Staff & Board of Directors
Staff
Jakob Knox
President and CEO
Jakob Knox
President and CEO
Jakob works hard to promote and strengthen the local business community by forming positive and impactful working relationships while continuing to build upon and support our community’s business sector. Jakob also serves as the Marketing and Community Relations Director for the Village of Manteno.
Born and raised in Limestone Township, Jakob is a 2017 Herscher High School graduate, and received his degree from Kankakee Community College. His passion for community ignited at sixteen years old when he was employed at the Bourbonnais Township Park District. In 2021 Jakob began his professional career at Milner Media Partners as a Marketing & Sales Account Executive.
Understanding the importance of community involvement and giving back Jakob serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Kankakee and Iroquois Counties, is a member of the Manteno Rotary Club, and serves on the Auxiliary Board for the Kankakee County Museum.
Currently, Jakob resides in Bourbonnais with his partner Josh, an 8th-grade Special Education Teacher at Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center with their two dogs Ruby and Hazel. In his free time Jakob enjoys spending time with his friends and family, volunteering, caring for his plethora of house plants, building LEGOS, and tapping into his creative side.
Kathleen Sadowski
Membership Services Coordinator
Kathleen Sadowski
Administrative/Marketing Assistant
Kathleen is a Manteno resident and has over 10 years of experience in administrative duties. Having Kathleen on the Chamber team, we will be able to provide an elevated level of customer service for our members and create even more opportunities for our members’ visibility.
Her and her husband Justin moved to Manteno in 2004 and instantly fell in love with not just the town, but more importantly, the community. They are raising two wonderful daughters, Kamryn and Kinsley and they all bleed Panther Purple!
“I am blessed with the opportunity to be able to give back to the community that has given my family so much over the years! If we haven’t met yet, I look forward to meeting you!”
Board of Directors
Josh Stauffenberg
Chair
HomeStar Insurance Services
Josh Stauffenberg
Chair
Josh is a 2008 grad of Manteno High School. He graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in 2012 and received a bachelors in business administration with a concentration in management. Josh began his career at HomeStar Insurance in August of 2008 for a school to work program. He officially started his career in 2012 at HomeStar as an Insurance Sales executive specializing in auto, home, business and crop insurance. He was the assistant boys varsity and head JV soccer coach at Manteno High School for 4 years Josh was born and raised in Manteno, where he currently lives with his high school sweet heart since his 16th birthday and his three kids.
Chris LaRocque
Co-Chair
Village of Manteno Southcreek Animal Hospital
Chris LaRocque
Co-Chair
Chris LaRocque is the Village Administrator in Manteno. He was hired by the village in 2012 and served as the Building Director for five years before being promoted to Administrator. Prior to working for the village, Chris owed and ran his construction company for twenty-three years, building over 150 homes in the Kankakee County area.
Chris and his wife Sue have two children, Michael, who is a Funeral Director and Shelby, who is a Marketing Manager. They enjoy spending time with their three grandchildren and boating with family and friends.
They are also one of the owners of the South Creek Animal Hospital and feel strongly that the Chamber has been an integral part of its success.
“I’m honored to be a part of this active and impressive organization. Successful businesses are critical to making Manteno a great place to live and work.”
Lynette DeRose
Treasurer
Supporting Strategies Chicago Southland
Lynette DeRose
Treasurer
Lynette has a rare ability to listen to managers — and see the comprehensive business picture. With her talent for talking business owners through problems large and small, she is one of Chicago Southland's go-to advisors on helping companies flourish.
With a love for the region and desire to see it thrive, Lynette launched her Supporting Strategies franchise in 2018 to provide bookkeeping services in Chicago Southland. She brings over two decades of experience applying her operations and finance savvy to the difficult challenges that come with growing a business.
Lynette earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Calvin College and has expertise in technology services and commercial real estate. She has lived in the area for over 20 years, and you can often find her shuttling her three boys to various activities, volunteering at school or team events or simply enjoying life in Chicago Southland with her family.
