Elevate Springfield featuring Jim Langfelder: Elevating Through the Power of Community Trust, Public Service, and Open and Honest Dialogue

Summary

In this conversation, Robert Ferriell has an insightful dialogue with Jim Langfelder, who shares his background, family history, and political journey. The conversation delves into themes of public service, community trust, and the challenges faced during Langfelder's tenure as mayor, including navigating through turbulent times like the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion concludes with a focus on the future vision for Springfield and the importance of reliable utility management. In this conversation, Langfelder discusses the importance of infrastructure for economic growth, the challenges faced during his tenure as mayor, and the lessons learned from his political experience. He emphasizes the significance of communication skills and offers personal and professional advice for growth, highlighting the need for community engagement and collaboration.

Takeaways

• Jim Langfelder's family background influenced his political career.
• Public service is rooted in a commitment to community well-being.
• Building trust with the community is essential for effective governance.
• Challenges faced during Langfelder's mayoral tenure included budget crises and COVID-19.
• Community policing initiatives can enhance public safety and trust.
• Financial management of utilities is crucial for city sustainability.
• Future growth depends on reliable water and energy sources. Survival is crucial for economic growth.
• Infrastructure is key for attracting businesses.
• Community projects require collaboration and problem-solving.
• Listening to residents is essential for effective governance.
• Political experience teaches valuable lessons about organizational dynamics.
• Communication skills are vital in today's society.
• Self-critique helps in personal development.
• Building on existing strengths is more effective than starting from scratch.
• Engagement in community issues fosters a better environment.
• The legacy we leave should improve the future for our children.

Join The Elevate Insider:

https://bigdogbc.com/elevate

Facebook:  @robertferriell   @elevatespringfield

Youtube: @robertferriell

10X Health Precision:  https://10xhealthnetwork.com/pages/precision-genetics?utm_source=robertferriell

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to Elevate Springfield, where we will dive into strategies and stories that help you rise to your full potential. Each episode, we'll talk about how you can take intentional steps to elevate your life and your business while making a meaningful impact on those around you. Along the way, we're gonna bring in the change makers from our community that are already elevating. We'll bring the actionable strategies, you bring the discipline and follow through, and together we can elevate Springfield. Let's go. You are listening to the Elevate Springfield Podcast. Robert Farrell here, certified 10x coach, speaker, and mentor here to bring you actionable strategies. You bring the discipline and follow through. And together, we're gonna Elevate Springfield. We're coming to you again from beautiful downtown Springfield in the Big Dog Construction Studio. Hey, we've got so much going on in Springfield right now. Make sure you are participating. Get out there, network with folks, be a part of the community, support local businesses, support local nonprofits, and let's go, we can all grow together. So, hey, another great episode for you today. We're gonna get right to our guest after the break. Hey, Springfield, when it comes to reliable, high-quality roofing, you don't want to leave things to chance. That's why you should reach out to Acosta Angeli Ruffing, your local roughing expert serving Springfield and surrounding communities, from quick dependable repairs to full replacement, from residential to commercial. They are your trusted pros. Call them today at 217-993-2748 or visit their website to book your free quote and inspection. Don't wait. A little leak now could lead to major damage later. Trust the local experts, protect your home, and get peace of mind with Acosta Angeli Roofing. And we are back joining me in the studio now, familiar face. Y'all know him, a mainstay in the Springfield area, Mr. Jim Langfelder. How are we doing today, Jim?

SPEAKER_01 2:25

Good. Thanks for uh having me on. I really appreciate it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Thanks for coming to downtown Springfield. Uh, I've been working with you on a number of things over the years, always enjoy a great conversation. You've done a number of things in Springfield, so much impact over the years, and I'm excited to talk about some of that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

Well, same here, and uh appreciate you reaching out because once you're out of office, I had a good mentor, my father, and he said it's like a roller coaster ride and enjoy it while you're on it because once uh you're out, it stops. Right, right. Don't get to many of those asks. Sure, sure. But it it just uh I think people reach out when they have a a challenge on their hands or like this, they want to know um you know what's happening, things of that nature.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Before we get into what you've done in Springfield, mayor, and all the good stuff, let's just learn a little bit about Jim. Tell us a little bit about your background.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

Well, I grew up in Springfield, a large family. I have 12 brothers and sisters, so that was a special moment in time. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. And if I could have my children go back in time, that's where I'd have them go back in time. To me, it seemed simpler. You know, we weren't in the digital age. You went out and socialized. So it was a great time to grow up. But then I worked at the Esquire Theater, which is now closed at Carasotas Theaters. Uh, it used to be the show place, uh, which is still operational. I actually became a uh system manager and I helped open up the one on Dirksen Parkway. And then actually that's where my wife and I met at uh Capital City, and then she came and worked at Show Place. So uh I was the uh boss at the time. Right. But it was all legit. No favoritism. And uh, you know, worked at Black's Hardware after I went to high school at Griffin and then also went to the career center. I learned that uh construction wasn't uh my expertise. That's your thing, huh? Right. I I've probably been better off in architecture or something of that nature. But then uh when I was at Black's Hardware, I put my application around town and I kept getting the same answer that you need to go back to school. And so my mom actually signed me up for Lincoln Land Community College because she didn't want me just hanging around and just working. So I had art class because she was an artist, Illinois artist. And then that's how I started out at Lincoln Land and uh worked full-time, went to school part-time, went on to Sangaman State University. But in the between, I got a job in banking at Illinois National Bank, which was right uh north of the old state capital. It uh was first American, then became PNC National City, and then PC is what it would be today. So uh cut my teeth on a lot of different ways at the bank, which got me involved in the community more than I was on a personal level. And uh from there, I uh went to Security Bank, which is downtown. So I love that your studio's downtown because I have a love for downtown. And then uh uh made my way as treasurer in the city, uh, ran citywide and became treasurer and then uh blessed to be mayor of this great city.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

Yeah, absolutely. So when you were at Sangamon State, did you study business? Is that what you're that's what you did?

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Correct. Yeah, I started out uh actually I wanted to do business administration, and I was about a year away from uh them starting that curriculum. So I had economics and accounting. So I called it business management, even though the uh correct term is I think it's management, but I took HR classes, things of that nature, but a lot of business classes that you would not normally get in that uh field of study. So it helped me in the long run, especially with regards to banking.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Yeah. So what drew you to banking?

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Well, uh actually it's just happenstance. Yeah. But when I was working at Black's Hardware, it was downtown. Uh it's right next, it used to be right next to Saputo. So now it's I think a state office if they're still there.

SPEAKER_02 6:03

On the on the east side? Correct. Right, okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Yeah, right across from the news uh municipal building.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

Yeah, no, I didn't realize that used to be there. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Yep. And so I went ahead and uh put my application around town because I didn't want to work Saturdays. I wanted Saturday. You know, I'm a young kid in my 20s, early 20s, and I wanted the weekends off. So uh I put my application around town and just uh landed in the bank. I applied and they interviewed me and I didn't uh get the make the initial cut, but then uh they called me back to re-interview for another position, and uh fortunately I was able to land at IMB Illinois National Bank.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

Okay. Awesome. So you said treasurer. What made you want to get into that side of things, get into city government?

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Well, in the government, my family is uh actually my uncle, Jimmy Dunham. I guess that's who I'm named after, uh, because my friends and family call me Jimmy, but professionally I go by Jim. Sure. Anyway, uh he was uh finance commissioner at the time. Uh that was my mom's brother. And my dad ran his campaign. My dad was Ozzy Langfelder. I say came to this country during World War II. Uh my grandfather was Jewish and my grandmother was Lutheran, and uh Vienna, Austria was taken over by the Germans and Hitler, and they were blessed to be able to flee safely and made it to this country. And so they landed in Springfield. And uh my dad was an engineer by trade, but he eventually uh caught the political bug and ended up running for streets commissioner. And so he was streets commissioner, and we'd go door-to-door walking uh when we were young, and that's kind of how it was introduced to me with regards to uh the political bug. But it was all about service for us. He was a Democrat, I'm a Democrat, but really it came down to serving the public. And so from that standpoint, that's what whatever business you're in, it's all about service. Right. You know, quality service is number one. You can it'll make you grow, make you succeed, but if you don't provide that quality service, you're gonna have tough days ahead. From uh not only a business standpoint, but from a political standpoint, uh, that's what we always focused on. Our parents ingrained in us. If you're interested in running for uh an office, run for the one you're qualified for. So the treasurer is uh essentially the city's banker. And so when I was in banking, um a friend of mine said, Well, if you're interested, you should uh run for treasurer because that way you can learn the operations of the city. And then if you ever wanted to be mayor, you could go that direction. So that's how the timeline went. I was over at Security Bank, the treasurer, Judy Madoni at the time, decided not to run. And so that's when I put my hat in the ring and was uh fortunate enough to win the election and uh the rest is history. So this, so to say. Right.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

I'm curious how they landed in Springfield after they after they left. They're looking up to get out and everything and come over here. But how'd they land in Springfield?

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Well, they went to Europe by way of Europe. They went through the uh Swiss Alps to end up in uh England. So it's uh my dad has a book, The Incredible Journey. If you ever want to hear that story, you just uh Google it. But uh he couldn't speak much English, so he took he and his sister to uh house to house, and they had like a hundred yep refugee children, and they knock on the door and ask if they could take any of the children. And so he was the last one chosen because he couldn't speak English. So he ended up on a farm. He was separated from his parents. They were doing other work, you know, trying to make their way to America. So they eventually got together in a year and ended up going by way of ship to uh the United States, I think it was via Canada. And so uh when they uh ended up uh in New York, they lived there for a little bit. And then uh I I don't remember exactly how they ended up in Ill Illinois, but I remember my dad saying when they decided on what city to live in, uh they pointed to the map. My grandfather did. So he wasn't looking, pointed to the map as Springfield. Springfield. All right. And so it ended up all right because he ended up selling petroleum for farm implement and he'd walk. And so uh that's what he did for a living. And they ended up uh making it, you know, the great American dream. Sure. One funny story, real quick story, is uh when they came downtown, uh my grandmother told my dad not to say, not to speak, you know, because they had a heavy accent. And so uh what what's funny about it is he was wearing later hoses and which are like shorts with suspenders and uh they were walking a cat on the leash. Well, you know, if you want to be noticed, right? I would definitely make you noticed the cat on the leash. But he ended up going to uh Lamford High School, became a uh graduate there, and then uh went to uh SCI for a little bit and uh Purdue University, which is uh appropriate now because you know they're making their way through the NCAA tournament. And so uh uh but then ended up meeting my mother here while he worked at he worked at the theater. Mom worked at the theater, actually. He worked at Arch Wilson's. But he'd always go into the theater and see my mom, and that's how they got acquainted and you know, uh ended up being married and uh created uh 13 J's. It's Joni, Jamie, Johnny, Joey, Judy, Jimmy, Jackie, Jay, Janice, Jeannie, Josh, and Jacob and Julia. Yeah. So I didn't miss anybody, I hope. Otherwise, I'll hear from you.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

I wasn't counting as you were going through, but it sounded like you hit them. It sounded like you hit all of them. No, I'm just always curious how, you know, especially when people are starting to migrate across the country or something, why they stop in Springfield, why they stay, and things like that. It's just interesting.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

But what's important is when he came to this country, we talk about not to get real deep, but they talk about welcoming cities, things of that nature. I think I'm a firm believer that all cities want to support the residents. But uh back then, you had to have a sponsor before you could come over to the United States because they wanted you to succeed. They just didn't want to toss you to the wind. And that's really uh so you weren't a drag on the uh government either. And so when you look at today's society with regards to uh what we're dealing with, how to deal with immigration, it's shameful that neither the Democrats or Republicans get together and figure out a solution. They treat it like it's an on-off switch. Well, there's uh there's common ground that you can work through. And so you don't put all the people that deserve to be here through all this angst. And so uh, you know, and that's what we need to do. We need to protect our borders, but there's a way that you can, those living here, you can make sure that we do it thoughtfully and uh respectfully to make them citizens. And the same for individuals that want a better life, like my uh family did. Otherwise, we wouldn't be sitting here, or I wouldn't be sitting here.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Right. No, you're right. That's exactly what the way they look at it. They think of it like a switch. It's it's odd, you know. Yeah, it's either on or off, on or off. I never really had heard somebody put it that way, but yeah, that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Right. And that's uh like government, it doesn't matter if it's local all the way up to the federal government, or in business, you know, in business you have to survive. So you have to work out solutions. And sometimes I think we draw a line in the sand, especially with uh partisan politics, where they don't cross over and it's just a head scratcher.

