Check out the following summer session offerings at Heartland Community College:

LEED Green Associate Prep Course (Tuesdays, 6 pm-8 pm, beginning 6/8/2010)
The Green Building Certification Institute (http://www.gbci.org/) recently created the LEED Green Associate (GA) credential which serves as the first step for professionals pursuing a LEED AP specialization. The instructor, Brian Davie, is a licensed architect and LEED AP with over 13 years of extensive experience with the Farnsworth  Group in planning, designing and consulting for various LEED projects across the country.

Introduction to Wind Systems (Friday, 7/9 from 8:30 am-5 pm)
Learn the basics of wind energy such as wind resources, basic system components, system types, turbine types, applications and tower types. This course is a prerequisite for all other MREA wind courses.

Basic Photovoltaics (Saturday, 7/10 from 8:30 am-5 pm)
Attend this workshop to learn the basics of photovoltaic (PV) systems including how PV works and the best applications or limitations of the four PV system types. Students will learn to describe and identify PV system components and explore PV mounting options. Find out how to define the solar window, calculate load estimates and utilize basic site assessment tools.

Solar Domestic Hot Water (Saturday, 7/17 from 8:30 am-5 pm)
Learn how to use the sun’s energy for domestic water uses such as showers, sinks and clothes washers. By incorporating a SDHW system, the typical household can save 50 percent or more in energy costs annually. These systems are easy to install and often pay for themselves in energy savings in just a few years. This class provides an overview of a variety of solar water system types.

Employers paying for workers to attend any of these course may be eligible for a rebate of up to 50 percent! Contact the Green Institute to find out more about our Green Energy Workforce Training Program.  

For more information, contact:
Rebecca M. Rossi, LEED AP
Associate Director
The Green Institute at Heartland Community College
1500 W. Raab Road, WDC Suite 2400
Normal, IL 61761

If you are unaware of the Economic Development Council of the Bloomington-Normal Area’s One Voice program, you may be missing out on a very important opportunity. One Voice is our government advocacy program in which we support local projects in their quests for federal funding. Each year, the One Voice task force (comprised of local government, business, education, labor and other community leaders) convenes several meetings where local municipalities/educational institutions/other community organizations present projects for which they are requesting federal appropriations. The One Voice task force chooses 4-6 projects to officially support for the year. Each March, the EDC and a group of 30+ community leaders travel together to Washington, D.C. in order to present these projects to our elected officials and advocate for their financial support.

One Voice, now entering its fifth year, has become well-known by our congressional delegation and is often referred to as a “best practice” for seeking federal appropriations. To date, we have helped local entities secure over $2.5 million in federal funding (over $24.5 million with the recent TIGER grant allocated to the Town of Normal for the Multi-Modal Transportation Center).

Due to the rising popularity of this program, we are changing the way we manage the One Voice project submittal process. For the 2011 One Voice program and beyond, all applicant projects will need to go through a screening and development process in conjunction with the EDC. EDC staff will now be working with each entity submitting a project to develop a rigorous and objective “argument” for every project. This argument will include a full analysis of the project’s potential economic development impacts, its risks, feasibility and financial picture. The outcome will be a comparative report for each proposed project for the One Voice Task Force’s review. We have also instituted a $250 application fee to help cover the administrative costs associated with the project development and impact studies. The EDC believes our new process will ultimately provide our elected officials with better-vetted projects with stronger arguments and objective metrics.

Because this process will be much more involved than in prior years, the deadline for project submission has been moved forward. All potential One Voice projects must be submitted to the EDC by August 1, 2010 in order to be considered for the 2011 Washington, D.C. trip – NO EXCEPTIONS. Click here to download a project application form.

For more information, contact Brooke Weishaupt at brooke@bnbiz.org or 309-452-8437.

What health care reform means for small businesses in Illinois
(information provided by Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson’s office (IL-11)

Small businesses need health care reform

• Health insurance costs for small businesses have increased by 130% since 2000.
• Only 45% of America’s small businesses can currently afford to offer health care to their workers.
• Small business health plans have higher premiums and administrative costs than large companies.
• Nearly 60% of America’s uninsured are small business owners, workers, and their families.

 

Small business exchanges

• Qualifying small businesses will be able to join new state-based Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Exchanges.
• Joining these exchanges will give small businesses access to larger risk pools and will lower their administrative costs.
• Small businesses with up to 100 employees will be able to join an exchange and starting in 2017, businesses with over 100 employees will be able to join.
• States will be able to join together to form larger, regional small business exchanges that will further reduce costs for participating small businesses.

 

Tax credits for small businesses

• Small businesses will be eligible for tax credits to the cover cost of providing care to eligible employees.
• Starting in 2010, small businesses with 25 or fewer employees and less than $50,000 in average wages are eligible for a tax credit if they cover at least 50% of the total premium cost for their employees.
• The tax credit is 35% for small businesses with 10 or fewer employees and average annual wages of less than $25,000.
• The amount of the tax credit phases out for small businesses with between 10 and 25 employees and between $25,000 and $50,000 in average wages.
• Starting in 2014, the tax credit will increase to 50% for small businesses with 10 or fewer employees and average wages below $25,000.
• In 2006, approximately 76% of small businesses in Illinois had fewer than 10 employees.