Paul Russert
Director
Paul Russert
Director
Paul Russert is a Manteno resident and has served as a director since 1997. During this time he has been the secretary, vice-president, and the president of the Manteno Chamber of Commerce. Paul graduated from Purdue University then went on to get his advanced degree from Chicago State University in Educational Administration and Supervision.
Most recently he was the principal of Manteno High School from 1997 thru 2012. Currently Paul is retired along with his wife Dawn who is also the retired Superintendent of Schools in Manteno. Paul and Dawn have three adult children and eight grandchildren.
Jacob Emerson
Director
Manteno School District
Jacob Emerson
Director
Jake Emerson is a 2002 graduate of Manteno High School. He earned his Bachelors Degree at Monmouth College in History and Education in 2006. He went on to earn a Masters Degree in School Improvement Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University in 2010.
Jake taught and coached at Manteno High School for six years before becoming Assistant Principal at Manteno Elementary/Primary School. He spent two years as Asst. Principal before serving as Principal of Manteno Early Childhood Center for two years.
He currently serves as Business Manager for Manteno CUSD No. 5. Jake lives in Manteno with his wife, Erin, and their two sons.
Jim Hanley
Director
Manteno Public Works
Jim Hanley
Director
Jim Hanley attended grade school at St. Joseph’s in Manhattan and then went on to graduate from Providence Catholic High School. Jim graduated from Lewis University with two bachelors in Business Administration and History and then went on to obtain a M.B.A. with a focus in International Business.
Jim has been a resident of Manteno since 2004 and operated a family owned construction business until 2011. In 2011, Jim was hired at the Village of Manteno as the Public Works department Supervisor of Streets and Alleys. In 2015, Jim was promoted to the Superintendent of Public Works.
Jim, his wife Malissa and their children love living in Manteno; they are involved in soccer, dance and enjoy driving the golf cart throughout town!
Stacy Barclay
Director
Milner Media Partners
Stacy Barclay
Director
I am a lifelong resident of Bourbonnais, Illinois and I am dedicated to serving Kankakee County! My role as Radio Marketing Consultant with Milner Media radio stations: WVLI 92.7fm “The Valley’, WIVR 101.7fm “River Country” and WFAV 95.1fm “Your FAVorite Hits” gives me the opportunity to work with local businesses to help build their brand and increase sales traffic for growth and profitability. I am thrilled to align with the mission of the Manteno Chamber of Commerce and serve as a director.
As a graduate of Columbia College, Chicago my career began in Chicago news at NBC5. From there I transitioned into sales and marketing for Riverside Health Fitness Center. I have also worked as a special projects manager for The Daily Journal in Kankakee and most recently served as a Regional Marketing Consultant for Premier Healthcare before joining Milner Media.
You will quickly learn that I am an avid Chicago Bears fan. I have a passion for people and an infectious zest for life! I enjoy live music, long motorcycle rides, movies, and I may have a slight coffee addiction. Most importantly, I love spending precious time with my family and friends.
Dawn Lochner
Director
LaMore Realty
Dawn Lochner
Director
I moved to Manteno in 2001 with my husband and two sons. We were looking for a small town to raise our children, and Manteno was a perfect fit. Being raised in a small town ourselves, we understood the importance of community and small town living.
I am currently a Realtor with LaMore Realty here in Manteno. Prior to joining LaMore Realty my husband and I owned a business on Main Street for over 14 years. I enjoyed hosting events for the residents of the area, bringing entertainment to Manteno was a passion of mine. Making the switch to Real Estate allowed me to continue to be involved in the community and share my love for Manteno. Although I was not born and raised in Manteno, my entire family will always consider Manteno our "Hometown"
Laura Umphrey
Director
Peoples Bank of Kankakee County
Laura Umphrey
Director
Laura Umphrey was born and raised in Ohio but has called Kankakee County home for the past 30 years. She has been working in our local community banks in Kankakee County for 25 years. Laura has her Illinois Insurance Producers License that she has maintained since 2002. She is the Branch Manager of Peoples Bank of Kankakee County in Manteno.
