Wauconda…in the News

DAILY HERALD

December 21, 2012

Lake Leadership Team Honorable Mentions

The Daily Herald released their picks for this year’s leadership teams and Wauconda High School student Jack Weber received an Honorable Mention for the Lake County Leadership Team. Jack is the President of Wauconda’s FBLA group among other things. If you ‘d like to read the article, please click on this link: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121221/news/712219926/.

Village of Wauconda Names Zaida Torres as Village Administrator

Village of Wauconda Mayor Mark Knigge has announced that Village Treasurer and Finance Director, Zaida Torres, has been appointed to the role of Village Administrator.  Ms. Torres was officially appointed to the position by the Village Board on Tuesday, November 27^th, but has been acting in the Village’s lead role on an interim basis since early October.

Ms. Torres graduated with distinction from the University of DeVry, Keller Graduate School of Management, with a Master’s degree in Financial and Accounting Management.  She has over fifteen years of senior management experience in the fields of public administration, finance and human resources and has been employed by the Village since 2004.  During her tenure in Wauconda, Zaida has earned increasingly responsible roles and responsibilities reaching her position as the Village of Wauconda’s Treasurer and Director of Finance, Human Resources, Risk Management and Information Technology.  Ms. Torres will continue to serve in her financial capacities while serving as Village Administrator.

Mayor Mark F. Knigge stated, “Zaida was a logical choice to appoint in this position because of her past involvement with all aspects of Village operations. With the strong staff that we have in place, we are in a great position to carry on with the ongoing work of the Village towards completing the goals outlined in the current strategic plan.  The Village is extremely fortunate to have so many talented and motivated employees with the capabilities to accept expanded responsibilities.  I look forward to collaborating closely with Zaida and all the Village Department Heads on all of our ongoing projects, including bringing Lake Michigan Water to the Village and to support the tremendous energy we have been seeing in our business community and volunteer groups.”

DAILY HERALD

Josh Zuchniarz, a Wauconda High School student, has scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.

Wauconda High School senior Josh Zuchniarz recorded a top score of 36 on the ACT college entrance exam, school officials have announced. Zuchniarz is the second Wauconda High student to earn a 36 on the test since the state mandated all juniors take the test in 2002. He earned the score by taking the test this past spring, officials said. The state average on the test was 20.9. The national average was 21.1.

By Jennifer Earl

DAILY HERALD

WAUCONDA – Synergy Flavors Inc. in Wauconda will make the move down the street to its new 145,000-square-foot expanded facility later this week. Plans have been under way awhile to expand Synergy, an international food and beverage flavor company, to accommodate the growing business.

Synergy CEO Rod Sowders, left, poses with Wauconda Mayor Mark Knigge by a street that was renamed by the village to welcome the new Synergy Flavors Inc. The company is moving into a 145,000-square-foot facility later this week.

Synergy CEO Rod Sowders said that since the company bought additional artificial flavoring companies’ Sethness Greenleaf and Sensus last year, they needed a larger space. “It’s accommodating our growth,” he said. “We added a lot of positions, and a big part of it is development.” The new facility, located at 1260 Henri Drive, will include a demonstration kitchen, flavor and applications development labs and sensory testing labs.

Sowders said the additional space will allow customers to work with a product development team, where they can taste-test the products. “A big part of it is for development in-house with customers, to get them into a space that works for them and us,” Sowders said.

Local officials were able to get a sneak peek of the facility two weeks ago with a private tour guided by Sowders. Mayor Mark Knigge, who attended the tour, said the expanded facility is one of the biggest acquisitions the village has seen. “It’s just a huge positive investment in the future of Wauconda,” he said. “The facility is a magnificent investment.”

Linda Krajniak, director of economic and community development, who also went on the tour, said she was surprised to find out how many food products require additional flavoring. “It was really interesting — you know, even bread needs flavoring to make it more tasty,” she said.

Officials think the new facility will help boost the village’s economic growth by increasing foot traffic and job opportunities. Synergy employs more than 100 people, but with the acquired businesses, Sowders expects to add up to 40 jobs by the end of 2013. By the end of the year, Synergy will consolidate Sethness, a Chicago-based production facility, into the new location in Wauconda.

