Annual Report 3

By Randy [email protected]

NORMAL — Years of dis-cussion and planning culmi-nated in February when Illi-nois State University’s boardof trustees gave the officialapproval to a $25 million ren-ovation project for HancockStadium.

The upgrade of the univer-sity’s 50-year-old footballhome will begin in the latespring or early summer. Con-struction is expected to becompleted in time for the 2013football season.

“This is a huge step forwardfor the university,” ISU presi-dent Al Bowman said. “It notonly allows us to improve anaging facility, but it also willenhance the doorway to theuniversity. The current facili-ty really doesn’t reflect on thequality of the institution.”

The renovation will featurean entirely new east side to

Hancock Stadium that willseat approximately 7,500 andbring the entire stadium’s ca-pacity to an estimated 14,675.

“There is a lot of interestand a lot of excitement aboutthis project,” said ISU directorof athletics Gary Friedman.

“Naturally, our staff is excitedabout moving forward.”

After the demolition of thecurrent bleachers, the neweast side of Hancock will be atwo-story structure withbrick columns, glass walls,and a media and event pro-

duction facility.There will be 6,700 bleach-

er-style seats that will bewider than the stadium’s westside individual seating. An in-door club area, which also willbe available for communityevents, will feature 500 chair-back seats. Seven suites willhave a total capacity of about170.

A walkway will connect theeast and west sides for thefirst time.

No east side seating will beavailable for the 2012 footballseason. ISU expects a seatingcapacity of approximately7,200 on the west and southsides of the stadium whileconstruction is ongoing.

Funding for the project willcome largely from a realloca-tion of student fees, whichwill not increase.

The university is also plan-ning on $2.5 million in private

This year marks another mile-stone for Bloomington-based State Farm. In June,

we celebrate 90 years of serving ourcustomers. Much has transpiredsince 1922 when our founder soldState Farm’s first auto insurancepolicy. The world is quickly chang-ing and with it, customer expecta-tions are evolving. Building on ourhistory of innovation, we continueto work together as one team withthe collective aim of delivering a re-markable customerexperience for thosewe serve. We are de-veloping excitingways to connectwith customers us-ing new technologythat will offer morechoices for how wedo business togeth-er; whether it’s overthe phone, via a mo-bile device, online, in one of ourthousands of agents’ offices, at abody shop or a home damaged byfire or wind.

As we create new ways to enhanceour customers’ experiences, theworkforce level in Bloomington re-mains largely unchanged. Somecorporations in Illinois are addingfacilities and jobs. But as chairmanof the board of the Illinois Chamberof Commerce, I am concernedabout those other companies thatare choosing to expand their opera-tions or even move jobs to otherstates. Our state’s political leadersshould commit to getting our state’sfiscal house in order, accept re-sponsibility for improving theeconomy and reinvigorate Illinois asa business friendly state dedicatedto growth, business retention andinnovation.

State Farm continues to partnerwith other leading businesses in thestate to search for smart solutionsthat move Illinois forward and at-tract new businesses and opportu-nities for its citizens.

For State Farm, our policy growthin 2011 was less than expected, butit was a positive year in many otherrespects. State Farm Mutual re-mains financially strong. Founda-tional advancements in technology,processes and behaviors resulted inincreased momentum and growthas we closed out 2011. Our focus onchange has never been greater andthe efforts by our associates havebeen truly inspiring.

Our chairman and CEO, Ed RustJr., sets and models that pace andhigh level of expectation for each ofus, as he has throughout his 26years as State Farm’s leader. Ed alsocares deeply about the future of ourcountry. He currently serves as vicechair of the U.S. Chamber and willassume the chairman’s role in June,a role his father also held. Ed notonly supports a strong business en-vironment, but also is a leader increating a stronger future for to-day’s young people through educa-tion.

As we look toward the next 90years, State Farm continues to in-vest in the communities where wework and live. It is gratifying to seeState Farm agents, agents’ teammembers, employees and retireesgive of their time and talents sogenerously to communities acrossthe country. Locally, we are fortu-nate to live in a thriving and dy-namic community, but there arestill those within our midst whoneed our help. Here in Blooming-ton-Normal, our associates donatemore than 150,000 volunteer hourseach year to schools and communityorganizations.

Providing great experiences forcustomers in the many different waysthey expect these days remains foun-dational to our future. We continual-ly focus on developing our people andhelping them build out the skills andtalents they will need to continueserving customers well.

For the past 33 years, I have beenproud to work at State Farm. Ours isa culture of integrity, which hasbeen modeled by countless individ-uals who came before me — many ofthem now retired. Our core valuesremain the same, but our organiza-tion must continue to evolve. Withthe commitment and passion ofeach of our associates, we aim toensure we’re a good neighbor forthe next 90 years and beyond.

Mary Crego is senior vice president at State Farm.

TUESDAY,

March 20, 2012ANNUAL REPORT 3

SEE HANCOCK / PAGE 2

Mary Crego

State Farm plans forthe future

Mary

CregoThe Pantagraph/LORI ANN COOK-NEISLER

Advocate BroMenn Medical Center construction is nearly complete in Normal on Jan. 31.

Both localhospitalsadd on to benefitmothersand babies

By Paul [email protected]

NORMAL — Mothers, babies andtheir families have been top of mindat Bloomington-Normal’s two hos-pitals.

Advocate BroMenn Medical Centerand OSF St. Joseph Medical Centerhave built additions in which moth-ers and babies have top billing.

Construction of AdvocateBroMenn’s addition should be com-plete by the end of April, with patientcare beginning in late June, said DanCooper, BroMenn’s planning and de-sign manager.

St. Joseph’s addition opened inAugust and has resulted in an in-crease in mothers coming to themedical center for labor, delivery, re-covery and postpartum care.

Advocate BroMenn’s project is a$50 million, 136,000-square-foot,four-story addition extending westfrom the medical center, at 1304Franklin Ave., Normal. The triangle-shaped building will replace themother-baby and critical care unitsin the hospital’s 1967 building.

The addition will include 60 pri-vate rooms: 18 for labor, delivery, re-covery and postpartum; 12 for post-partum (including for mothers whohave had a Caesarean section); 18 foracute care; and 12 for intensive care.

Lee Ann Wallace, director of nurs-ing, said most mothers will be able tostay in the same room throughouttheir hospital stay. Rooms will belarger, with space for a family mem-ber to stay overnight and will have

the latest technology at the bedside,she said.

The addition also will have tworooms for Caesarean sections, a 12-bed well-baby nursery, seven-bedspecial care nursery, a suite for mul-

tiple births, a room for tub births andan isolation suite for highly infec-tious patients.

St. Joseph’s Birthing Center is a $17.3million, 29,000-square-foot,

Changes not onlya mom can love

The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY

Mortenson Construction site superintendent Rich Bagdon checks a HEPA air filter in the

educational office space being built at OSF St.Joseph Medical Center Feb. 9.

Hancock Stadium to get $25M renovation

The Pantagraph/LORI ANN COOK-NEISLER

Photo shows Illinois State University's Hancock Stadium west and south

bleacher seats on Sept 26.