She has volunteered her time attending community events with local chambers over the past several years. She was an ambassador with the Kankakee County Chamber, a Director with the Manhattan Chamber, an ambassador with the Manteno Chamber and recently became a Director with the Manteno Chamber in 2020. Laura has been involved with Catholic Charities, where she has been an Advisory Council Member of the Money Management Program since 2010.
She joined the Manteno Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in 2019.
Laura resides in Bourbonnais with her husband Jeff Umphrey. He is a teacher of Construction Technology at the Kankakee Area Career Center, a home builder and the Bourbonnais Township Supervisor. They have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. They enjoy being outdoors, boating and spending time with family and friends.
Rob Smith
Director
CertaPro Painters
Rob Smith
Director
I have been living in Kankakee County the majority of my life. I am a 2004 graduate from BBCHS. I own and operate CertaPro Painters of Homewood and Kankakee County which I opened in 2017, I chose Manteno to set up our office location because I love the town and all the things that the town does for its businesses and residents.
I am proud to be on the board and look forward to working closely with Sarah and the other board members to help the Manteno Chamber of Commerce thrive in the area.
I currently reside in Bourbonnais with my 2 sons who are always playing some type of sport, so in my down time you can usually find me at a baseball field, basketball court, or soccer field cheering on my kids!
Brent Davis
Director
Ryan Reum Insurance
Cameron Ohlendorf
Director
First Community Bank & Trust
Cameron Ohlendorf
Director
Cameron is the AVP – Commercial Loans at First Community Bank and Trust in Beecher and Peotone. He works with businesses of all sizes to discuss their banking needs and goals. While lately that work has mostly been helping businesses navigate the PPP program, he enjoy talking to customers about their goals and helping them finance their next piece of equipment, purchase their first building, or expand to a larger space.
Cameron graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University and received an MBA from Lewis University. He has been working at the Bank for over ten years.
Cameron grew up in Beecher and now lives in Manteno with his wife and son. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching the Cubs, and traveling the country to play golf.
Eric Urbanowski
Director
Main Street Pharmacy
Laura Umphrey
Director
I grew up in Glenwood and graduated from Marian Catholic High School in 1998. I continued my education at UIC for my undergraduate coursework and graduated with my Pharm D in 2005 from Midwestern University in 2005. I moved to Manteno shortly thereafter with my wife and have lived here since with our 4 children. I have worked in community pharmacy since 1996, when I started at Johnson’s Pharmacy while in high school, and then ran the Doc’s Drugs pharmacy from 2006-2015. I founded Main Street Pharmacy in 2018 to bring back a pharmacy to Manteno that works for our patients and strives to improve their health.
I have always enjoyed community pharmacy, because it is important to me to help my neighbors achieve better health. Manteno is a wonderful community where my family has made our home. My goal is to make the community better for everyone. When not working at the pharmacy, I enjoy collecting sports cards, watching sports (baseball, hockey, football, and wrestling), traveling with my family, and enjoying life.
“It is a privilege to work in a small community where you live. It is an honor to work to make Manteno a great community to live and help keep people well and at a reasonable price.”
Francine Gilliam
Director
National Bank of Manteno
Rob Smith
Director
Francine Gilliam is that “familiar face of personal banking” in Manteno as she distinguishes herself with almost three decades of banking industry experience and a long list of awards, recognitions and praise for her personal attention to each and every customer and treating each “like family”. She has held several positions in her banking career which have included Assistant Branch Manager, Investment Sales Assistant, New Accounts Representative, Teller and Loan Secretary.
Francine joined National Bank of Manteno in September 2019 as a Deposit Services Specialist and later promoted to Assistant Branch Manager. Francine is committed to “providing the same Exceptional Service to National Bank of Manteno customers”.
Francine has lived in Manteno for the past 19 years and has enjoyed raising her two kids, Taylor and AJ, both Manteno High School Graduates. Francine enjoys volunteering, supporting & attending local charity & community events and especially enjoys traveling and getting together with her family & friends.
Eric Peterson
Director
Project Headspace & Timing
Rob Smith
Director
Eric Peterson is on a mission to bring veterans together with their communities, nature, and themselves, while affecting change in regard to the mental health treatment of his fellow veterans through his 501(c)3 organization, Project Headspace and Timing.