City manager cooks up plans and food
Published in the 8/30/09 issue of the Suburban Journals/Collinsville Herald
After a long day managing city departments, implementing a strategic plan and fussing with budgets, it only takes a little food to relax Collinsville City Manager Robert Knabel.
Knabel, 58, is an amateur gourmet chef, a hobby few who interact with him at City Hall know about.
“I’ve always been interested in cooking. It’s therapeutic for me,” Knabel said recently. “It allows me to focus on something different.”
A career as a gourmet chef was Knabel’s focus for several years in Galesburg, where he owned an Italian fine dining restaurant between stints as the city manager in Lewiston, Idaho; Batavia, N.Y.; and Litchfield.
“Cooking has an artistic flavor to it,” Knabel said. “You get to show ingenuity. It’s the artsy part of it that I find intriguing.”
He wasn’t always intrigued by the arts, though. As an avid sports fan and athlete in high school and college, Knabel “regrets not paying more attention to the arts.”
These days, he juggles his love of the arts and sports although he realizes his limitations. After participating in a community softball event this summer, he “found that a 58-year old cannot play like a 28-year old,” Knabel said.
His work at City Hall keeps him active, too. As Collinsville’s city manager since September 2006, Knabel began his position in the midst of the city’s creation of a strategic plan, a blueprint for future city growth and services.
His first task was to figure out how to implement the plan to accomplish four core values: customer focus, employee engagement, continuous improvement and financial sustainability.
Noting improvements in turnaround time on projects, customer service and employee performance management efforts, Knabel said, “It’s rewarding to see the efforts being made in our continuous improvement. Our approach is different. Customer service is about how you make people happy and willing to support what we do.”
Creating a culture of support is one of the many strengths Knabel possesses, according to Cheryl Brombolich, director of operations and city clerk for Collinsville. “He supports our thoughts and ideas and the staff is supportive of the plan that he has for the city,” Brombolich said.
Family also matters to Knabel. It just takes the mention of his seven grandchildren to change his business stature from manager to grandpa. “They just make you smile,” he said while flashing a proud smile in his City Hall office. “Had I known they (grandchildren) were so much fun, I would have had them first.”
Although his staff sees his “analytical side,” Knabel said his family, including his wife of 36 years, Linda, sees him as “pretty sensitive and compassionate.”
“At the end of the day, you choose to make the relationship grow,” Knabel said. “We’ve grown together as a couple and can finish each other’s sentences.”
Watching his son, Brett, and daughter, Nikki, grow has also strengthened his marriage, Knabel said. Not wanting to miss out on the growth of his family prompts multiple trips to the Chicago area each year to visit with his children and grandchildren.
But Collinsville is home. “I grew up in this area,” Knabel said. “I can relate to this area, this region. It is truly home for me.”
The flavor of the Midwest has always stirred this gourmet cook’s taste buds. “The Midwest has a strong work ethic and strong moral guidance to it,” Knabel said. “Those flavors appealed to us.”
– Shannon Philpott
August 29, 2009 - Posted by sphilpott | Feature Stories, Newspaper Writing, Sample Work | city manager, collinsville IL, gourmet chef, Robert Knabel, Suburban Journals
1 Comment »
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
About Me
Three words to describe me? Passionate. Motivated. Curious. These traits help me as a college media adviser and professor, freelance writer, author and mom. From student journalism and higher education to parenting and freelance writing, this site, focused on writing, reflecting and teaching, offers a mix of blogs with a hint of humor, sarcasm, and inspiration, as well as my published stories on just about every possible topic.
Feel free to browse my sample works including feature news, magazine, and web copywriting pieces from the past and present. You can also pick up my new book “Screen-Free Fun: 400 Activities for the Whole Family” now available. Check back often for daily updates, blog entries, and additional stories. Feel free to contact me directly at shphilpott@gmail.com, follow me on Twitter, or grab tips for Screen-Free Fun on our Facebook page. Comments are welcome!
Categories/Sample Work
Top Posts
-
Recent Posts
Archives
Search Blogs
-
Join 113 other subscribers
Twitter Feed
- Coming in at #4 for the '25 Best Gifts for Kids Under $25' is #ScreenFree Fun! #parenting #ChristmasIsComing… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ** 3 years ago
- Just a few days left to participate in this #screenfree #giveaway. Don't miss out! facebook.com/screenfreefunb…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ** 3 years ago
- IT'S #BACKTOSCHOOL #GIVEAWAY TIME! If you want to win a copy of Screen-Free Fun for yourself and for your favorite… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ** 3 years ago
Love the new look, keep up the great work the number of visitors must have increased?.