SEE HOSPITALS / PAGE 2

two-story addition on thenorth side of the medicalcenter, 2200 E. Washing-ton St., Bloomington. TheBirthing Center — whichalso includes 5,500 squarefeet of renovated space —replaces the obstetrics andgynecology unit in thehospital’s 1968 building.

Twelve private roomsallow mothers to remainin the same room for la-bor, delivery, recovery andpostpartum care, makingit easer for mothers andmore efficient for staff,said Birthing Center man-ager Renell Composto.

The larger, “homier”rooms have space for afamily member to stayovernight, emergencyequipment hidden behindhead walls and medicalsupplies, she said. A 15-bed nursery is for new-borns requiring closer ob-servation and the unitalso has a room for Cae-sarean deliveries.

After the opening of theBirthing Center, St.Joseph began work on a

$21 million, multiyear fa-cility master plan that fo-cuses on renovating exist-ing medical center spaceand moving outpatientservices as much as possi-ble to the front of the hos-pital.

As St. Joseph has ex-panded in several direc-tions beyond its 1968building, it has become achallenge for some outpa-tients and visitors to findtheir way around, said Lar-ry Wills, vice president ofhospital operations. Thedepartment moves andrenovations should ad-dress that issue, he said.

Work on that projectbegan in late January andwill be progressing instages over a couple ofyears.

Meanwhile, construc-tion continues on Advo-cate BroMenn OutpatientCenter, 3024 E. EmpireSt., Bloomington. That$24 million, 84,000-square-foot, three-storystructure should be com-plete in May, with thebuilding opening in lateJuly or early August, saidconstruction project su-pervisor Tim Bassett.

contributions to the proj-ect. The amount of pri-vate gifts and pledges asof late February was$472,500.

“To get the official boardapproval, now we reallymove forward into another(fundraising) gear,” Fried-man said.

“We continue to makestrides in this process andhave several donors whowere awaiting final gov-erning board approval be-fore finalizing theirpledges.”

Bowman would like tosee additional Hancock ex-pansion and a move fromthe Redbirds’ currentChampionship Subdivi-sion status to Bowl Subdi-vision in the future.

“The long, long range vi-sion is to play football atthat next level,” Bowman

said. “But we’ve got a lot ofground between now andthen.”

The next phase of Han-cock expansion would like-ly mean connecting theeast and west sides to makea horseshoe in the southend. The current Hancockdesign shows a seatingarea that begins the curvefrom east side to west.

“As our fan base increas-es and our resource baseincreases, we’ll be avail-able to contemplate fur-ther improvements andexpansion of the facility,”said Bowman. “You cansee from the drawingwhere it begins that turn.That would allow us to do ahorseshoe and ultimatelywe would like to redo thewest side.

“The long term vision isto have some sort of indoorpractice facility that wouldreplace Horton (FieldHouse). But again that’s inthe distance.”

HANCOCKFROM 1

HOSPITALSFROM 1

2 • ANNUAL REPORT 3 • Tuesday, March 20, 2012 www.pantagraph.com

By Rachel [email protected]

BLOOMINGTON — A year of nat-ural disasters left dents in the 2011profits of Bloomington’s largest em-ployer, but where jobs are concernedState Farm began 2012 with goodnews locally and across the nation.

Tornadoes and hurricanes werepartly to blame for State Farm’s$400 million drop in net worth in2011, to $60.8 billion.

The drop includes a $200 milliondecrease in worth related to thecompany’s unaffiliated stock port-folios.

“We’re still in a position where wecan continue to make promises,”said State Farm spokesman DickLuedke.

Despite the decline in gains for thecompany, by 2012 State Farm wasready to announce the return ofnearly 3,000 jobs lost through attri-tion during the recession. About300 of those jobs will be based in theTwin Cities, where State Farm’s em-ployment level dropped by about 150employees, to about 14,900 through2011.

The company in 2011 also movedforward on a wide variety of initia-tives meant to reach customers innew ways, said Tim Van Hoof, assis-tant vice president of marketing.

As 2012 approached, and alongwith it the company’s 90th anniver-sary, State Farm in December an-

nounced that it would change itstrademark symbol. The nearly 60-year-old logo took on a sleeker lookfor better compatibility with newermobile technologies and consisten-cy across the company’s variousmarketing efforts.

The company also continued tointroduce new mobile phone appli-cations, including a motion-meas-uring device that provides driverswith feedback on their techniques.

The new logo and mobile phoneapps, as well as efforts like Chicago’sNext Door Cafe that offers free in-surance counseling with customers’coffee, are meant to reach new audi-ences, Van Hoof said.

“Yes, it’s about a new target au-dience but also about the changingworld we live in – a hyper-con-nected world,” he said. “We need tomake sure our brand is viewed thatway.”

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1062296106229229106229966666

www.pantagraph.com ANNUAL REPORT 3 • Tuesday, March 20, 2012 • 3

By Scott [email protected]

BLOOMINGTON — Carsales seem to be headed inthe right direction based onsales figures from the lasttwo years.

U.S. automakers say morethan 12.8 million vehicleswere sold in 2011 as Ameri-ca emerged from a reces-sion. That’s up 10 percentfrom 2010 and 22 percenthigher than 2009 when theindustry turned the cor-ner.

Analysts credit a declinein unemployment, low in-terest rates and people aremore pressed to buy as theaverage age of a car reacheda record 11 years.

Normal-based Mit-subishi Motors NorthAmerica was among the bigwinners last year. Sales in-creased nearly 42 percentto 79,020, up from 55,683vehicles sold in 2010. TheOutlander Sport, whichwill be manufactured inNormal, was the compa-ny’s fastest mover.

“We are very, very opti-mistic,” said Ryan Gre-more, vice president andgeneral manager of O’BrienMitsubishi of Normal, thenumber one performingMitsubishi dealer in Amer-ica.

Extreme Motors inBloomington handles threebrands among the lastyear’s stronger performers,Nissan, Hyundai and Kia.Nissan Motor Co. recov-ered more quickly than itsJapan-based rivals fromthe March 2011 earthquakeand tsunami to become theonly major Japanese au-tomaker to sell more cars inthe U.S. in 2011 than a yearearlier. Hyundai Motor

Co.’s 2011 sales rose 20 per-cent. Kia Motors Corp.’s2011 sales were up 36 per-cent. Extreme owner DanO’Brien thinks 2012 will beeven better.

“I’m real optimistic, andthe industry is optimistictoo. Everyone claims it willbe a 14-million-plus year,”O’Brien said.

U.S. auto sales peakedbetween 16 million and 17million in 2005.

Gremore said trouble inthe industry like theChrysler Group’s bank-ruptcy allowed his compa-ny to capitalize on a loss ofconsumer loyalty previ-ously enjoyed by better-known brands. Cash-strapped motoristsshopped around and theydiscovered Mitsubishi’ssolid products with lowmaintenance and afford-able sticker prices, he said.

Industrywide, the aver-

age new vehicle cost was$30,686 at the end of 2011,up 5 percent from a yearearlier.

O’Brien agreed thatconsumers are emergingfrom the recession devotedto fuel economy and relia-bility.

“It’s fashionable to bethrifty today,” O’Briensaid.