“There’s a lot of pieces and parts that we’re undertaking,” Sowders said. “We’re excited to make the move.”

By Jennifer Earl

DAILY HERALD

WAUCONDA -  A community-wide effort helped some members of a Wauconda High School business club to finish in the top 10 of a national competition that featured 8,000 students.

The Future Business Leaders of America Club (FBLA Club), which ended 41 years ago at Wauconda High, was reactivated just two years ago, officials said. This past year, the club had 148 members, with 23 qualifying for nationals in Texas this month — nearly six times the number who competed the previous year.

Teacher Wendy Mills, who founded the club, attributed the success to local business owners and village officials, like Mayor Mark Knigge, who gave lectures and volunteered to be mock judges for the students. Mills said the local judges helped prepare students for the big competitions where they are marked down for even the smallest detail.

“It really helps kids with self confidence, helps them understand in the business world there are business ethics,” she said. “Don’t dress a certain way, dock points — that’s the real world.” Senior Chris Becker took second at nationals in the business law category, which included a one-hour, 100-question test. Originally encouraged to join the club for his economics knowledge, Becker said he had to study for a month to prepare for the business test.

In addition to participating in 15 service projects throughout the school year, a group of three students decided to make their own project. Their American Enterprise Project placed third at nationals. Alex Schorr, Mandy Rodio and Andrea Lichterman created what they called a financial literacy project. They worked with local banks to creatively teach fifth and eighth graders how to manage their money.

“Some of these things have never been taught to them before. We don’t want them to make the same mistakes everyone makes today,” Rodio said. The students said the project was such a success, the schools decided to add it into their curriculums next year. Lichtman, 17, said she plans to further develop the project for the FBLA Club in the coming school year and hopes to add more schools and more business involvement.

By Jennifer Earl

DAILY HERALD

WAUCONDA – A mild winter and an unusually hot summer have caused problems for Bangs Lake in Wauconda this year, leading village officials to seek some outside help.

A large increase in nonnative, invasive plant species has prompted the village to solicit consultants to develop a multiyear lake management plan that could cost the village up to $10,000. Ed Lochmayer, co-chairman of the Bangs Lake Advisory Committee, said five firms have filed proposals he will review this week with a committee of three others. Lochmayer did not release the names of the consulting firms. “We’re going to need a plan to curb invasive weeds, manage fish stocking and other things,” he said. “We’ll look over proposals and go forward from there.”

Village Administrator David Geary said this will be the village’s first long-term lake management plan. “If we don’t do this, we restrict ourselves to managing the lake’s weed problem through purely mechanical means,” Geary said.

The weed growth is currently controlled by an aquatic harvester run by Bob Garrod, a member of the Wauconda Public Works department. Garrod’s work on the lake has grown, from four to five days because of the recent increase in weeds, particularly the curlyleaf pondweed and Eurasian water milfoil.

Bangs Lake has seen a lot of changes within the past few months as part of village efforts to restore and preserve the lake. In May, the Bangs Lake Advisory Committee updated fishing regulations to reduce the number, type, and size of fish anglers can take out of Bangs Lake and other bodies of water in the village. Ordinances also are in place to prevent aquatic hitchhikers — weeds attached to boats brought to the lake — that could upset the ecology.

“The lake is the crown jewel of Wauconda,” Geary said. “We all want to have a partnership in how we treat the lake.”

Lochmayer said the committee will review the firms’ qualifications this week and study costs in the next few weeks. Once a consultant is chosen and the plan is made, it will be submitted to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

By CASSANDRA DOWELL

LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL

WAUCONDA – For Wauconda business owner Robert Manfredini, Wauconda’s small-town feel, locals’ friendliness, recreational opportunities and quality programming set the village apart from the rest. “Here, people say ‘Hello’ to you,” Manfredini said. “It’s a nice, warm community.”

Wauconda officials hired a private firm in May to design and carry out a marketing strategy for the village to further promote its unique qualities. The new marketing plan is part of the village’s strategic goals for the 2011-12 year, said Linda Krajniak, director of economic and community development for the village of Wauconda. “One of our goals is to improve communications and our communication tools,” Krajniak said. “We want to position our community better against all of the other competition. We want to identify why people should move to Wauconda or locate their business here.”

