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Congratulations to EDC stakeholder, Dwight Miller, Entrepreneur of the Year!

Article Source: The News Gazette, Don Dodson, June 7, 2012

CHAMPAIGN — Local McDonald’s franchisee Dwight Miller was hailed as a high-energy, goal-oriented businessman in being named Parkland College Foundation’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

About 250 people turned out Wednesday to honor Miller — whose company operates 10 area McDonald’s restaurants — at a banquet at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign.

Master of ceremonies Greg Cozad said Miller came from humble beginnings and showed great initiative in taking risks building a business.

Longtime friend Truman Irving, a company president himself, said Miller — who played football, basketball and tennis — has been a “competitive person all his life.”

“He’s a relationship person,” Irving said. “He knows how to meet, greet and maintain relationships. If he met you and shook your hand tonight, he’ll know you tomorrow.”

Irving said when Miller told colleagues years ago that he was leaving his accounting job to work for McDonald’s, they laughed.

“You’re going to flip hamburgers? Dwight, you’re a professional,” they told him.

But Miller knew what he wanted — to learn the McDonald’s system — and later, to own his own business.

Irving said Miller believes in “continuous improvement” and spends time studying what his next move will be.

Miller has had the Champaign franchise for 12 years, and spent 18 months as chairman of the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber’s executive, Laura Weis, said Miller initially “scared the hell out of me.” But once she got to know him, she felt “blessed to work with a guy who gets it.”

Miller accepts no excuses, is interested in personal accountability and sets high standards for the youth who work for him, she said.

Monica Boyles, general manager for McDonald’s USA’s Greater Chicago Region, said Miller’s method is to get everybody involved.

“He’s all about inclusion. He wants to hear what everybody in the room has to say,” Boyles said.

In a video, local attorney David Sholem described Miller as “high-energy … one of the most A++ personalities” he’s known.

Dwight Miller called McDonald’s “the best franchise in the world” because “you didn’t have to be there 20 years to get ahead. You just had to work hard.”

He said the company helps its franchisees succeed.

Miller’s wife, Alice, who works in the franchise operation, DASH Management, described her husband’s determination.

“There’s nothing that comes his way that will stop him,” she said. “He is the rock of our family — not only to us” but also to his broader family, she added.

Dwight Miller, in turn, described Alice as a “workaholic” and credited her with doing most of the work.

“What drives me is my wife and kids,” he said.

The Millers’ son, Scott, today has the franchise for the McDonald’s at Duncan Road and Kirby Avenue in Champaign, and their daughter, Heather Bennett, works for McDonald’s Corp. in the Chicago area.

Miller praised his mother, Ruby, for insisting that all four of her sons go to college. And he said he wished his dad, who died about 20 years ago, were there to see him honored.

Miller said his dad “really wanted to be an entrepreneur,” but in those days it was difficult for African-Americans to build a business.

“Dad, this one’s for you,” Miller said in accepting the award.

Champaign-Urbana, IL Ranked Among Best Places for College Grads 2012

Champaign-Urbana Metro area is ranked 4th in the nation among communities large and small as a professional destination for college graduates in 2012.  Among the variable measured are:

  • Share of jobs in professional, technical, and creative occupations (BLS)
  • Average salaries and wages for professional, technical, and creative occupations (BLS)
  • Money left over after paying for housing (ACS)
  • Share of commuters who use public transit (ACS)

Full Report: The Atlantic Cities – Place Matters
More Evidence: Micro-Urban C-U

Employers: Industry Profile

Champaign County High Schools Win Exceptional Honor – U.S. News Rankings

Two Champaign County high schools have earned the bronze ranking from U.S. News and World Report among the nation’s best high schools for student performance.  Urbana High School (UHS) and Heritage High School in Broadlands.  This is UHS’s second bronze award since 2010.   UHS has also earned a place two years in a row on the College Board’s AP Honor Roll, which recognizes gains in how students can access Advanced Placement classes and how well they score on AP tests.

