Frank’s Employment

The H1N1 virus (also known as the “swine flu”) complicates the influenza season for all of us, since very few of us have developed any immunity to it.  The staff of Frank’s Employment has strategized together how to approach the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu virus risks this year with respect to our in-house staff, our candidates, and our client companies.

Here are some of the proactive ways we are protecting our own health - and yours, in turn.

Prevention is the first level of our approach, including common best practices for infection control.

1. All of the staffmembers who regularly have contact with clients and candidates in person have already received a seasonal flu vaccination this fall.  None of us qualifies for high-risk priority access to the H1N1 vaccine.  So we will defer this unless additional dosages become available to the general public.
2. We are each doing our best to strengthen our immune systems: eating healthy meals; drinking plenty of water; getting sufficient rest.  And the laughter that frequently resonates through our offices helps with endorphins, of course!
3. We cover our coughs and sneezes (especially important for airborne agents such as influenza); we routinely wash our hands throughout the business day (important for colds and other contagions).
4. In addition, we have hand sanitizers available at several stations throughout our space.  Applicants and other visitors are also welcome to use these.
5. We are more frequently cleaning our phones, keyboards, and other shared office equipment, especially since these items are touched by different hands throughout the day.  We are more frequently emptying our wastebaskets as well.

Basic response preparedness is the second level of our plan.  Even with general preventive measures in place, it’s certainly possible that one of us could “catch” the flu. Read the rest of this entry »

Delnor Community Hospital recently organized a coalition to initiate policy changes toward promoting healthy eating and active living in Kane County.

One subgroup of the coalition, the Workplace Wellness Committee, focuses on supporting and encouraging businesses and organizations to encourage healthy living in and through the workplace.  The committee is currently requesting that local businesses (in Kane County) of various sizes participate in a survey to assist them in assessing what wellness programs are already in place and what additional resources might be useful.

Are you a business owner or a human resource director for a business in Kane County?  If so, please consider taking the time to complete the Workplace Wellness Committee’s online survey.  It takes about 15 minutes of your time.  Upon completion, your business name will automatically be entered in a raffle to win a Basket of Healthy Goodies, too!

Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/DCHsurvey.

Mayor Don DeWitte and First Ward Alderman Dan Stellato were the featured - and quite entertaining - speakers at the August meeting of the Women’s Business Council.  Their annual presentation on what’s happening in the City of St. Charles conveyed lots of local news for business.  Highlights ahead!

1. The federal Cash for Clunkers program definitely brought a positive impact to the Fox Valley.  Mayor DeWitte had spoken with one local dealership celebrating a marked improvement over last summer’s business.  Last summer, the dealer had sold 30 cars for the period.  This summer, due to the CARS (Car Allowance Rebate System) initiative, they’d sold 150!  Good news for the dealer, for the local economy, and for the municipal tax base!
2. The City of St. Charles has received more than $900K from the stimulus package.  These monies have been used to fund infrastructure projects, especially the improvement of several intersections.  The administration is also working to secure other funds from the recovery stimulus that might provide low-income loans for developers involved with local projects.
3. The repair of the ground-level wall along the river by the municipal building turned out to be substantially more complicated than expected.  It turns out that the wall is integrally connected to the foundation of the municipal buildings.  So it wasn’t a simple re-mortaring as they’d originally thought.  Now expected to cost $4M.  But the main message from the Mayor and the Alderman was, “No, we’re not rebuilding the dam!”
4. City planners and the board are working on a redevelopment project for the former Applied Composites property.  This is just north of Dean/State Street, south of the UP railroad tracks, between 5th and 12th Streets on the near west side.  The proposed project would be residential, with both single-family dwellings and multi-tenant town homes.
5. City administrators were disappointed to learn that the brand new Cadillac dealership (at the corner of Main Street and Tyler Road on the east side) was adversely impacted by the dealership closings this summer.  That disappointment was compounded by the fact that this was a TIF project.  The good news is that one of the other St. Charles dealerships may move to this great location.  Mayor DeWitte named the business, but honestly I can’t recall the name!
6. The Mercedes dealership (just north of Main Street and Randall Road on the west side of town) has long had plans to build a new facility on the west side of Randall.  Their time frame is now more definite.  Will feature a state-of-the-art facility of German design.
7. Remember the old St Charles Mall site on the west side (adjacent to the Jewel store)?  The proposed redevelopment of this Shodeen property is called St. Charles Towne Centre.  There is still much negotiation ahead for this proposed project, including issues around population density.  It could involve an eight-story complex that centers around the very latest in urbanization approaches.  As Mayor DeWitte and Alderman Stellato presented it, such a reurbanization approach on this scale would be the first of its kind in greater metropolitan Chicago.  Plenty of potential to “put St. Charles on the national map” in terms of forward-thinking urbanization.  This approach attempts to reduce the amount of extended driving time for residents by making available all essential services within a short walking, biking, or reasonable driving distance.

Lots of good news concerning the First Street Redevelopment project, too.  The Taste on the Plaza event organized by the Downtown St. Charles Partnership to celebrate completion of the first phase was rained out in mid-August; now rescheduled for September 20th.  And they’re ready for rain or shine!  Hope to see you there!