Employer requirements and small business

• Small businesses with 50 or fewer employees will not be required to offer coverage to their workers.
• Small businesses with more than 50 employees that do not offer coverage will have to pay a fee of $2,000 for each full-time employee who receives federal tax credits to purchase individual coverage (excluding the first 30 employees), which is significantly less than the expense of providing full insurance coverage benefits.
• Even though part-timers count towards triggering the employer responsibility, an employer does not pay a penalty for not providing coverage to part-time workers.
• In 2006, over 86% of small businesses in Illinois had fewer than 20 employees.

On Earth Hour, hundreds of millions of people, organizations, corporations and governments around the world will come together by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. In the U.S., Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about their security and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.

Participation is easy. By flipping off your lights off on March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time, you will be making the switch to a cleaner, more secure nation and prosperous America.  Set your clock. Earth Hour will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii.  Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination and became a global phenomenon. Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents.

Last year, 80 million Americans and 318 U.S. cities officially voted for action with their light switch, joining iconic landmarks from around the world that went dark for Earth Hour, including:

Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, the Las Vegas Strip , the Golden Gate Bridge, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Great Pyramids of Giza, Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London and the Sydney’s Opera House.

Bloomington-Normal’s Earth Hour is sponsored by Imagine Green Bloomington/Normal and Vladimir/Canterbury Sister City Green Team. Last year’s major participant partners included:

• Avanti’s – lights dimmed in restaurant
• City of Bloomington – most lights off at City Hall
• U.S. Cellular Coliseum – advertised Earth Hour on sign
• Erik Prenzler – advertised for two weeks on sign on Empire Street
• Heartland Community College – reduced energy
• Illinois State University – reduced energy and advertised on Main Street sign
• ISU Credit Union – advertised on Main Street sign
• Illinois Wesleyan University – reduced energy
• State Farm – most lights out at Corporate and some at Corporate South
• Town of Normal – most lights out at City Hall, Children’s Discovery Museum and Normal Theater

This year’s new participant partners include:

• Economic Development Council of the Bloomington-Normal Area
• Sister Cities of Canterbury, England and of Vladimir, Russia

The Earth Hour team is looking for additional partners.  For more information, contact Joe Grabill at turtlecn@verizon.net.

Earth Hour reminds us there are many things we can do to reduce your business’s impact on the environment and, at the same time, SAVE MONEY:

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones.
• Buy reusable dishware to reduce waste.
• Start recycling and ask employees to participate.
• Subscribe to online newspapers to reduce paper waste.
• Teleconference, instead of commuting to meetings.
• Turn off the lights when they are not needed.

To learn more, visit www.myearthhour.org.

I remember settling down on my bed with the newest issue of a popular teen magazine one day back when I was around 14 years old. I always looked forward to getting my monthly magazines – ‘Teen, Seventeen, YM and the like; I’m pretty sure I subscribed to them all. As most  teen girls know, it is CRUCIAL to stay on top of the latest celebrity gossip, fashion trends and makeup tips. However, as I was flipping through my “bible,” I came across a different sort of article about a subject I had never heard of before – the treatment of women by the Taliban in Afghanistan. It was a fascinating article – my young mind had never before conceived that this type of behavior was allowed – revered, even – in this modern day and age. It broke my heart to learn what the Afghan women went through; that some of them even encouraged it, because they had never known any differently.

This was my first introduction to Mavis Nicholson Leno, more famously known as Jay Leno’s wife. She has been a driving force behind the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Campaign to Help Afghan Women and Girls and the United States’ most outspoken critic of the Taliban’s horrific treatment of women. Why am I talking about this on the EDC’s blog? What does this have to do with McLean County or economic development? Well, Mavis Leno is this year’s keynote speaker at the YWCA McLean County’s Women of Distinction awards dinner (Thursday, May 27th).

I have been involved with the Women of Distinction event for the past three years. I first became familiar with it back in 2004 when I was an intern at a local company and was invited to attend. Eleanor Clift was the keynote speaker.  I remember being excited to be at an event where I had actually heard of the keynote speaker before – you see, I had watched her many Sunday mornings on The McLaughlin Group on PBS (thanks to my dad). Regardless of whether or not you agree with her political beliefs, you have to admit, she makes the show interesting. Anyway, at the event, I bought two of her books, one of which was Founding Sisters and the Nineteenth Amendment.

This book was a major eye-opener. I never knew the struggle that women went through to get the right to vote. Why don’t they talk more about this in school? I remember learning that the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920, but I don’t remember learning anything else about it or what securing that right entailed. I think if they taught this, maybe young people would be more inclined to get involved in the political process. But, I digress…

This book (and Iron-Jawed Angels, the movie it was made into starring Hilary Swank) changed my view of my life as an American citizen. I no longer take the right to vote for granted; I try not to take our other basic rights for granted. So, when I was invited to be part of the Women of Distinction steering committee a few years ago, I heartily said “yes!” I love the YWCA and what it stands for: eliminating racism and empowering women. I feel this year’s keynote speaker defines that mission down to its very core.

