PEORIA MAGAZINE April 2023

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A PUBLICATION OF WT VP

MAGAZ INE

APRIL 2023

Jump to it: Innovation in Peoria

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 1

COVER STORIES 42 The ‘Beacon’ on Berkeley Avenue By Mike Bailey 47 The Future of Medicine By Mike Bailey 48 Start Your Innovation Engines! By Steve Tarter

SPOTLIGHTS 22 The Writing Robots By Katie Faley 24 The Sk-Eye Liner is The Limit By Lisa Coon 28 The Stuff of Sci-Fi By Steve Stein 30 Setting The Table For Innovation

38 Meet ‘Dr. Voz’

By Linda Smith Brown

50 ‘We’ve Been Blessed, and You Need to Share Your Blessings’ By Lisa Coon 62 Central Illinois’ Own Caped Crusader By Phil Luciano 64 Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200 By Julie Sanders 86 ‘Democracy Needs a Shot in the Arm’ By Bob Grimson 90 No Hocus in This POCUS By Mark Welp

COVER PHOTO : Pediatric surgeon Dr. Daniel J. Robertson, works with a VR device that simulates surgery on the the human heart at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center .

By Linda Smith Brown

34 A Virtuous Business Model By Laurie Pillman

Photo by Ron Johnson ABOVE PHOTO:

Dr. John Vozenilek in the virtual lab at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center . Photo by Ron Johnson

2 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

FEATURES 8 Seed and Soil:

54 Playing in Peoria:

80 Peoria Retro:

This Isn’t Your Grandpa’s Tractor By Rob Sharkey

Introducing Mark Plunkett & The Heartmenders By Nick Vlahos 66 WordCount Commentary:

‘The Peoria Watch’ By Steve Gossard

12 Dish and Drink:

84 Peoria Retro:

Noma, as I Knew It By Joshua Lanning

‘The Symphony of Flight … Conducted From An Octave Below By Gary Wright

Read Outside Your Comfort Zone By Jennifer Davis

14

Dish and Drink: What’s Cookin’ - Carrot Feta Tart By Mary DiSomma

68 WordCount Commentary:

9 2 Launching Pad:

A Q&A with Author James Klise By Jennifer Davis

It’s Not Easy Being Mean By Laurie Pillman

17

72 Hometown:

Dish and Drink: Cocktail Class - The Murders in the Rue Barb By Dustin Crawford

9 4 Launching Pad: Be Like Lincoln By Amy Edgar 99 Twenty Something Commentary: A Date Night Cheat Sheet for Peoria By Anita Sharkey

‘Out With the Old, In With The New’ By Scott Fishel

18 Mom and Pop:

76 EconCorner: Anton Ivanov, assistant professor of business administration at Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Cutting Edge By Steve Stein

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 3

COMMENTARY 96 Peorians Have it Pretty Darn Good By Dr. David Tennant 100 The Art of Managing ‘Prickly People’ By Amy Burkett 110 One More Thing: True to the End By Phil Luciano

AND MORE

7 Letter from the Editor 58 ArtsPartners Calendar 102 Out & About 108 In Brief 112 Thank You, Advertisers

in this issue

April 2023 contributors: Linda Smith Brown, Amy Burkett, Lisa Coon, Dustin Crawford, Jennifer Davis, Mary DiSomma, Amy Edgar, Katie Faley, Scott Fishel, Steve Gossard, Anton Ivanov, Joshua Lanning, Phil Luciano, Laurie Pillman, Julie Sanders, Anita Sharkey, Rob Sharkey, Missy Shepler, Scott Shepler, Steve Stein, Steve Tarter, Dr. David Tennant, Nick Vlahos, Mark Welp, Gary Wright FOLLOW @PEORIAMAGAZINES: To subscribe or renew, visit peoriamagazines.com/subscribe.

4 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

MONTHLY ISSUE 032023 ISSN: 947

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 5

E D I T O R I A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mike Bailey mbailey@peoriamagazines.com PUBLISHER Lesley Matuszak lesley.matuszak@wtvp.org

C R E A T I V E SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Phil Luciano phil.luciano@wtvp.org EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CONTENT AND MARKETING Julie Sanders

julie.sanders@wtvp.org STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ron Johnson GRAPHIC DESIGN Debbie Cody

ADVERTISING PRESIDENT AND CEO OF WTVP Lesley Matuszak lesley.matuszak@wtvp.org SENIOR CORPORATE SUPPORT MANAGER Angie Spears sales@peoriamagazines.com CORPORATE SUPPORT MANAGER Kristina Gamez sales@peoriamagazines.com DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY Tom Zimmerman sales@peoriamagazines.com

6 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

EXTOL THE EXPLORERS

W elcome to Peoria Magazine ’s annual Innovation issue, in which we again doff our caps to the explorers who approach the frontiers – once our oceans and forests, now outer space and the great technological beyond – and undauntedly say, “Let’s keep going.” The good news is that this is the second Innovation edition since the launch of Peoria Magazine 2.0, and we did not have any trouble filling it. We could have done that with the subject of our cover story alone. Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. OSF Innovation, a division of OSF HealthCare, is housed inside that building. The doctors, scientists, engineers, educators and financiers employed there have been doing some remarkable things over the last decade — seeding new technologies in health care (and potentially beyond), nurturing them to maturity, shepherding these unique products to market. We focus on a few of those cutting edge contributions to mankind, from Enduvo in the virtual and augmented reality sphere to Exo Works, which is looking to reinvent the use of ultrasound in the delivery of health care. We also take a look at Device Table, the brainchild of two nurses – Mary Marvin and Jill Teubel – who as frontline workers saw a recurring problem and came up with a pragmatic solution for it.

