The Greater Peoria Area is not in great economic shape, but it is better than a lot of other Illinois markets is the message Ed Scharlau, vice-chairman of Busey Bank, brought Oct. 6 to the Peoria Country Club.

“Respect your elders” very soon could move beyond the notion of manners and include economics in the Greater Peoria Area. 
Aging baby-boomers could be a key element in the Greater Peoria Area’s future financial health, according to Ed Scharlau, vice-chairman of Busey Bank. Scharlau, while in Peoria last week, said this area needs to position itself as a mature market area.  
“In the past, youth was the hero. Now, age is in charge,” Scharlau said.
 

TimesNewspapers picked up 14 awards Friday in the Illinois Press Association’s “Best of the Press 2009” editorial contest, three of which were first-place awards.

In February, Ryan Jansen and Tom Pemble found themselves unemployed.
The pair had worked together in a large corporation. Jansen was an industrial designer. Pemble was a corporate recruiter. Pemble had hired Jansen for that company.
Instead of viewing their unemployed status as a roadblock, they saw it as an avenue to an opportunity in Peoria’s emerging green marketplace — an avenue paved in concrete.

With more people having to settle for stay-cations this year, instead of dream vacations to Europe, people are increasingly on the look-out for exciting and unique things to do close to home.
Fairchild’s and Her Majesty’s Tearoom in Dunlap provide not only a one-of-a-kind experience, it also, quite literally, brings all things British to you.

June is having an exceptional year, despite an economic downturn, said owner and executive chef Josh Adams.
The Peoria Heights restaurateur brags that in the past six months, the restaurant has had only five or six slow nights. 
“It has exceeded our expectations,” Adams said.

Junior Achievement of Central Illinois, located in Peoria Heights, received the 2008 Chairman’s Community Service Award from Caterpillar Inc. More than 70 employees from Caterpillar’s Global Finance & Strategic Services Division volunteered nearly 400 hours to serve as Junior Achievement classroom consultants for students in Peoria School District 150 and various other schools during the fall 2008 semester.

On Friday, less than a month after AmerenCILCO said electricity bills would drop starting this month, company officials said they will seek a $226 million delivery-rate hike for all Ameren Illinois utilities.

Sam and Stephanie Polito, owners of Great Harvest Bread in North Peoria, have been toiling like dogs since 5 a.m. to prepare bread for elephants.
The Politio’s received a call last week from a representative of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which will be in town later this week.
The circus placed an order for 180 loaves of honey wheat bread to be given to the elephants as treats.

Midwest Green Energy, LLC, a self-described “clean, alternative energy supplier,” is not yet a household name.
 The company, co-owned by Joe Driscoll and brother Dave Driscoll, who were born and raised in Central Illinois, head the barely two-year-old company. They have but a handful of customers inside the Peoria area. But with President Obama all but assuring future breaks for home and business owners in the form of further rebates and tax incentives for “green” building and remodeling, Joe said he expects MGE’s business to pick up dramatically.

U.S. Congressman Aaron Schock, (R-Peoria) on Sunday, came to the defense of North Peoria car dealer Gary Ufting, whose Chrysler dealership on University is scheduled for closure early next month.
Schock said he called the press conference to “express outrage” at the decision of the bankruptcy judge and the Presidential Auto Task Force to close dealerships.

In late February, when corporate bank bailouts captured more media attention than the healthcare debate, South Side Bank was busy preparing to open the doors of its new branch at 4520 N. Sheridan Road.

When Steve Smith retired as Peoria County Jail superintendent Nov. 30, he had no plans to become a businessman.
But, that is exactly what he has become as owner of The Booksmith, a store specializing in old, rare, new and used books. In effect, he has gone from booking people to selling books.

Michelle Lefebvre subscribes to the theory of the self-fulfilling prophecy.
She said that when her husband, Mark, wanted to expand his marketing business — DLA Creative — into new digs on Willow Knolls, she was behind him.
Pessimistic thoughts about the economy lead to pessimistic attitudes and just make things worse, she said.

In 2008, the Peoria Area Association of Realtors released figures showing Peoria’s 2007 housing numbers were a “bright spot” in Illinois.
Michael Maloof, while checking home sales figures for 2008 in the Peoria market, discovered what he considered a noteworthy trend.
“Edgewild is hot,” Maloof, president of Jim Maloof Realtors, said.