Among other auto man-ufacturers, Chrysler Grouprebounded to see sales rise

26 percent for 2011.Chrysler catapulted itselfahead of Honda Motor Co.as the fourth-largest au-tomaker by sales in the U.S.

General Motors Co. andFord Motor Co. ended theyear with more modestdouble-digit percentagegains.

Toyota and Honda bothdeclined 7 percent due, inpart, to troubles caused bythe tsunami in Japan and itsaftermath.

The past year hasbeen a period ofcontinued

strengthening andprogress for the city ofBloom-ington.Ourcity’s re-coveryfrom therecessionhas beenmorerapidthan inmanyotherIllinois cities, partly dueto the improving localeconomy, but also be-cause the city tookprompt action to reduceits expenses.

The city has reducedemployee staffing levelsfrom the pre-recessionpeak. Some of this hasbeen possible because ofreduced activity — forexample, we need fewerinspectors because of re-duced building activity.But, more importantly,our employees are alsohelping us to find moreefficient ways to do ourwork.

Reduced expenses andconservative revenuebudgets have led tobudget surpluses. For thefiscal year that endedApril 30, 2011, Bloom-ington had a $4.7 millionsurplus. This money hasbeen applied to com-pletely restoring thecity’s financial reserve,reducing debt and in-creasing infrastructurerepairs.

The city’s generalstreet resurfacing ex-penditures were in-creased to $2.5 millionfor the current fiscalyear, and are proposed toincrease to $3.5 millionfor the period beginningMay 1, 2012.

Under federal law, wemust continue to con-vert combinedstorm/sanitary sewersinto separate systems.Some of these projectswere accomplished yearsago, but we have finallybegun the largest of theneeded projects: the Lo-cust-Colton relief sewer.Along a route downWashington Street andCountry Club Place, andthrough the Blooming-ton Country Clubgrounds, the city is con-structing separate sew-ers to serve a large por-tion of the east side thathas experienced back-flow flooding during se-vere storms.

The City Council alsorecently funded a studythat will analyze our en-tire sewer system, in-cluding camera inspec-tion of many areas. Thisis important, becausesewer problems are hid-den underground andmight not be revealeduntil there is a failurevisible from the surface.

Another study will de-velop a master plan forthe Miller Park Zoo. Re-cent work has alleviatedconcerns over the animalhospital, but it is appar-ent that some improve-ments must still be madeto the oldest building atthe zoo, the original“animal house.” Beforethat specific work isplanned, the zoo is re-viewing the overall vi-sion for future needsand improvements.

The police depart-ment has hired 15 offi-cers to fill vacanciesbringing the depart-ment to 125 officers. Thedepartment is continu-ing its problem-orient-

ed policing approachadopted a few years ago,and overall results areencouraging in areasthat had been experi-encing increased crime.

From a hardware per-spective, the transitionto the Starcom 21 radiosystem was completedin 2011, so local policeagencies can now all di-rectly communicatewhen coordinated re-sponse is required.

In 2011, the city coun-cil also authorized theconstruction of a newfire training facility thatwill provide hands-onemergency training forfirefighters. This facilityhas attracted the interestof other local fire depart-ments and will help theentire county.

Single-stream recy-cling was added to thecity’s curbside recyclingprogram, eliminating theneed for citizens to sepa-rate their recyclable pa-per and containers.

Based upon operatingresults, the city was ableto refinance about $5million of the $29.5 mil-lion in coliseum debt is-sued in February 2012.With a lower interest rateand accelerated paydownperiod the city was ableto save about $3.5 mil-lion. The city acceleratedthe retirement of $1.2million in debt incurredwithin the Market StreetTIF three years early. Fi-nally, the city refinanced$8.2 million in pensiondebt to take advantage oflow interest rates.

Over the past fewyears, most of the city’sprogress has beenstrengthening its finan-cial position and infra-structure, absorbingsome pre-recessionbuilding projects, andfinding better ways to doits work. With the eco-nomic downturn, thishas been an ideal time torethink our principlesand processes, reorganizeand build the foundationfor renewed activity afterthe national economyimproves.

Stockton is mayor of Bloomington.


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Chief Operating Officer Jerry Berwanger, right, listens as Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn speaks Feb. 4,

at the Mitsubishi Motors North America plant in Normal.The company expects the Outlander

Sport, pictured above, to continue to sell well.

Car dealers optimistic about salesBloomingtonresilient intougher times

Got an opinion?

WRITE A LETTERTO THE EDITOR


Bustingthe bust

Business


The Illinois Central Railroad used a wedge snow plow and two locomotives to clear its rail line be-

tween Clinton and Gibson City during a snowstorm last February.

Four years have passed since the beginning of one of the worst eco-nomic periods since the Great Depression.

The country finally bottomed out in 2011 and the Dow Jones indus-trial average has recovered much of the ground loss to falling pricessince 2008.

Where this leaves Central Illinois is still a little uncertain, but anumber of local businesses have set their eyes on future growth. Theyare the ones that are “busting the bust.”

Businesses like the Bane Family Pork Farm, IBM, modkid and IllinoisCentral Railroad planted strong roots in the community and arestronger since the recession.


Bane Family Pork Farm, owned by brothers Pat, Phil and Sam Bane, in rural Arrowsmith

is a 1,200-sow farm which has been in operation since 1995. Pat Bane manages the

farm. Their farm continued to prosper through the recesssion.


IBM celebrated 100 years of business worldwide by giving back lo-

cally like these workers in June. Troy Tate of Washington, right, and

Steve Wall of Bloomington tape food boxes for disaster relief.

Allen Goben

When IjoinedHeart-

land in 2010, a re-porter asked formy vision. I de-scribed buildinga shared vision,but indicated aneed for time tounderstandHeartland andour communities.

The picture is now clear.

Heartland has some of the bestpeople I’ve encountered and aworld-class collegiate environ-ment; we enjoy outstanding K-12 schools; partnering univer-sities and colleges are excel-lent; business and industrypartners include statewide andglobal leaders; and our com-munities are anchored by citi-zens with the world’s highestintegrity and work ethic.

This vision goes beyond oursingle institution. We are the

communities’ college; we areinextricably and happily inter-twined with all that is aroundus. Heartland will leveragepartnerships and collective ca-pabilities so each student hasthe utmost opportunity for ca-reer, college and life success.

Considering this vital factorsupporting regional progress,HCC continues to developHeartland GPS: Guided Path toSuccess, our comprehensiveand career counseling-based

approach for career, college,and life planning.

Faces demonstrating paths tosuccess are found most every-where as Heartland’s team con-tributes to our communities.HCC’s Lisa Sharp helped createan administrative office profes-sional degree in a unique, flexibleformat allowing students to bal-ance work, family and school.Matt Felumlee developed servicelearning opportunities wherewriting students help local non-

profit organizations write grantapplications. Professor BettyPilchard coordinates the VITAvolunteer income tax preparationservice, supporting 2,800 clients,while longtime colleague Ed Car-roll models community engage-ment by devoting seven hoursweekly to local historical preser-vation organizations. ProfessorAlaina Winters supports severallocal community groups with

Allen

Goben

Faces of success at Heartland Community College

SEE HEARTLAND / PAGE 6

By Scott [email protected]

BLOOMINGTON —Colleges in The Panta-graph area are buckingsome trends.