Peoria is just being true to its history, of course, as this has long been an inventive if also down-to-earth place, from the local role in the creation of the gasoline-powered automobile to the mass production of penicillin. Our great challenge has been keeping the businesses and the jobs created by that R&D. That’s why it’s encouraging to read of the work being done at OSF Ventures and the Jump ARCHES program in providing capital to start-ups. Indeed, for those who remember the 1970s television series The Six Million Dollar Man – “We can rebuild him … We can make him better than he was” – well, let’s just say the bionic man would cost a lot more than $6 million today. If the financial fuel necessary to get these companies off the ground also enhances the chances of them planting roots here … well, it’s OK to be a little selfish sometimes. Central Illinois’ economy has to be healthy so we can continue to make the world a better place. Inspiration and innovation come in all varieties, of course. In this issue we take a look at creativity across multiple disciplines – from cosmetics (ColorForge) to culinary endeavors (Noma), from politics (the Perikles voting app) to game publishing ( Monopoly ’s inventor came from Macomb). We also confront the promise and peril alike of invention, with Artificial Intelligence technologies being greeted with seemingly equal amounts of

enthusiasm and trepidation. AI is increasingly adept at no end of tasks. Chatbots are capable of writing college level essays. As Seth Katz, a Bradley University English professor, notes herein, “A hammer can chisel a great piece of art or it can destroy.” AI certainly has implications for privacy and control of our own lives, and it’s important that as a society we step back, on occasion, to consider how we move forward prudently, ethically. Meanwhile, we introduce a new feature in this month’s magazine, called Launching Pad. The classroom is where so many of us find our first and most lasting inspirations. Our schools and scholars, their teachers and mentors, deserve a place to call their own. On balance, we should be pleased that Peoria is spoiled with an abundance of boundary breakers who see no such thing as a “final” frontier. Enjoy.

Mike Bailey mbailey@peoriamagazines.com

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 7

SEED AND SOIL

THIS ISN’T YOUR GRANDPA’S TRACTOR

BY ROB SHARKEY

Today, driving a piece of farm equipment is a high-tech endeavor

8 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

O ne hundred years ago, the majority of farms in this country were using horses instead of tractors. It’s hard to fathom this by looking at modern agriculture and its highly sophisticated machinery, which is now guided by satellites and produces 10 times the yields of the 1920s. There have been several technology milestones in agriculture over the last century such as commercial fertilizer, hybrid corn and GMOs. However, it’s the machinery that most people want to talk about. I think back to when I was a kid, probably 12 years old, and I would be “voluntold” which tractor that I was getting to work in that day to apply anhydrous ammonia (the stuff in the white tanks). My dad would explain that I was to drive 8 miles an hour to get the proper amount of product on the field. Mind you, there was not a speedometer in this tractor, but there was a dial on the dash that would help me identify roughly how fast I was going by looking at what gear I was in and how much throttle I was using. By trial and error, I learned how to get to 8 miles an hour. And then I reached behind me and pulled a rope that was attached to the tank valve to release the gas, which was then knifed into the ground and turned into the liquid nitrogen that fertilized the corn plant. The entire procedure was less than 100% accurate, to say the least. Generally, you would err on the philosophy of “more is better.” This led to farmers applying more fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides than were actually needed. As I look at the equipment that I have on my farm today, I am amazed… and often overwhelmed. Machines that cost more than my house and my neighbor’s house combined. Machines that measure their speed down to one-tenth of a mile per hour by using a combination of radar and satellites signals, instead of wheel rotation. Machines that are able to drive themselves and even compensate for slopes in order to utilize every inch of ground effectively.

