A wristwatch.
Who would have ever thought time would run out on the wristwatch?
During Thursday’s annual Progress Awards program hosted by the the Daily Journal on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University, Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis asked that very question.
Once as routine as putting on shoes, the wristwatch has become a far less used item these days as cell phones provide the same information and much, much more.
“Times are changing,” he explained during his keynote address.
He lumped in compact discs and the once-almighty iPod as well.
Three commonly used items and they are now almost relics of the past. Businesses can be victims of that same fate if they live off the success of today, but fail to think of what the future will hold.
And, most importantly, how they will be a part of that future.
“If you are not changing on a daily basis, you are failing,” the first-term Kankakee mayor said. “... Are you progressing or are you setting yourself up for failure?”
And while there may be as many definitions of business success or progress as there are businesses, there is one things all can agree on. If a business fails to keep pace with the ever-changing demands and desires of the consuming public, the institution’s level of success may become part of consumer history, much like a wristwatch.
The most important task a business can do for itself, he said, is to pose the question to itself on a daily basis: What can be done differently?
“There is always a better way,” he stressed to the businesses and organizations which received Progress Awards.
Make decisions, he said, to try something different.
Don’t be a designer watch, a CD or the iPod, he stressed. “Don’t let your [successful] run come to an end.”
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
While Curtis pushed business leaders to keep their eyes looking forward, Tim Nugent, president and CEO of the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County, said all business can make progress and many in Kankakee County are doing just that.
But, Nugent said, workers need to come forward to aid these businesses which are in expansion mode.
He said businesses, most notably those considered “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, met the demand of the public.
He noted Kankakee County witnessed business investment here to the tune of $256 million in 2021.
“Our businesses have done their part. They are expanding. They are growing their workforces, offering about-average wages and incentives to our local residents. They are offering opportunities to prosper,” he said.
Now residents must step up, he said. Workers are needed.
“It’s time to get back to work. Take advantage of this moment when you can find not just a good job, but a well-paying, long-term career,” he said.
Nugent noted many opportunities exist as long as people prepare themselves and show a willingness to work.
“You can get on-the-job training and certifications to better position yourself. You can get your degree in an up-and-coming field where you will have job security. You can enjoy an affordable cost of living. You can live and work in Kankakee County.
“You can prosper here.”
He added the region has changed its narrative from one of gloom and despair from years gone by to one of potential and prosperity.
“We are changing from the old image of being a Rust Belt community to being a modern manufacturing and energy producing hub with clusters of essential businesses that produce the products of the next century.
“That is truly progress.”