The village hired Chicago-based firm Robin Malpass and Associates, which is developing a marketing strategy for the village in two phases. The first involves research. The second phase will involve developing a logo and brand to reflect the village’s strengths as identified in phase one. The third phase, yet to be approved by the board, would be implementation of the new logo and brand, Krajniak said. “Right now we are ‘The village of a view,” Krajniak said of the village’s current slogan. “We want to see what [Robin Malpass] comes up with based on the research.”

A variety of community members including residents, business owners and more have been selected to participate in ongoing meetings to assist with that research. The Branding Stakeholder Committee first met June 5.

Robin Malpass, principal and founder of Robin Malpass and Associates, said committee members have been carefully selected to best represent the entire community. “We have small and large business owners, residents that have been here 20 years, some one year,” Malpass said. “We have members of the Wauconda Chamber of Commerce, the Wauconda Park District … . These are the people on the front lines.” During the meetings, members discuss the village’s strengths and weaknesses, she said. “We’re identifying the target audience,” she said. “We looking for a brand that will support the whole community. We need to develop the core strengths and those will be used to create a brand promise.”

Manfredini, who has owned a naprapathic and wellness practice in Wauconda since 2004, is a member of the Branding Stakeholder Committee. “We’ve got the boats, the restaurants, a great park district, and then you throw in all the fun festivals,” Manfredini said. As a business owner, he said working in a village with a cohesive and successful marketing plan highlights those qualities to those outside of the community, which positively impacts business. “By building a strong community you build a community where people want to shop local,” he said. “For me, the more happy the community is the better chances I have of staying in business.”

Wauconda business owner Pattie Taylor agrees. “I think [the re-branding] will help the community grow in general,” Taylor said. Taylor is executive vice president RE/MAX Plaza in Wauconda. “When I’m working with a client and that client is making a decision on where to live, it reinforces why this is a good place to live,” Taylor said. “There’s the lake, a great park district and schools. One can confidently say this is a community where all the factions work together for the success of the community.”

Manfredini said during stakeholder meetings members discuss potential weaknesses as well, which puts everyone on the same page. “We find out that some of our strengths are our weaknesses,” Manfredini said. “For example, Bangs Lake. You’ve got this gorgeous lake, great fishing – it’s an attraction. Yet, there’s limited access. It can be tough to get to at times. And while there’s a beach, it’s not a huge beach. The lake also has features few know about, such as a disability-friendly and wheelchair accessible pier, he said. “It’s a weakness if people don’t know it’s there,” he said. “How do we get the word out? We’re talking about how to make these strengths.”

The re-branding project is expected to be completed before the end of the year. Phase one and two cost the village $24,500, which was budgeted from the village’s general fund, Krajniak said. “We know the economy is down,” Krajniak said. “[With the marketing strategy], when the economy improves we’ll have more streamlined services. We’re committed to making sure our reputation is always improving.”

By Jennifer Earl

DAILY HERALD

The weekly trips down Main Street by Amy Bulmash and Sara Carlson to take their daughters to ballet class inspired them to create a fashion boutique in Wauconda. Nine months later, while walking along Main Street to their shop, Aspire Boutique, 118 S. Main St., they were inspired again — to create something that would make the street pop.

To add a splash of color to downtown Wauconda, 15 Adirondack chairs painted by local artists sit outside shops and businesses as a fundraiser for Main Street Attraction, a local group that helps raise funds to beautify Main Street. Carlson said the chairs are a spoof of the painted cows in downtown Chicago. “We just really love to celebrate the arts,” she said. “Wauconda has Bangs Lake and when you think of the lake, you think of relaxing. We thought Adirondack chairs, lake, relaxing — we got the idea and ran with it.”

The chairs, which cost $250 each and are sponsored by 22 local businesses, will be auctioned off on Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. at the farmers market in Wauconda. One chair, designed by Andrea Perez, owner of DreamScapes Whimsical Boutique & Studio, 119 S. Main St., features handmade fiber paper, colored with maroon and gold cream that featured a design of flowers. “It took a lot of thought and brainstorming,” Perez said. “I really love the patterns and colors of Nepal and how they make designs, so I searched for the perfect pattern to make a peaceful, relaxing chair.”