It’s not just the tractors that are amazing. The implements they pull have improved, as well. For example, my corn planter is a completely different device from when I grew up. We used to just be concerned with getting the right number of seeds per acre planted, and hopefully they were planted at the right depth. A DRONE COSTS AROUND $30,000 … A GROUND Nowadays, farmers consider all the variables. We want every single seed to be planted exactly the same distance apart, as well as having a perfectly consistent seed depth. The seed spacing is tracked by sensors at every single row and is shown in the cab so the farmer can see if there is a problem. The planter is kept at a constant pressure to the ground using pneumatic down force run by sensors that are constantly tracking how firm the ground is. Spraying technology is equally impressive. Not only do today’s sprayers shut off row by row so the farmer doesn’t overspray, now they have the ability to spray only the weeds and not bare ground. It allows the farmers to apply the minimal amount of herbicide and yet still be effective. The newest craze in agriculture is spraying with drones. At first, I scoffed at this idea just because a drone can’t carry much weight. But drones can spray somewhere around five acres before they need to be refilled. Compare this to a ground sprayer that can spray 1,000 acres plus before a refill. However, a drone costs around $30,000 and a ground sprayer can cost north of $500,000. When you consider a farmer can buy six drones and swarm spray a field for almost half the cost, they might be the future. (Listen to a podcast on drones at https://sharkfarmer.libsyn. com/268-mark-black-matt-brooks flying-drones) Here in central Illinois, we are blessed with abundant water. Most years there is enough rainfall to grow a profitable SPRAYER CAN COST NORTH OF $500,000

crop. That is not the case everywhere. About 15% of U.S. crops, and 21% of the world’s crops, are irrigated. As you can imagine, the areas that need irrigation are some of the most precipitation deficient places in the country. The advancements in watering crops often have been overlooked. The center pivots that dot large areas of cropland out west have evolved by lowering the sprinklers to minimize the amount of time water is in the air. More and more, above-ground sprinkler systems are being replaced by drip irrigation that reduces water use from 30% to 70%. Add that to better weather apps that can more accurately predict rainfall per field, allowing farmers to shut the irrigation off earlier. Many farmers can shut them off with their phones. It is impossible to truly show the innovations that help feed the world in one magazine article, but if it sparks your interest, reach out to a farmer. I’m not going to suggest that you stop and ask for a ride when you see a combine, but I will say this: I’ll stop and talk to anyone interested in farming. You also can watch “A Shot of Ag” on Thursday nights on good ol’ WTVP.

Rob Sharkey , aka “The Shark Farmer,” tills the land at his fifth generation farm in the Bradford area, where he lives with wife Emily. He hosts “A Shot of Ag” on WTVP PBS and a podcast heard by millions, among other media endeavors

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 9

FREE ENTRY for the month of April to the Peoria Riverfront Museum when you present a CityLink Day Pass or 30-Day Pass, CityLift Ticket, or CountyLink Ticket.

Thank You to All of Our Passengers!

All passengers ride FREE on CityLink, CityLift, & CountyLink for Jerome Lilly Passenger Appreciation Day Thursday, April 20, 2023

CITYLINK ROUTES: #2 NORTH ADAMS & #4 SHERIDAN

Stop by the CityLink Transit Center to receive a free gift* of appreciation.

Show your bus pass/ticket at the museum admission desk

*Available while supplies last

One bus pass or ticket is required per adult to gain free general entry to the museum and its special exhibits in April

8 AM - 5 PM Transit Center Lobby After 5 PM Customer Service Windows

Adults must accompany minors during the visit

(309) 676-4040 | www.ridecitylink.org

10 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

Here For You When Life Changes

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APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 11 12/9/2020 3:09:22 PM

DISH AND DRINK

NOMA, AS I KNEW IT At some world-class restaurants, innovation comes with a steep price

BY JOSHUA LANNING

P eople often ask me, “How did you get started in cooking?” Unlike other questions I sometimes get – like “what’s your style?” or “what’s your signature dish?” – this one is a joy to answer. I am extremely proud of the journey that now has brought me back to Peoria. Noma, the famed restaurant in Den mark, considered among the world’s best, is part of my journey. Its pending closure recently made global headlines. I worked there for the majority of 2012. Those were 16-17 hour days of literally running throughout the restaurant, of so much pressure, repetition, intensity. I found it invigorating. After all, I went there to be inspired, to learn and test myself. But a large part of the time I put in there was unpaid. In my mind, if that’s what it took for me to get on the same playing field as the world’s best, I’d do what I had to do. If you were invited to spend a month in the gym with Michael Jordan and grow as a basketball player, would you blink an eye? Would you do it for free? I did not hesitate. When co-owner and chef René Redzepi announced the closure of Noma as we know it, saying that fine dining at that level was “unsustainable,” there was an uproar. “Financially and

innovative and influential restaurant of its time before closing in 2011. THIS TYPE OF FINE DINING ISN’T MEANT TO

BE SUSTAINABLE. IT IS INNOVATION AND ART

Now the other most influential restaurant of our time is closing its doors because “it’s unsustainable.” One reason? Once Noma started paying the stagiaires, or interns, its labor costs went up $50,000 a month, according to the New York Times. Why did they need all those workers? Fine dining at such an elite level provides an experience that is art, with food as the medium. The intricate construction of layers upon layers of flavor and dynamic visual composition can only be achieved with many hands. For the “normal” fine dining restaurant, such food composition and design cannot even be considered because there is no way to execute them. Noma created a system that allowed them to bring their vision to reality, no matter how tedious the tweezer work. This type of fine dining isn’t meant to be sustainable. It is innovation and art. The true test of excellence is if a restaurant like Noma can achieve that

