One thing they have in common: their education on the Hilltop. Lessons learned in and out of the classroom impacted their careers and helped guide them to where they are today. Alumni have built on the skills they gained at IC to launch successful businesses in nearly every field imaginable. 

Adaptability

For Shawn Finnegan ’89, Illinois College did not simply prepare him academically to become a physical therapist. The liberal arts education he received at IC gave him experience “doing a little bit of a lot of different things,” which has allowed him to be adaptable over the course 
of his career.

Finnegan is a co-owner of Core Energy Fitness Systems LLC and the inventor of the Anchor Gym fitness and rehab system. 

From his time at IC to the present, Finnegan has shown he can adapt to new opportunities and lean into his strengths. 

A biology major, he went on to receive his master’s in physical therapy from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. He said IC was “pivotal” for getting into graduate school because he was able to tailor his classes and learn in small groups, and his professors were proactive. After some time as a traveling physical therapist, he got into fitness modeling, personal training and nutrition consulting. 

While working as a physical therapist and trainer for older clients, he discovered a need: a universal anchoring system that can accommodate all types of resistance bands, tubes and straps. And when he learned there wasn’t one, he created it.

Finnegan was with Core Energy Fitness when he began developing the concept for the Anchor Gym. When they discovered the potential of the new equipment, the company pivoted away from the founder’s original vision. Finnegan and a family member invested in the company, and the Anchor Gym was launched in 2013. Now in four countries and available in a number of different marketplaces, like Amazon and Walmart, Finnegan said the Anchor Gym has also been purchased by high-profile clients like the Mayo Clinic and the Chicago Bears and other professional sports organizations.

Finnegan is in great shape himself, despite personal and health challenges he experienced while building his business, including a diagnosis of stage three throat cancer in 2011 and the treatment he described as devastating. He used the system himself for his own recovery.

The modular system can be mounted anywhere, doesn’t require fasteners, is easy to use and comes in commercial and consumer versions. Finnegan said it’s small and customizable enough for home users but strong enough to hold up to heavy weight loads. The company has created bundles for home users to get started, as well as resources such as blogs and videos for workouts with the system. And the rapid growth the company saw during the pandemic has afforded the company the opportunity to expand into new markets and develop additional products that will create more of a gym experience at home.

“We’re going to give our customers everything they need to stay healthy and fit at home — and stay within a really good budget.”

Finnegan is based in Tarzana, California, and has two children.

To learn more about Core Energy Fitness and Anchor Gym products, visit www.coreenergyfitness.com.

Creativity & Passion

Wendy Bergschneider Smith ’06 has always been passionate about health and wellness, but she never planned to found a business that would become the home base for yoga in west central Illinois. 

Smith recalls having a rebellious streak as a young adult, which was one of the reasons her parents urged her to transfer closer to home. Smith agreed, thinking she would spend a year at Illinois College and then move on to a larger university.  

“But I made a lot of friends and, through my experiences, I learned to love it there,” she recalls, reminiscing about her early days at IC. 

That wasn’t the only surprise that IC had in store for the ambitious student. Through the small-town campus, she found a connection to a fitness and wellness spa in southern California. There, she spent six months gaining hands-on experience in marketing and teaching classes in an industry that fit her talents well. She recalls growing in her knowledge of wellness, dance and yoga, but also becoming confident as a writer, teacher and marketing professional. 

When she returned to the Jacksonville area and graduated, she applied the skills she learned during her internship to teach health and wellness throughout the community, often leading classes at the local hospital or through pop-up events, which proved quite popular. 

“We didn’t have a space that we owned, but we would still have around 40 people show up for these classes,” she said. “That wasn’t something we planned for; the popularity just grew naturally.”

Unlike many entrepreneurs who map out their business plans for years, Smith had an opportunity suddenly at her fingertips — and it was not one she could pass up. She took her experiences of sharing yoga with students in gyms, schools, workplaces, hospitals, online, and in local studios and poured her expertise into founding Jax Yoga, a small studio nestled on the square in downtown Jacksonville, specializing in yoga, barre, dance and meditation.

“Yoga is a vehicle that can change my outlook and perspective in an hour, that can make my tired body feel energized and balance my emotions,” she said. “How could I not share a tool that evolves like that?” 

While her business idea came easily, Smith says entrepreneurship has not been without struggles. For instance, the onset of the pandemic meant that she could no longer offer traditional classes in the studio. She had to get creative to keep achieving her mission. 

“COVID was a struggle, and I wanted to do the right thing to keep everyone safe and healthy,” she said. Smith thought outside the box and offered some unique online programming, which also allowed her to broaden her reach to clients and new partners in geographic areas beyond Jacksonville. When restrictions started to lift, she was even able to convert an outdoor space for socially distanced class — with the support of her landlords and the Jacksonville community. 

“So many people were so fantastic to us,” she said. “I love visiting bigger cities like St. Louis and Nashville, but there is something really special that happens in a small town. We have really experienced that over the past year.” 

