PEORIA MAGAZINE February 2023

S P O T L I G H T

A MODERN-DAY RENAISSANCE MAN From Marine to race car driver, cop to contractor, Ron Givens Sr. has done it all, with no intention of stopping

BY STEVE STEIN PHOTO BY RON JOHNSON

R on Givens Sr. isn't the retiring type. Not even at age 75. With a career as varied as it is accomplished, including more than 30 years of experience owning and operating small businesses, Givens is now the CEO, president and majority owner of Pekin-based GIVSCO Construction and JM Industrial Supply, two of the largest minority-owned businesses in the Peoria area. GIVSCO, which also has locations in Morton and Belleville andwill bemoving next year to a newheadquarters facility in Bartonville, was founded in 2011 by Givens, who retired as a Peoria police detective in 2008, and by Richard Scovil, likewisea former lawenforcement officer. GIVSCO comes from the combination of their last names. Givens purchased majority ownership of JM Industrial Supply from Scovil in 1999. The latter remains as the CFO and treasurer of the two companies. GIVSCO employs upwards of 40 people depending on the workload at any given time, with another dozen on the payroll at JM Industrial Supply. “Both companies are growing because we've surrounded ourselves with good people,” said Givens, who much as he enjoys fishing in the Ozarks, isn’t done

Petty race team that tested and timed cars at NASCAR tracks across the country, including the fabled Daytona International Speedway. He owns a 2004 Ford Taurus stock car that he often uses for fundraising events. What keeps this alleged senior citizen on the move after going non-stop for nearly30,000days sincehis birth in 1948? “I like life. I like people. And I have a healthy religious background,” he said. Son Ronnie Givens serves as the vice president of sales and marketing for GIVSCOConstruction and JM Industrial Supply. At 42, he’s had a ringside seat to his father's whirlwind life, going back to the days when he felt compelled to say, “Dad, let's go” as his father conversed at length with business associates and friends when the two were out together. “My father was always on the go when I was a kid,” Ronnie said. “But if our family needed anything, he'd help us at the drop of a hat. He's always been able to balance work with family.” Ronnie said his father's connection with people is a gift from God. “He treats people with respect, but he's also a straightforward guy,” he said. “He's genuine …He won't say something to you, then say the opposite behind closed doors.

growing his business résumé. “There’s always another opportunity out there.” ‘HE MUST HAVE TAPPED INTO THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH’ Givens has crammed an awful lot into a career that also includes stints in the military, law enforcement and auto racing. Indeed, Givens was such a good stock car driver that he was inducted into the Peoria Old Timers Racing Club Hall of Fame at Peoria Speedway in 2019. He was a member of the Richard

Ron Givens Sr., right, is the CEO and president of GIVSCO Construction in Pekin. Ronnie Givens II is vice president

34 FEBRUARY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE