialplanner.

Tennant receives Patient ChoiceAward at HRMC

Debra Tennant, a registered nurse atHeartland Regional Medical Center inMarion, has been awarded the PatientChoice Award for 2010.

Tennant won the award based on thenumber of votes from the community atlarge for her work caring for patients. Shehas worked for seven years in the hospital’sMedical-Surgical Unit.

Aisin receives Toyota Excellence Award

For a second year in company history,Aisin Electronics Illinois LLC. was awardedthe Toyota Excellence Award at this year’sAnnual Toyota Supplier Awards dinner andceremony.

Aisin Electronics Illinois, located inMarion, has received the Certificate ofAchievement Award for Quality andDelivery previously for 2007 and now for2009.

Kyle Brown joins E. R. Brown Furniture

Kyle S. Brown, a 2010 businessgraduate of Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale, has joined E. R. BrownFurniture in West Frankfort.

He is the fourth generation of the Brownfamily to own and manage the 96-year-old, two-store retail furniture operation inWest Frankfort, the furniture capitol ofSouthern Illinois.

Kaisor recognized for 50 years in banking

Buena Vista National Bank recentlyrecognized Allen A. Kaisor for 50 years inbanking with a solid gold commemorativepin from Community Bankers Associationof Illinois.

Kaisor started his banking career in 1960in Decatur. In 1967, he accepted a position

with the University Bank of Carbondale ascashier. In 1972, He accepted the positionof president/CEO of Lebanon Trust &Savings Bank (MidAmerica Bank & TrustCompany) and became, at age 29, one ofIllinois’ youngest bank presidents.

He joined Buena Vista National Bank in1986 as president/CEO and a member ofthe board of directors.

Southern Illinois Stone Companyreceives safety award

Southern Illinois Stone Company, adivision of Delta Companies Inc., washonored at the Illinois Association ofAggregate Producers annual conventionMay 11 in Springfield.

Clark Bollinger, plant manager,accepted IAAP’s highest honor, the RockSolid Excellence in Safety Award on behalfof the company’s quarry, located inBuncombe.

The award program was developed topublicly recognize members producingcrushed stone, sand or gravel, as well ascompanies providing services to thisindustry.

Johnson attends light fairSteven Johnson, owner of the

Carbondale-based Southern Lights, LLC,attended Light Fair International forCommercial and Architectural LightingMay 10 to 14 in Las Vegas.

Southern Lights LLC is an electricalcontracting and lighting company andmember of Illuminating EngineeringSociety. Johnson acquired informationabout the newest energy-saving lightingproducts, lighting design for aesthetics andefficiency and improved lightinginstallation techniques.

Marnati named CorrectionalOfficer of the Year

Juvenile Justice Specialist Jeff Marnatiat Illinois Youth Center in Murphysboro isamong five outstanding front-lineemployees honored as 2010 CorrectionalOfficers of the Year.

The Illinois Department of Correctionsand the Illinois Department of JuvenileJustice recently honored Marnati and theother four officers at a ceremony inSpringfield.

Land donated to Shawnee Mass Transit District

Shawnee Mass Transit District, d.b.a.SMART, received approximately five acresof land in Johnson County. The land wasdonated to the organization by JohnsonCounty 2000, Inc.

Industrial Park in Vienna will be thefuture home of SMART. All of theorganization’s operations will beheadquartered at this location.

Razer attends leadership special quest

Barb Razer of Sparta attended theNational Leadership Special Quest on April24 to 28 in Denver to participate and act ascoach for Missouri State Leadership Team.

The Special Quest Birth to Five: HeadStart/Hilton Foundation Training Programwas funded by the Office of Head Start inOctober 2007.

Hart attends course on estate planning

Richard Hart of Hart & Hart, Attorneysat Law, recently completed a two-daycourse on estate planning. The course washosted by the Illinois Institute forContinuing Legal Education in Champaign.

Hart and Hart is located at 602 W. PublicSquare in Benton. Richard Hart practiceswith his son, Murphy Hart.

