PEORIA MAGAZINE March 2023

He is currently the director of the Central Illinois Police Training Center.

mutual insurance company in Fond du Lac, Wis. The program recognizes exceptional performance in Society’s top 30 agencies.

Ryan Poettker , president of Poettker Construc tion , Breese. Ill., has been named the 2023 president of Central Illinois Build ers, a local chapter of the Associated General Con tractors of America.

Registration is open for the sixth annu al I Run with Survivors in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The 5K run/1 mile walk, hosted by The Center for Prevention of Abuse (CFPA), is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, April 8 in the Levee District , East Peoria. Registration is at www.centerforpre ventionofabuse.org. The Young Professionals Organization of Greater Peoria will conduct an Architectural and History Pub Crawl on Saturday, March 11, starting at 1 p.m. at the Pere Marquette bar. Sites on the tour include PeoriaCity Hall, Peoria Civic Center, OSF Headquarters, Jack’s on Adams, Commerce Bank, Madison Theatre, GAR Hall, Peoria Women’s Club, AFL-CIO and Obed & Isaac’s. Contact Kelly Schneider at kschneider@peoriachamber.org. NEWS YOU CAN USE Goodwill of Central Illinois President and CEO Don Johnson has released the nonprofit’s community impact numbers for 2022: Services provided — 40,044; persons served — 3,459; persons provided or placed into employment — 1,128; housing days provided to veterans — 5,377; free services to veterans — 3,987; mentoring hours spent with youth — 1,476; pounds recycled — 4.18 million. First Busey Corporation , which operates numerous bank locations in the Peoria area, reported fourth quarter 2022 net income of $34 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.61. Fourth-quarter performance was down from $35.7 million, or $0.64 per diluted earnings share. Recent quarter earnings exceeded the $29.9 million and $0.53 per diluted common share reported in the fourth quarter of 2021.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BABY, GOT YOU ON MY MIND …

Better Banks will cel ebrate its 125th anni versary in 2023 with commemorative events and activities in each of the nine communities it

RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS

serves — Peoria, Dunlap, Morton, Bar tonville, Chillicothe, Wyoming, Glas ford and Astoria. Better Banks traces its history to 1898 with the founding of Dunlap Bank.

Katherine Sarsfield , as sistant professor and psy chiatric nurse practitioner program director at Brad ley University , has been awarded a simulation re search grant by Sentinel

The W. D. Boyce Council, Boys Scouts of America , is celebrating 50 years of scouting in central Illinois with events throughout the year and a capital campaign. The Council

U®, one of only four projects across the U.S. and Australia to receive the grant. The grant will allow researchers to uti lize the company’s cutting-edge virtual simulation products to conduct research in nursing education.

was formed in 1973 from three regional councils in LaSalle, Bloomington and Peoria. The name honors Ottawa newspaper publisher William Dickson Boyce, who brought scouting to America in 1910. UPCOMING EVENTS The Illinois Small Business Develop ment Center at Bradley University is sponsoring a free virtual workshop, “Google Business Profile: Get Your Busi ness on Google Search and Maps,” from noon to 1 p.m. March 9. Participants will learn what a Google Business Profile is, why it’s needed and how to create and manage a profile. Learn more at www. bradley.edu/academic/colleges/fcba/ centers/turner/centers/sbdc/ The Illinois Small Business Develop ment Center at Bradley University will hold an SBDC Day Open House and networking opportunity from 4:30 to 6 p.m. March 15 at the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center, 801 W. Main St., Peoria.

Peoria Charter Coach received the United Motorcoach Association’s (UMA) Environmental Leadership Award during the UMA EXPO 2023 in January. The award, announced by Motor Coach Industries, honors operators that demonstrate the greatest commitment to environmental sustainability in their business practices. The Unland Companies , a full service, independent insurance agency, has been named one of Society’s Best for 2022 by Society Insurance, a

MARCH 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 97