PEORIA MAGAZINE February 2023

Ron Givens with his stock car

PEORIA ROOTS RUN DEEP Givens traces his life's accomplish ments to a long-ago conversation he had with his father, William, a 40-year Caterpillar employee – his mother was the longtime cook at the Gamma Phi Beta sorority at Bradley University — when the two were raking leaves in the backyard of the family's south Peoria home. “I was only 13, but I already had what we'd call now a ‘bucket list’ of things I wanted to do,” he said. “I told my father about all my plans.” Givens would ultimately graduate from Peoria High; earn certifications and degrees at Illinois Central College, Bradley University and the University of Chicago; and win his stripes at the University of Illinois’ Police Training Academy and the U.S. Marine Corps’ School of Warfighting andManagement in Quantico, Va. There's nothing on the list Givens detailed that day with rake in hand that he hasn't accomplished, from exceeding his father’s rank in the military – Givens the son retired as a Marine gunnery sergeant — to running a family business and acquiring the personal wealth that came with it. Much of the motivation for the latter came from his father telling him about the 1929 stock market crash, and the Great Depression that ensued, during the pivotal backyard conversation. Meanwhile, Givens is a family man as much as he is a businessman. He's been married to Carrie since 1979. Through son Ronnie and his wife, Oneida, they share two grandchildren, Malia, 13, and Cameron, 11. “This is the greatest part of my life,” Givens said. “I have a fantastic work/ life balance.”

‘WHAT MAKES RON TICK? I DON'T THINK HE’S EVER MET A STRANGER. THAT'S WHY HE'S SO SUCCESSFUL’ — Richard Scovil “Most people would need several lifetimes to accomplish what my father has done. He gets stronger every day. He must have tapped into the fountain of youth.” Givens and Scovil have known each other for 50 years, as police department colleagues, as business partners and as friends. “What makes Ron tick? I don't think he's ever met a stranger,” Scovil said. “That's the reasonwhy he's so successful. He enjoys people and he has an instant likeability for anyone who meets him. “That personality goes a long way in business. I'vemet, known and interacted with many successful people in Peoria. All of them have that ability.” A PHILANTHROPIST, TOO John Morris, president and CEO of Peoria Riverfront Museum, appreciates Givens’ support of the not-for-profit museum. “Ron sharesmy love for the community, and his core values mirror everything the museum stands for,” Morris said.

GIVSCO Construction donated the remodeling work on the museum’s Owens Gallery, which ultimately al lowed the museum to accept acclaimed artist Preston Jackson's epic work, “Bronzeville to Harlem: An American Story,” as a permanent exhibit in 2021. Meanwhile, the 30,000 lights that adorned themuseum’s 50-foot-tall blue spruce Community Christmas Tree on Water Street were largely covered by another GIVSCO and Givens family gift. In 2019, Givens was inducted into Peoria’s African American Hall of Fame, which is housed inside the museum. MR. KIWANIS Givens is a two-time past president of the South-West Peoria Kiwanis Club in Peoria, where he's been a member since 2010. He's also a former Kiwanis division lieutenant governor. JanDeissler is another former Kiwanis president who, at 23 years, is one of the club’s longest serving members. “Ron can sell anybody anything,” Deissler said. That includes being the big cheese in the South-West Peoria Kiwanis Club's annual cheese sale fundraiser. “He’s Mr. Kiwanis inmy book,” Deissler said. “He even was bringing people into our club during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Steve Stein is a longtime Peoria area print journalist

FEBRUARY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 35