Features

Eagle continues open for business

[MARCH 19, 2003]  Rumors that the Eagle store in Lincoln may be closing are completely untrue, according to a company vice president.

Pat Flatley, vice president of information technology, said in a telephone interview that the "tons of rumors" are false. "We're not closing; we’re not closing the chain," he emphasized.

"I get calls and e-mails all day long from customers, who are happy to hear that we are not closing," Flatley continued. He said Eagle employees are among those who have spread the rumors, and the company has requested that they discontinue doing so.

Without supplying any statistics, Flatley said he believes Lincoln sales have been affected by the rumors. Customers who believe the grocery store is already closed go elsewhere to shop. However, he said he was in the Lincoln store on Saturday, and Lincoln manager Barb Pollock reported that sales are beginning to recover.

[Lynn Spellman]

Lincoln and Logan County
bucking the trends

Economic growth slow but steady

[MARCH 14, 2003]  Over the course of the last 18 months many people have been quite concerned about the economy in Logan County. With the closing of the Lincoln Developmental Center and a couple of retail businesses going under, the rumors began to swirl. However, not all the news is bad news. In fact, a case may be made that Lincoln is not only bucking those negative local trends, but also bucking those depressing national trends as well. Unemployment rates that are climbing, taxes being raised and not much talk about any economic prosperity may have you wondering: How could Lincoln be curbing those indicators?

But a closer look at what is actually happening in Lincoln and the surrounding area seems to indicate that reports of our demise may have been greatly exaggerated. Take Precision Products for example. Bob Jones is reporting that PP has actually added 22 new jobs just during the month of February, not exactly your growth month. And Ed Block over at Saint-Gobain Containers is reporting the creation of 12 new positions at their plant. Main Street Lincoln Director Cindy McLaughlin has cited at least six individuals who have applied for grants to start new businesses in the Courthouse Square Historic District. Several other local businesses plan to expand or add jobs in the near future. Bill Campbell and Charlie Lee over at the IGA grocery store are planning a 5,000-square-foot addition as soon as possible.

The growth is not just limited to our city's borders, as business seems to be doing well in the county too. Mark Hughes over at Inland Tool in Mount Pulaski has just added a new shift. That has meant the establishment of 10 new jobs. In Atlanta, nine of the 10 houses built on the golf course have been sold, while two new ones are currently under construction. In addition, three new ones are scheduled to begin construction in the spring.

We're sure that the math majors and the bean counters will be quick to remind us all that these reports will not make up for the loss of the LDC. While that may be true, you have to start somewhere. We commend these businesses for their vision and foresight during perilous times. We're sure those decisions must have been easier when the stock market was flying along at record levels.

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Keep in mind that the companies mentioned here are only the ones who have agreed to go public with their plans and additions. There are others with deals pending who don't want publicity until deals are done and contracts are signed. We suspect that there are several people wanting to relocate, remodel and or increase the size of their businesses, judging by the wealth of calls we're getting. We also believe that some people want to come to Logan County to set up shop. We are predicting that as the weather warms we will be bombarded with requests for even more economic development projects in our community and in our area.

And why wouldn't that be so? We have maintained for years that Logan County may be one of the best kept secrets in the state, if not the nation. For the second year in a row, Illinois was chosen as the No. 1 state for economic development in the country! Couple that with the tourist boom we're expected to see in the years ahead, and things might not be nearly as gloomy as the doom, gloom and naysayers would have you believe. At least these recent reports seem to indicate that Logan County may be bucking the trends!

[Jeff Mayfield, economic development director]

Invention Mysteries TM
Self-syndicated weekly newspaper column

Which U.S. presidents were
the most successful inventors?

By Paul Niemann

[MARCH 13, 2003]  Since my hometown of Quincy is named after a U.S. president -- John Quincy Adams, our sixth president -- I decided focus this column on presidents who toiled as inventors. By the way, there are 12 states that contain a Quincy: California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington.

While Thomas Jefferson, our nation's third president, was the most accomplished inventor among all the U.S. presidents, he did not hold a patent on any of his inventions. Only one president ever received a patent, and only one received a trademark. Who were they? Read on; the answers are at the end of the column. 

Among Thomas Jefferson's inventions were such devices as a macaroni machine he invented in 1787, the swivel chair, the spherical sundial, the moldboard plow and the cipher wheel, which was an ingenious way to allow people to code and decode messages. Jefferson's cipher wheel was used until 1802, and then it was "reinvented" just prior to World War I and used by the U.S. Army and other military services to send messages back and forth. Jefferson served as American minister to France in the 1780s and, as a result of his travels throughout Europe, was able to adapt some of the things he saw in Europe to benefit Americans as well.

Jefferson felt that all people should have access to new technology and, since he didn't want others to be deprived of the benefits that new inventions bring, he never applied for a patent on any of his inventions. He considered patents to be an unfair monopoly.