Bonifield achieves master statusCountry Financial representative Larry

Bonifield of Carterville recently achievedthe designation of master status for theorganization.

Bonifield is among 23 financialrepresentatives selected to receive thehonor. This is the second time he hasachieved master status. He serves clientsfrom his office at 2702 17th St. in Marion.

Gollhuir named ‘hero’ in long-term care

As part of National Nursing Home WeekMay 9 to 15, the Health Care Council ofIllinois recognized Richard Gollhuir as ahero in long-term care for 2010.

Gollhuir is a maintenance supervisor atHelia Healthcare of Energy. He was amongthe heroes HCCI recognized from long-term care facilities in Illinois.

ENHANCING GROWTH

& BUILDING PROSPERITY

The Southern Illinois University CarbondaleEconomic Development team is committed toour mission in southern Illinois focusing onthree key areas:

• Entrepreneurship

• Innovation

• Community Engagement

SIUC supports the region’s entrepreneurs through our 25-year-old flagship program, the Illinois Small Business DevelopmentCenter, and through the Operation Bootstrap training, IllinoisManufacturing Extension Center, CampCEO youth program,and many more. SIUC is highly committed to advancingresearch and innovation through our Southern IllinoisResearch Park and our Small Business Incubator. SIUC isalso dedicated to advancing healthcare through our Center forRural Health and Community Development Programs -assisting southern Illinoisans throughout the region to behealthier and have greater access to new technology andbroadband connectivity.

WWWWWW..GGRROOWWSSII..CCOOMM

661188..553366..22442244

Hwy 127 South, Alto Pass 618.893.4898

www.altovineyards.net

Congratulations to one of our valuedclients on being named the JeffreyButland Family-Owned SmallBusiness of the Year.We and all of southern Illinois are very proud of your accomplishments.

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 21

Business Fine PrintP E R M I T S | B A N K R U P T C I E S

Building permitsCarbondaleJRB Property Investments, 301 E. Mill St.,

$120,000Wayne Banks, 1012 Villa Court, $7,000John Coles, 901 N. Bridge St., $1,800Christine Bauer, 510 N. Michaels St., $20,000Vaughn Properties, 311 W. Main St., $5,000Chili’s Restaurant, 1240 E. Main St.,

$1,200,000Sato Robbins, 1310 E. Grand Ave., $6,000Italian Village Restaurant, 405 S. Washington

St., $35,000Pointe at SIU, 900 E. Park St., $1,187,500University Place 8 Theatre, 1370 E. Main St.,

$115,000Stephanie Dollinger, 210 S. Greg Lane, $1,500John Hartman, 1714. W. Colonial Drive, $1,700Home Rentals, 407 Cherry Court, $500Home Rentals, 408 Cherry Court, $500Mikolaj Sawicki, 907 S. Taylor Drive, $250Tracy Bryant, 606 N. Springer St., $500Midwest Lodging, 1180 E. Main St., $1,000Key West, 1108 W. Main St., $500Gold’s Gym, 2421 W. Main St., $600,000Pedro Delgado, 2431 New Era Road, $250

HerrinWal-Mart, 1703 S. Park Ave., $150,000Jim Greeney, 305 S. 20th St., $10,000Mitchell McRaven, 2517 N. 14th St., $90,000Mary Kat Cattaneo, 1904 S. 27th St.,

$180,000Beverly Shelton, 1321 N. 8th St., $8,000Lillie Slover, 820 N. 27th St., $60,000Lillie Slover, 820 N. 27th St., $12,000Deon Sellers, 1413 S. 22nd St., $25,000First Church of God, 901 N. 3rd St., $200,000

MarionMaxine Burns, 110 S. Vicksburg, $600Lynn Hanley, 1705 N. State, $36,000Tim Barnett, 302 E. Clark, $140,000Aspen Dental, 2702 W. DeYoung, $115,000B.W. Bruce, 200 Tower Square, $210,000Ed Hayes, 2707 E. Hickory, $15,000