While some other com-munity colleges struggle, arecord number of studentsenrolled at HeartlandCommunity College in fall2011. The total 5,558 stu-dents was a 2.6 percent in-crease from a year earlier.The upward spike came at atime when the IllinoisCommunity College Boardreported statewide enroll-ment levels were down 2percent. Heartland stu-dents also set an all-timerecord for credit hours tak-ing a total of 53,944 hours,an increase of 3.5 percentover a year earlier.

Josh Reinhart, associatedirector of marketing andpublic information, cred-ited the success, in part, toHeartland’s Guided Path toSuccess initiative, a ca-reer-planning service be-ing provided to all K-12districts in the HCC dis-

trict. The expanded out-reach program helpsHeartland make contactwith potential students

earlier.Meanwhile, Lincoln

College administratorsmoved to the front lines to

fight higher college costs.Then Lincoln CollegePresident Jon Astroth saidlast fall annual tuition

will drop from $23,000 to$17,500, or 24 percent, atthe Lincoln campus andfrom $23,000 to $16,500,or 28 percent, at the Nor-mal campus in fall of thisyear. Lincoln studentswill pay more becausetheir campus offers awider range of services.At the time of the an-nouncement, total enroll-ment was 1,228 comparedto 1,311 in 2010.

Lincoln College alsowelcomed John Black-burn, who accepted a jobas Lincoln College presi-dent after he retired aschief executive officer atCountry Financial.Blackburn served on theLincoln College board oftrustees since 2002, in-cluding three years asboard chair.

During 2011, fall enroll-ment numbers showedLincoln Christian Univer-sity enrollment increasedfor the first time since2007. The main growthcame in the School ofAdult & Graduate Studieswhich added four new de-

gree programs in 2011 andreceived accreditation todeliver most of its under-graduate degrees online.

Other high points lastyear included the first-ever English Language &Character Camp for Chi-nese nationals. Theevent, managed by theAmerican Chinese CivicExchange and its part-ners, brought about 50Chinese children ages 9 to19 and their adult spon-sors to the LCU campuswhere they practicedEnglish, took part in mu-sic training and experi-enced life in the AmericanMidwest. In November,the LCU Red LionsWomen’s Volleyball Teammade their seventeenthconsecutive trip to theNCCAA Division II Na-tional Tournament, fin-ishing in fourth place.And at the end of the fallsemester, the Undergrad-uate Student Cabinet an-nounced it had exceededits offering goal to raise$7,500 to dig three wellsin India.

The Pantagraph/DAVID PROEBER

Patty Young examines some of the many types of fabrics she has designed for

her internationally recognized company, modkid, in Bloomington.

Heartland bucks trend with enrollment record


Chiddix Junior High School eighth-grade student Ishaan Nerukar works on building a tower

during the Students Involved with Technology Conference held at Heartland Community Col-

lege in Normal on Feb. 12, 2011. Students were given dowel rods, two foam rings, tape and a cof-

fee container and asked to build the tallest tower as part of a Mystery Challenge.

As a farmer, I playmany roles. On anygiven day, I may be

an accountant, a scientist,an agronomist or a mechan-ic. I’m often a student andsometimes a teacher. I’vealso had the privilege ofserving in many volunteerpositions, including at Illi-nois StateUniversity,as presidentof thealumni as-sociation;Farm Bu-reau; mylocal FS co-operative;and in theGrowmarksystem, as chairman of theboard and president since2000.

Growmark is a regionalcooperative headquarteredhere in Bloomington. Weprovide agriculture-relatedproducts and services, aswell as grain marketing, in31 states and Ontario, Cana-da. As a cooperative busi-ness, Growmark is ownedby our members, many ofwhich are designated FScompanies, as well as othersthat do business with us.

Farming just north ofNormal, I understand theimportance of managingmy farm safely and effi-ciently, paying careful at-tention to protecting thevaluable natural resourceswe are blessed with inMcLean County.

In the late 1920s, IllinoisFarm Bureau memberscame together to form thefirst FS cooperatives, toprovide a reliable supply ofhigh quality fuel and lubri-cants for farm tractors,which were becoming in-creasingly popular. As theneeds of farmers evolved, sodid the local cooperatives,offering additional prod-ucts and services. In 1980,Growmark was formed by

the consolidation of FS Ser-vices Inc. and Illinois GrainCorp., to help farmers meettheir growing and market-ing needs.

All cooperatives operateunder a set of principlesthat spell out the core val-ues of membership, inde-pendence and service. Co-operatives exist with theirprimary mission to providetheir members with neededproducts and services on aneconomically sound basis.By distributing profits backto members each year in theform of patronage refunds,cooperatives contribute tothe local economy.

The board of directors isthe governing body of a co-operative. These men andwomen are elected from thecooperative’s membership,by their peers. The directorsprovide guidance to the en-tire Growmark system, andperhaps the most importantway in which that occurs isthrough their selection ofthe general manager orchief executive officer, wholeads the day-to-day oper-ations of the cooperative.

In the 85-year history ofthe Growmark system,eight men have served inthat capacity. I had the op-portunity to name Jeff Sol-berg as CEO on Jan. 3, 2011.Jeff replaced Bill Davissonwho was CEO for 13 years.Jeff is well-grounded in theGrowmark system, havingserved 34 years in variousfinancial positions, most

recently as senior vicepresident of finance.

Fiscal year 2011 was asuccessful one for theGrowmark system. Wegenerated $8.7 billion insales, the highest level inour history, and realized thesecond-highest level ofpretax income. More than$84 million was returned toour members in the form ofpatronage.

I attribute these resultsto our strong, well-man-aged member cooperativeswho are committed to ahighly successful coopera-tive system, supported andserved by a team of knowl-edgeable and dedicatedemployees. At Growmark,we understand that everydollar we handle is afarmer’s dollar, and westrive to use each onewisely to generate valuefor our farmer-owners.

Agriculture is one in-dustry which truly affectsus all. The Growmark sys-tem is taking the lead inensuring agriculture re-mains strong and ready tofeed, clothe and fuel aworld of 9 billion peopleby the year 2045. Whenfarmers are successful,everyone benefits. We arepleased to do our part inproviding farmers withthe tools they need toachieve that success.

Kelley is chairman of the board andpresident of Growmark. Jeff Solberg,Growmark’s chief executive officer,contributed to this article.


Dan KelleyDick Wilson

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We recently held aspecial ceremo-ny during the

winter meeting of ourboard of trustees to honorBloomington’s own FloArmstrong, class of 1943,for a very special gift shemade to Illinois Wesleyan.The giftmade inher nameand that ofher latehusband,Vic,brought adramaticpiece ofglasssculptureto the re-cently completed rotundaentry of the Ames School ofArt.

This glass sculpture, byArizona artist Lyle London,literally lights up the EckleyQuadrangle and is a stun-ning reminder to everyonethat art is alive and well atIllinois Wesleyan. If youhave not visited campus re-cently, we hope you’ll cometo see this new sculpture,especially at night, and themany other changes thathave taken place recentlythanks to our generousalumni and friends.

