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Barrington head hunter turns to music to heal

Barrington resident Russ Riendeau is senior partner of East Wing Group Inc. and ordinarily helps people find jobs. Now he wants to help heal them.

After hurting his back and neck, he soon realized the healing properties of music. That’s when he recorded a CD called “Sudden Inspiration,” that will be marketed to surgeons, hospitals and others in the medical community to help patients relax and perhaps heal faster. The CD will be released in May via iTunes, Amazon, Pandora and other outlets.

“I’m trying to send a message to the health care industry that they should utilize music more in a hospital setting, in their practice and elsewhere, using music as an additional treatment,” Riendeau said.

The idea for the healthy CD came about a year ago when Riendeau woke up and had pain in his left arm. Thinking it was the start of a heart attack, he went to the ER to discover it wasn’t his heart, it was orthopedic pain instead. As time went on, the pain worsened and he decided to try and play his guitar.

“I just wanted to get my mind off the pain, but at first it was hard to hold the guitar,” he said.

He forced himself to play and, before he knew it, more time had past and he actually felt better. So he started writing pieces for the new CD.

This isn’t Riendeau’s first CD. He released “Four Winds” in 2010 and it was sold on Amazon and iTunes, he said.

“I’ve been writing and recording music for a number of years now,” he said.

Riendeau, an executive recruiter, also found time to earn a doctorate in developmental psychology to better understand people, how they learn and make decisions, and what influences them.

“As a behavioral scientist, I spend a lot of time doing empirical and medical journal research related to music and the mind, as well as neuromarketing concepts,” he said.

While his music isn’t intended to cure anything, he said it could make things easier.

“The music is intended for both flushing out our creative spirit and ideas, as well as relaxing and stress-relieving music,” he said.

Not so dumb

John Wayne Zimmerman of St. Charles is the founder and CEO of eRocketFuel, a social media agency in Chicago. He’s also the author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Facebook Marketing,” aimed at business owners. He and his 18 staffers develop and provide training for social media strategies for clients worldwide, including American Medical Association, Disney, Hilton and Hyatt.

Being ‘disruptive’ at Abbott

Erik Wahl, a graffiti artist and international motivational speaker, will discuss so-called disruptive strategies to build teams and leadership skills on April 20 with employees at Libertyville-based Abbott Laboratories. Wahl specializes in disruptive strategies, or providing guidance on how to do business in different ways to keep competitors at arm’s length. Wahl has given such talks at AT&T, Disney and Microsoft.

Bluhm-ing for entrepreneurs

Philanthropists and entrepreneurs Leslie Bluhm and David Helfand, who are husband and wife and run the Bluhm/Helfand Social Innovation Fellowship, are continuing their partnership with the Chicago Ideas Week for entrepreneurs. The fellowship will bring entrepreneurs from across the globe to Chicago Oct. 8-14. It is designed to recognize social entrepreneurs who have developed ventures addressing social needs and provides them with exposure to nationally recognized business and community leaders, funding to support their cause, and a platform for growth. By the way, Bluhm is the daughter of Neil Bluhm, a real estate magnate and backer of the Des Plaines-based Rivers Casino. Leslie Bluhm also founded the volunteer service organization Chicago Cares.

FastTrack

Dentists Claudio Levato and Sharon Levato of West Chicago and Gilbert Abadilla of Glendale Heights, all of Comprehensive Dentistry Ltd., will host a free dental care event on April 21 to the first 50 residents in need in DuPage County. It takes place at Dentistry From The Heart, 183 S. Bloomingdale Road, Suite 200, Bloomingdale. Find out more at www.ComprehensiveDentistry.com or call (630) 283-1242. ... James Messmore of Wheaton is the new chairman of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce’s Infrastructure Council. Messmore is a senior vice president at Hanson Professional Services Inc. in Chicago.

R. Kelly Disser III, senior associate with NAI Hiffman’s Industrial Services Group, has received the Frank Mahoney Award of Excellence from the Wheaton-based Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers. Besides considering transaction volume, the award focuses on giving back to the community. He supports a number of charities, including National Down syndrome Society, St. Baldrick’s Foundation and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. ... Naperville resident Andrew Smith, president of Impact Advisors LLC, a health care technology consulting firm, said his company has moved its headquarters to 400 East Diehl Road, Suite 190, Naperville. Impact Advisors works with community hospitals, academic medical centers and integrated delivery networks.

Steve Haber of San Diego, Calif., will join Hoffman Estates-based Sears early next month as president of home appliances. The former Sony Electronics executive will be charged with boosting Sears’ appliance business at a time when competition increases among home improvement stores and other retailers offering name brand appliances. ... Dr. Barry Rosen of Long Grove, a surgeon and vice president of medical management at Good Shepherd Hospital, is one of the first doctors on staff to use inter-operative radiation therapy. It allows breast cancer patients to complete their radiation therapy immediately following a lumpectomy.

Longtime Chief Financial Officer Dale Cooper has retired and Patrick Napue takes over at Elk Grove Village-based Arthur J. Rogers & Co., a brokerage and property and facility management firm. ... Odalys Berrens of Volo is the new owner of Lawn Doctor, serving McHenry and Lake counties. ... Bob Arkema of Glenview was promoted to executive vice president at Niles-based Johnson & Quin Inc., a provider of interactive solutions and direct mail campaigns. ... Kim S. Biederman of Park Ridge has been selected to serve as the new executive director of The Publicity Club of Chicago. ... Ashley Bronner is a new physical therapist at West Physical Therapy PC, serving Geneva and Sugar Grove.

Don Stone, managing partner and chief information officer of Chicago-based Plan Sponsor Advisors took home the Advisor Leadership Award from the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries annual meeting in New Orleans last week. Stone, who accepted the award on behalf of the team, lives in Winnetka. The team also includes Jennifer Flodin of River Forest. ... Golf residents Chris and Scott Bates moved their Art Post Gallery from Glenview to The Shops of Willow Festival in Northbrook.

Ann C. Schreiner is the new president and CEO of LaGrange Park-based Pillars, a mental health and social service agency in the western suburbs. She has been serving in that position since the retirement of John W. Schustitzky last fall. ... Park Ridge resident Michael Guerra, vice president of external affairs and large customer solutions at ComEd, is a new member of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

Erik Wahl
Leslie Bluhm
David Helfand
Claudio Levato
Sharon Levato
Gilbert Abadilla
James Messmore
R. Kelly Disser III
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