MetropolisWaterway AG Inc., $261,700Rendezvous Day Spa and Salon, 1102 E. 5th

St., $0Holly Wood Fun Golf, 1515 5th St., $15,000Harry W. Douglas, 404 E. 13th St., $0Lannis L. Walters, 1502 Catherine St., $800Waterway AG Inc., $196,000

Mount VernonCharles Simer, 3403 Nature Trail, $2,500Victory Christian Center, 1719 Broadway,

$30,800Misty Paracell, 7 E. Crownview, $450Cedarhurst Center, 2600 Richview Road, $0

SMGSH, 4001 Veterans Memorial Drive, $500Bryan Campbell, 602 21st St., $200Greenwalt and Sons, 909 Water Tower Circle,

$0Edward Sanders, 701 20th St., $2,600Kay Taylor, 915 Gilbert, $0America’s Best Inns, 222 44th St., $18,000Richard Etienne, 3409 Nature Trail, $1,300Family Life Assembly of God, 2901 Veterans

Memorial Dr., $0Carroll Engineering Co., 5101 Lake Terrace,

$300Kay Developers, 4805 Broadway, $30,000Jeff Scoville, 725 White St., $3,500John Brenster, 713 17th St., $0Gloria McKiness, 1117 Wescott, $0Jefferson County Tractor Pull Association, Wells

Bypass Road, $50Craig Milligan, 1010 21st St., $0Christian Fellowship Church, 2417 Cherry St.,

$0Jefferson County Shriners, Illinois 37 South, $0Tavern on 10th, 224 10th St., $300JJ’s Ice Shack, 310 Old Fairfield Road, $2,500Peoples Choice Cash and Pawn, 1119 Jordan,

$0Merle Shurtz, 401 W. Beacon Court, $2,800Oak Grove Village, 28 Willow Court, $6,700Oak Grove Village, 19 Cottonwood, $6,700JoAnn Puckett, 2801 Snyder, $2,500

MurphysboroClarence and Sandra Sherman, 1912 Edith St.,

$5,700Harry Raines, 429 N. 12th St., $2,000Marcus McCoy, 811 Illinois Ave., $1,000Leslie Williams, 1133 Roberta Drive, $5,300Robert McCann, 510 Murphy St., $4,100James and Heather Bean, 27 Westwood Lane,

$4,000Ronald Manwaring, 902 Keough Drive, $1,000Bob and Mary Herd, 210 N. 19th St., $9,000Bob and Mary Herd, 1846 Pine St., $9,000William Crawshaw, 1524 Spruce St., $3,300Brenda Lipe, 2130 Rains St., $1,800David Zaragoza, 524 N. 11th St., $4,500Floyd Hopkins, 1314 Illinois Ave., $10,000Marion Eye Center, 1934 Walnut St., $4,800St. Andrews, 724 Mulberry, $6,000Gerald Hartline, 1821 Division St., $3,000

West FrankfortT.A. Pollack, 200 S. Taft, $39,500Barney Mack, 704 E. 8th St., $23,190Terry Williams, 1806 E. Garland, $4,000LaFiesta Restaurant, 1402 W. Main, $8,500

BankruptciesChapter 7Richard Pollard and Pamela Pollard, 504

Schumaker St., CarmiMarsha Post, 1402 W. Boulevard St., Marion

Jason Miller and Randie Miller, 495 Puckett St.,Carrier Mills

Timothy Carter and Dolly Carter, 1162 W. NoName Road, Carbondale

Latreshia Russell, 7960 New Bethel ChurchRoad, Brookport

Jean Daley, P.O. Box 203, MoundsJean Murrah, 148 Mark Drive, GorevilleRandy Baker, P.O. Box 174, Alto PassJennifer Shaw, 1205 N. Main St., BentonLinda Lowe, 900 Big Four St., EldoradoThomas Biggs and Stacey Biggs, P.O. Box 165,

RoyaltonJeffrey Blair, P.O. Box 336, EnergyDarren Stubblefield, 709 S. Emma St., West

FrankfortJessica Stubblefield, 501 N. Stotlar St., BentonAlbert Carr and Sandra Carr, P.O. Box 566,