Other businesses were also able to express themselves through their chair’s artwork. Some community favorites include a Blues Brothers chair featuring images of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, a bull dog chair with the face of a bull dog wearing a spiked collar, “the meat seat” chair with various meats and vegetables painted on it, and other landscape paintings.

Will Tremont, owner of Tremonte’s Barber Shop, 113 S. Main St., said the dark brown mustache-covered chair outside his shop has generated a lot of chatter. “I like the idea that they’re semi-practical,” he said. “I’ve had people come in the shop and ask me ‘what’s going on with the chairs’?”

Carlson said the chairs have been out for about a week and are already getting the attention she sought. Looking out her store’s window, she said, she can see people walking by looking at the various chairs’ patterns and designs. “(People) love it, they love the vibe it gives,” Carlson said. “It gives Main Street the creativeness, gives it a buzz.”

Wauconda Middle School Principal, Mr. Cameron Willis has been awarded the Lake County 2012 Middle School Principal of the year award from the Illinois Principals Association. With 45 school districts in Lake County,  there were four recipients in the following categories: Assistant School Principal, Elementary School Principal, Middle School Principal, and High School Principal.

Wauconda’s Mayor and Board congratulate Mr. Willis for successfully representing the community and School District #118. This high honor is indicative of one who has achieved significant success in the field of leadership and who personifies the highest standards of service and character.

The Village of Wauconda is the proud recipient of the Daily Herald’s 2012 Readers’ Choice Award for “Best City/Town to Live” in.

This year, Wauconda joins St. Charles, Arlington Heights and Elk Grove Village as one of the top vote getters in this category! We would like to recognize all Wauconda businesses, events, and organizations that won the Readers’ Choice “Best of the Best”:

• Village of Wauconda
• All Temp Heating & AC
• Bliss Wine & Gift Shop
• Bulldogs Grill
• Golf Farm
• Honey Hill
• Lakewood Forest Preserve
• Lindy’s Landing
• Slyce Coal Fired Pizza
• Strawberry Moon
• Wauconda Memorial Day Parade
• Wauconda Fest

By Mitchell Armentrout

DAILY HERALD

In an effort to attract new residents and businesses, Wauconda officials say they will hire a private firm to design and implement a new marketing strategy.

Contract negotiations are under way for Wauconda to bring in Robin Malpass & Associates, a Chicago-based marketing agency, to develop a new brand for the village.

“We wanted an outside professional to come in and look at our situation with a fresh eye,” Village Administrator David Geary said.

The new marketing plan is part of Wauconda’s set of strategic goals for 2011-12. Director of Economic and Community Development Linda Krajniak said village officials want to differentiate Wauconda from neighboring municipalities.

“It’s important for us to showcase Wauconda’s advantages,” Krajniak said. “When the economy was really suffering, we wanted to position the community to be a destination for when things turn around.”

The village board is expected to approve a contract by early May.

Representatives from Malpass & Associates have already presented a two-part action plan to board members. The firm will start by conducting a research analysis of the village’s current marketing initiatives to look at how Wauconda is perceived as a residential and commercial destination.

After presenting their findings to the board, the company will begin working on a new advertising campaign for Wauconda that will include new logos, taglines and brand colors. In addition, the firm will rethink the village’s print and social media strategies.

Village officials began seeking proposals from marketing companies last fall. They ultimately chose Malpass & Associates for their proximity in Chicago and past experience working with nearby communities such as Antioch, Long Grove and Gurnee.

“We heard great things from officials in other towns,” Krajniak said.

The re-branding project is expected to take around three months to complete and will cost the village $21,000 to $25,000, depending on final contract figures.

“Our village has a lot to offer and we want to spread the word more effectively,” Geary said.

DAILY HERALD

WAUCONDA, Ill. (WTW) — Tony Castelluccio has owned Tony’s Barber Shop in Wauconda since 1964. He will be retiring later this year after nearly 50 years of being a barber. “No complaints with barbering, it’s been very good to me,” he said. Tony started barbering with his uncle in 1963, when they opened the shop in its present location in November of 1964.

Looking around Tony’s shop you notice all kinds of mementos, pictures and souvenirs from a lifetime at the same job in the same location. A stock certificate issued by his beloved Green Bay Packers hangs prominently. A rickety stereo system sits in a corner featuring an old reel-to-reel tape deck, used for years because Tony got tired of listening to commercials on the radio all day long. And now, a seemingly out-of-place iPod loaded with 10,000 songs, mostly oldies, sits on top of the stereo.