Chef René Redzepi and Josh Lanning

emotionally, as an employer and as a human being, it just doesn’t work,” he was quoted as saying. You have to know the history between those lines to truly know what he means. Chef René and the Noma team have transformed the culinary world for two decades, constantly pushing new techniques, ingredient sourcing and guest experience. Redzepi never allowed himself or his team a moment to rest on their laurels. They remained innovative, uncomfortable. But Noma never would have reached the heights it did without free labor. The same can be said about Spain’s El Bulli, which was considered the most

12 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

Working the line at Noma

and not leave a legacy of abuse. When you aim as high and push as hard as they did, someone will be left behind, bruised and battered. THE NARRATIVE NOW IS MORE ABOUT THE WORKERS In 2016, I had the pleasure of helping open SingleThread Farm and Inn in Healdsburg, California, one of only 14 three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.S. (There are 137 worldwide.) Certainly considered in the same league as Noma in quality and guest experience, SingleThread is a great example of an elite fine dining restaurant with a financially sustainable business plan. Was it easy? No way. Did it take certain individuals thinking outside the box and creatively working with the laws and systems in place? Absolutely. Is it hard to work there? Is it the same pressure I felt at Noma? Yes. The stakes are high and those who work there

expect the best from themselves. But it isn’t sustainable until it works for the individual. I can personally vouch for that. I was the culinary director for the notable southern chef Sean Brock in Nashville during the early part of the pandemic. An advocate for mental wellness, Brock opened a massively expensive undertaking named Audrey, the culmination of his life’s work. Equipped with a state-of-the-art food lab and a second restaurant upstairs named June, Brock is diving head first into what he believes is the future of fine dining: art, history, employee wellness, and innovation. It used to be that fine dining was only about the chef’s ego, but the narrative now is more about the workers. Sustainability for workers. What matters is how they are treated and mentored. Period. Fine dining is very much alive, but it’s certainly riskier. The 1% of restaurants that operate the way Redzepi has with

Prepping squid

Noma may not be truly sustainable, but I hope they don’t go away. It would be like asking the world’s greatest painters to set down their brushes. Let them create art but not create harm. As for me, would I choose to go to Noma again? Absolutely. The energy I absorbed and the friendships I made have lasted to this very day, 11 years later.

Joshua Lanning is a Peoria native and graduate of New York’s French Culinary Institute. He returned to central

Illinois in 2021. His latest restaurant endeavor is the pop-up operation BrightBird Chicken Sandwich Shop in Peoria Heights

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 13

DISH AND DRINK

CARROT FETA TART

Prep time : 30 minutes Bake time: 50 minutes First, the INGREDIENTS . • Your favorite pie dough recipe for the crust • 1½ pounds multi-colored carrots, peeled but kept whole • 2 tablespoons olive oil • Salt and freshly ground black pepper For the feta filling : • 1¼ cups (10 ounces) crumbled and packed feta cheese • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 1 garlic clove, minced • ¼ cup olive oil • ¼ cup lightly packed chopped Italian parsley • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill • A few grinds of fresh ground pepper For the egg wash and garnish: • 1 large egg • 1 tablespoon cream 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice carrots in half lengthwise and place them, cut side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool while preparing the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. 2. I n a bowl, combine all the feta filling ingredients. Mix until smooth. 3. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry dough into a 12-inch circle or a 10 x 7-inch rectangle. Transfer the rolled-out pastry to a new parchment-lined sheet pan. 4. Using a small offset spatula, spread feta mixture evenly on the pastry, leaving a ¾-inch border on all sides. Place roasted carrots on top of the feta. Fold dough edges up into the tart and crimp. 5. Whisk egg and cream in a bowl. Brush dough with the egg wash. Bake for 40 minutes or until crust turns a light golden brown. Remove from oven and garnish with sprigs of fresh dill. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy! • Fresh dill sprigs INSTRUCTIONS :

WHAT’S Cookin’

J ust like Peter Rabbit, I haven’t met a carrot I didn’t love! Carrots are one of the first plantings in a spring garden. Seeds can be sown a few weeks before the last frost and are ready for picking about 60 days later. Often referred to as a superfood, carrots are rich in minerals and antioxidants, as well as fiber and a healthy dose of vitamin A. Remember your mom saying you should eat your carrots for better eyesight? Mom was half right. Although carrots won’t improve eyesight, it has been proven they aid in the prevention of vision loss. I love to make this colorful tart with multi-colored carrots. It’s the perfect recipe for spring. You can serve it alone but it’s also great coupled with a bountiful spring salad. Use your favorite pie dough recipe for the crust. Don’t worry about being perfect when rolling out the dough. The fun part of this recipe is that it is made to be imperfect. Or in fancy culinary terms, rustic!