The dedication of thesculpture was a memorableoccasion for several rea-sons. Over the years, Floand Vic have made manycontributions to the uni-versity and have always had

a special interest in what Iwill describe as the “publicart” on campus. BeforeVic’s death in 2009, theyprovided gifts for EvelynChapel’s bell and thebronze John Wesley Powellsculpture at The Ames Li-brary.

This latest gift continuesthat tradition in dramaticfashion.

The idea for the sculpturecame about when Chuck,class of 1950, and Jay Ames,class of 1949, made the de-cision to provide funds for anew rotunda entry to theSchool of Art. When wefirst discussed the project,they wanted to find a way todraw attention to the artson campus.

Since the art building isnestled in a corner of thecampus between BuckMemorial Library andMcPherson Theatre, we fo-cused on a dramatic entryaddition that would drawthe attention of those walk-ing across the quad.

As the design was devel-oped, it became clear toeveryone that we needed amajor piece of art to accentand enhance the new ro-tunda. Flo’s gift made thatpossible.

What we did not expectwas that artist Lyle Londonwould not only embrace theproject but also the missionof the university. He enlist-ed student help re-assem-bling and raising into posi-tion the glass sculpture,

which was created in hisArizona studio and shippedhere in pieces.

He consulted with us onthe computer lighting sys-tem, which changes thelook of the sculpturethroughout the day andnight. And, he suggestedthat we leave three programchannels open for studentsin theatre lighting designclasses to conduct experi-ments as part of class as-signments.

He also spoke to our artstudents about his journeyas an artist and the artisticelements of the “Triple He-lix.” We could not haveimagined a more produc-tive relationship betweenan artist and the university.

The impact of this addi-tion to campus was con-firmed for me in a recentemail I received from one ofour students. His messagesaid that his walks acrossthe quad soon after thisproject was completed gavehim the feeling of being “inawe of the new art buildingrotunda.”

Later this spring, we willdedicate the new entry andother improvements madeto the Ames School of Artand pay tribute to Jay andChuck for their dedicationto Illinois Wesleyan and thegenerous support they haveprovided for this beautifuladdition to campus.

Wilson is president of Illinois Wes-leyan University.

Dick

Wilson

Dan

Kelley

Growmark system reapsrewards for its members


The “Triple Helix”sculpture graces the rotunda entrance of Ames School of Art on the Illinois

Wesleyan campus.

Creativity flourishes on campus of IWU

nonviolent/compassionatecommunication programs.

Heartland deans PadriacShinville, Amy Munson,Sarah Diel-Hunt, DanHagberg, Bethany Kriegs-man, Jim Resser, Teri Sax-ton, Bob Shaw and theirteams collaboratively ad-vanced Heartland GPS in-cluding new high schooloutreach workshops andincreased dual credit in ourCollege Now program.

Fall 2011 began withabout 5,600 credit stu-dents improving their livesthrough higher education,and 71 companies turned toHeartland for customized

employee training lastyear. More than 18,000people took personal en-richment classes throughCommunity Education, in-cluding 5,000 studentsserved at the ChallengerLearning Center.

Jen Stewart, the 2011alumni scholarship recipi-ent, aspires to earning adoctorate. She serves onthe Alumni Associationboard of directors and is ateacher’s aide in the Heart-land Academy of LearningOpportunities program,supporting individuals withdisabilities. StudentTrustee Jonathan Nelsonhelped launch HCC’s Vet-erans’ Center and is attend-ing our region’s One Voicetrip to Washington, D.C., as

its scholarship recipient.Zach Tasker has a burgeon-ing racing announcer careerwith Illini Racing Seriesthat began as he wrote forthe Spectator studentnewspaper and landed aninternship.

These are just a few ex-amples among thousandsas HCC students create apath to success.

This is our vision forHeartland. We seek to con-tribute mightily as anadaptable and collaborativecommunity resource, pro-moting lifelong learningand exceptional communityprogress through studentsuccess.

Goben is president of Heartland Com-munity College.

HEARTLANDFROM 6

Chris Koos

Lyn Hruska


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High speed rail iscoming, and weshould stop think-

ing of high speed as an up-grade to existing service andcall it what it is: a new modeof transportation that willgive Central Illinois an edgein eco-nomic andcommuni-ty develop-ment. Highspeed railwill be arecruit-ment toolfor busi-ness, high-er educa-tion and tourism. Yes, highspeed will reduce traveltime to and from Chicago,St. Louis and points in be-tween, but it’s the total ex-perience that will sell theservice to students, visitors,residents and employers.

High speed rail bringsmore than faster commutetimes. It offers an efficientmode of modern trans-portation that has not beenexperienced in the Mid-west. It is a track built for asmoother ride with con-

crete ties and continuouswelded rail. It is shiny pas-senger cars fresh from themanufacturer with Wi-Fiand better food choices. It isenergy-efficient locomo-tives with rapid accelerationand technology to avoidcollisions and derailments.It is a modern transit stationaccessible by foot, bus orcar with attached parkingand covered drop-off areasand platforms to protectpassengers from the ele-ments.

It is convenience andflexibility as service fre-quency doubles from five tonine trains per day.

High speed rail is a busi-ness travel option for Cen-tral Illinois employers and arecruiting tool to lure em-ployees who are drawn tothe area’s quality of life butdon’t want to give up accessto big city amenities. Thesesame advantages will helprecruit new businesses thatneed a connection to ametro area but are attractedto Central Illinois for ourlower cost of doing businessand educated, productiveworkforce.

It will expose Central Illi-nois to a new type of resi-dent, one who needs easyaccess to a big city butprefers to live in a less-con-

gested area.It is a tool for Illinois State

University and local col-leges to attract studentsfrom the largest populationbase in the Midwest. Highereducation institutions willuse it to recruit studentstouting the ease of gettingto and from home withfaster commute times andpassenger amenities.

It will allow parents to at-tend special events withoutthe aggravation of rushhour traffic or inclementweather and will opensporting events, theatricalpresentations and otherperformances and exhibitsto a larger audience ofalumni.

High speed rail is our pathto the future.

Koos is the mayor of Normal.

Chris

Koos

Every year since 1943, thepresident of the UnitedStates has proclaimed

March as Red Cross Month incelebration of the work of RedCross volunteers, blood donorsand financial partners. Red CrossMonth is also an opportunity toreflect on our mission and howour volunteers and staff continueto meet the needs of our growingcommunity.

American Red Cross preventsand alleviateshuman sufferingin the face ofemergencies bymobilizing thepower of volun-teers and thegenerosity ofdonors. LocalRed Cross volun-teers play a criti-cal role in ensur-ing that ourcommunity has a safe and ade-quate blood supply; that ourmilitary families are supportedduring and following deploy-ments; that our community isprepared for potential disasters;and that trained volunteers re-spond when disasters of all sizesoccur, meeting people’s immedi-ate needs.

The storms of these past weeksprovide a graphic example of ourvulnerabilities. Tornadoes, fires,extreme heat and cold, and man-made disasters threaten our abil-ity to provide for ourselves. Asfour local volunteers were beingdeployed to assist with tornadorelief in Kentucky, other mem-bers of our Disaster ActionTeam, responded to three localfires in one 24-hour period.While this isn’t a typical week,we have learned that there is no“typical week” and we are fortu-nate that we have volunteers whostand ready to respond.