In another part of the shop, framed next to a crack in the wall, is Barber Shop License Number One, issued in 1969 by the village of Wauconda “It cost two dollars for one year,” Castelluccio said. “Two dollars because we had two barber chairs in here. Only one year because the village said it cost more to print the license than the two bucks, so they kind of gave up on it.”

The customers are vintage as well. Milan Pokorny claims he’s been getting his hair cut there since 1963, first by Tony’s uncle, then by Tony himself. Even Milan’s wife would sometimes get her hair cut by Tony. Another longtime customer, Art Billen, says, “I can’t remember when I started coming here, my father-in-law brought me here, probably 1964.” As Art settles into a chair he waits for those three magic words Tony has probably asked a million times. “Same as usual?”

“Hard to believe that I’m working on, in some cases, four generations of families. I’ve done grandfathers, I mean, I go all the way back to some great-grandfathers, unbelievable,” Castelluccio said. “I never thought I’d still be here at 65 years old. That’s what happens when you’re in the same spot for almost 48 years. I think I’m gonna sign another lease just to go to 50!”

A group of Future Business Leaders of America from Wauconda High School visited all District 118 schools within the last two weeks delivering practical lessons about personal finance, budgeting, and saving.

“We believe that budget, overall, can solve so many of our financial problems that we have today, so why not practice smart spending young?” said Alex Schorr, a senior at WHS who worked with team members Senior Mandy Rodio and Junior Andrea Lichterman. “Emphasizing the need to manage money with the young will hopefully help to prevent their own future financial crises.”

Members of FBLA’s American Enterprise Team sought to show the younger students smart money management through saving money and spending wisely. Fifth-graders at Cotton Creek, Robert Crown, and Wauconda Grade School were taught the difference between wants and needs, how to spend their allowance wisely, the importance of saving, and different methods to save. Eighth-graders from Wauconda and Matthews Middle School were prepared for financial obstacles they would incur in high school as well as educated on spending and saving skills at a more experienced level.

“This project not only helped the students we taught, but helped to reinforce our own money management habits,” Schorr stated.

“I definitely look at the way I spend money differently now,” explained Rodio. “Before I went through and taught these concepts, I had to make sure I was actually abiding by what I was teaching. We taught kids several methods of saving including the importance of paying yourself first and always setting aside a percentage of income for saving. I began to divvy any money that came my way and found that as soon as I stored away a portion of my income and stopped buying pointless things, I was able to save a substantial amount.”

The team received support from all District 118 schools, as well as area banks including Wauconda Community, Harris, PNC, and Fifth Third.

“Everyone we talked to was so willing to get involved,” Lichterman stated. “The banks we talked to were relieved to see a group such as ours addressing what has become an important issue for younger students and teenagers today. The schools and teachers were also very receptive to the idea and more than willing to have us involved in their classrooms.” FBLA hopes to continue this involvement in years to come.

“We know that emphasizing the need to manage money, save, and spend wisely while kids are young will be beneficial in the years to come,” Schorr said. “Numerous students and adults alike are in the midst of financial crises. We believe that if we can get kids rooted in sensible money financing now, they will be better prepared to handle the future and properly resolve their own financial issues.”

1) academic performance; 2) pupil/teacher ratio; 3) expenditure per pupil; 4) educational level of teachers; 5) and average teacher salary

The Bright Red Apple Award is sponsored by SchoolSearch. Only 73 school districts out of 868 in the state of Illinois earned this recognition.

Other Lake County school districts earning the award were:

Elementary School Districts Aptakisic-Tripp District 102 Bannockburn District 106 Deerfield District 109 Hawthorn District 73 Kildeer Countryside District 96 Lake Bluff District 65 Lake Forest District 67 Lincolnshire-Prairieview District 103 North Shore District 112 Oak Grove District 68 Rondout District 72

High School Districts Adlai Stevenson District 125 Grayslake District 127 Highland Park/Deerfield District 113 Lake Forest District 115 Libertyville/Vernon Hills District 128

Unit School Districts Lake Zurich Unit School District 95