Cherry native Jack Rooney has been in the IT business for more than 30 years and is president of Capitol Strategies Consulting Inc., in Springfield. The 20-year-old company’s emphasis revolves around Microsoft .Net application development (programming).
"Virtually every business and government agency needs computer programs," Rooney said. "We provide our clients with all the services needed to ensure that these programs are written correctly and on-time.”
One category of IT jobs that is currently in exceptionally high demand generally revolves around the creation of complex computer programs and the deep analysis of the data which these programs create. The most widely identified and understood job type in this high-demand category is what is known as application developer or computer programmer.
Generally, large- and medium-sized firms of all kinds across the country have a need for computer programmers. Cities in Illinois with medium and large firms or government agencies have hundreds of these computer programmers. Firms such as State Farm Insurance and Caterpillar actually have thousands of them, located both in the United State and overseas. Very often the demand and costs are so high, these large firms “off-shore” this work to countries such as India and China.
Rooney's vision is to bring these high-demand computer programming jobs to the Starved Rock Country area. He starting up a Capitol Strategies team in the Illinois Valley called “Starved Rock Country Programmers” to help seed this effort. Wages and benefits will be substantial.
“It must be said that only a very small percentage of the population has the natural ability and desire to be a full time programmer," Rooney said. "Nearly all our work we perform currently is done by highly-experienced and trained programmers. We have already made contact with some experienced programmers, originally from this area and living elsewhere, who are ready to move home as soon as the project is up and running.
"In the longer run, if all goes well, we will be able to bring on local entry level programmers and give them the experience they need to move up. A beyond-perfect idea would be to eventually have a true programming curriculum at IVCC," he said.
The beauty of Rooney’s Starved Rock Country Programmers idea is clients could come from all over the country. Much of computer programming work can be done remotely.
“If all goes well, we could deliver some of the work for our current Springfield/Central Illinois clients here at the Starved Rock Country office," Rooney said. "A much larger source of work could of course hopefully come from the Chicagoland area just an hour and half away.”
Rooney is diligently working to secure contracts and revenues.
“The best scenario would be if Starved Rock Country alumni who are in business in other parts of the country would look for opportunities to steer computer programming work to us here back home," Rooney continued, believing people who have left the area still hold a warm spot in their hearts for home. “I think people from here love the unique culture, people and history of the Starved Rock Country area including LaSalle/Peru, Mendota, Ottawa, Princeton and other surrounding towns."
Rooney, a 1981 graduate of Hall High School, and a 1985 graduate of Illinois State University, began weekly trips home five years ago to visit his mother in Cherry. This led to various bits of community volunteer work and the production of the “Up Ravioli Alley” newsletter. “Up Ravioli Alley” is what Rooney calls a “side door evangelizing tool,” promoting an “Others Oriented” and “forgiveness based” lifestyle and culture.
“I love Starved Rock Country and everything back home. People in Springfield always tease me that they have never heard anyone talk as much about their hometown area and people as I do. Folks from home actually have a little accent that I always listen for. I have run into people with that accent in different parts of the state and knew right away they were from home,” he said.
Rooney believes the availability of good jobs and a solid economy would be a magnet for other industries to locate here. Although Starved Rock Country is centrally located, right at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Interstate 39, with rail and water access, and only an hour and half west of Chicago, Rooney said from his experiences in Springfield the area's presence is often unknown.
“Starved Rock Country is a bit of a secret,” said Rooney. “I think we have a great opportunity to take advantage of that.”
Rooney can be contacted at Jack@Cap-Strategies.com, or by calling 217-652-1645. His website is www.capstratconsulting.com. He is hoping those who see this press release will forward it to business contacts and Starved Rock Country alumni in other parts of the country.