PEORIA MAGAZINE September 2022

advantage of the center’s seminars and resources for fledgling business owners. The couple was familiar with the university before starting their business – Angela has her undergrad degree from BU, while Hosea earned his master’s in industrial engineering on the Hilltop. “We know what’s up there and how they can help us,” he said. The company’s near-term goal fo cuses on gaining access to multimil lion-dollar federal contracts, including those for products found in stores at military bases. The couple sees that happening as capital financing be comes easier to obtain. THE DIFFERENCE FROM THE CORPORATE WORLD, ACCORDING TO HOSEA, IS THE CLEAR CONNECTION BETWEEN EFFORT AND REWARD “The lending side has been one of the biggest obstacles for our company,” Angela said. “With us being small, (lenders) are only willing to give you so much, just enough. To increase (sales) volume, you’ve got to have capital.” Hosea agrees. “The large corporations, they’re able to get these large credit lines based on a signed contract. We’re proving ourselves and it is coming.”

and other relatives still in the Peoria area. It also allowed them to escape the brunt of the pandemic, though “some of our customers pulled back their budgets and that cut our sales,” Angela noted. That round-the-clock availability seeps into their personal relationship. “Hosea has the hardest time turning it off,” Angela said. “When you work for yourself, it’s 24-7. Anything can pop up at any time. (Customers) want what they want when they want it.” Hosea is the company ’s chief operating office but Angela handles the roles of president/CEO/CFO. “He has to report to me,” she said, laughing. They are moving into e-commerce by aligning with PriceCloser.com, and have tapped into their son’s experience and contacts. “He’s able to give us tips. He’s been a great resource. “We share information but have different corporate names.” They agree the family nature of the business is a plus. “You get to learn

more about each other. You push each other, there’s a competitive edge being a family and working together,” Hosea said. Another di f ference f rom the corporate world, according to Hosea, is the clear connection between effort and reward. At Caterpillar, he would hear about millions of dollars in project savings “but you never got the chance to actually experience that yourself.” Angela noted that can come with a price. “The biggest drawback is every conversationturns…somehow, business gets involved. Every conversation, even on the personal side, somehow the business leaks in.” Starting out, the company had to bid for federal contracts. Now, they are included in General Services Administration (GSA) schedules, which allow agencies to see what the Washingtons can offer. Bradley’s Turner Center helped with that, and the Washingtons took

Bob Grimson is a longtime journalist. He is also active in Peoria area community theater

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L O CAL OWNE R S Alison Hammerton and Lesley Vonachen

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