There are many ways that fam-ilies are impacted by difficultsituations and there is an expec-tation that the Red Cross will bethere when these situations

arise. Since 1916, our communityhas been fortunate to have com-mitted volunteers at numerousorganizations who help peopleeveryday and extend hope topeople who see none in sight.Our partnerships with these or-ganizations become even morevaluable as Red Cross undergoestransitions, both locally and na-tionally.

Over the past couple of years,the American Red Cross has lit-erally transformed our networkof chapters. Like many otherbusiness and not-for-profit or-ganizations, we have imple-mented changes that enable us tobecome more efficient and ef-fective. Consolidating back of-fice functions, incorporatingstate-of-the-art technology,streamlining systems, redefiningroles and responsibilities, andrecommitting to our core servic-es enable us to use our donor’sdollars as respectfully as possi-ble.

While there have been changesin the past year, one thing thatdidn’t change is our mission.Now more than ever, thelifeblood of the American RedCross is volunteers who lead ourorganization and who deliver ourcritical core services, fulfillingour mission in new and extraor-dinary ways.

Disasters will occur and as aRed Cross chapter we will seepeople at some of their worstmoments, but we will also seethem shine because of the sup-port they have received from ourorganization and the communi-ties we serve. We are fortunatethat so many people passionatelyparticipate in the work of theAmerican Red Cross. This trust isnot taken lightly by any of us andit compels us to continue to be anagency worthy of receiving andstewarding people’s most pre-cious gifts: their time, their bloodand their hard earned dollars.

Hruska is executive director of the Red Cross’Heartland chapter.

By Phyllis [email protected]

STANFORD — Area publicand private schools have a vari-ety of answers to the age oldquestion: “Why do I need tolearn this?”

Today new resources givestudents more opportunities tolearn things they can relate toeveryday life.

“There are many instruc-tional initiatives aimed at cre-ating a connection between theclassroom and the student’sworld beyond the classroom,”said Olympia SuperintendentBrad Hutchison.

For example, high school stu-dents in rural Stanford learn togrow plants with hydroponics.

“Our research project ex-tended to written reports,” saidShelby Crump, an Olympiasenior from Armington whosaid skills she learned growingtomatoes will help her in herfuture career in biology re-search.

Olympia Middle School stu-dents, using 30 iPads as part ofa pilot project, learned about 10famous Australian buildingsdescribed by both architectsand Australian middle school-ers. In turn, Olympia kids cre-ated their own version of whatthey found on an iPad app andshared a profile of a building intheir community.

“We wrote about it, did anaudio, took pictures and did aslide show like they did,” saidAlyssa Halliday,a seventh-grad-er from Danvers. “I chose myGrandma’s house because shewas a lot of fun to be around andhad lots of interesting things.”

As part of its real-world learn-ing, Central Catholic HighSchool students in Bloomingtonhone skills in appropriate elec-tronic media use. While thereare many shortcuts in commu-nication today, students learnto use them “by choice not byignorance,” said Principal JoyAllen. They also learn formal

writing for research papers.Through the school’s Living

the Faith program, studentsprovide hundreds of hours ofcommunity service. Nursinghomes, Clare House and otheragencies call the school withspecific needs, such as helpserving food.

Cornerstone ChristianSchool, east of Bloomington,teaches from a biblical world-view, said Beth Sondgeroth, sec-ondary school principal. The400 preschool to 12th-gradersget a distinctively Christian ed-ucation, she said.

For example, this winter, agroup of high school students

participated in an introduc-tion to forensic science learn-ing about ballistics, finger-printing and visited the coro-ner’s office. “It’s exciting to dothat through the lens of bibli-cal truth,” she said.

Hands-on is also the approachat Mulberry School in Normalwith its 44 students, ages 3 to10 years old.

“We try to connect studentsto what they are learningrather than talk about the ab-stract,” said Devon Lovell, theacademic director. For exam-ple, when students learnedabout ancient Egypt, theymummified a chicken.

Lyn

Hruska


Olympia High School Principal Lance Thurman demonstrated one of the

new lights being used in the school greenhouse where students work

with a hydroponic growing system.

March celebrates hostof Red Cross services

High-speed rail on fast trackMayor saysservice is atool for Normal

Olympia, CCHS branch outArea schools add to regular lessons

Last year was a land-mark year for the lo-cal NAACP; the asso-

ciation launched the ACT-SO program. ACT-SO is anacronym for Academic,Cultural, Technological Sci-entificOlympics.ACT-SO isa yearlongenrichmentprogramdesigned torecruit,stimulate,improveand en-couragehigh academic and culturalachievement amongAfrican-American highschool students.

The ACT-SO programcenters on the dedicationand commitment of com-munity volunteers and busi-ness leaders who serve asmentors and coaches. Thereare 25 categories of compe-

tition in the sciences, busi-ness, humanities, perform-ing and visual arts. Studentswho win a gold medal at thelocal level go on to competeat the national level. Na-tional winners receivescholarships and otherprizes. The program’s localgold medalist was awarded abronze medal at the nationallevel last year.

Academic, social, artisticand cultural development isof the utmost importance increating a society that willthrive economically whileenjoying life. We must teachour young people to turntheir passions into their ca-reers. Education has theability to transform societyand individuals. We mustbegin to think of educationas more than classroomlearning. We must supportour educators by supportingour students outside of theclassroom.

Businesses, communities,

school districts, universi-ties, parents and caringadults coming together tosupport the passions of highschool students is what theBloomington-Normal ACT-SO program is made of. Thegoals of the program are tomobilize the adult commu-nity for the promotion ofacademic and artistic excel-lence; recognize academicand talent achievement,provide and assist the stu-dents with the necessaryskills and tools to establishand acquire the confidenceand training to make a suc-cessful contribution to soci-ety. The program has almostdoubled the number of stu-dents involved this year.

Last year also broughtabout a change in the localleadership. After 13 years asthe local president, I re-signed the office to concen-trate on local education andfundraising initiatives. Thenewly elected president is

John Elliott. John was firstvice president for 13 years aswell, working beside me.

The Bloomington-Nor-mal mission and goals re-main the same as they havefor our 100 years. Locallywe strive to working withlocal school officials forquality education for allchildren, provide scholar-ships for graduating highschools students, offer in-put, consultation and reso-lutions regarding currentissues in the community,educating the communityregarding voting rights andthe importance of voting,seek to eliminate racial dis-crimination and segrega-tion from all aspects ofpublic life in America, andseek justice in the courts.

The struggle continues,and the local NAACP is onthe forefront to ensure thatanyone who feels their civiland human rights havebeen violated, regardless of

the color of their skin, hasan advocate for them.Founded in 1909, theNAACP is the nation’s old-est and largest civil rightsorganization. From theballot box to the class-room, the thousands ofdedicated workers, organ-

izers, leaders and mem-bers who make up theNAACP continue to fightfor social justice for allAmericans.

Williams is the education and

fundraising chairman for the Bloom-

ington-Normal chapter of the NAACP.