About our chef: Mary DiSomma lives in Oak Park and Cuba, Illinois. She is an author, publisher, philanthropist, podiatrist, entrepreneur, wife to Bill and mom to four adult children

14 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

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APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 15

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DISH AND DRINK

COCKTAIL CLASS Welcome back to Mixology 101 The Murders in the Rue Barb

Each sip has the same taste, but will also add a frothy feel on the tongue. This recipe sticks with a relative simplicity and reaches for a singular flavor. Rhubarb is our centerpiece with botanicals and infusions from very delicate floral and spice notes to intense jams, toffee and cola. The bitter of our amaro displaces most of the alcohol burn and leaves a dry, crisp finish. We will be stopping in Ireland for our base spirit and then turn to Italy for our amaro and vermouth before snagging our bitters from Rochester, New York. As we’re now back in the United States, this drink is named after a short story by Edgar Allen Poe, one of my favorite American authors who writes with detail, intensity and a touch of bitterness, just like this cocktail. First the TOOLS : For this cocktail you will need a measuring jigger, a mixing glass, a barspoon, a hawthorne strainer, and a martini glass Next, the INGREDIENTS : To the mixing glass add: • 2 dashes Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters • .75 oz. Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth

• .75 oz. Zucca Rabarbaro (bitter Italian liqueur made with Chinese rhubarb) • 1.5 oz. Ha’Penny Rhubarb Irish gin Now, the PROCESS : Chill your cocktail glass with ice water or by leaving it in the freezer. After adding your ingredients to the mixing glass, fill it with ice well above the liquid level and stir with the barspoon for about 30 seconds. Strain your cocktail into your martini glass. There’s no need for a garnish on this cocktail, but a Luxardo cherry works well if you want a touch of sweetness. Enjoy!

W e’ve had a wild winter and it is time to bring in spring with a strong drink! The world of martinis is an intense one. Martinis classically were made only of bitters, vermouth and booze, but now encompass anything that is served in a martini glass. The originals are simple, stirred and straightforward with an intensity that prompts one to sip slowly and delve through the flavors as the concoction warms and blooms. Martinis are to be stirred as long as the ingredients are not cloudy. They can be dark but with no turbidity, as is the case with the amaro in this cocktail. The stirring allows the components to mix, dilute and chill without adding air or bubbles to the mix, and creates a silky sensation on the tongue. If you prefer to add a cloudy ingredient, like olive juice in a dirty martini, shaking emulsifies that addition thoroughly.

About our mixologist: Dustin Crawford is co-owner – with partner Kip Rodier – of the 33 Room in Peoria Heights. Prior to that, the U.S. Marine Corps veteran traveled the world before returning home to work his magic behind the bar at various central Illinois establishments

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 17

MOM AND POP

THE CUTTING EDGE Lightning-fast haircuts and friendly conversation are barber Jim Hartter’s specialties

BY STEVE STEIN PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

J im Hartter’s customers come from all walks of life. They include doctors and lawyers, basketball coaches including Bradley University’s Brian Wardle and Metamora High’s Danny Grieves and many of their players, lawmen including Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins and his predecessor Brian Asbell, and media personalities such as Greg Batton of WMBD radio’s

“Greg and Dan Show.” Occasionally a homeless person finds his way to Hartter’s place and climbs into the chair. Hartter is a barber. He owns Jim’s Barbershop at 4311 N. Sheridan Road in Peoria and The Garage Barbershop at his home at 708 Devon Drive in Germantown Hills. It’s walk-in only at the Peoria shop, appointments-only at home.

Hartter is legendary for his speed, his work ethic and, most importantly, his welcome mat. He’s your friendly neighborhood bartender with clippers. “I ask everyone what’s new when they come in and they start talking,” Hartter said. “They tell me about good things like weddings and pregnancies. And they talk to me when things aren’t going so well. “Relationships are what it’s all about in my business, and I’m blessed. I would

18 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

wants to jump in. It’s like going back in time to the barbershop my dad went to.” Chris Watkins drags along his sons Lane, 11, and Jase, 7. “The boys don’t like getting haircuts because they have to sit still for a few minutes, but they love going to Jim,” he said. “He gets their haircuts done quickly and talks sports with them. They refuse to go anyplace else for a haircut.” “I can relate to Chris’ kids. I can’t sit still either,” Hartter said. Watkins said Hartter is affordable — $14 for a men’s haircut, $10 for a kid’s, no charge for a beard or neck trim — personable, efficient and knows a little bit about all his customers. “And because of that, he’s a busy guy,” he said. “Sometimes he gets away from his shop in Peoria for 15 minutes or so. When he returns, the parking lot is full.” Busy certainly describes Hartter’s work day. He’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in Peoria. He’s back at

salons were considered non-essential businesses and not allowed to operate. “I was shut down for 2 1/2 months,” he said. “It was scary.” This is Hartter’s 24th year at the Peoria barbershop, which has been owned by several barbers through the decades. Hartter started his career there working for Judy Langley from 1999 to 2006, when he purchased the business. Before it was Judy’s, the building housed Alice’s Barbershop. For 13 years, Hartter operated with the iconic “Judy’s Barbershop” sign that had been there since the mid-1980s. It was made of about 10,000 plastic tabs that produced a glittering effect. Ultimately, the sign got to be too much to maintain and fell into disrepair. He replaced it in 2019. “Jim didn’t have anything in mind for the sign, so I had one of my designers come up with some options and you see the one he picked,” said Shane Parker, co-owner of PIP Printing. “The old sign had to be there about 30 years. People

