PEORIA MAGAZINE September 2023

government and nonprofits. The Edgar Fellows Program originated in 2012 and is hosted at the University of Illinois Systems Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

BUSINESS NEWS

IN BRIEF

George Manias , long time owner of George’s Shoeshine and Hatters at 101 SW Adams St. in Peo ria, will be honored with the Peoria Historical So

HIRES AND RETIRES

advertisers. Shaw also produced the St. Jude Telethon for more than 35 years and Bradley University basketball telecasts for 15 seasons.

ciety ’s 2023 Henri de Tonti Award. The annual award recognizes individuals and organizations that demonstrate outstanding community leadership and service. Manias, 92, will be feted at a public celebration Sept. 21 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Tickets are $100 and are available at 309tix.com or by calling 309-674-1921. Sponsor ship opportunities are also available. Proceeds will support the work of the Peoria Historical Society. Illinois Central College brought home multiple awards from the 59th annual Skills USA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC). Among the winners were Wyatt Rumbold , with top honors in HVACR (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration); Noah Wynkoop , 5th place in Diesel Powered Equipment Technology (DPET); and Dawson Stone , 16th in the nation for welding. Dual-credit students from Pekin Community High School represented the ICC Cisco program, as well. Cade Perfetti placed 9th in Internetworking; Jon Wiles finished 7th in Telecommunications Cabling; and Kent Olson took gold in Information Technology Services. The Heartland Community College chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society received the prestigious Most Distinguished Honors in Action Project Award in recognition of a two day speaking seminar called Hawk Talks. In addition, Heartland PTK was recog nized for its Honors in Action Project, which encompassed the chapter’s ex tensive research and development of an event or project based on the findings. Based on performance across both proj ects, the organization was honored with the Outstanding Chapter Award.

Dr. Molly Gribb , dean of the Foster College of Business and the Cat erpillar College of Engi neering and Technology at Bradley University , re

Distillery Labs has named Doug Cruitt as its new executive di rector. He comes to the Peoria technology and innovation center as the founding principal of Eu

tired in July. During her tenure, Gribb strengthened ties between the business and engineering colleges and created opportunities for the faculty and staff to work across disciplines to enhance teaching and learning. She paved the way for Bradley to gain membership in the Kern Family Entrepreneurial Engi neering Network in January 2023.

reka-based RIVR Strategic Coaching, a boutique consulting firm specializing in entrepreneurship, leadership and strategic support. He also has served as a mentor at Distillery Labs and at the University of Illinois iVenture Acceler ator program, while being a commit tee member for the Peoria Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School. Cruit has founded or helped others launch and scale more than 15 startups. He succeeds Paul Leamon, the organization’s first director.

Crystal Hartman has been hired as retail man ager for the Heartland Bank and Trust Compa ny Morton North branch at 179 E. Courtland St. A

Pekin resident for 30 years, Hartman has created a financial literacy course for soon-to-graduate young adults and is president of Pool Days, a three-day event to raise funds for the Limestone Community Pool. She is co-founder of the Limestone Chamber of Commerce.

Heartland Community College has named Téa Wheat as assistant di rector of TRIO Student Support Services, where she will help college stu

dents from traditionally disadvantaged backgrounds. In the new position, Wheat will manage programming and services including academic, personal, career and transfer counseling. Steve Shaw , longtime producer/photogra pher for WEEK-TV , has retired after 45 years at the station. His primary responsibility has been shooting commercials and videos for

RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS

Peoria City Council member Kiran Velpula has been selected to participate in this year’s Edgar Fellows Program, which offers opportunities

to engage with experienced public policymakers from across Illinois. Forty policymakers were selected from a field of 210 nominees from businesses,

94 SEPTEMBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE