Abilities Center looks for new director
|
|
| A client
packages fasteners for a customer at the Abilities Center, 1907
Kishwaukee St. in Rockford. Officials are searching for a
replacement for Jon Lundin, who led the center for almost 24 years.
Lundin, who died in May, helped the center grow from an agency
relying on government subsidies to one that brought in its own
revenue. The woman in the picture is not named because of client
confidentiality. |
ROCKFORD — The Abilities Center didn’t close the day after its president, Jon Lundin, died.
A month later, it’s still business as usual — workers sort and package fasteners, process data for the state and, in one room, develop uses for a one-of-a-kind robotic laser-cladding machine.
“Jon would have wanted the organization to move forward,” said Jon Bates, vice president and general manager of the nonprofit organization that provides education, employment and business development opportunities. “My tribute to Jon is he developed an organization that is capable and competent to carry on.”
Lundin ran the organization, based at 1907 Kishwaukee St., for almost 24 years, leading it from needing government subsidies to making its own revenue.
While Lundin may be irreplaceable, the Abilities Center’s board of directors is now taking steps to fill his position. It’s in a monthlong nationwide search to look for a new president/executive director.
“We have an obligation, really, to look everywhere to get the best person we can for this position,” board Chairman Marty Glass said.
“Jon, he was very unique. He was really a champion for a lot of causes. You’re not going to find somebody quite like that again, but we’re going to find some good folks.”
The board is looking for someone with a bachelor’s degree in business, education, social services or a related field, as well as at least 10 years of business experience, including management responsibilities. It’s also looking for someone with a history of community and social service and knowledge of manufacturing, education and training principles.
Glass said once a new leader is in place, the board will meet with him or her to discuss how to move the organization forward. But while a new president will have different ideas and passions than Lundin, the organization’s general direction won’t change, Glass said.
Any project the board already approved will still move forward, he said — including a plan to bring Ellis Arts Academy students to the center in the fall, efforts to clean up Kishwaukee Street when the state widens it and discussions to use the center’s new Foreign Trade Zone status to increase business.
Glass said any ideas suggested by the new president will still have to fit the center’s mission — “Strengthening individuals, families and the community through education, employment and enterprise development.”
Glass said things have gone smoothly for the organization, which employs about 200 in several locations, because of the strong staff. Bates has been the second-in-command for eight years and basically served as chief operating officer, Glass said. Bates was handling day-to-day duties, freeing up Lundin for more big-picture planning.
One of the many things the Abilities Center is involved in is business development — providing resources for start-ups to get going. One of the newest is Protoform, which is developing uses for the robotic laser-cladding machine that arrived last fall. The machine uses a tiny, high-powered laser beam to refurbish or enhance components for military or industrial vehicles and equipment.
Lundin backed efforts to bring the machine to Rockford, and helped Protoform President Mike Molander set up operations.
Molander said Lundin was great at developing a plan of action, then trusting others to follow through and finish it off. But Lundin would check in every day, bounding through the door just to say hi.
“We keep waiting for him to bound through the door again,” Molander said.
“I’m doing this for Jon, but I’m also doing it for me and for Rockford,” he added.
Staff writer Thomas V. Bona may be contacted at 815-987-1343 or tbona@rrstar.com.
Jon Lundin’s legacy
Jon Lundin ran the Abilities Center, an education, job training and employment provider on Rockford’s southeast side, for almost 24 years.
Under his leadership, the center grew from an agency relying on government subsidies to one that brought in its own revenue. It used private money to renovate six dilapidated houses on Kishwaukee Street and provide affordable housing for its clients.
Lundin was a pioneer who believed in a culture of entrepreneurship, pushing for a high-technology manufacturing research center, among other efforts. He helped bring a one-of-a-kind laser-cladding machine to the Abilities Center to spark a startup company. He started a data-processing operation there that inputs documents for state agencies, all while providing clients with jobs.
What is the Abilities Center?
The Abilities Center, 1907 Kishwaukee St., Rockford, is a nonprofit
organization that provides education, employment and business-development
opportunities to more than 1,000 clients a year.
The center employs about 200 people at several locations, including the
Goodwill stores it runs.
At the Kishwaukee Street facility, employees do a range of jobs, including
inspecting and packaging fasteners, cleaning industrial containers and
processing data for state offices.
There are educational programs that train clients in manufacturing jobs,
computer technology, audio and video production, and other skills.
The center also provides resources for startup businesses, including its
Rent-a-Factory program and the EDGE Business Center.
For more information, visit abilitiescenter.org.