have never met all the people I’ve met without my trade.” Hartter said he didn’t purposely become the fastest shears in the West. It’s just the way he operates. “I don’t want someone who’s been coming to see me for 20 years have to wait an hour for a haircut,” he said. “But I want to keep my Peoria barbershop a walk-in place. I don’t know any other barber who does that. That’s a big reason why that barbershop is so busy.” ‘IT’S LIKE GOING BACK IN TIME TO THE BARBERSHOP MY DAD WENT TO‘ — Greg Batton Batton said Hartter is “incredibly fast. He’s a big sports fan. If he starts your haircut with a game on TV, he’ll be done before the next commercial break. Of course, I’m a middle-aged guy with a receding hairline, so he doesn’t have to do much with me.”

would use it for directions. You couldn’t miss it when it was flapping in the wind.” Today, the new façade reads, “Jim’s Barbershop.” That Sheridan/Lake intersection has long been a landmark for local cuts, and so it remains. Steve Stein is a longtime Peoria area print journalist

it at The Garage Barbershop from 6:45 p.m. until about 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. He also cuts hair weekly at the Lutheran Hillside Village assisted living facility in Peoria. When he isn’t cutting hair, Hartter, 46, is a family man. He puts in all the hours to provide for his wife Sara and children Maddie, 13, Mason, 12, and Wil, 9. That’s why he was so concerned in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when barber shops and beauty

Batton marvels at the diversity of people who come into Hartter’s Peoria location. Asbell has noticed, too. “Jim has customers from every part of the community,” the latter said. “Both sides of the river. Urban and rural. People like him because he’s a class act and a good guy. You can joke with him and be serious. “I like going there because when you walk in, you’re one of the guys. There’s barbershop talk there, and everyone

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 19

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APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 21

S P O T L I G H T

THE WRITING ROBOTS Will ChatGPT be used for good or ill in American classrooms?

BY KATIE FALEY ILLUSTRATION BY MISSY SHEPLER

22 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

I t’s just a fad.

“At this point, ChatGPT is only capable of spewing back information in response to a submission. It only knows what words should come next. It’s very formulaic ... But it has no sense of personality or human sensibility. It cannot think,” Katz said. The initial reaction is that the thinking is the learning. ChatGPT is a vehicle to get from point A to point B. But in educa tion, there’s an old adage: “It’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey.” A TOOL FOR GOOD, OR BAD? Some educators say that when students cheat, it’s the student alone who suffers. By taking the easy way, they’ve sabotaged themselves out of something valuable. “It’s up to students to take ownership of their own learning. That requires the willpower to use tools like these for good. Because ChatGPT is capable of bad, yes, but it is also capable of good,” Katz explained. “A hammer can chisel a great piece of art or it can destroy. ChatGPT can, likewise, destroy and create good.” Many local professors and high school teachers realize that ChatGPT will be prevalent, and probably already is. So, it’s important to flip the narrative and use ChatGPT to aid in education rather than undermine it. Pete Smudde, PhD, a professor in the School of Communications at Illinois State University, suggested that educators be proactive about informing students of the pros and cons of this kind of technology. “Equipping students with the knowledge of how to use this technology and what the barriers are that come along with it will help them to know what they’re getting themselves into when they use it. They’ll know what they’re losing and gaining, and that empowers them to make an informed decision on whether or not to use it.” The alternative that many professors and teachers are turning to is having students use ChatGPT as a starting point. Students can tell the AI program to write about a topic and then the student must

take that piece of writing and analyze, critique and rewrite the assignment. At Bradley University, faculty mem bers are engaged in conversations about this technology as it evolves and trying to ascertain what the future might bring. ISU has developed a webpage that clearly states that AI-generated content can not be passed off as a student’s original work, which would be a breach of the university’s academic integrity policy. But that doesn’t preclude students and teachers from using the technology in other ways in the pursuit of education. For teachers who want to combat ChatGPT in their classrooms, there are still the tried-and-true models to lean into: collaborative discussion, reading, lecture, and good old fashioned pen and-paper notetaking. HUMAN OR BOT? Could the technology become more sophisticated? Absolutely. There may come a day in the not-so-distant future when a chatbot can create a piece of writing virtually indistinguishable from the human variety. But as of now, robots have not been able to replicate human personality and emotion. Inevitably, as AI technology continues to evolve, so will the tools necessary to weed it out. “I, like many others, had a very negative initial reaction to ChatGPT. I assumed that it would immediately be abused and used by students to cheat on assignments,” said Steve Hunt, PhD, a professor in ISU’s School of Communications. “However, I quickly realized that it’s very easy to determine if text was generated by a bot or a human.” Education has adapted to much technological progress. ChatGPT is just the next chapter in that evolution.