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Mike

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By Kevin [email protected]

PONTIAC — As the CEOof the Greater LivingstonCounty Economic Develop-ment Council, Larry Vaupeldescribes 2011 in LivingstonCounty as somewhat of aroller coaster ride for its res-idents. County officialsstood proud in October as anew $16 million LivingstonCounty Law and JusticeCenter was unveiled, but inDecember, the tiny town ofEmington was devastatedafter a murder-suicideclaimed the lives of five peo-ple, including three chil-dren.

“It’s been a year of upsand downs,” Vaupel said.“That’s for sure.”

In 1974, LivingstonCounty officials began dis-cussions on the need for anew law and justice centerin Pontiac. But it took 35years before funding wasformally approved. Groundwas broken in May 2010 andon Oct. 16, several hundred

people gathered to dedicatethe 63,000-square-foot-building,in downtown Pon-tiac. The building housescourt-related offices for thejudges, the circuit clerk andthe state’s attorney. All of-fices were transferred to thenew facility in October.

“This new building withall the additional space is soimportant and at the sametime, we are keeping our135-year-old courthouseand restoring it,” said Lawand Justice Center Com-

mittee Chairman Bill Flott.The facility was funded by

tipping fees the county re-ceives from the Livingstonlandfill.

Meanwhile, the restora-tion project on the oldcourthouse is expected to becompleted in December. Itwill house offices for thecounty board, county clerk,human resources and treas-urer. Those offices now arelocated in various down-town buildings.

But before that, con-

struction crews must finishwork on the new law andjustice center, after 99 ac-cessibility code violationswere discovered. Most ofthe violations were minor innature, said county chair-man Bill Fairfield, andshould be completed thisspring.

Economic developmentand a coordinated effortfrom county officials tokeep the Dwight Correc-tional Center open are ex-pected to make headlines in2012. The Greater Liv-ingston County EconomicDevelopment Council is ac-tively recruiting food pro-cessing and manufacturingfirms. In February, Gov. PatQuinn announced theDwight Correctional Centerwould save the state moneyif it were closed. Vaupel andother county officials havevowed to fight to keep thecenter open. Just two yearsago, the Pontiac Correc-tional Center was on the en-dangered list, however, stateofficials reversed their deci-

sion thanks in part to a co-ordinated effort to opposethe plan.

More than 20,000tourists also visited Pontiacin 2011, a 30 percent in-crease from a year ago, saidPontiac Tourism DirectorEllie Alexander. In July, thePontiac Oakland Auto Mu-seum opened, contributingto a portion of the increase.

Also, Livingston Countymental health officialslaunched several programsfor youth through a $2 mil-lion grant from the IllinoisChildren’s HealthcareFoundation. The programsare designed to improvecommunication betweenagencies and screening pro-cedures throughout thecounty and create aware-ness among families andyouth about services.

In Emington, questionsremain about what droveSara McMeen to kill herthree children, herboyfriend and herself Dec.16 at their home. Police sayMcMeen shot her live-in

boyfriend, Daniel Warren,29, first, and then turnedthe semiautomatic 40-cal-iber handgun on her threechildren, Skyler Lemke, 8,Ian Lemke, 7, and 10-month-old Maggie Warren.She then went inside theresidence and shot herselfin the neck, said LivingstonCounty Sheriff MartinMeredith.

Toxicology reports indi-cated that there were nodrugs in McMeen’s system,said Livingston CountyCoroner Michael Burke.

In another tragedy inMay, a Peoria County coro-ner’s jury ruled the death of4-year-old Kianna Rudesillof Cullom, a homicide fromsubdural hematoma andcerebral injuries. Kiannaand three siblings had beenplaced in a foster home sev-eral months earlier. Nocharges have been filedagainst the foster parents,but the Livingston Countystate’s attorney’s office saysthe death is still under in-vestigation.

Mike Williams

NAACP launches achievement program aimed at youths

Law, justice center highlights Livingston growth


A large stone sign marks the entrance to the new Livingston

County Law and Justice Center in downtown Pontiac.


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309.467.6350300 East College AvenueEureka, Illinois

Saturday, March 31, 2012

101062068-01

1062068

STARKEXCAVATING, INC.

BLOOMINGTON • CHAMPAIGN • PEORIA • TONICA

Excavation • Site UtilitiesSite Concrete

Paving • Building Concrete1805 W. WASHINGTON STREET • BLOOMINGTON, IL 61701 • 309.828.5034

220 WILBUR AVENUE • CHAMPAIGN, IL 61822 • 217.355.505496 SANGER STREET • PEORIA, IL 61602 • 309-673-3400

502 N. 21ST ROAD • TONICA, IL 61370 • 815.442.3400www.starkcompanies.com • 877.699.5034

101063105-01

1063

105

EVERY NEW AND USED VEHICLE COMES WITH A LIFETIME WARRANTY AT NO ADDITIONAL COST!

Warranty Forever™ will pay for all repairs to the powertrain components of your vehicle for as long as you own it!*

BROWSE AND BUY WITH CONFIDENCE!BROWSE AND BUY WITH CONFIDENCE!*Only qualifying cars apply, see dealer for exclusions. See Warranty Forever™ agreement for complete details on powertrain coverage.

TRUE PEACE-OF-MIND...FOREVER!WWW.MYWARRANTYFOREVER.COM

www.DriveExtreme.com1608 S. Morrissey Drive, Bloomington, IL • 309-664-1222

2029 Ireland Grove, Bloomington, IL • 309-664-1222

LIFETIMELIFETIME POWERTRAIN POWERTRAIN WARRANTYWARRANTY

Simply follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule

at your selling dealer or a re-authorized facility of your choice and your

powertrain components are covered FOREVER!

If you are unable to return to us for service, don’t worry, we have you

covered. All you have to do is call the toll-free number on your Warranty

Forever™ agreement and let us know where you are going.

SIMPLE AND EASY:No Deductible

100% Parts and LaborNo Maximum Mileage

No Maximum TermLasts for as long as your own vehicle..Yes, FOR LIFE!!

HOW DOES WARRANTY HOW DOES WARRANTY FOREVER WORK?FOREVER WORK?

THERE ISTHERE IS NO COSTNO COST TOTO YOU!YOU!

By Jim [email protected]

Illinois State made its biggest news offthe court when Gary Friedman becamethe school’s 10th athletic director on July1.

Friedman, who was a senior associateathletic director at Louisville, replacedSheahon Zenger, who left to accept thesame post at Kansas.

“He’s very energetic,” said ISU presi-dent Al Bowman of Friedman. “We needsomeone who is not afraid to roll up theirsleeves and do whatever jobs need to bedone.”

Friedman is no stranger to athletics inIllinois. He grew up in suburban Deerfieldand holds two degrees from the Universi-ty of Illinois. He said he always had an eyeon ISU as he moved from jobs at Illinois,East Tennessee State, Central Michiganand Louisville, where he spent 10 years.

There was a connection to ISU in Fried-man’s past, too. He worked as a coach atformer Redbird All-American DougCollins’ basketball camps in the late 1980sin Deerfield when Collins was the ChicagoBulls’ head coach.

“We’re going to be very aggressive andcutting edge. I think it’s critical always tostay cutting edge,” said Friedman. “Statusquo is falling behind. We’ll be moving for-ward every day, but we’ll need everyone’shelp to make sure that happens.”

