“In 1909, Holt acquired a plant in Peoria, Illinois. The first Peoria tractor, assembled the same year, went to nearby Bloomington, Illinois—where the buyer refused to pay for the new contraption until its ability to perform was a fact… By the end of 1910, the Holt riverside plant claimed 65 employees working for an average of 25 cents hourly.”
—50 Years On Tracks, the first book on the history of Caterpillar
The Peoria Historical Society is celebrating its 21st season of Peoria History Tours with six different tours running through October. This year, all tours will leave from the Peoria Riverfront Museum, thanks to a new partnership between the two organizations. The six tours include the River City Tour, Grandview Drive and Springdale Cemetery Tour, Roll Out the Barrel Tour, Naughty to Nice Tour, Abraham Lincoln & the Civil War Tour and the Haunted Peoria Tour. For more information or a tour schedule, visit peoriahistoricalsociety.org or call (309) 686-7000.
A State Report Card
A new report from Ball State University gives the State of Illinois a “C” for manufacturing and “A” for logistics, while its tax climate and expected liability gap received a “D” and “D-,” respectively. The 2016 Manufacturing and Logistics Report, prepared by Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) for Conexus Indiana, the state’s advanced manufacturing initiative, shows how each state ranks among its peers in areas of the economy that underlie the success of manufacturing and logistics.
Advanced manufacturing is defined by the Brookings Institution as an industry sector with high levels of STEM-related occupations and research-and-development investment. Using this definition, CBER looked at each state’s advanced manufacturing employment as a share of total manufacturing employment in 2013. The report finds that nationally, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and white-collar jobs are growing in the advanced manufacturing sector, while blue-collar occupations have declined.
“These data underscore the importance of talent development efforts with a focus on educational attainment,” says Michael J. Hicks, CBER director. “In the long run, a well-educated and ready workforce matters more than any other single factor in the health of advanced manufacturing firms.” The complete report is available at conexus.cberdata.org.
Security At A Glance
As threats continue to mount, understanding and managing cybersecurity risks have become top of mind—and organizations are responding by taking action. The Global State of Information Security Survey 2016, published by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, reports that survey respondents have significantly boosted information security spending to better enable them to tackle the cybersecurity juggernaut head on.
- In 2015, 38% more security incidents were detected than in 2014.
- Theft of “hard” intellectual property increased 56% in 2015.
- While employees remain the most cited source of compromise, incidents attributed to business partners climbed 22%.
- Respondents boosted their information security budgets by 24% in 2015.
- Financial losses decreased 5% from 2014 to 2015.
Many organizations are incorporating strategic initiatives to improve security and reduce risks:
- 91% Risk-based security framework
- 69% Cloud-based cybersecurity
- 65% Formally collaborate with others
- 59% Big Data analytics
- 59% Cybersecurity insurance
Visit pwc.com/gx/en/issues/cyber-security/information-security-survey.html to download the report.
Connecting People, Business and Product
Local entrepreneur John McKee has written his first book. Published by Richter Publishing in digital and paperback form, Nothing Happens Until the Meeting Is Set walks readers through McKee’s 26-year journey in sales, business development and product development, offering tips on sales techniques, social selling, lead generation, arranging meetings and more. Now a SCORE mentor, McKee plans to offer training workshops to local businesses, entrepreneurs and startups. To learn more, visit business453.com.
Four Steps to Plug Productivity Leaks!
Everyone is looking for ways to boost productivity and make the most of their time. Check out these four tips to plug productivity leaks from Anne Grady, author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love and Work:
- Do a brain dump. We cannot keep nearly as much information in the forefront of our minds as we think. That’s how we get overwhelmed, distracted and forget things. Once a day, get everything out of your head and onto a piece of paper or document. Write things down as you think of them, and devote five or 10 minutes a day to this.
- Manage interruptions. It’s estimated that each interruption wastes 10 to 15 minutes, including time to re-engage in the task we were doing before we were interrupted. Turn off technology distractions when you need to focus, and let family, friends and co-workers know that it’s not okay to interrupt you during these times—unless it is an emergency.
- Eat your frog. This strategy was first suggested by Mark Twain—”If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, nothing else will seem that bad for the rest of the day”—and promoted by Brian Tracy in his book Eat That Frog. Determine your day’s most distasteful task and get it done first: If you can’t eat the whole frog, set a timer for 30 minutes, eat a frog leg and feel good about getting some of it done!
- Take control of technology, rather than letting it control you. Electronic notifications are like crack: as soon as we see or hear them, we have to check. Turn off notifications during your uninterrupted time; dedicate a few times of the day to checking email and other notifications.
Remember, you train people how to treat you. It doesn’t mean you’re not responsive. It means you have the ability to redefine what responsiveness looks like.
For more information, visit AnneGradyGroup.com. iBi