So, back to this blog post’s title, “Who is a Woman of Distinction?” Well, I think Mavis Leno is a woman of distinction. She has worked tirelessly for her cause. But, you don’t have to be a celebrity (or married to a celebrity) to be a woman of distinction. You don’t have to chair a national campaign to be a woman of distinction. A woman of distinction is someone who has made a difference in someone’s life, in her community, in her profession; someone you would want your daughter, your sister, your niece to emulate. Your next-door neighbor could be a woman of distinction. Your co-worker could be a woman of distinction. Your child’s baby-sitter could be a woman of distinction. All it takes is for you to recognize her. All it takes is for you to nominate her. Don’t wait for someone else to do it; follow Mavis Leno’s lead, follow our “founding sisters’” lead, and GO FOR IT!

For more information or a nomination form, click here.

Are your staff training and continuous improvement programs failing to meet your expectations? Do your supervisors, managers, and team leaders need improvement in their human resources skills? Is employee turnover plaguing your productivity? In today’s tough business environment, companies are being asked to produce more with fewer people. One proven approach to overcoming these challenges is to ensure that supervisors and team leaders – anyone who directs the activities of others – can drive standard work and get results more quickly.

Training Within Industry (TWI) is a standardized program that addresses the essential needs of leadership. It’s an employee development methodology that companies across the U.S. are utilizing to enable frontline personnel to help establish a culture for change, improve performance, and facilitate standardized work. With TWI, companies realize immediate changes in productivity, employee retention, waste reduction, and cost avoidance.

Executive Briefing
January 28, 2010
8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
PeoriaNEXT
801 W. Main St., Peoria

There is no cost to attend, and breakfast will be provided. Go to www.imec.org and click on the Events page or call IMEC at 888-806-4632. For more information, contact Donna Arras at 618-558-8095 or darras@imec.org.

Mavidea Technology Group, LLC (Mavidea), a local business that offers small business IT Management and Web Management services, announced in November that the judges for the Extreme Technology Makeover chose Champaign County Humane Society, located in Urbana, IL, as the winner of their Extreme Technology Makeover.

Mavidea’s Extreme Technology Makeover contest ended on Saturday, October 31st with a total of 75 applications from businesses and organizations in Illinois. The judges went through a process of narrowing down the top finalists to one winner. To enter the contest, businesses and organizations had to complete an application where they wrote on their mission or purpose, business need, and most importantly, a description of how a technology makeover would increase productivity in their business or organization. The prize package, provided by IBM, Microsoft, HP, Sony, SonicWALL, MX Logic, Trend Micro and Mavidea, includes:

• One IBM System X Server
• Five Sony Vaio business class laptops
• Five HP workstations
• Microsoft Small Business Server 08 Premium Edition
• Ten copies of Microsoft Office Pro Plus
• SonicWALL TZ 190 firewall
• One year of MX Logic Email Defense services for ten mailboxes
• One year of Trend Micro Worry Free Anti-Virus Software for ten users
• Six months of Mavidea’s IT Management Services, STABILITY and SECURITY

Mavidea hosted a ceremony on November 17th from 5-7pm to recognize the top ten finalists and announce Champaign County Humane Society, an “open door” shelter that accepts all animals needing shelter, regardless of age, physical condition, or adoptability, as the winner of the $35,000 Extreme Technology Makeover.

“It is a great honor to be chosen to receive this wonderful gift, currently we have old computers that are very slow and this makeover will greatly benefit the staff, volunteers, and of course the animals” said Lee Ann Donner, Champaign County Humane Society’s Development Director.

Sponsors: IBM, Microsoft, Sony, HP, MX Logic, and Trend Micro

This has been a big year for the EDC. We have moved forward with several initiatives to build our local economy. We received grant funding to develop the Central Illinois Regional Collaborative Effort, which is working to address needs with our healthcare workforce. The New Leadership Board created its first whitepaper with a wide range of recommendations for our employers, municipalities and the EDC to take into consideration as we plan for the future. We’re getting closer and closer to opening the McLean County Business Incubator.  We’re assisting businesses with financing opportunities through our Community Development Corporation. And the list goes on and on…. We’ve accomplished a lot, but we’re always looking ahead to see what we can do next.

The EDC looks forward to the upcoming year. We are staying focused on our core mission of helping local businesses to grow and expand, and we plan to work even harder to increase awareness of programs we have to help carry out this mission. For more information on how we can help your business, please contact us at (309) 452-8437.

We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!

Your friends at the EDC:

Marty, Brooke, Cathy, Ken and Kelli

The best way to stay up to date on what’s happening is to attend our
events and meetings and read our monthly newsletter. In it, we detail
what’s going on with our different programs, announce upcoming
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