DECATUR - John Willis was tired of the commute from Harristown to Springfield.

So when he spotted a shuttered auto repair shop on Eldorado Street, he thought that might be the solution.

"I had been praying that God would give me something in Decatur," Willis said. "I contacted Meineke to find out what it would take to open it up and contacted the Realtor."

But while Willis had a wealth of experience managing auto repair shops, he had never owned a business. He realized he needed help to make the transition from employee to employer.

A friend told him about SCORE, a volunteer organization that helps entrepreneurs start businesses and cope with challenges. Willis contacted the Decatur chapter at Millikin University.

Willis was assigned a counselor, Ken Harm, a retired Caterpillar Inc. executive who began volunteering at SCORE in 1992.

"Ken gave me a lot of advice on things to research," Willis said. "He told me everything I needed to investigate so I could determine whether it would be profitable or not. He told me where to go for the information. I had no idea."

Two groups of Millikin students, from accounting and marketing, were assigned to help Willis. The first group helped him set up his accounting program. The second advised him on how to make his shop more appealing, especially to women.

"Both sets of these kids were just awesome," Willis said. "They just helped me so much. They did research and discovered it is more females than males that bring in the cars. They told me it was offensive to a woman for the bathroom door to be open. They said it kind of smells like grease (in the waiting room). I put candles in the waiting room and a plant."

Helping since 1964

SCORE, a nonprofit group initiated in 1964 as a partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, has 389 chapters throughout the nation, including several in Central Illinois.

It helped create almost 20,000 new businesses in 2007, according to the SCORE Web site. With 15 paid staff members and more than 10,000 volunteers nationwide, SCORE has been funded annually since 2001 by a $4.95 million federal grant.

Originally an acronym for Senior Corps of Retired Executives, SCORE has changed its designation to Counselors to America's Small Businesses.

The Decatur chapter, with 35 counselors, assists about 200 businesses each year, said chapter Chairman Myung Kim.

The chapter has helped a variety of businesses, including machine shops, restaurants, retail stores and a photography studio.

The local SCORE chapter, started at Millikin in 1977, is unique.

Mike Keaton, spokesman for the national SCORE office, said most chapters are co-located with Chambers of Commerce or Small Business Association offices. While other chapters work with colleges, he does not believe any other chapters are located on a college campus.

Kim, who began serving with SCORE after retiring from A.E. Staley Mfg. Co., said there is a SCORE branch at Eastern Illinois University, which likely later will become a chapter. It has about 15 counselors and is supported by the Decatur chapter. Kim said many chapters began as branches supported by chapters, including those in Champaign and Bloomington.

For those who prefer to gather information on the Internet, SCORE recently has initiated 40 online courses on subjects such as business planning, starting a business, managing finances and marketing. Each course take about 30 minutes to complete; all are free of charge.

Building confidence

When Bob Hauskins was laid off when Borg-Warner Corp. closed down in 1987, he and a co-worker decided to open a tool and die company. When they went to a bank for financing, they were asked for their business plan.

"What's that?" Hauskins asked the banker.

They received a referral to SCORE, which showed them a template for a business plan.

"They gave us a lot of advice," Hauskins said. "They really helped us get started."

Nine years later, Hauskins was having problems finding reliable employees.

"By the mid-'90s, it was becoming more difficult to find employees without drug and alcohol problems," Hauskins said. "That was becoming an issue, and I didn't want it to become a legal issue."

He turned to SCORE for help.

Harm sent over four accounting students, who interviewed Human Resources professionals to find out what they did. They helped write out an employee handbook, which clearly spelled out what was expected, including termination if they came to work under the influence.

Hauskins said SCORE gave him a level of confidence to start his business and helped it to run smoothly when he hit an obstacle.

Hauskins and Willis said they believed they would have had to pay thousands of dollars for the kind of assistance they obtained from SCORE for free.

"Ken was a fantastic individual to work with," Willis said. "I consider him a friend. If all of those counselors are as good as Ken, they have an awesome program."

hfreeman@herald-review.com|421-6985