SPEAKER_03 13:05

Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

And uh that's what I like about city government, supposedly nonpartisan.

SPEAKER_03 13:09

Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Uh there's partisanship there. Um but for our family, it's all about service. It's always been that way. So we're kind of a maverick when it comes to that because um, you know, some people think I'm a Republican, others think I'm a Democrat. Yeah. And what I tried to do is uh when I ran or was mayor, I just figure out what was the best solution for the city. Right. And that's how I governed. And so uh that's how my father governed. And uh, you know, uh you'd step on toes and sometimes it's everybody's toes, but you really have that conviction to do what's right, and it's no different than your business. You want to do what's right in helping others and move forward.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Yeah, and that's what I've always loved about you because yeah, that's what you you want to do what's best for the city. It's not a it's not a partisan thing. And that that's the way it should be, you know, it really is.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

And that I I should give credit to that tagline, if you want to call it that, because I had best for Springfield. Uh that was Jerry Go Bell. I don't know if you remember Jerry Goebb, but he uh uh did public broadcasting. I think he either had a connection with Quincy or he uh talked about the mayor there and he always said, Oh, I just want to do what's best for the city. I go, a light bulb went off. I go, that makes perfect sense. Right. And it doesn't matter what job you're in or office you hold, that's what the driving force would be. And it reminded me of my father. He said, you know, he started as a janitor and he said, But I was the best dang janitor there ever was. And uh that's what it should be. You know, you should whatever job you're in, do it to the best of your ability, and uh, you know, you'll be rewarded in the long run. Absolutely. So so how long were you treasurer? Um, I served three terms as treasurer. Okay. So I came in in 2003 and served to uh 2015. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

And then at that point you thought, hey, I'm gonna go for go for mayor. Walk us through the right the thought process there.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Well, I, you know, love serving as treasurer. If it was a uh if there were no term limits, hard telling how long I would have stayed. But there's term limits, so uh really your decision point has to be uh after three terms. But I could have ran after two terms, you know, people asking me to run. At that time, a friend of mine, Mayor Davlin, was uh the mayor. And I'm not uh big on doing that. Um been asked to run for different offices, but I always it had to be the right time uh to do that. But also I was thoughtful about that approach um on what the impact ultimately is uh and go that direction. So 2015 I decided to run uh for mayor and uh move that direction. So uh yeah, it was a great experience. Uh what uh one piece I would always throw out there because it is uh like a roller coaster ride. And it's such a challenging job being mayor. It's uh mayor Houston had talked about it like drinking out of a fire hose because you have coming at you pretty heavy. It doesn't matter if it's the utility, police department, uh fire department, public works, a lot of calls. It comes all at once and you try to siphon through things, get things done. But uh what you really need to do in life is step back and smell the roses, they say. That's one thing I probably failed to do because I was just uh always a problem solver. I've if someone came to me with a problem, I'd try to resolve it as best as you could. And uh always felt that was uh my calling to get things done, move Springfield to a better point in time, which we did. We went two years without a state budget during the Ronor administration, and then uh right after that, about a year later, two years with COVID. So very challenging times, but we went through both those times and uh without layoffs and uh where others weren't as successful in doing that. And then especially during COVID, it was such a um, I guess, uh challenging time for our country and our communities because of the social strife, especially with law enforcement.

SPEAKER_03 16:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

But we had peaceful protests, and that's because we did a lot of outreach to our community and we built the level of trust prior to that. It goes back to my banking days. And so uh we were very involved with uh all the areas of our community, especially the low-income areas or the ones that felt they were forgotten about, where we showed that we actually cared. And I think that's the reason that we didn't have the vandalism and the fires that other cities around us actually explained.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Yeah, we really didn't. Yeah. When it was really going at a lot of places like that, and we did not have that. Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

That's a tribute to our people. It's a tribute to uh the council at the time, everybody being engaged, and the police department uh stepped up big time. Uh, they had to go to 12-hour shifts because uh we couldn't hire, they shut down everything. You know, the training was shut down and everything was isolated, but they kept our community safe, and uh, we can't thank them enough uh for what they did for Springfield and our community.

SPEAKER_02 17:53

So that first time and when you ran, what were the big issues on the ballot that year? Do you remember?

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Oh, well, the big issue is uh I just take it from the challengers, or you know, I always ran for the position. That's my mentor is my father. I couldn't ask for a better mentor, but he always said, run for the office, you don't run against somebody. Right. But you hear the uh noise or hear the ideas, and uh the challenge was what's the vision for Springfield? Sure. So uh that's what's challenged. The next time I ran, it's uh we weren't doing nothing, no cranes in the air, things of that nature. And uh Springfield's on decline. And then the last time it was more like uh, well, we can make things better. So it's uh different times. But when I first ran, uh I was looking towards the future and actually uh I always uh gleaned criticism from others as a jumping off point because uh even if someone's joking, there's a little bit of truth to every comment. It seems like. And so uh someone said, Well, you should have uh vision boards. And uh I go, well, that's interesting. I never thought of it, but uh that's how I started doing things and uh outlying my platform. And so it was with the utility, having a reliable water source, what to do with CWLP, which is mainly coal-driven. Right. How do you make that more viable than what it was? It used to be the jewel of the city and it had some tough financial times because of the renewable energy. They got upside down on it uh with the wind contracts, things of that nature. So that was a real big issue. But uh the level of trust with uh the police department was a big issue as well. And so the main three were uh CWLP, uh community development, and the police department. Those were the main ones that stood out. But when you're running for office, it's always about the economy and safety. Yeah. You know, it's the hierarchy of needs. Oh, yeah, definitely. And uh, you know, it it uh that's uh you never can fail trying to address those issues or make them better or uh improve on the current situation.

SPEAKER_02 19:47

Right. So what are some of the things you're most uh proud of in your tenure as mayor?

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Well, aside from uh, you know, leading the city through the uh turbulent times of the no state budget as well as uh with COVID shutdown, uh those were probably the uh most challenging and successful moments we had. But we moved ahead in regards to the police department. We brought in 21st century policing. Uh we really embraced the community policing aspect and uh it's more of building the level of trust with the community, especially the east side. When I was in banking, I did community reinvestment. And that's where uh community reinvestment is where banks were accused of discriminating against low-income and minorities in uh wherever the community was. And so they had to adhere to uh certain policies dictated or mandated by the federal government. That's the Community Reinvestment Act. So I was the coordinator for at the time First America Bank, and part of my area was Decatur. So they sent me in to build a level of trust. I never knew how hard that was until I got to Decatur. And to come from an outsider and tried to build the, even though we were just down the road, yeah. Oh my gosh, I might as well have been in California.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

But it uh really taught me the importance of uh, you know, winning support from others and really helping. They they have to see your sincerity in making things happen. So uh that aspect was making uh bank deposits or making bank programs, lending programs, things of that nature for the individuals that don't necessarily have banking services. So it helps them along their pathway of life. And that those lessons I brought to me uh when I uh served as mayor, and it helped with the administration, especially when it came not only from the financial aspect, but also with the police department. We were very engaged in the east side and with activities. I had some great uh police chiefs. Uh really was led by Chief Kenny Winslow. Oh, yeah, yeah. He was kind of a maverick, but uh he did things right. He's put in a tough situation, and uh he uh uh accepted that challenge and led the department forward. When my father was mayor, he had some challenging times with the police department, and when we were in the office, We were able to avert all of that. You know, when other tenured mayors they had challenges, we rose above that and really built the level of trust uh with the police department. So that's something that I point with pride to, especially during COVID that we talked about. The other part is uh with the utility, we put it on sound financial footing. When we came into office, we had less than a week's of cash available on the electric side. So we were able to refinance the bonds. We renegotiated the coal contract and uh move that direction. And uh, you know, when we left office, uh, I think we were over 150 days of cash. Oh, wow, yeah. So uh put it on a good financial footing uh towards the future. You know, we uh shut down the older parts of the plant. Dolman 33 is not running. We had Dalman 4, and then we partnered with uh University of Illinois to do a carbon capture program with the federal government and the state where they capture uh 99% of the carbon emissions. That way, with the changing of the laws of uh state and federal coming down the pipeline with coal, you could capture those carbon emissions and use them for a useful byproduct. Yeah. So you're trying to get Dolman Four to uh provide uh uh uh energy for the future. And then the other part we're striving towards is with Lake Two, with COVID, and that's been an argument Hunter Lake forever. Right. And so uh what I said, and this is an important lesson for everybody, I'm sure uh 80% or more learned this from COVID. When you have a situation come up, you have to have alternatives, you have to have backup options. Well, for us, it was always an argument between Hunter Lake or nothing, or if you want to build a pipeline from Havana or wherever, which would never happen. Uh then uh but the argument is what's your bar backup water source? Because right now Springfield doesn't have one. So we provide water to Sherman and Rochester, other smaller areas, but we don't have a backup plan. And that's really where Hunter Lake concept came from when the city was in a drought situation. I'm talking decades ago, they had a permit to dam the Sangamon River. And part of the uh agreement was well, if we give you this permit, you have to come up with a backup water solution. And so that's what the tug of war has been all along. But the backup was either Hunter Lake or building the pipeline. Well, the Havana's like 40 or 50 miles away. We uh connected 11th Street. That was needed when my dad was in office. So we're talking over 30 years ago. We finally got that road connected from Stevenson Drive to UIS, and it took like 30 years to get it. Oh, wow. Yeah, my dad probably started, I think, when he was streets commissioner, and uh it kept going on. And then luckily when I was mayor, we were able to cut the ribbon. But that's how long just to go like a mile. Just to go that. Go 50 miles, it's not gonna happen. Right. But you have to have a backup water source. So, what is that backup? You can dredge all you want. You cannot create water. And so that's really the challenge for us because the communities of the future, if you have a reliable, quantifiable uh uh water supply, then you can grow. I mean, you don't have to worry, and that's what it's all about. Uh, if you're if you're global or local, and that's what it's been with the utility. We've been able to be an island to ourselves of sorts because we had our own energy, own water source, and they're reliable uh and they had high quality. And I think we've uh lost that competitiveness and we haven't really stepped it up or continue to step it up like it should be. But you know, with AI now, they're talking the uh uh data centers and everything, one of the sources is water. Yeah. And that's a concern is what's it going to cost the consumer and you know what's the long-term impact? And so you really have to think ahead and really put yourself in the best position uh for, you know, uh for growth, but survival.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

Yeah, no doubt about it. Because I mean, when you're looking at businesses looking to relocate to Springfield, they're looking at all those utilities too. Do they have the infrastructure necessary for us to grow and thrive here? So it's super important, not just for our residents, but for growth. Right.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Especially out west when they uh gone through the droughts and things of that nature. They'll be looking to move. And the more you're able to provide those services, the better off you'll be in landing them.

SPEAKER_02 26:13

No doubt about it. Any other big items from your from your mayor days?

SPEAKER_01 26:18

Well, the one big one still going on is uh the rail project. Right. And actually we had it targeted to be finished by 2025, but we're in 2026. Right. So I think uh there's one missing uh component, and that was probably me being in there. But that's how it goes. Right. But uh one of the most challenging things we did, and it's kind of gone uh, and I'm not here to beat my own drum because what it's about is like I said, it's about resolving the problems or finding solutions. When you first got into office, one of the first conversations I had was on the rail. And uh I thought it was gonna move to 11th Street, but we met with the FRA, federal, federal railroad administration, and they had uh some other engineering consultant as myself and then Jim Mole, who was at Hanson Engineers at the time. Great individual, really done a lot for the rail. He's now retired. But we're having this conversation, and they're saying that it's not gonna be able to be moved from downtown. I said, Well, that's not what we understood. We understood it's gonna be over on 11th Street. Yeah. And they were pretty adamant it's not. And that's the first time Jim Mole's really quiet. That's the first time I saw him ever get upset or a little uh angry or agitated, and uh, but fortunately we put enough pressure on them to uh get it moving in that direction. Now you see the results. But the other time was we met with Horse Man at the time, and uh Salvation Army was building a shelter right across the street from Horse Man, right? And they're going to be located like within 15 feet of the railroad tracks. At that time, they had promises by the state government, they helped fund it, which never came to fruition. And so they have this building there. And so uh when I met with Horse Man, and it was uh, you know, of course, the county was there, the Hansen engineers were there, and they were concerned of what's going to happen because, you know, they have plans to possibly expand. And uh, you know, how how's this all gonna lay out? Especially, you know, you have a shelter over there, and then the county wanted to expand their footprint. The original draft was there wasn't a shelter there. So at that time the buses were downtown on Capitol Avenue. Anyway, long story short, is we had long conversations with Salvation Army, and uh we convinced them if we'd look for alternative locations, would you move? And they said yes. And so we found the Gold's gym. And at that time, uh, we could buy it for 1.2 million. Maybe we were buying that other building to fix it up and everything,$8 million. Oh, wow. So you're talking like over six million dollars.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Wow, yeah, I don't remember that part. Wow. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

Oh, yeah. And so we uh got the okay. They they were interested when they saw the building, didn't need any really as wide open space, didn't need to do any refurbishment refurbishment. So we kept it under raft to get everything tied before we made the announcement. Of course, the council members are all a little nervous where's it gonna land? Everybody wanted to know where it's gonna be. But that's probably our most successful project because we didn't let it out until we had everything lined up. And so when we did the uh press release or the news really uh news conference, I think it was probably my first and nearly my last because how it ended up. When you're moving a shelter, even though I thought it was great, you know, it's by Comercox Park space, it didn't sit well with the residents and they felt blindsided. So we kind of went back to the drawing board and we did open houses there, walk people through. That's the first time I met Aldman Gregory. He wasn't an Alderman at the time, but he came walking through and he goes, Well, I think I could see the possibilities. So he had an open mind at least. But uh what we ended up doing is I talked to uh Major Woodard at the time he ran Salvation Army. I said, really what we need at this point in time is we need to make sure that people don't go into homelessness. You know, people are a paycheck away from becoming homeless. Right. How can we stop the proliferation of homelessness? And that's really what we need to do. And so uh he accepted that challenge, and that's what became the community center, which is utilized. And now the alderman that voted against it actually said, this is a great uh asset for that area, and it's really helped because they provide housing assistance, they provide athletic assistance, yeah, uh computer assistance, uh job training. So it's really been a good fit, but it wouldn't have happened uh without the challenges, and then finding um really uh use uh good solutions for that. So uh we moved in that direction, and that was a great challenging project, but it is moving forward. Hopefully they uh they follow through and get the rail completed because that it will be a benefit for the city and it makes sure that the rail traffic moves off downtown and quit splintering it and uh really make a usable hub and really make things go.

SPEAKER_02 31:04

Yeah, no doubt about it. No, that Salvation Army spot is is great right there. I'm actually on the advisory board over at the Salvation Army now. So, yes, I've been learning a lot more about them over the last year or so and helping out and everything. Uh it just that seems to be a really great fit.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Major Jeff Eddy's uh done a great job uh picking up the reins and really uh, you know, Salvation Army. The reason we asked them to do that because Major Woodard and uh Major Jeff Eddy now would tell you they're here to fulfill a community need. And so uh he heard that call and he stepped up for that. And uh our community rallied around that. Uh, you know, we have great organizations that are here to help the homeless. Uh, that's probably another segment altogether that we can talk about.

SPEAKER_03 31:46

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

Because I have my own concepts on that. But uh really that's everything's moving in a positive direction. That's what we need to continue to do is build on what's there and make it better. I mean, that's what it's always been about. Don't tear things down just to tear them down, but build on for the future and how do we uh make things better.

SPEAKER_02 32:06

How does that feel? Some of those long-term projects that you were working on, as Mary, you know, like the rail and all that 11th Street corridor out by out on Northside, North Grand, everything that's all starting to come to fruition, everything. That's got to feel good, though, to see some of those projects that you worked on for a long time starting coming to a coming to an endpoint, right?

SPEAKER_01 32:22

Right. But uh that's the necessity or the benefit of knowing your history because you can learn from it and uh make sure things do happen. So uh, you know, I'll just really quick the fire department. One of the things, things we did with COVID is we did get funds for that. So we were able to match that uh because we had the a corporate fund and a healthy balance. We matched those dollars with corporate fund dollars to uh build three firehouses. So we were able to rearrange the firehouses to really uh sustain our class one rating that we achieved back in 2016. But one of the firehouses was out off of Woodside Road, Ego Pass uh Veterans of Route Four, and it's right there on the left. It's to the uh west of uh Panther Creek. And so that project, the city owned the land when my father was mayor. So excuse me, again, 30 years ago, and they never were able to afford uh building the firehouse. So we're actually put ourselves in that position, finally get it built. And uh now instead of having eight-minute response time, they're just minutes away. You know, the rest of the city enjoys four to six minutes. Out there, it was six to eight minutes. And uh every minute counts when it comes to fires or what have you. So that's good that we're able to do that and maximize resources and make that happen. But on the federal side, I will give uh Senator Durbin and uh Senator Duckworth credit because that bill, um, I I think it was the CARES Act or they might have called it something else. They had so many bills falling through uh that the city and the school districts benefited from, the county benefited from tens of millions of dollars here locally. They're it passed by one vote. So I always tease them. I said, I'm not sure who cast the tying vote and who cast the lead vote. Sure, sure. But uh, we really thank you for it because what they did was benefited not only Springfield and the school district, the county multiple ways, but cities across the country.

SPEAKER_02 34:13

Yeah, absolutely. By that one vote. No doubt about it. At your as your time as mayor, what are some lessons you learned kind of running the city and the, you know, with the city council and the whole thing? What are some of those lessons you learned?

SPEAKER_01 34:25

Well, the uh one I learned I had a uh transition team that when I first brought on, asked them for what they would like to see happening or what were the critical items where you're facing, things of that nature. I probably, if I hindsight's 2020, I probably would have uh kept that going to some a certain degree. But that's one of those things that you have to weigh because of the uh political aspects of things. And uh, you know, if everybody has um if everybody has good intentions, you don't have to worry about things like that. You know, if everybody's in it for the right reasons, you don't have to worry about it. But unfortunately, that's part of politics. It doesn't matter if you're in business or whatever. One of the classes I took was organizational development. And the the teacher there, the uh professor, he always talked about organizational politics. And uh, you know, it's unfortunate part of our society, it's just part of uh the way we are, but uh, because everybody wants to get ahead. But if everybody stayed focused on the goal at hand and going towards that, I think we'd be totally different. But one of the other uh things we did well were the ward plan meetings. So that's where we actually reached out to the community instead of going and bringing in uh your police chief or your engineers or public works and sitting down with them or saying, here's what we have going on, we opened it up to the public and said, What would you like to see? And what do you like to see or what uh do you like or don't like? And so it gave them the opportunity to really open up their minds with regards to the potential of Springfield, but also know that they're being heard, you know, because you listen to them, and that goes back to when we had troubling times during COVID. Right. I think people appreciated that they knew we were out there way before listening to their concerns. And so that aspect was uh usually helpful. But uh, I think looking back, it it goes fast. Yeah. When your kids grow up, you look at grade school, it seems like it takes forever. High school, college, it goes really fast.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean that's and that's the point I'm at right now. My oldest is in high school. If if people that watch the show, they see her on here on Tuesdays, and yeah, it's just crazy how just it's like last week she was five and now she's 15. Right.

SPEAKER_01 36:35

Sometimes you have to step back, and I didn't really do this, and really take in what you're accomplishing or you know, what's happening, and really uh appreciate the moment because I didn't do that well enough. I was always uh on to the next challenge, listening to critiques and how we can do things better. But that was always beneficial is the uh critiquing yourself. Don't take things personally. I remember when the blogging used to be really severe. It's kind of toned down now, but it was severe back then and the media was really severe. Now it's unfortunately uh the media's kind of waned a little bit, but that's important that they ramp it back up because that's why I appreciate appreciate your podcast, because people are gonna have a hard time understanding what's real, what's not, what's factual, what's truthful, and move that direction. But uh that's the challenge. I'd read all the blogs. And one time I met a gentleman in public and I said, Oh, yeah, I read your blogs. He goes, You read my blogs. And he was almost embarrassed because how he berated me. Uh-huh. I go, Well, I just read it just to see what you're thinking. Just because someone doesn't agree with you, you know, you you just listen to it and you know, you disassociate the personal attack. Is there something really bothering them that makes sense? And so that's what you try to eliminate. Uh, because if it's real, you need to change it. Now, if it's uh not real, you need to make sure you point it out and say, this is not right. You're way off here. And so that's part of it. But the greatest piece of advice I ever got was from my father. He said, never lie, always tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember what you said.

SPEAKER_03 38:10

There you go.

SPEAKER_01 38:10

So when you're in politics or government or whatever, uh, especially when they're firing off questions, regardless of what the issue is. If you're always being truthful, you don't have to recall, well, what did I say? And double cross yourself. Because there's reporters like uh Bernie Schoenberg out there, and they'll write down and keep great notes and they'll bring back issues from way back when and they'll call you out if you said something different. They're doing their job. But uh, that's one uh great piece of advice that uh really proved beneficial for me because I always remembered that and it really uh kept me out of being in the crosshairs of things.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

I got that has to be difficult, though, kind of dissociating the critique because I mean public figures when you guys you guys get berated by some people. I mean, is that that has to be difficult, uh, you know, going through all that because people can be just absolutely brutal. Right. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:00

Especially now, I think that's what I worry about the next generation, you know, going back to how we grew up. I mean, you know, people say, Oh, you didn't play basketball? No, I wasn't good enough. I would have got cut. It's not like everybody played, and uh, you know, we received our uh share of criticism, but that made you a better person. And so uh I think that's what we're missing sometimes. And uh the social skills are so important. When I attended Sangman State University, another great piece of advice was from a professor, and he said, Um, this is before cell phones, he said, big businesses, they will hire liberal art students because they don't want to teach them how to communicate because they excel at communicating verbally and through written word. And so he encouraged us to perfect that part of our skills, our traits. Yeah. Like we were talking offline, you know, the more skills or traits you can accumulate, the more resilient you'll be for the future. But uh, the ability to communicate is uh paramount to anything, especially in the cell phone age and things of that nature. So that'd be one piece of advice I'd love to share to make sure that you know you excel verbally and uh through written words, because that's kind of a lost art at times.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

No, completely agree. And we were talking before we went on too about you know what my daughter and I, how she's on the podcast and we do a lot of different things. And that's one of the main reasons why I put her in a lot of those things is to hone the that communication skill because it's so important no matter no matter what you do.

SPEAKER_01 40:27

The greatest impact I had on children, I'd go into uh school and it didn't matter if it was grade school or high school after I was mayor. And uh I didn't graduate uh from college till I was like 29. And so I'd ask the question, I said, Oh, how many of you know what you want to do? And a few would raise their hands or if they're going on to college or what have you. And then when I told them I didn't graduate from college till I was 29, you should have seen the surprise look on their face. They thought you'd have to do this, X plan out. No, uh, you know, some things are you're thrust in those situations, like Kenny Winslow when he became chief. That's how he was thrust in that situation. But other times it's like a river, you just go along life and uh you accumulate talents and kind of migrate to what uh what you're best suited for. And that's the path I took. It's kind of non-traditional. Sure. But it's uh it opened up their minds to uh anything's possible, especially, you know, they thought, oh yeah, I had to go to high school, I had to go to college.

SPEAKER_02 41:21

I had to be done with college by the time I'm 22, and then I could do this.

SPEAKER_01 41:24

Now, you know, you have people that uh don't reach that level of uh education, you know. So uh you don't have to be a college graduate, you know. Really what you have to you have to care, uh whatever business, going back to being that best person possible. Right. You know, like you're assigned, you are greatness, don't like it. That's my favorite one, right? That's my favorite. It's behind my head every single time.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

You are greatness, don't fight it. That's right. That's right. So be great at whatever you do. There you go. So for you, any plans to get back into politics at any time soon?

