Although the weather on Friday evening was cold and snowy, the mood inside the Par-A-Dice ballroom was the opposite.

Local and state dignitaries were present at the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner, and they all spoke highly of the city’s growth and the development still to come.

Michael Heisley, the founder of Heico Companies, CEO of several company subsidiaries and majority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, delivered the keynote address, and spoke of his business background and why he expects the economy to rebound in the near future.

Every day, thousands of central Illinois residents see and hear his name, and on Jan. 27, his name was called out at as an award winner at the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce Dinner.

Gary Uftring, dealer principal and president of the Uftring Auto Group, had his chain of automobile dealerships chosen as Company of the Year for 2012 by the East Peoria Chamber. The auto group, which has six locations throughout the region, does business in East Peoria at one of their locations.

As the 21st century has progressed, more and more of an emphasis has been placed on environmentally friendly practices.

And as recycling has become more important, one company in East Peoria has been there to adapt as the “green” technology as evolved.

Waste Management, which has its local offices based in East Peoria, was named Green Company of the Year in 2011 by the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce for its efforts to keep the community and region environmentally friendly.

State Rep. Mike Unes has worn many hats over the last few years.

He has worked as a network administrator for an accounting firm, coached two youth basketball leagues, was elected to the East Peoria City Council and representative for the state of Illinois.

And in the first weeks of 2012, he’s able to add another title to his resume: distinguished citizen of the year.
The East Peoria Chamber of Commerce bestowed this honor upon Unes, 37, who has repeatedly given back to the city during his tenure as a resident of the east side of the river.

When Congressman Aaron Schock graduated from Richwoods High School, he had already completed 57 college credits, purchased real estate and had an established retirement account, which he opened when he was in seventh grade.

He was also a registered voter whose first experience casting a ballot eventually lead to his write-in election to the District 150 School Board, spurring his political career.

“Raiders don’t drive faster than their guardian angels can fly.”

That’s the slogan attached to the message that a group of East Peoria Community High School students delivered to members of the community before Friday night’s varsity boys basketball game.

Haiti, for Becky Reeser, has become a second home.

The Germantown Hills woman has been going to the destitute island nation often to make a difference in the lives of the people there through her non-profit organization called Life’s Path. 

East Peorian Heather Bean received her realtor’s license Sept. 1, 2011, but she began her career with a more exciting twist than most.

After beginning her professional career at Jim Maloof Realty, Bean soon thereafter met Travis and Natalie Anderson, ages 26 and 23, at an open house in Peoria.

For Dr. Andrew Morgan, it is all about the smiles.

Thanks to Morgan’s hard work and dedication, smiles are never hard to find on the set of the annual Penguin Project production.

The Penguin Project, an annual junior musical performed by children and young adults with developmental disabilities, was founded by Morgan eight years ago. A physician and specialist that helps children with disabilities, Morgan said the Penguin Project is “the best thing (he’s) ever done.”

Cameron Kirkpatrick has already checked one item off of his 2012 to-do list — jump into a freezing cold body of water.

At 10 years old, the Washington resident was one of the youngest participants at the 2012 East Peoria Boat Club’s Polar Ice Plunge. Ten marks the minimum age a jumper must be to participate. Three men shared the title of this year’s oldest jumper at 67.

On Jan. 7, 2012, Staff Sgt. Mark Masters landed back in the United States after serving one year in Afghanistan.

On Monday, more than 100 friends and family members welcomed the Marine and native East Peorian with a reception at the Stoney Creek Inn.

“(The turnout) is amazing,” Masters said at the conclusion of the event. “You don’t really appreciate how everyone views you ‘til you come and see it. It’s humbling.”

Lego Mindstorm introduces students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. Teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover career possibilities.

This years challenge was called Food Factor. This challenge was all about keeping food safe from the field all the way to the kitchen table. Students participate in four events.

With a massive snowstorm, elephants marching through the streets and a major outdoor retailer opening, 2011 was anything but ordinary for the city of East Peoria.

Since its opening, the East Peoria Bass Pro opening has been the cause of a lot of excitement.

East Peoria Bass Pro GM Jim Goff said that Bass Pro recognized that enthusiasm when the East Peoria grand opening exceeded Bass Pro’s average opening night when about 8,500 customers visited the store.

“It was a fantastic opening; there were thousands of people here and it was a great night,” said Goff.

Central Junior High School students helped to raise more than $1,000 for East Peoria families in need this holiday season.

The CJHS student council sponsored the Red Stocking Fund, collecting donations from Dec. 5 to Dec. 16 in the form of spare change, cash and checks. The funds stay in the community to provide a holiday dinner and gifts to families who would otherwise go without.

For East Peorians Simeon, Joe and Sam Abbey, theater is a family affair.

The brothers, who were introduced to the theater by watching their older brother and sister perform, will hit the Peoria Players stage for the Peoria Park District’s Community Children’s Theatre production of “My Son Pinocchio,” Dec. 15 through 18.

Simeon, 17, said he “fell in love” with acting when he performed in “Oliver” with his older brother Isaac, 18, and Joe.

“Positive Attitudes Working Successfully” is a motto that Lincoln Elementary School students are expected to live by.

PAWS, the school-wide implemented positive behavior program, rewards students caught behaving favorably with paw-shaped paper tokens, which can later be redeemed for prizes or other incentives.

A life-long East Peorian was recently inducted to the National Softball Hall of Fame.

Dan Cunningham, who manages EastSide Centre, received the meritorious award in November for work he has done to contribute to the sport.

As the holidays are rapidly approaching, the East Peoria Youth Council is ensuring that all community families can partake in the season’s excitement.

Throughout the year, the Youth Council is responsible for many community projects, such as awarding college scholarships, supporting the Fondulac Library’s Summer Reading program and providing emergency clothing for students at the grade schools and junior high school.

Eight East Peoria Community High School juniors recently stepped outside their classroom for an important lesson in history.

Bridget Bankes, Tia Eberle, Kayvon Emtiaz, Corrie Fay, Alexa Grant, Kristina Ingold, Mark Nabors and Bielle Stanford were selected to attend the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center’s Student Leadership Day in Skokie based on essays they wrote showing interest in learning about the Holocaust.