The leader of a Quad Cities manufacturer dating back 170 years and a couple behind a technology engineering firm will become the newest laureates of the Quad Cities Area Business Hall of Fame this week.
Junior Achievement of the Heartland will induct the 2025 laureates into the Hall of Fame during a JA ceremony Thursday night, June 12, in downtown Bettendorf. The laureates along with two other award winners who will be honored are:
James I. Sears, chairman and CEO of Sears Manufacturing Company, Davenport.
Beth and Scott Tinsman. Ms. Tinsman is the founder and chairman of Twin State Technical Services. Mr. Tinsman is the chief operating officer of Twin State, Inc. and CEO of Twin State Technical Services. Both in Davenport.
2025 Young Entrepreneur –
Austin Blunk, president and CEO of Valley Outdoor. The award is presented to a business leader who exhibits the characteristics of the JA laureates and represents the future of the QC business community.
2025 Outstanding JA Volunteer –
Andy McCray, chief meteorologist with Our Quad Cities News – Local 4 WHBF TV and Fox 18. The award recognizes a JA volunteer dedicated to advancing JA’s mission in the community by participating in a variety of its learning experiences and encouraging others to join JA.
“The Quad Cities Area Business Hall of Fame is more than a celebration of success – it’s a tribute to the visionary leaders whose integrity, innovation, and community spirit continue to shape our region,” said JA President & CEO Dougal Nelson. “These honorees inspire the next generation to dream bigger, lead boldly, and believe in the power of possibility. At Junior Achievement, we’re proud to recognize individuals who not only build businesses, but also build futures.”
All proceeds from the event, hosted by the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center, will help further JA’s mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.
The trio join 74 other area business leaders inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception in 1990.
2025 Hall of Fame laureates
Here’s a closer look at this year’s laureates’ biographies:
James I. Sears
Mr. Sears has served as CEO of Sears Manufacturing Company since April 2001. He joined the company in 1990 and became sales manager in 1994. In 1998, he was appointed managing director of Sears Europe Ltd., relocating his family to Wales, United Kingdom. He returned to the United States in 2000 and was appointed president of the company’s Off Road Division before assuming the CEO position a year later. He also served as chairman of the Sears GSK Asia Joint Venture in Lang Fang City, China, through 2008.
His leadership focused on maintaining the company’s leading brand position and global expansion, which now includes three wholly owned and two joint ventures on four continents.
Founded in 1855 by Issac Howe Sears, the fifth generation Sears Manufacturing began producing harnesses and leather goods. Today, the Davenport company is a privately owned corporation producing seat and suspension systems for the construction, agricultural, commercial truck and industrial equipment industries.
A native of Davenport, Mr. Sears graduated from Saint Norbert College in 1990 with a
bachelor’s degree in business administration. He and his wife Melissa have two children and live in Davenport.
In his video biography, Mr. Sears said his first job at Sears was cleaning bathrooms. He later moved on to the assembly line, into scheduling and sales before moving into leadership. He credits his father with fully immersing him into the business and teaching him how all the pieces work together and how the employees are the overall success of the company.
Mr. Sears said “JA is a beacon of opportunity and empowerment for generations of young people. To be recognized among inspirational leaders of the past and present is a truly humbling experience.”
In the community, Mr. Sears has served as a member of St. Ambrose University School of Business Advisory Board, Wells Fargo Regional Advisory Board, Living Lands & Waters Board and Niabi Zoological Society Board. He is a member of the United Way Tocqueville Society and Anselm Keefer Legacy Society at St. Norbert College. He also remains active on a corporate and personal level supporting charities in education, mental health, Christian ministry and cultural enhancement.
Beth and Scott Tinsman
Ms. Tinsman founded Twin State Technical Services in 1995. The company is dedicated to delivering value, quality and customer service in information systems, software development, and has implemented digital solutions for 400 regional businesses and nonprofits.
Before starting her technology company, Ms. Tinsman was employed by IBM in management and sales roles. She holds a Master of Science in information technology management from St. Ambrose University and received a B.A. in economics with a minor in computer science from Northwestern University.
Together nearly 40 years, she and her husband, Scott, have three adult sons, who themselves are entrepreneurs.
Ms. Tinsman is actively engaged at St. Ambrose, where she serves on the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Council and was an adjunct computer science professor from 2016 to 2024. She received the Davenport university’s Distinguished Alumni Award and also serves on the boards of Scott County Catholic Schools, the Regional Development Authority, the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, and the YMCA of the Mississippi Valley. In fact, the Tinsmans were recognized as Y’s Family of the Year for their involvement in youth sports programming and coaching.
In her professional field, Ms. Tinsman was recognized as a Top 10 Innovator by the Technology Association of Iowa.
Her past community work includes roles with Friendly House, the Family Museum, Café on Vine, the Boys and Girls Club Homework Helpers Program, Quad City Arts and volunteering as a Big for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley.
Mr. Tinsman is the COO of Twin State, Inc. and the CEO of Twin State Technical Services. He also is chairman of Rock River Lumber and Grain and of Frary Lumber and is a former CEO of Sivyer Steel Castings, LLC.
He is a graduate of Northwestern University with a B.S. in industrial engineering.
Before joining the family business in 1989, Mr. Tinsman was employed by IBM in engineering, sales, and finance leasing roles. He started AgriTech Financial and leased ag equipment from 1988 to 2005.
Mr. Tinsman also serves on the Quad City Bank & Trust Board of Directors; as a trustee for The Nature Conservancy – Iowa Chapter; and was past president and former board member of the Bettendorf Community School District, the Quad Cities Community Foundation, Vera French Mental Health Center, and The Fertilizer Institute in Washington, D.C. He also is a trustee of Rivermont Collegiate, Bettendorf, and has served on Genesis Health Systems and Two Rivers YMCA committees.
Mr. Tinsman also was a guest JA instructor at the high school level, including West Liberty (Iowa) High School, and won JA’s Teaching Volunteer of the Year.
Over the past several years, Twin State has received numerous awards, including the w3 Award judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts for excellence in web design for websites it created for United Way Quad Cities, Putnam Museum, and Waste Commission of Scott County. Twin State also won Best Cyber Company and Best Web Developer by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal readers and Best IT Company by Locals Love Us. In 2020, it was honored as the Quad Cities Chamber’s Business of the Year.
“We are thrilled to be part of the Quad Cities Area Business Hall of Fame,” the couple wrote. “Entrepreneurship isn’t just about launching businesses; it’s about launching futures. With programs like Junior Achievement, we equip young minds in the Quad Cities with the tools, mindset, and confidence to lead, innovate and grow our region. When we invest in their potential, we invest in our community’s stronger, more vibrant future.”