The long-awaited renovation of agingHancock Stadium was approved in mid-February by the ISU Board of Trustees.The $25 million project will begin in latespring or early summer and is expected tobe completed in time for the 2013 footballseason.

The Redbird women’s basketball teamreached the semifinals of the Women’sNational Invitation Tournament for thethird straight year in the 2010-11 seasonunder first-year coach Stephanie Glance.But the Redbirds (24-11) lost for the firsttime at home as Southern California ad-ministered a 63-36 defeat.

Illinois Wesleyan’s women’s basketballteam enjoyed a banner season as well.

The Titans advanced to the NCAA Divi-sion Final Four for the first time in schoolhistory. IWU rallied from a 23-pointdeficit in the sectional championshipgame to beat George Fox (Ore.), 61-60, asNikki Preston sank two free throws with4.1 seconds left.

That sent IWU back to its home court,Shirk Center in Bloomington, for the FinalFour. However, the Titans (27-6) finishedfourth after losing in the semifinals toWashington (Mo.) and in the third-placegame to Christopher Newport (Va.).

“We all feel a little empty,” said IWUcoach Mia Smith. “But we’re going tohang a banner and we’ve got a trophy thatwill be forever in the history of this pro-gram.”

The IWU football team reached theNCAA Division III playoffs for the secondtime in three years and fourth in schoolhistory after finishing second in the Col-lege Conference of Illinois and Wiscon-sin.

The Titans raced out to a 17-0 leadagainst Monmouth in a first-round gameat Tucci Stadium. However, the FightingScots rallied behind record-setting quar-terback Alex Tanney of Lexington to earna 33-27 victory in three overtimes.

Heartland Community College’s base-ball team finally reached the NJCAA Divi-sion II National Tournament after comingup one game short two straight years. Thetop-ranked Hawks won five straightgames to win the Region 24 Tournamentand advance to nationals in Enid, Okla.,where they went 1-2.

Heartland’s softball team advanced toits fourth straight Division II NationalTournament at Champion Fields in Nor-mal. The Hawks, who were the nationalchampions in 2009, also went 1-2.

The Pantagraph/CARLOS T. MIRANDA

Christopher Newport's Chantal Thomas, left, looks at teammate Chelsie Schweers while guard-

ed by Illinois Wesleyan's Nikki Preston during the third place game at the Women's Division III

Final Four at Shirk Center in Bloomington on March 19, 2011. The Titans got fourth place.


Illinois State University's new director of ath-

letics Gary Friedman spoke during an an-

nouncment of his appointment on May 11 at

ISU's Kaufmann Football Building.

ISU picks new athletic director;IWU, Heartland teams advance

The Ford F-150 breaksnew ground with itsavailable EcoBoost

engine, delivering a combi-nation of fuel economy, per-formance and towing thatbeats all other trucks.

The Ford F-150’s officialEPA ratings are 22 mpg onthe highway and 16 mpg inthe city. No other truck withcomparable horsepowercan match the F-150EcoBoost in highway or cityfuel economy.

The one-two punch ofFord Motor Company’sEcoBoost technology — fueleconomy and high perform-ance — has opened a newera for truck customers.

“The 3.5-liter EcoBoosttruck engine is a shiningexample of the uncompro-mising nature of Ford’sEcoBoost technology: morepower and better fuel econ-omy,” said Doug Scott, FordTruck Group MarketingManager. “What’s importantfor truck customers is thatthis all-new engine deliversbest-in-class capabilitywhere it matters most: tow-ing and hauling. Nowthey’re getting great fueleconomy, too.”

The 3.5-liter EcoBoosttruck engine produces best-in-class 420 lb.-ft. of torque,helping enable best-in-classmaximum towing of 11,300pounds and maximum pay-load of 3,060 pounds, allwith unsurpassed fuel econ-omy.

SAVING FUELThe 3.5-liter EcoBoost is

the final piece of the most

extensive powertrainmakeover in the 63-yearhistory of Ford F-Series.Introduced last year were anew 3.7-liter V6, a 5.0-literV8 and a 6.2-liter V8. Eachof these engines also offeredbest-in-class or unsur-passed fuel economy, powerand capability.

Meanwhile, each engineis mated to a fuel-savingsix-speed automatic trans-mission — making Ford theonly manufacturer to equipits entire full-size pickuplineup with standard six-speed automatic gearboxes.

All F-150s, except those

equipped with the optional6.2-liter V8, feature EPAS, orelectric power-assistedsteering, a segment first.EPAS contributes about a 4percent fuel-economy ben-efit compared with conven-tional hydraulic systems.

This versatile powertrainlineup enables F-150 cus-tomers to choose the enginethat best suits their needs.

TECHNOLOGYThe 3.5-liter EcoBoost

truck engine for the Ford F-150 means this award-win-ning technology is available

in the best-selling vehicle inAmerica.

In 2010, 528,349 Ford F-Series trucks were sold,making it not only the best-selling truck in America forthe 34th straight year, butalso the best-selling vehicle,car or truck, for the 29thconsecutive year. No othercar, truck, SUV or CUVreached the 400,000 unitsales level in 2010.

By 2013, Ford plans tooffer an EcoBoost engine inup to 90 percent of its NorthAmerican nameplates, sup-porting global sales of 1.5million EcoBoost-powered

vehicles per year.EcoBoost is fundamental

to Ford’s strategy to providetechnologically advanced,high-output, smaller-dis-placement powertrains thatdeliver uncompromisedperformance and fuel econ-omy.

Ford EcoBoost enginesdeliver fuel-economy gainsof up to 20 percent andreduction of CO2 emissionsof up to 15 percent, com-pared with larger, less-effi-cient engines.

In addition to tur-bocharging with directinjection, Ford powertrain

engineers have enhancedEcoBoost’s technologycapabilities by adding vari-able valve timing and pre-cisely controlling all aspectsof the engine. Ford has atleast 125 patents on itsEcoBoost technology.

DIESEL-LIKEPERFORMANCE

The key technologiesbuilt into every EcoBoostengine, including tur-bocharging and direct fuelinjection, are particularlyrelevant to truck customers.This combination of tur-bocharging and direct fuelinjection delivers a wealthof low-end torque andmaintains it across a broadrpm range, which is key intowing applications.

The 3.5-liter EcoBoosttruck engine delivers 420lb.-ft. of torque and 365horsepower to enable best-in-class towing of 11,300pounds – more than enoughto tow a fully loaded three-horse trailer or 30-foot boat,for example. Plus theEcoBoost truck engine doesit all on regular fuel andwith outstanding fuel econ-omy.

“Truck customers shouldthink of the EcoBoost truckengine as a gas-poweredengine with diesel-typecapability and characteris-tics,” said Jim Mazuchowski,V6 engines program manag-er. “The twin turbochargersand direct injection give itthe broad, flat torque curvethat makes towing with adiesel so effortless.”

2012 FORD F-150

Bold, efficient and powerful

The use of EcoBoost technology makes the Ford F-150 an efficient, capable and refined pickup truck.

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www.HellerStores.com*All factory and finance rebates applied; plus tax, title and license. +Includes Ford Motor Credit Cash. Actual vehicles may differ from vehicles pictured.

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Documents

Annual Report 3