GrahamSpencer

06/06/2026

Last night, the The 1834 Alliance of Transformational Dreamers & Doers honored the transformation of Downtown Rockford (from 1980 - 2026) with its inaugural Transformers Honor.

Our team at GrahamSpencer are all longtime believers in and supporters of our center city - so having the opportunity to tell that story was both a professional privilege and a personal honor. Our civic values are in perfect alignment with those of the leaders of the 1834 Alliance: we share their belief that transformational progress happens when citizens, business leaders, institutions, artists, entrepreneurs and elected officials work together toward something larger than themselves.

And we believe such work deserves to be remembered, studied and honored.

Downtown Rockford's revival was built through years of dreaming, persistence, partnership and trust - by people who refused to give up on the city they love.

We are grateful for the opportunity to help create and launch this new organization, develop its brand and tell the stories of the remarkable people and partnerships that continue to transform our community.

If you were unable to join us last night at the Nordlof Center and Rockford Public Library, we invite you to experience the story for yourself. Follow the link to read the honoree profile, watch the documentary film and learn more about the people, projects and partnerships that helped transform Downtown Rockford. And, please - share your thoughts.

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Transformers Honor recognizes an achievement more than four decades in the making.

The transformation of Downtown Rockford is a story of vision, persistence and hundreds, if not thousands of people who believed the heart of our city was worth fighting for.

Read the inspiring story behind our inaugural Transformers Honor recipient on the 1834 Alliance website, and be sure to enjoy our documentary film.

https://1834alliance.org/transformers-honor/

03/12/2026

Rockford’s story has always been about collaboration.

When Transform Rockford set out to create a lasting way to recognize the partnerships that move the region forward, they asked GrahamSpencer to help give that idea a name, a voice and a visual identity.

The result is the The 1834 Alliance of Transformational Dreamers & Doers—a civic brand rooted in the year Rockford’s founders first chose to build here together.

The initiative recognizes the cross-sector collaborations that shape our community—from housing and economic development to arts, education and innovation—and invites the next generation of leaders to carry that work forward.

We’re proud to partner with Transform Rockford on building an initiative designed to carry meaning and momentum for decades.

Read more about the project: https://f.mtr.cool/xjupqlgbwr

03/09/2026

BON VOYAGE, SUNIL PURI

When Sunil arrived in Rockford from Bombay in 1979 with $150 in his pocket, nobody knew that he carried with him an indomitable spirit and scintillating vision that would take decades to fully reveal themselves.

By the time he left us this past weekend at just 65 years of age, he had reshaped our city in many ways – its skyline, its economy and even its soul.

At GrahamSpencer, we were proud to have partnered with Sunil on projects over the years, including the branding of First Midwest Gropu and helping him and Jim Keeling launch the PerryVille Path project. That wonderful project, in and of itself, proves that Sunil was a man of great vision who truly cared about other travelers on this mortal coil.

As founder and CEO of First Midwest Group, he built shopping centers, lofts, sports complexes and gathering places that became part of the fabric of our daily life here. He gave millions – to Rockford University, to the YMCA, to schools and shelters and organizations that needed a champion. He gave quietly, the way people do when the giving itself is the point. He did these things with faith and respect.

But statistics and dollar signs can't capture the man. They can't measure the warmth in the room when he would join you for a meeting – the way he made you feel, in a deep conversation or a text or an email – that your work and your opinions mattered and your friendship was valued. He had a gift for that; for seeing people and letting them know he saw them.

He also had a gift for laughter. Fifteen years ago, I was invited to help roast Sunil at his 50th birthday party. I joked that, as a man of Hindu faith, he had the gift and reassurance of reincarnation – which would be amazing, unless he came back as Ronald Reagan. (Sunil was a devoted member of the Democratic party and friends with luminaries like Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Richard Durbin.) Sunil laughed hard. His Pujari, standing right next to him when I cracked that joke, did not – which suggested I had crossed a line. Sunil never held it against me.

The last words he wrote to me, typed a short time before his planned departure for one final trip to India this winter, were characteristically Sunil: playful and warm and hopeful. He said he was looking forward to our meeting in February and hearing what "The Master" had to say. Calling me "Master" was not just a compliment. It was a reminder that he expected to learn something when we met. Sunil expected people to stand and deliver, just as he always did.

If he gave you his time, THAT was a compliment.

I recently found this 12-year-old "In Good Company" video. In it, Sunil and Jim Keeling – his frequent partner in doing good things – discuss the challenges they met in the arena of youth sports tourism in their long philanthropic quest to make Rockford a better place to visit and live.

The video encapsulates Sunil's spirit and his partnership with others (also among my favorite people) like Wendy Perks Fisher and Webbs Norman. I hope you enjoy it, and that you have a warm thought for our friend along the way.

By the way, Sunil and I did not have that meeting in February. That makes me sad, but the gift of his friendship and what he did for our city will stay with all of us forever.

"The soul is never born nor dies at any time. It has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval." — Bhagavad Gita 2:20

Respectfully, Jay Graham

This is "RACVB - Sportscore - Sunil & Jim" by GrahamSpencer on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

01/22/2026

We’re proud to partner with Rockford Public Schools to help launch The Quad at RPS -- a bold, hands-on learning center where students do real work with real tools.

From strategy and research to naming and visual identity, our team helped shape a shared, future-focused space bringing together students from all four RPS high schools.

Now open and full of energy, The Quad shows what’s possible when creativity, purpose, and community come together.

Read the news on our website

https://grahamspencer.com/grahamspencer-partners-with-rps-205-to-launch-the-quad/

12/24/2025

We’re grateful for the trust you place in our team and the opportunity to collaborate with people who care deeply about their work. Thank you for the conversations, partnerships and shared sense of purpose.

Warm wishes for a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Your Friends at GrahamSpencer

12/10/2025

Boone County Council on Aging needed a brand as warm as the heart of its mission. Research revealed a defining theme: connection drives dignity, independence and community. The "Senior Connections" brand was born along with many new communications tools to bring the mission to life.

Read the full story on our website.

A Proud Mission Hidden Behind an Outdated Brand For nearly half a century, the Boone County Council on Aging (BCCA) has served as a trusted lifeline for older adults and caregivers in Belvidere and Boone County. The organization was providing transportation, social activities, Medicare and Social Se...