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A Publication of WTVP

40 Leaders Under Forty

As the fourth-generation owner of Foster-Jacob Electric, Emily Jacob-Rudesill worked her way from the ground up, completing the five-year electrical apprenticeship program to secure her hands-on knowledge of the industry. As president, she oversees job bids, project management, customer service, hiring, invoicing, equipment and material orders, safety and marketing, among other activities. Foster-Jacob is the only electrical contracting firm in the area run by an active, apprenticeship-trained female electrician.

A member of the Labor Management Cooperative Committee for the National Electrical Contractors Association, Jacob-Rudesill works to improve the relationship between employers and the International Brothers of Electrical Workers (IBEW), exploring ways to work together to increase employment opportunities and promote the value of union electrical work. She holds the National Women’s Business Enterprise certification and earned her Photovoltaic Associate certification through the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners in 2019.

Jacob-Rudesill is active with the Rotary Club of Peoria, co-chairing the Foundation Committee and sitting on the International Service and President Elect Nominating committees. She volunteers for the Peoria Playhouse Children’s Museum, serving on its Hopscotch Committee and as a parent ambassador, and co-chairs the Peoria chapter of Hike it Baby, inspiring families with young children to connect with nature. She previously served as a Morton Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and led the organization as president in 2012.

A semi-professional photographer who specializes in nighttime backdrops, Jacob-Rudesill is a member of the International Dark Sky Association, which is dedicated to preserving views of the night sky and combating light pollution. She has become a resource for local engineers and architects who want to include Dark Sky lighting in their work and has influenced a number of projects to choose Dark Sky lighting alternatives, including the Donovan Park project, which is home to Northmoor Observatory. PM

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