RosiclareStephanie Avery, 16498 Old Town Road, SesserJoseph Martinez, 506 1/2 N. Main St.,

HarrisburgBrandon Vaughn, 200 W. Clay St., HerrinLisa Payne, R.R. 1, Box 2D, RinardRobert Watson, P.O. Box 52, HerrinRobyn Smith, 1016 N. Market St., MarionMark Scott, P.O. Box 145, IrvingtonCarla Scott, 405 E. Pine St., IrvingtonRicky Tongate, 21948 Lakeland Drive,

KeyesportMaria Tongate, 167 E. Madison St., AshleyAdam Mileur and Judith Mileur, 1104 B. Sandra

Court, MurphysboroAllen Tolbert, 1427 S. Granger St., HarrisburgWarren Modglin and Melissa Modglin, 1019

Gower Lane, PercyPhillip Jerkins, 11468 Illinois 37, BentonTimothy Spurgeon, 200 Pinewood Court, De

SotoKelly Johnson, 1801 Butler St., MetropolisSarah Bailey, 14971 Somers Church Road,

ThompsonvilleGary Roman, P.O. Box 1234, MarionMarilyn Crowe, 1913 Saline Ave., EldoradoAlisha Miner, Route 1, Box 212, AlbionHenry Clark, 17177 Illinois 127, MurphysboroDon Buedel, 2118 Division St., MurphysboroRicky Johnston and Deborah Johnston, P.O. Box

246, Mount VernonCarol Bourland, 12473 Lebo Lane, CairoFrankie Hester and Pamela Hester, 692 Beech

Road, Du QuoinDaniel Coomer and Deana Coomer, 1105

Florence Drive, FairfieldCindy Cobb, 3790 Illinois 37 North, GorevilleThomas Elliott and Carolyn Elliott, 504 E.

Washington St., KarnakStephanie Bennett, 5985 Bluebird Road,

BentonCarl Cash, R.R. 3, Box 223, AlbionTheodore Webster and Opal Webster, R.R. 2,

Box 74, ElizabethtownStephen Damron and Roberta Damron, 5220

Marion Road, MetropolisRonald Stallings and Denise Stallings, 6565

Waldo Church Road, MetropolisMeagon Ford, 2 Union Ave., McLeansboroMarshall Girtman, P.O. Box 491, MarionJessica Gir tman, 1312 W. Concord St.,

HarrisburgAlice Shelton, 409 N. 8th St., HerrinTodd Driscoll, R.R. 2 Box 50A, ElizabethtownJohn Mitchell and Cheryl Mitchell, R.R. 1 Box

111, ElizabethtownJohn Follmer and Janice Follmer, 12012 Moffat

Road, SpartaTodd Walters, 7840 Walter Lane, WalshThelma Wettstain, 808 W. 9th St., Johnston

CityArnold Burris, P.O. Box 212, CairoRyan Tygett, P.O. Box 340, OlmstedEarl Burns and Rhonda Burns, P.O. Box 254,

CambriaWednesday Gray, P.O. Box 464, MetropolisJason Tedrow and Talia Tedrow, 14267 4 Mile

Lane, West FrankfortMary File, 112 Illini St., ViennaLarry Marvel and Patricia Marvel, 4776 Marvel

Road, ThompsonvilleBurl Ritcheson, P.O. Box 875, MurphysboroWilliam Ketring and Elaine Ketring, 603 E. 4th

St., West FrankfortMelony Robinson, 7476 Deering Road, BentonWilliam Scroggins, 129 Ashlar St., JonesboroBennie Amburgey, 23973 N. Illinois 37, DixAngela Amburgey, 3156 Nation Road, SalemRicky Hammontree, 113 N. Douglas St., West

FrankfortStephen Gosney and Mary Gosney, 11796

Calsburg Road, West FrankfortDawn Griebe, 19147 Bunyan St., MarionMichael Lagow, 15981 Friendsville Ave., Mount

CarmelAlisa Lagow, 1715 Michael Ave., Mount CarmelRobert Goss, P.O. Box 31, EwingRandell Knight, 1104 County Road, CarmiRoderica Jenkins, 3415 Westmont. Apt. 2,

Mount VernonJoshua Gayer, 16678 E. 300th Road, Mount

CarmelLeon Hobbie, 9431 Steel City Road, BentonMary Sirach, 501 N. Emma St., West FrankfortJames Atwood and Tommie Atwood, 1102 S.