That’s what was said about the Internet, at first. Now we can’t live without it. Which brings us to the next big thing: ChatGPT, the technology that allegedly is coming to take over writing as we know it. Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence program cre ated by OpenAI. It gathers information from the worldwide web to answer questions, write college-level essays, compose letters and poems, and write just about anything a human tells it to. According to the OpenAI website, it has the power to “answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappro priate requests.” ‘A HAMMER CAN CHISEL A GREAT PIECE OF ART OR IT CAN DESTROY’ — Bradley University Professor Seth Katz “It will inevitably have an impact on the classroom,” said Seth Katz, PhD, a professor of English at Bradley University. Since it gathers information from all over the web, ChatGPT potentially redefines what plagiarism and sources of truth will look like in all areas of education. WILL CHATGPT DESTROY LEARNING? The initial worry among many educators and school administrators is that AI technology capable of writing essays on any topic will become an easy way out for students. Andy Davis, PhD, a history teacher at Peoria High School, surveyed his students and found that the general consensus was that ChatGPT “would make their lives a lot easier, and that was all that mattered.” These students represent a growing trend. Survey results from Stanford University suggest that in its first few months, scores of students had already used ChatGPT on their final exams.

Katie Faley is a Peoria native – Notre Dame High, Class of 2013 — who moved away following college but returned with a fuller appreciation of her hometown. She works at OSF HealthCare

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 23

S P O T L I G H T

THE SK-EYE LINER IS THE LIMIT From the kitchen to cosmetics,

the LaHoods are proving themselves nothing if not adaptable with ColorForge

BY LISA COON PHOTO BY RON JOHNSON

John LaHood, (left) Caroline LaHood and Richard LaHood

While the brothers continue their daily responsibilities with the family business in the Peoria area, Quincy and Decatur – Richard serves as president, John as general manager – the recipes consuming them of late go beyond the sweet bread and savory meat sauce offered at their 13 restaurants. ColorForge has the first patented 3D binder jet printing process to manufacture powder-based cosmetics and product casing simultaneously. Those cosmetic lines include eye shadow, pressed and finishing powder, and bronzers. John is president, Richard vice president and Caroline heads up operations. Robin Albin, formerly with Estee Lauder, serves as an

advisor, and Kate Black, a professor of manufacturing at the University of Liverpool in England, is a consultant. HOW IT BEGAN You could say the brothers’ journey into the world of cosmetics began when they were the only boys in a home with seven sisters. “They were always around makeup. Always waiting for their sisters to finish getting their makeup on,” Caroline said. In 2014, John and Caroline found themselves at an additive manufacturing conference, where they saw printed food for the first time. “John thought, if they can do that, maybe we could print cosmetics,”

R ecipes are taking on a whole new meaning for brothers John and Richard LaHood these days. Together with John’s wife Caroline, the LaHoods are branching out from the kitchens of LaGondola Spaghetti House, the family business started by their father, Dick, 41 years ago, and mixing things up in a new industry. ColorForge, their startup company, is revolutionizing the way cosmetics are made.

24 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

Richard said. “He was seeing the use of binder jet printing with fresh eyes and looked at it in a whole new way.” They bought and hauled home from Kentucky a 25-year-old 3D binder jet printer about the size of a refrigerator. They wrestled it down into the basement, where John – who is self-taught in binder jet material research and development – went to work experimenting with printing cosmetic materials. “We had paper plates of samples all over the basement, in the kitchen,” said Caroline, laughing. Some thought they were “crazy.” But the focus was clear: Make powder based cosmetics with less waste. In 2018, ColorForge was awarded a U.S. patent for the process and in 2021, the LaHoods began working with an engineering firm in Liverpool, England on the first custom-built prototype printer for cosmetics. They are currently involved in research development with the University of Liverpool, where the printer, React CF-6, is located. HOW IT WORKS Binder jet printing is a 3D printing or additive manufacturing technology that’s been around since 1993. The process manufactures 3D structures by using inkjet printheads that move across a powder bed and selectively deposit a binder that acts as a glue.

one-offs, without the waste seen in traditional manufacturing.” Basically, ColorForge can make as few or as many as needed up to 1,800 units in one, five-hour run, said Caro line. And each one could be a different color or shade. The technology is a game-changer, said Caroline. “Today, 86% of the companies are small beauty companies and influencers who want to have their own products,” she said. The brothers explain that the advantages are many: affordability with short set-up times and low costs for short runs; customization with the option of delivering limitless colors, images and patterns; individuality with the ability to produce pilot products one at a time for presentations; scalability with a group of ColorForge printers on-site with output equal to an entire factory; and sustainability by producing a 100% biodegradable “shell,” an alternative to non-recyclable packaging. Further, the on-demand nature of 3D printing means no need for inventory and everything that requires – supply chains, transportation networks, stock rooms and warehouses. ACCOLADES In 2020, ColorForge was awarded the Industry Laureate as the top cosmetic innovation of the year in The Cosmetics Victories competition, a worldwide contest to reward and promote innovative products in the perfume and cosmetics industries. This past February, ColorForge won the first Fortress Bank Tank pitch competition – the organization’s version of Shark Tank — for startups with bold visions. The prize was $10,000. Last year, ColorForge was one of five companies selected for Peoria’s Distillery Labs gBETA business incubator cohort, an intensive seven week boot camp providing companies with the coaching and networking opportunities needed to succeed. Nate Domenighini, the program’s director, wasn’t aware of ColorForge until the LaHoods applied to gBETA.

