07/17/13 – Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois Welcomes Six New Members

Edwardsville, lll., July 17, 2013… The Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois recently added six new members to its expanding membership base. Board members from Carrollton Bank, Gateway Motorsports, the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce, HeartLands Conservancy, McCarthy Building Services and The ROHO Group will join the Leadership Council in its mission to unite business, industry, government, education and labor for economic growth in Southwestern Illinois.

Dan Jackson, CPA, MBA, Regional President and Commercial Loan Officer at Carrollton Bank, is serving as the bank’s board member on the Leadership Council. Carrollton Bank, which was founded in 1877, is a fifth generation company with $1 billion in assets. The bank has locations in Carrollton, Jerseyville, Alton, Belleville/O’Fallon and Springfield in Illinois, as well as locations in Des Peres, St. Louis City, Clayton and St. Charles in Missouri. Jackson, who has been with Carrollton Bank since 2010, has over 20 years of experience in the banking industry.

Serving as Council board member for Gateway Motorsports Park is Owner and President Curtis Francois. A St. Louis native, real estate developer and retired racecar driver, Francois reopened the world-class motorsports facility in 2012 and officially acquired it in April 2013 after the track, formerly known as Gateway International Raceway, closed in 2010. Francois, who grew up racing at Gateway, has a deep-seated commitment to the region and has put in place a five-year, multi-million-dollar capital improvement campaign that will allow the facility to succeed in the long-term.

John Lengerman, the Executive Director of the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce, is serving as a Council board member on behalf of the chamber. The Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce is the 5th largest chamber in the St. Louis region and the largest in the Metro East. The chamber has 12 working committees, including the 60-year-old Belle-Scott Committee, which unites the leaders of Scott Air Force Base and the leaders of Belleville, and the Economic Development Committee, which works in cooperation with the City of Belleville and St. Clair County. Lengerman has served as Executive Director for the chamber since June 2008. Under his leadership, the organization has grown its financial base, while increasing networking and educational opportunities for its more than 550 members.

David Eustis, President and CEO of HeartLands Conservancy, is serving as the organization’s Council board member. Based in Mascoutah, HeartLands Conservancy is the largest and oldest environmentally focused organization serving Southwestern Illinois. The Conservancy’s mission is to ensure a sustainable quality of life through the conservation of land and building of greener communities. HeartLands Conservancy has successfully protected over 5,000 acres of open space and invested tens of millions of dollars in projects that protect the quality of air and water resources. Eustis has been working at HeartLands Conservancy since 2001.

Jeff Boyer, Operations Director for the Central Division of McCarthy Building Companies Inc., is serving as the company’s board member on the Leadership Council. Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the country’s oldest construction firms and one of the top 10 U.S. commercial builders. The company specializes in civil, commercial and healthcare construction and is headquartered in St. Louis with offices nationwide. Boyer has 21 years of construction experience and has participated in almost $700 million of completed construction projects across the country.  With a specialization in healthcare, he currently oversees project teams to coordinate and integrate estimating, scheduling, value analysis, construction planning and project implementation.

Bob Graebe, CEO of The ROHO Group, is serving as the company’s board member on the Leadership Council. The ROHO Group is a Belleville-based manufacturer of wheelchair cushions and backs, medical mattresses and pressure mapping systems. The company’s mission is to provide superior quality products in order to support those seeking skin protection and comfort and positioning solutions. Graebe first started working for the family business in 1975 and eventually became CEO in 2007. The ROHO Group has world-wide sales and was started by his father, Robert H. Graebe, in 1973.

The Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois is a member-based, economic development corporation representing Madison and St. Clair counties. The Council works to attract/retain jobs and stimulate capital investment through its coalition of leaders in business, industry, labor, education and government. These effective partnerships serve as a driving force behind successful economic development efforts throughout the Metro East region.

 

For more information, contact:

Julie Hauser, The Hauser Group, Inc. 314.436.909

Ellen Krohne, Leadership Council Southwestern Illionis. 618.692.9745