Mechanic St., MarionThomas Maramba and Shelly Maramba, 108 N.

Locust St., McLeansboroJohnson Tire Service, P.O. Box F, GrayvilleJames Head and Jean Head, P.O. Box 257,

ChristopherKeith Brasher and Paula Brasher, 400 S. 17th

St., HerrinRandall Barwick and Janet Barwick, 12250

Poordo Road, Pittsburg

SEE FINE PRINT / PAGE 23

JULY 2010SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL22

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during the 60-month period prior to theapplication for Medicaid.lExpanded “penalty” period. Non-

allowable transfers are subject to a penaltyperiod for all transfers made on or afterFeb. 8, 2006. [Note: this means the ruleswill be retroactive to Feb. 8, 2006. But itdoes not necessarily mean that all assettransfers made since that date will resultin a penalty.]lAnnuities owned by the applicant or

his/her spouse must be disclosed and thestate must be made the remainderbeneficiary. Also, annuities are availableassets if they are revocable, assignable orcan be sold.lThe equity in a home or homestead

farm cannot exceed $500,000 unless thereis a spouse or a disabled, blind or minorchild who lives in the home.lFunds used to purchase a promissory

note, loan or mortgage will be treated as anon-allowable asset transfer.l In determining the fair market value

of farm property, farmland value tablesestablished by the University of Illinois

Farm Bureau may be used instead of thevalues used by those who know best — thelocal tax assessor.lPersonal Care Contracts may be used,

but must be in writing and must meet verystrict criteria.lTo cure a non-allowable asset

transfer, only the full return of the assetwill be permitted.lMedical (and long-term care)

expenses incurred during a penalty periodcannot be deducted from income as theycan be under the pre-DRA rules.

There are many other provisionscovered in the summary. Stay tuned to thismonthly column for further updates andan in-depth analysis of the provisions ofthe new rules once they are published inthe Illinois Register.

— RICHARD HABIGER is an elder lawattorney who focuses on asset protection,Medicaid and VA benefits, Alzheimer’sand life care planning — all incollaboration with a multi-disciplinarystaff. You may contact him at 618-549-4529 or info@habigerelderlaw.com.

ELDER: Take action now FROM PAGE 17

JULY 2010 SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

Business Fine PrintP E R M I T S | B A N K R U P T C I E S

Clara Trout, R.R. 1, Box 125A, BroughtonBrenda Blattel, P.O. Box 456, DongolaToni Donas, P.O. Box 104, ThompsonvilleVicky Babb, 1425 Shawnee Drive, MarionElke Hayes, 3479 Illinois 13 West, HarrisburgWilliam Weiss, 105 N. First St., EnfieldDerek Batter ton, 531 W. First St., Mount

CarmelConnie Keele, 15727 E. Tolle Road, Mount

VernonTerry Gee and Mary Gee, 5988 N. Spruce Lane,

WaltonvilleLindsay Quesenberry, P.O. Box 326, Olive

BranchChristopher Newby and Risa Newby, 97

Chippewa Drive, Carbondale

Chapter 13Timothy Everly and Raven Everly, 1633 West

Road, West FrankfortTony Holland, 208 S. Illinois Ave., Du QuoinCharles Carroll and Sandra Carroll, 1200 Da

Cla Mar Court, CarbondaleRutherford Eubanks and Ginger Eubanks, P.O.

Box 38, ValierWilliam Stockton, 11310 Norman Road, MarionJean Stockton, 909 Independence Ave.,

MarionJonathan White, 530 Beagle Road, StonefortJames Todd and Katrina Todd, R.R. 5, Box 188,

FairfieldDonald Rowland and Debra Rowland, 1806 E.