Several of Thomas Jefferson's inventions are still in use today; they deal mainly with agricultural and mechanical products. He also was responsible for introducing french fries into the United States.

One of Jefferson's most notable achievements was the founding of the University of Virginia, and this was one of only three achievements that he had listed on his tombstone.

Jefferson's impact on the U.S. patent system can be seen today in the fact that each new patent application must meet three criteria before being issued a patent: A patent must be new, not obvious and useful. While Jefferson was the most prolific of any presidential inventor, he wasn't the only president to have some success at inventing. 

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In two separate boating incidents, one as a teenager on the Mississippi River and one on the Great Lakes, President Lincoln got his boats stuck in shallow waters, known as shoals. These two experiences inspired Lincoln to invent a solution to help him navigate his boat through shallow waters.

A wooden model of this invention, which Lincoln made himself, is in the Smithsonian Institution. The invention was never sold to the public, though. 

In 1858, Lincoln called the introduction of patent laws one of the three most important developments "in the world's history," along with the discovery of America and the perfection of printing.

During the Civil War, he took a personal interest in the development of new types of weapons: iron ships, the observation balloon, the breech-loading rifle and the machine gun.

President Washington was also a successful inventor, and in 1772 he received a trademark for his brand of flour. 

While Thomas Jefferson invented the most new products of all the presidents, only one U.S. President has ever received a patent, and it wasn't Jefferson. Do you know which president received a patent? 

A. George Washington

B. Abraham Lincoln

C. Teddy Roosevelt

D. Harry Truman

Answer:  President Lincoln was issued Patent 6,469 for "A Device for Buoying Vessels Over Shoals" on May 22, 1849, while still a congressman in Illinois. If you guessed George Washington, you were close; he is the only president to receive a trademark, which he received in 1772 for his flour. 

[Paul Niemann]

Paul Niemann is a contributing author to Inventors' Digest magazine. He also runs MarketLaunchers.com, helping people in the marketing of their new product ideas. In addition, he teaches marketing and advertising at Quincy University. He can be reached at niemann7@aol.com.

Last week's column in LDN: "Here's why you've never heard of the OTHER person who invented the telephone"

Nationally known business leaders
to host seminar in Lincoln

[MARCH 11, 2003]  You can take advantage of staying at home in Lincoln as Jefferson Street Christian Church, using cutting-edge technology, hosts "The Maximum Impact Simulcast" on March 28. The seminar to be presented, "Becoming a Champion of Change," seeks to offer participants answers to the following questions:

• Are you seeking to be a more motivated leader?
• Do you desire to know how to reach your leadership potential?
• Would you like to increase your ability to influence others?
• Do you need to hone your leadership skills and build a winning team?

• Would you like to maximize your impact on your workplace?

Who will answer these questions? Three of the nation's top consultants.

The live simulcast training session will bring well-known business leaders Ken Blanchard, John C. Maxwell and Joe Gibbs here to Lincoln. Ken Blanchard is author of "Raving Fans and Whale Done" and co-author of "The One Minute Manager." John C. Maxwell is best-selling author of "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership." Joe Gibbs owns the titles of NFL coach of the three-time world champion Washington Redskins, is a NASCAR team owner and has authored "Racing To Win." These men are proven winners in business, sports and organizational management and will share their experience as instigators of effective change.

Their program is designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of businesses and organizations, with a focus on developing leadership potential. Participants will learn from America's leaders on leadership.

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The program is open to individual or team sign-ups. Primary goals of the one-day seminar will be to motivate participants to:

• Reach leadership potential.
• Increase ability to influence others.
• Become skilled at building a winning team, whether as a team leader or team member.
• Develop individual and team esteem.

• Make a maximum impact in the workplace.

A major benefit to this seminar is that it qualifies for ongoing continuing education credits. Additional course work is also offered following the seminar. Participants will receive more information at the seminar, or you may call to ask about the courses offered.

"Becoming a Champion of Change" will be hosted Friday, March 28, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. by the Jefferson Street Christian Church, 1700 N. Jefferson St. in Lincoln. The cost is $59 per person and includes lunch. If five or more participants come from the same organization, the price drops to $49 per person.

Call Donnie Case at the church, (217) 732-9294, to make your reservation.

[News release]

• Is this the right time to go into business?
  [Click here for Feb. 28 article by Jim Youngquist.]

Announcements

The Chamber Report

Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

303 S. Kickapoo St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com
www.lincolnillinois.com

Honors & Awards

Main Street Corner News

Main Street Lincoln

Cindy McLaughlin, Program Manager

303 S. Kickapoo

Lincoln, IL 62656

Phone: (217) 732-2929

Fax: (217) 735-9205

E-mail: manager@mainstreetlincoln.com