Jax Yoga’s intention is to be comfortable, accepting, and inclusive.

“When we say yoga for everybody, we mean everybody.”

Jax Yoga is located at 206 E State St. in Jacksonville. Learn more at www.jaxyogasquad.com. 

Leadership

Mark Kluemke ’88 founded Springfield, Illinois, financial services firm M.A. Kluemke & Associates after a successful career with Prudential Financial.

In his more than a decade with Prudential and even longer as an independent financial advisor, Kluemke has applied important lessons from his Illinois College experience. 

“To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t the best student,” he said with a laugh.

A history major, Kluemke was a leader on campus, including stints as president of Sigma Pi and Homecoming chair. He was recognized for his leadership as an early recipient of the Julian M. Sturtevant Campus Leadership and Service Award.

“The thing that IC did for me more than anything was it taught me to be involved in leadership and grow — something probably I would not have gotten at a larger school,” he said. “I look back on it fondly.”

Though he originally planned to be a teacher, he eventually followed his father’s footsteps and got into the financial services industry. He left Prudential in 2000, after moving several times with leadership roles in the company, and came back to central Illinois to become an independent financial advisor.
Kluemke says he wishes he had made the change sooner — he likes leading his own organization: “If I don’t like the environment that I’m building, it’s nobody’s fault but mine.”

Kluemke has a passion for teaching people and has found he can do that through financial services. He enjoys seeing “the light come on” as he helps them better understand their money. 

“In my business, in my practice, I teach,” he said. “I teach people about money and about how money works and help them to build better habits.”

This summer, he welcomed a current IC student, Nick McGhee ’22, as an intern for the first time. Kluemke met his wife, Amy Struck Kluemke ’89, at IC and they have three kids. Their youngest, Leah ’23, is a current IC student.

To learn more about M.A. Kluemke & Associates, visit www.makluemke.com.

Innovation & Enthusiasm

Take a walk through Green Haven Co. in downtown Jacksonville and you are bound to see something you have never encountered before. 

From the “refillery” stocked with zero-waste beauty and cleaning products to handmade gifts, the new store offers unique items aligned with a goal of “being kind to our earth.” 

That goal stems from the passion for sustainability and eco-friendly products shared by Green Haven’s three local founders. One of those founders is recent graduate Carissa Hewitt ’20, who earned her IC degree in marketing, art and economics. The young entrepreneur says that her professors at IC helped her to cultivate the confidence needed to launch something new. 

“I had really great professors who taught me the business side along with necessary soft skills I needed,” she said. “I have always wanted to own a small business and they pushed me in the right direction with guidance and support.” 

Located in downtown Jacksonville, the two-story shop launched in February 2021 and already has a strong following on social media. Hewitt says they have worked to grow partnerships throughout the region, and carry many local products from artisans, crafters and eco-friendly brands based in central Illinois. The store has also been featured on a local YouTube program and hosted special events, including instructional workshops and portrait sessions featuring local photographers and craftspeople 
in the upstairs loft. 

Hewitt says she is thankful for the overwhelming support of so many people in the few months the store has been open, especially because the business has so many local ties. 

“The downtown square in Jacksonville is really a special location,” she said. “I can’t think of a better place for our shop and we are so grateful to be a part of this community. I can’t wait to see how we are able to grow here.” 

Green Haven is located at 66 E Central Park Plaza, Ste. 100 in Jacksonville. To learn more and browse products, visit www.sustaingreenhaven.com. 

Discover Your Gifts

Mike ’73 and Martha Babcock Lowe ’74 own and operate Oklahoma-based Choice Connections, an advising service for seniors and families looking for senior living communities and elder care in their area.

“I believe that senior living should be like a long-awaited vacation,“ Martha said. 

The Lowes want to change the way people think about senior living. Martha said often people believe that when they have to leave their home, their next step will be lonely and boring, but the reality is that there is a lot of life to live. In their business, the couple works with the seniors and families to find the right housing that allows them to live their most fulfilling life.

During their time at IC, Mike and Martha were active on campus and became friends a few years before dating. She added, “It was a special time.” 

Mike majored in business and economics, while Martha majored in sociology. Through her major, Martha had many opportunities to work in the community and credits IC with helping her to come out of her shell and “have a real heart for people.” And the small atmosphere at IC is the reason she got to participate in so many outreach projects, including helping to develop a Meals on Wheels program with one of her professors. She went on to spend many years in social work and received Illinois College’s Distinguished Service Award in 2006. 

“Professors got to know you and got to know what your gifts are,” she said. 

Mike’s marketing career eventually led to a job as a long-term care administrator. And seniors have a special place in his heart — he was raised by his grandparents and the important people in life were always older. Their combined career and life experiences made for “a really good combination” when they went into business, Mike said.

The Lowes love what they’re doing now, which he said is a culmination of their experience.

“And Illinois College was a big part of that,” he said. “That’s where it all started.”

The Lowes have three kids and are expecting their first grandchild this summer.

To learn more about Choice Connections, visit www.choiceconnections.com/tulsa.