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IWU business group told success lies between short, long-term planning
By Michelle Koetters
mkoetters@pantagraph.com
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BLOOMINGTON — To succeed, find a balance between long-term and short-term plans. That’s a difficult dilemma for anybody who runs a business today, said Norm Wesley, chairman of the board of Fortune Brands Inc., the $8 billion consumer products company with such brands as Jim Beam, Titleist and Moen.

But if you have a long-term vision — whether you’re a student or in the working world — you can prioritize the things you do and the money you spend today to get you where you want to be in five or more years, Wesley said.

He addressed more than 350 business and professional leaders as the keynote speaker for the Illinois Wesleyan Associates luncheon Thursday at Shirk Center.

To just focus on the here and now would be to your peril, Wesley said.

“You can never look back,” Wesley said. “You really have to look ahead.”

The Illinois Wesleyan Associates formed in 1953 to financially help McLean County students attend the university, said Willie Brown, president of the association and senior vice president of State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance Co.

Wesley himself is an IWU supporter and speaks highly of the importance of a liberal arts education. In fact, even his daughter, Maren Wesley, is a 2006 IWU graduate.

That education will train youths to think, solve problems, communicate and be comfortable with change in this rapidly changing world, Wesley said.

At the top of the pyramid of corporate success is growth, Wesley said. Organizations need to acquire and develop new products, respond to consumers’ needs, manage costs and find great people to help them succeed, he said.

Just as the ability to make decisions is important for success, so is the principle of ethics, Wesley said.

“You’ve got to develop a reputation,” he said. “I don’t know how you do that without absolute integrity.”

Through the Illinois Wesleyan Associates, students find internships to try out careers and receive financial help for an education that will prepare them for the future. The university’s association provided about $2 million in financial aid to more than 100 McLean County students this year, Brown said.

Student body President Chris Burrichter was one of those students. The 2008 graduate received the Brian Wright Memorial Scholarship from the association.

“Your donations open doors to both incoming and current Illinois Wesleyan students, students who wish to excel, and you give us the opportunity to do so,” Burrichter said.

Take a look
Norm Wesley, chairman of the board of Fortune Brands Inc., was the guest speaker during Thursday's Illinois Wesleyan Associates luncheon, held at Shirk Center. The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY
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