SPEAKER_01 41:56

Well, it's a family affair, so my wife likes it as it is now. Yeah. So we'll wait and see. Uh really what hopefully people stay engaged. I was talking to somebody that retired before my last election. I brought something up of current events. They said, Oh, we don't even watch the news anymore. I go, What? And uh goes, no, we just uh, you know, do our thing and don't do that. And I thought that was kind of strange. And because here I'm office and you thrive on what's happening. But when you watch the what's happening nationally, it's pretty easy to get downtrodden by things. Very easy. But really, what I try to do, not to be preachy, but try to stay positive. One of my favorite animals is a turtle. Don't be like a turtle and withdraw. You have to really uh be involved. People have to be involved because once we stop being involved, whether it's in the government or business, that's when things can go awry. So you really need to be active, be involved as much as possible, call out the truth. So if someone says something that's not truthful, you need to call it out, especially with this day and age with social media because you got the keyboard warriors and people try to uh recreate history. So it's incumbent upon all of us to really uh remember our history and uh really move forward in a positive path of optimism to the future. And uh, you know, because our greatest assets are children, and we need to make sure they have a better path than what we did when we were growing up. That's what our legacy should be. And we should be making it easier for them, not harder.

SPEAKER_02 43:27

Completely agree. So what are you up to nowadays?

SPEAKER_01 43:30

Well, I consult a little bit on uh people call me about I was in banking, so I did housing and uh business projects. So I get called from time to time, especially if they're trying to work through uh some aspect, uh if they're dealing with government or red tape. But uh my great. But the uh greatest joy I have is grandparenting.

SPEAKER_02 43:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:49

I when we first became grandparents, uh my daughter granddaughter, she was born right uh during the pandemic. The pandemic hit, I think we shut down March, end of March 2020. She was born April 2020. Oh, okay. We couldn't even go to the hospital. My uh son was the last one, I think, that was able to go to labor and delivery. But for the first year, I was wearing a mask because I was still working. I was out in the public, and even though everything was shut down, we still worked. And I was afraid, regardless how you feel, you don't want to take at risk and infect somebody. So I wasn't a big vaxxer at all. I never had a vaccination. I never had a flu shot. So I grew up in that uh generation where you didn't take a lot of medicine. My wife was opposite, but uh that first year I did get my flu shot, my COVID shot, and uh my uh shingle shot all one year. And then so I said to the public, I said, however you feel about COVID. You'll uh you'll be like the flu eventually, where you'll decide if you want a flu shot or not. You're gonna decide if you want a COVID shot or not. But that's just the uh era we're in. Accept it. You know, you don't have to agree with her or not, but you have to make sure you keep people healthy or look out for them. But my going back to my granddaughter, I wore a mask because I couldn't bear the thought if she would have got sick. Right. And I wasn't gonna take that risk. For for a full year I wore a mask, but uh it's nothing like it in the world. I told my kids, I said, we love you, uh, blessed to have you, but there's nothing like being a grandparent. There's something different about being a grandparent. It's nothing like it. And uh I have a uh grandson as well, and uh it's just the greatest thing in the world.

SPEAKER_02 45:27

Love it, love it. So, any other ways you elevate your life personally outside of hanging out with those grandkids?

SPEAKER_01 45:34

Well, I was uh looking forward to baseball season until the Cubs lost yesterday.

SPEAKER_03 45:38

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

But the Bears gave us a lot of joy, or me personally, but uh sports a little bit. I do uh softball. They have a senior softball league that I played in a little bit, the horseshoes. I go watch the horse at Springfield Horseshoes. And so uh I'd really encourage people to embrace the horseshoes. I mean, Jamie Toole and Melissa Gaynor, they came to this city, they have adopted us, and they've just done a great job. And going back to all the projects, the North End on North Grand, that's gonna be a transformational change when the rail goes through. And then you have Pillsbury and what's happening there. We've helped with that project, but also what they're doing with Robin Roberts Stadium. So it's gonna be a uh great corridor, but it's helpful if people would get involved and really enjoy what's right in our own backyard and uh show some support, and you'll enjoy it in the process.

SPEAKER_02 46:27

Yeah, no doubt about it. They've done a phenomenal job. They're they are absolutely great. And now they're bringing the uh women's professional baseball toward the end of the summer, into the fall. I mean, that's that's huge for Springfield. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:39

And you can see uh local homegrown individuals excel with regards to that. So uh he played in the uh world baseball classic. He got drafted by the White Sox. Okay, and so uh Sam, Sam Anacchi. So uh played uh he played with Team Ellie because his family's Italian. So uh you could uh you had the rights to play for the team, and they I think ended up in third or fourth. So he had a great series, and it's fun listening to score, Chicago Radio. That's why I listen to you hear his name all the time. They're excited that he's gonna be a White Sox. And here's someone that's uh played at the horseshoes, and so you have next uh professional player could be out there playing and you're gonna enjoy it. But they do a lot of extracurricular activity out there. It's not about the what's on the field, it's what's off the field, is what Jamie Toole would say.

SPEAKER_02 47:27

Uh-huh. Yeah, I think one of the one of the first times I talked to Jamie when he was talking about what they were doing, he said, Yeah, we're gonna uh have a big party out there and then a baseball game is gonna break out.

SPEAKER_01 47:36

That's right. That's about right. Well they came uh during COVID. Uh is uh someone mentioned that they're coming and they're gonna have a uh news conference. I went to it and uh they had Jeff Jarrett there and made the announcement. But during the pandemic, I mean that's a uh big leap of faith. And so uh that's one of the uh great things. I'll look fondly upon that time frame because COVID wasn't fun for any of us. But uh for them to come to Springfield and say, you got a lot going on here, and they liked it and they're still here and really investing uh through some challenging times. That'll be a great asset for Springfield. But the other thing I forgot, probably the biggest thing, one of the biggest things we were able to pull resources together was the SHIELD Sports Complex.

SPEAKER_02 48:15

Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 48:17

So uh we can discuss that another time, but that was a very challenging project, and it didn't get off on the right uh foot. And so we were able to get people in a room and uh move it along where it's more acceptable. And now you see what the fruits of our labor is happening right before us.

SPEAKER_02 48:34

Yeah, it's massive. My brother uh he coaches all his daughters and everything. They've already had dozens of games out there out there at the dome and everything. It's just it's great for Springfield.

SPEAKER_01 48:44

Oh, yeah, no doubt about it.

SPEAKER_02 48:45

And with Lucky Horseshoes, I would encourage everybody out there. Let's pack that stadium this summer. I'd love to love to see that.

