Sauk Valley Spotlight

Jake Perino is a fourth generation farmer. We talk about his involvement with the Whiteside County Cattlemens' Association, advocating across the state and country for local business, and his constant pursuit of improvement.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Jennifer Lang fell in love with Dixon when she moved here 15 years ago. She now helps oversee events for Discover Dixon, enabling more and more people to experience the community she loves.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Mary Thormahlen's personal journey with mental health and depression has given her a unique empathy for others in the same battle. She now volunteers with NAMI Sauk Area to raise awareness and provide support groups to those who need a voice.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Aurelio Gallardo moved here when he was 18. He now runs one of the most-talked about bakeries in our area. We talk about his journey from dishwasher, to cook, to cake decorator, as well as his insights as a entrepreneurial business owner.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Palani Sakthi (who goes by Sakthi) runs and owns the Castor family of medical businesses here in Sterling. We talk about his multiple decades in the medical industry before bringing in-home care to the Sauk Valley, as well as how business owners can pivot to find new niches for their skills.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Ruben Moreno has been a Sauk Valley local for his whole life, and can trace his roots back to his grandfather, who helped start the steel mill. [CONTENT WARNING] We have a very honest and vulnerable conversation about addiction and recovery.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Jeanette Trotter has been helping people for over two decades, and is a licensed clinical professional counselor, as well as a national certified counselor. She holds a bachelor's degree from Olivet Nazarene University, majoring in psychology and Christian education. And she graduated with honors from Bradley University with a master's degree in community counseling. We chat about the very common experiences of anxiety, stress, and worry and how to practically handle them.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Ann Cooper and Diana Johnston are both locals to the Sauk Valley who take their faith as seriously as they love this community. They are part of the team that has helped organize the new community-wide women's conference that has been conceived of, planned by, and run by everyday women for women in the community. We talk about the story of how the idea came to be and their hopes for the future.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Danny Langloss has served in law enforcement for almost 30 years, and has most recently been serving the city of Dixon as the city manager. We got to talk about his experience as police chief during the Rita Crumwell investigation, his passion for leadership development, and why effective leadership is the solution to just about any problem.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com

Larry Ybarra loves baseball and he loves the Sauk Valley. He loves other things too, but his current passion project is to bring a $25million sports complex to the Sauk Valley to stimulate business and travel for our area. We got to chat about that as well as leadership lessons he's learned over the years from owning his own business and coaching sports.

Sauk Valley Spotlight is hosted by Drew Williams and can be found on all major podcasting platforms, as well as online at https://saukvalleyspotlight.com