“What they’re doing is so cool and unique, for a number of reasons,” he said. “They take the sustainability approach, and in a wasteful world, the Midwest is about 10 years behind the east and west coasts when it comes to sustainability. We just love working with people just like them. We can provide guidance, resources and support and they’ll just go out and chase it.” THE FUTURE New technology of the kind used by ColorForge takes time to roll out and become widely available. The LaHoods currently are working on finalizing their first formula for eye makeup. “We then hope to start conversations with a brand and have a beta run one to two years from now,” John said. As more brands turn to the technology, ColorForge will need more printers. The LaHoods are up to the challenge, said Domenighini, who calls them forward-thinkers. “They’re creating solutions to problems a lot of people are addressing now,” he said. “I knew they had the opportunity to stand out to investors and companies like Estee Lauder. What they’re working on has the appeal to stand out to a large partner and be disruptive to the industry.”

Wherever the binder is deposited, the powder sticks together. That is followed by a new layer of powder, over and over until a 3D structure is formed. “The ColorForge process doesn’t just bind, it also delivers the pigment, which enables us to control the color and shade of the product,” John said. “We can personalize products, even making

Lisa Coon is a Peoria native who had a long career in the newspaper industry before moving into marketing and communications

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 25

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26 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

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APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 27

S P O T L I G H T

THE STUFF OF SCI-FI Enduvo’s virtual reality technology gives doctors and patients a realistic peek inside prior to surgery

BY STEVE STEIN PHOTO BY RON JOHNSON

I t’s not a medical tool that the fictional Dr. McCoy or Dr. Crusher would have used on Star Trek, but it’s getting there. Virtual reality (VR) technology developed by Enduvo, a company founded by Dr. Matt Bramlet, a pediatric cardiologist, is helping doctors at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and their patients and families get a pre-surgery, three-dimensional virtual reality look at the procedure. Enduvo was born in 2018. Bramlet runs the congenital cardiac MRI program at the Children’s Hospital of Illinois and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. The 3D work is done by OSF’s Advanced Imaging and Modeling Lab, made up of a team of OSF Jump Simulation engineers and medical professionals who are proficient in Enduvo’s technology and have developed new methods for automating the process. OSF was one of Enduvo’s first customers five years ago. “As the product has continued to evolve and improve, we’re been right there alongside them on the journey,” said Dr. Kip McCoy, vice president of the OSF Innovation Studio. Dr. Daniel Robertson, a pediatric oncologist at OSF, is a huge fan. As he explains the technology, two dimensional images from a CT scan or MRI of a surgical area are converted into virtual reality. Wearing 3D goggles,

he can actually manipulate the area he will operate on and become immersed in it. “Normally, when you’re going from 2D to 3D, your brain has to translate that information into 3D,” he said. “Research shows that surgeons vary in their ability to do that. But this technology does it for you. “When I go do an operation after seeing it in 3D, it feels like I’ve already seen the anatomy of the surgical area. I know what the relationship of structures is going to be, what to look out for, and what’s going to be in a particular location. Virtual reality gives me a lot of insights.” If it’s difficult for surgeons to translate 2D to 3D images pre-surgery, imagine what it’s like for patients and their families. “They’ve never done that,” Robertson said. “So I make a five-minute 3D video and talk through the surgery with them. “I tell them this isn’t an educational video. I tell this patient, ‘This is your tumor.’ That is what the tumor looks like in your body. This is your anatomy. This is what we’re going to do. This is how we’re going to approach it and this is what we have to watch out for. “This 3D tool is valuable for both of us.” Robertson has done about 35 surgeries using virtual reality. He said he’s never backed off on a surgery after using virtual reality, although his concern about doing a surgery on

a patient was confirmed after seeing the virtual reality images. “The more complex a case is, the more valuable this technology is,” Robertson said, emphasizing that it’s a team effort. “I get the end product, but there’s a lot of things that happen behind the scenes.” ‘I COULD SEE THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE TUMOR — Dr. Daniel J. Robertson Robertson said he’d like to see the technology universally adopted. He’s working toward that goal, which includes getting insurance companies to cover it. “Ultimately, it’s not just about what you’re doing academically. Is it helpful for patients? It clearly is,” he said. It was in early 2021 that Robertson began to use virtual reality for pre surgery planning for his pediatric oncology cases. He handles thoracic, abdominal and pelvic tumors in children. “When I tried it for the first time, it was an eye-opening experience,” he said. “Anatomic relationships were much closer. I could see the relation ship of the tumor to the surrounding critical structures in three dimensions. And overall, my confidence grew when I went into the operating room.” TO THE SURROUNDING CRITICAL STRUCTURES … MY CONFIDENCE GREW’

28 APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE

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