SPEAKER_01 48:51

Oh, yeah. So no doubt about it.

SPEAKER_02 48:53

Well, Jim, so much great stuff today. I always like to close with these last couple of things. Let's give the audience a piece of advice, one on the personal side and one on the professional side to help them elevate their life or business.

SPEAKER_01 49:05

Well, on the uh personal side, I would say really uh embrace your family, embrace your community and your business. Um probably in that order is what how I'd put it, because if you're religious, you know, God's first and foremost, uh, or however you uh, you know, spiritually make yourself better. Uh, because it's important to always do self-critique. So I guess the takeaway would be do self-critique to see how you become a more well-rounded person. Uh, but you have to have at the forefront that's spirituality and your family at the core of that, and then your community and whatever you do, uh, whether it's business or what have you, um, that's paramount to all. So uh so that's from the personal standpoint. I've always done that as doing the self-critique. And my father's piece of advice goes without saying, always tell the truth that way you don't have to worry about what you're what you said. Uh but the other part, uh from the uh business standpoint, again, it it kind of uh dovetails into that. You really uh assess where you're at and how can you build upon things. A lot of times when you have a new job or something, first thing you want to do is put your stamp on it. Right now, sometimes it's better to get a lay of the land and assess it and then build upon what's good. And then what's not good, change it. And so that's the uh simple thing I did with uh when I became mayor, you know, assessed what was working and build on it, and then wasn't working, you changed it. Because otherwise you're gonna be in molasses, you know, you're just gonna trudge along or you're gonna go backwards. Nobody wants to do that. You want to go forward. So that's probably the best piece of advice I could offer is always uh assess your situation. How can you make it better, what's not working, and then build on what's working to make it better.

SPEAKER_02 50:49

And is there anything we can do community-wide to help elevate all of us here in Springfield and the surrounding communities?

SPEAKER_01 50:57

I think really uh not being uh so uh hard-headed drawing the lines of the sand. Um, you know, listen to others. And like I said, uh if you're really listening to somebody, you can find that common ground, whatever it's in. But really uh from a community standpoint, you want people to come together and really uh lift Springfield up. We have very challenging times, uh, especially with downtown. When you look at downtown, there's some major things that can be happening. That's why I I love that you embrace downtown because uh it's a great space and it's really the heart of our community. What can we do together to uh make it better and move in that direction? But I think uh unfortunately in today's uh society we're too segmented at times, whether it's geographically or COVID. What happened with COVID is I think people said, I'm gonna bat down the hatches, take care of my family.

SPEAKER_03 51:49

Right.

SPEAKER_01 51:49

I'm gonna take care of myself, I'm gonna take care of what's ours. It's your survival instincts. Right. And so I think people have done that. Now we're coming out of that uh time frame, and really we have to uh get back to the way we engage one another and work together to make things better.

SPEAKER_02 52:06

Absolutely. Well, Jim, I had a great time. Catching up with you. It's all great conversation. We're gonna do it, we're gonna do it again if you're up for it. Sure. We can dig into a lot of different things. It's fun. It's fun. Yeah, well, Jim. Appreciate it. Yeah. So tell us uh again the book that you your dad had and any if people want to go and learn about what you've done, where they could go, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 52:27

Well, the uh incredible journey is uh my father's book. It just talks about his life, and it it is an incredible journey is appropriately named. But uh, as far as myself, I didn't uh go out there. People have said you need to go on Wikipedia and up it a little bit. Um so I'm uh working towards that. Sure. Or, you know, maybe uh do a book at some point in time, kind of a takeoff of what my dad had done on the incredible journey part, but make it more for younger people, you know. Uh we'll hopefully I get to that fruition because uh this year would have been his hundredth birthday.

SPEAKER_02 52:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 52:59

Yeah. So uh, you know, that's uh if you want to Google Ozzie Langfelder, O S S I.

SPEAKER_02 53:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 53:04

Not like Ozzie Smith. Uh-huh. And Ozzie Smith's gonna be here for the horse. Yeah. Not to mix it up. But uh you can Google Langfelder and it'll pop up. But if nothing else, watch the video that the State Journal Register did, SJR. They did a video and he just talks about and encapsulates probably within 10, 15 minutes of his time to get here. Okay. And it's uh it's really motivational.

SPEAKER_02 53:27

I'm gonna go check that out. Well, thanks again, Jim. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 53:30

Thank you, Robert. Hope you have a great day.

SPEAKER_02 53:32

You do the same. Well, we're gonna let Jim get back to Elevate in Springfield, but for the rest of y'all, we'll be right back. Looking for expert tree care with hometown integrity, look no further than Sangamon Tree Service. They're your trusted local pros, delivering quality workmanship, exceptional customer service, and fair, honest pricing every time. Whether it's trimming, removal, or storm cleanup, their team brings professionalism and care to every job, big or small. Call the name your neighbors trust, Sangman Tree Service, or visit them today at SangmanTreeService.com. Sangman Tree Service, rooted in quality, built on trust.

SPEAKER_00 54:12

When I first walked into Shudokong Karate Club, I was just looking for a way to get stronger. But what I found was so much more. Here we train in traditional karate, the real stuff. Passed down through generations. Every punch, every kata has purpose. I've learned self-discipline, confidence, and how to protect myself. Not just in class, but in real life. It's not about being aggressive, it's about being prepared. This is more than a club, it's a way of life. Join us at Shudo Khan. Traditional, powerful, real. TI.

SPEAKER_02 54:44

Well, thank you for joining us today, everybody. Appreciate you making us a part of your day. Hey, don't forget while you're out on social, check ours out. You can check my personal one out at RobertFarrell at everywhere. Check out those Elevate Springfield pages, those big dog business coaching pages as well. Check us out over on YouTube. Give us a subscribe, give us a like or a follow on any of those channels. We would certainly appreciate it. So, hey, take what you learned today. You bring the discipline and follow through and together. That's right, y'all. We're gonna elevate Springfield. Be great. Looking for personalized insurance with hometown care, David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agent is here to help you protect what matters most: your family, your home, and your dreams. Whether it's auto, home, life, business, David and his team are proud to serve the Springfield community with trusted advice and reliable coverage. Local service, real relationships, peace of mind. Call today or stop by their office. They can build your dream protection plan together. Call 217 726 6343 08363.