Oak St., West FrankfortThomas Schaefer, 7462 Veath Lane, EvansvilleWilliam Morgan and Elizabeth Morgan, 202 E.

Holmes St., ChesterRobert Ticer and Meredith Ticer, 219 S.

Mulberry St., Du QuoinRobert Brooks and Cynthia Brooks, 700 N.

12th St., HerrinDavid McCaleb, 56 Francis Lane,

MurphysboroSharon Clayton, 1526 N. Franklin St., BentonJason Stephenson and Alycia Stephenson,

1809 Julianne DrBrenda Gray, 405 S.Douglas St., West Frankfort

Christa Ramsey, P.O. Box 56, ColpJohnny Biggerstaff and Shaelyn Biggerstaff,

1801 Organ St., EldoradoConnie Hernandez, P.O. Box 387, ShawneetownFlora Spears, P.O. Box 127, UllinWilliam Hollen and Amy Hollen, 8291 N. 900

Boulevard, Mount CarmelKirk Skelton, 230 N. 14th St., MurphysboroDiana Buck, 310 Forest St., AnnaFlorida Cherry, 309 N. Elm St., MoundsJeffrey Grob and Kimberly Grob, 706 E. Murray

St., SesserDebra Winterberg, P.O. Box 288, WillisvilleJason Kruse and Christine Kruse, 11528 Hafer

Road, CartervilleCharley Ralston and Nancy Ralston, 225 W.

Cleveland St., West FrankfortRachel Ebel, 626 N. 15th St., MurphysboroTerra Smith, 811 S. Main St., HarrisburgThomas Coffey and Suzzette Coffey, 810 Illinois

149, RoyaltonBilly Jones and Debbie Jones, 103 W. Sixth St.,

West FrankfortDanny Sena and Kathleen Sena, 401 W. Park

St., BentonAlvin Willes and Connie Willes, 505 S. Aikman

St., MarionKimberly Watkins, 211 E. Lindell St., West

FrankfortJanet Leach, 2622 Orient Road, West FrankfortRobert Prosise and Tammy Prosise, 211 N.

Main St., ZeiglerWilliam Church and Jamie Church, 6810 U.S.

45 South, Carrier MillsChris Dillman, P.O. Box 156, BentonDavid Gammill and Cynthia Gammill, 712 E.

Clark St., West FrankfortMary Lewis, 12451 W. Ruembler Crossing,

BentonCharles Hand and Jeanie Hand, P.O. Box 177,

Freeman SpurRobert Szakurski, 732 W. Market St.,

ChristopherBettina Daniel, 1309 W. North St., CarbondaleSeth Dawley, 211 Apple Lane, AnnaMandy Kahl, 280 Sweet Potato Road, DongolaJohn Allen, P.O. Box 22, AvaRebekah Allen, 203 N. Second St., AvaJeremy George, 1736 Old Du Quoin Road, Du

QuoinJackie Catron, 1 Northbrook Drive,

McLeansboroKenny Smith, 2920 Milligan Hill Road, Alto

PassJames Bartley, 301 S. Marion St., West

FrankfortJared Whitehead and Michelle Whitehead,

11422 Simon St., MarionJoseph Lattina and Linda Lattina, 4719 Yung

Road, SesserChristopher Wieseman and Tammy Wieseman,

10405 Old U.S. 51 North, CobdenJohn Burke and Terri Burke, 8621 E. Boyd St.,

Mount VernonMelissa McClure, 213 George St., AnnaDaniel Hammonds and Sherrie Hammonds,

303 S. Ward St., BentonMichael Wright, 309 E. Church St., GalatiaVallery Holland, 1118 Monroe St., Johnston

CityJoseph Holder, P.O. Box 223, CairoJoyce Holder, 504 Martin Luther King Ave.,

CairoBobbie Rucker, 706 E. Reeves St., MarionWilma Greenlee, 1401 W. Grand Ave.,

CartervilleMerle Garrison and Paula Garrison, 700 S.

