John Lohman, right, president and CEO of the Corridor Media Group, greets people Wednesday night at the 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event. CREDIT JOHN SCHULTZ
“Take risks,” “give back to your community,” “choose growth over fear,” and “wear pink lipstick,” were among the pearls of wisdom shared Wednesday, March 1, by leading Quad Citians at the QCBJ’s 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes. Some 200 business and community leaders packed the Davenport Junior Theater on the Annie Wittenmyer campus for the […]
“Take risks,” “give back to your community,” “choose growth over fear,” and “wear pink lipstick,” were among the pearls of wisdom shared Wednesday, March 1, by leading Quad Citians at the QCBJ’s 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes.Some 200 business and community leaders packed the Davenport Junior Theater on the Annie Wittenmyer campus for the event, which is now in its second year in the Quad Cities.
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Nate Clark, center, talks with the Rev. Dwight Ford, on left, at the 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event. CREDIY JOHN SCHULTZ
The Rev. Dwight Ford. CREDIT JOHN SCHULTZ
Paul Vanduyne. CREDIT JOHN SCHULTZ
Nate Clark. CREDIT JOHN SCHULTZ
Jordan Voigt. CREDIT JOHN SCHULTZ
Members of the crowd at 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes. CREDIT JOHN SCHULTZ
Decker Ploehn, in middle, at the event. CREDIT JOHN SCHULTZ
A scene from Wednesday's event. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
A scene from the event. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
A scene from the event. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
A scene from the event. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
The speakers Wednesday were:
Nate Clark, president of John Deere Foundation.
The Rev. Dwight Ford, executive director, Project NOW Inc.
Decker Ploehn, city administrator, City of Bettendorf.
Jim Russell, CEO, Russell.
Paul VanDuyne, president & CEO, IMEG Corp.
Jordan Voigt, president, Genesis Medical Center.
Many who stayed for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres after the presentations offered rave reviews for a show that featured all nine leaders offering a healthy taste of their top 10 best ideas in a TED Talk-like format. Some in the crowd took notes in the 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes programs which were available only to attendees. They contained the leaders' biographies and a complete list of their collective wisdom – 91 ideas in all. That’s not a typo. Jim Russell offered this extra bit of advice: “Exceed expectations. When someone asks for 10 things, give them 11.”The Russell founder also was among those preaching risk-taking. “It’s in my DNA not to play by the rules,” he told the crowd, adding that for his family “All in, it’s a way of life.”Ms. Parkhurst urged the crowd to “choose growth over fear every day” and she shared the story of her decision to swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco. She was immediately terrified after signing up. Those fears kept building especially when she was on the boat that would take her to the starting point. There she saw the frigid black water and its big waves and whitecaps and was warned of sharks and playful sea lions capable of doing serious damage to swimmers.She was so terrified, she said, she told the man next to her on the boat, an 80-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa: “If I don’t jump, push me.”She jumped on her own, she said, and discovered “that wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.” It taught her three things: to “choose growth over fear,” “show up ready to try” and “put your game face on.” For Ms. Parkhurst, that includes donning her signature pink lipstick.For this group of risk-takers community service was both a mantra and a way of life.“You have the power to make life for the people around you better,” said Mr. Clark whose John Deere Foundation set a record for community investment in 2022.“As your professional success grows, give back to your community,” he urged the crowd, adding “when you give, give without restriction.”Decker Ploehn had the crowd laughing from the start when John Lohman, CEO of the Corridor Media Group, which owns the QCBJ, presented the Bettendorf city administrator with a giant swear jar. Mr. Ploehn tossed $20 into on account before sharing the following nuggets, seasoned lightly with salty language: “Positivity pays – attitude is everything,” he said, and building relationships and a long list of contacts is crucial. He also told the crowd “volunteering is great for your soul” and he shared how much he loves raising for good causes as a guest auctioneer for charity events.For Rev. Ford, giving to the community is a lifelong calling and he urged the crowd to expand its view beyond their own community to seek injustice in the world and work to change it. “Justice is love dressed in work clothes,” he said, and it must become a primary force in our society.When it comes to community service, how do you know when you’ve given enough? If you don’t notice what you’ve given, you need to give more said the IMEG chief who recently along contributed $2.5 million along with wife Donn to lead a $23 million campaign that built Palmer College student housing Like Mr. Russell, Mr. VanDuyne also is a risk taker. “Celebrate failure,” he said, pointing to his ever-growing company’s ill-fated bid to open an office in Dubai. Despite the losses IMEG suffered in the experience, the company learned things and made new contacts which helped it grow from five to some 75 offices.Ms. Huiskamp-Collins also embraced taking chances. In 2020, Ms. Huiskamp said she made the following New Year’s Resolution: “I’m going to do something every day that terrifies me.” Shortly after, the self-professed “Rock Island girls” was asked to be a tri-chair of the fundraising effort to build a combination Rock Island Branch Library and YMCA in the old Quad Cities Jewish Center. Accepting the challenge meant she’d have to do something that terrified her: ask for money, lots of it. “I swallowed hard and took that challenge,” she said and the unique hybrid building recently celebrated its ribbon-tying ceremony.St. Ambrose President Novak urged the crowd to practice “brainstilling before brainstorming” and to invite “diverse perspectives to the table.”She also shared the earthy wisdom of her grandfather, a pig farmer in South Dakota, who regularly urged visits to “scrape and step.” When bad things happen, she said, “scrape that stuff off,” and move on.