Local Press:  The News Gazette
Full Report: U. S. News and World Report

Scharlau sees ‘slightly better’ economy

Article Source: The News-Gazette, Don Dodson, May 8, 2012

CHAMPAIGN — Payrolls of major employers are rebounding. Retail sales are growing. The local housing market is stabilizing. And farmers are anticipating another year of strong commodity prices.

Those factors, plus anecdotal evidence, make Busey Bank Vice Chairman Ed Scharlau think the local economy is getting stronger.

In remarks prepared for his 60th economic seminar today, Scharlau said most business people he’s asked have told him business is “slightly better” than it was a year ago. (For many years, Scharlau gave two seminars per year.)

Retail sales in Champaign County were up 2.3 percent in 2011 from the previous year, and sales for the first two months of this year were running 3.1 percent ahead of the same time last year, he said.

Automotive and gas station sales were particularly strong in 2011, up 6.7 percent from the previous year.

The University of Illinois payroll on the Urbana-Champaign campus is projected to be $897 million this year, up sharply from $851 million in 2011, when employees had to take furlough days.

If the projection is right, this year’s payroll will top the $894 million paid out in 2010, he said.

Enrollment at the local campus is also expected to be up, with an estimated 42,700 students next fall, up from 42,606 last fall, Scharlau said.

The payrolls of seven major health care employers are also expected to rise this year after last year’s lull.

Scharlau said those employers — which include hospitals, physician groups and health insurers — are estimated to have a $511 million payroll this year, up from $486 million in 2011.

Home sales are also off to a strong start this year, with March sales up 19 percent from a year earlier, he said.

In terms of new construction, Mahomet and Savoy have seen the biggest upticks, with housing starts in each community up more than 60 percent from last year. Champaign and Urbana, meanwhile, have had about the same number of housing starts as last year, he said.

The number of new starts in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy in 2011 paled in comparison with other recent years.

Only 169 homes were started last year, compared with 225 in 2010, 302 in 2009 and 353 in 2008, Scharlau said.

Also of note: The total value of residential, commercial and industrial property in Champaign County dropped in 2011 for the first time in recent history — $11.3 billion, down from $11.5 billion in 2010. Scharlau said he expects the value to pick up again this year.

Turning to farming, Scharlau said the county’s agricultural output totaled $504 million last year, up from $373 million in 2010.

Part of the jump comes from the average price of corn rising from $3.85 a bushel in 2010 to $6.13 a bushel in 2011.

Scharlau said Busey Ag Services predicts moderation in corn prices this year, with an average price of $6 a bushel. Agricultural output for the county is expected to drop a bit to $464 million.

While enjoying higher prices for crops, farmers are seeing increased costs, Scharlau said. Fertilizer prices are up 25 percent to 30 percent from last year.

Land prices are up too. The price of farmland rose about 20 percent in 2011, according to the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.

Scharlau said two recent sales of “excellent” farmland — one in the Pesotum area, the other near Sadorus — fetched prices of $11,750 and $12,000 an acre, respectively, this year.

The banker also touched on employment, noting that even though Champaign County’s unemployment rate has dropped from 7.9 percent to 7.5 percent over the past year, the number of employed people has fallen — from 93,694 to 91,826.

Scharlau said Champaign County’s population grew from 179,669 to 201,081 between 2000 and 2010 — a jump of 21,412.

Much of the focus of today’s economic seminar, titled “Champaign County — Great by Choice,” was to be the UI Research Park and its impact over the past decade.

The park, which has 90 companies with 1,400 employees, received the Outstanding Research Park Award from the Association of University Research Parks last November, Scharlau said.

TECH cocktail photo highligts

Here are some highlights from last night’s TECH cocktail event. All of the photos can be found on our Facebook page.

Dioxide Materials

IntelliWheels

StudyCloud

GiftCaddie

TrakBill

Worldview

Luon Energy

 

OceanComm

GlucoSentiment

Zero Percent

All of the photos can be found on our Facebook page.

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