Duncan St., MarionCheryl Anderson, 1898 N. Illinois Ave.,

CarbondalePatricia O’Neal, 1955 Stephens Road,

CarbondaleJoyce Griffin, 17376 Garrett Road, Johnston

CityLynn Moore, 2520 New Era Road 61,

MurphysboroEarl Moore, P.O. Box 435, SpartaGary Wedeking and Tammy Wedeking, 7280

Riepe Ridge Road, MetropolisLance Choate and Desirea Choate, P.O. Box 82,

HarrisburgJonathan Beer, 16178 Illinois 3, AvaJolene Harsy, 605 E. Main St., De SotoJeffrey Emery and Tammy Emery, 130 U.S. 51

South, Du QuoinDavid Williams and Tina Williams, 300 Gibbons

Road, HarrisburgSandra Stone, 735 Murphy School Road, AnnaErnest Johnston and Mary Johnston, 3125

Lime Ave., Mount VernonJohn Clarida and Katherine Clarida, 202 N. Fair

St., MarionMegan Sperry, P.O. Box 74, DongolaChristopher Lundeberg, 3507 Shenandoah, St.

LouisEric Harris, 8 Bermuda Road, MurphysboroDouglas Hargis and Lonna Hargis, 108 Prairie

St., ZeiglerLatoria Mayfield, 607 E. Park St., CarbondaleGarry Gilbert and Barbara Gilbert, 903 S.

Madison St., MarionBradley Owens and Tara Owens, 18256 N.

Hails Lane, Mount VernonDennis Driscoll and Penny Driscoll, R.R. 2 Box

50 A, ElizabethtownClinton Boldrey and Billye Boldrey, 20832 N.

Duncan Lane, DixMarion Stallman, 318 Schroder St., Chester

AchievementsA W A R D S | P R O M O T I O N S | R E T I R E M E N T

Century 21 wins technology awardCentury 21 House of Realty, Inc. of

Marion has won the 2009 Century 21Technology Award. The award is presentedannually to one company in the Century 21system that has successfully integratedtechnology into its business and anticipatesnew ways technology can enhancecustomer relationships.

Under the direction of Rich and JanieDavis, Century 21 in Marion has excelled

in using technology to connect withcustomers in an innovative way. The agentsutilize social media, including Facebook,LinkedIn, YouTube and blogs, to postlistings, open houses and industryinformation. They have also developedtheir website, www.buySIhomes.com, intoa marketing channel that highlights theattributes of their listings with virtualtours, slide shows and a wide selection ofphotos.

Ike Auto Park Collision Center relocates

Ike Auto Park Collision Center recentlyrelocated its main facility to the old IkeAuto Park building on Illinois 13 East atSpillway Road.

Ike’s Collision Center has been inoperation since 1983. Steve Gilbert, whohas been a service advisor at Ike Honda, isnow the Collision Center manager.

Let the region knowHave you been promoted? Has a

colleague at work completed an inten-sive continuing education program?Others in the business community willwant to know it, so please considerpassing on your milestone employmentnews to the Southern Business Journal.

Feel free to e-mail the information tosbj@thesouthern.com or fax a writtenupdate to 618-457-2935.

John A. Logan CollegeHighway Construction Careers Training Program

(Funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Administered by the Illinois Community College Board)

Do you have a valid Illinois driver’s license?

Are you 18 years or older, have your high school diploma or GED and have an interest inworking in the construction trades?

Would you like to learn how to participate in the Highway Construction Careers Training Program?

If YES, contact us today!A Highway Construction Careers Training Program has been implemented to increase thenumber of minorities, women and disadvantaged individuals working on IDOT highway construction projects.

The training consists of an intensive 8-week program to learn the skills necessary for acceptance into the highway construction trades and the opportunity for a career with high wage earning potential.

The training includes, but is not limited to:• Math for the trades• Job readiness• Technical skills coursework• OSHA 10 certification

Classes Begin July 19, 2010Contact: Dennis White

(618) 985-2828denniswhite@jalc.edu

JOB PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES:Laborers • Equipment Operators • Ironworkers • Carpenters

• Cement Masons • Electricians • Pipefitters, Plumbers • Painters