My Afternoon with Jim
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- Published on Sunday, 20 January 2013 14:21
- Written by Kevin Kizer
With Jim’s passing we have lost one of the true icons of and champions for Peoria. He isn’t just a part of Peoria history; he is a chapter in this city’s story – and a very large one at that. He served his country, he served his city, he served his employees, he served sick children and he served his family. While we are saddened by the loss, his spirit will live on in the hundreds – if not thousands – of people he has inspired over the years. This is my story of the afternoon I spent with Jim Maloof during August 2012.
I first met Jim in the summer of 2012 during a two-day photo shoot for Jim Maloof/Realtor. Over the course of those two days, Jim was photographed, sitting on a stool, with literally dozens of employees and some of their children, showing a remarkable amount of stamina for a man heading into his 93rd year. Jim was full of energy, quick witted and clearly enjoying himself.
Our photographer, the talented Mr. Kevin May, offered Jim a comfortable chair to sit in between shots. With everyone else busily prepping and preparing, I decided to sit down with Jim to keep him company during the downtime. Since I had never met this man who had played such an important role in Peoria’s last three decades, I knew there would be lots of things to talk about – his three terms as mayor, turning the city over to Richard Pryor for a day in the ‘80s, his wildly successful real estate company, his friendship with Danny Thomas, et al.
So when I first sat down with Jim on that first day, the questions started flying. Not from me, that is, but from him. Over the next two days, Jim was the one doing the questioning: where I was from originally, where I went to college, where I worked over the years (which led to an interesting conversation about local advertising agencies), did I have a dog (his beloved Chihuahua, Max, was there as well), am I married, was I married, why wasn’t I married, etc.
In short, we were getting on famously.
When the photo shoot wrapped, admittedly I was a bit saddened. After all, we still had a lot of things we hadn’t covered – like everything about him. So Jim asked me if I would like to get together in the future and just talk. Naturally, I agreed. And that led to my afternoon with Jim.
“Tell him he’s not welcome here!”
Fast forward a few weeks, to a crisp August day which finds me in the parking lot of Jim Maloof/Realtor, getting ready to spend the afternoon with Jim. Clearly he was ready for me. As I approached the office I heard a grizzled shout, “He’s here!” from within.
I entered and was greeted by the receptionist. I told her I was there to see Jim. She paged Jim on her speaker phone, ostensibly to alert him of presence (of which he was already aware). “Tell him he’s not welcome here!” was the shouted response. As someone who has an advanced degree in Smart Ass, I replied quickly, “I don’t care! I’m coming in whether you like it or not!”
Jim came to the door with a big smile, gave me a man hug (hand shake, pulled in close, pat on the back) and ushered me into his office. He had a fresh Coca-Cola can on his desk and offered to split it with me. I naturally demurred (who am I to deprive him of 6oz. of the pause that refreshes?). Jim asked again. Naturally I accepted the second time. Obviously, it was about more than the pause that refreshes.
An Optimist…in a good way
As someone who can very easily slip into what one might call a cynical state of mind, I discovered it impossible to remain that way in Jim’s presence. He lived, breathed and exuded positivity – and in the most positive way. There was nothing overwhelming or sugary about his outlook. It was genuine and second nature to a man who had seen his shares of ups and downs over the decades.
As someone who has interviewed a fair share of business leaders around the country (and world), Jim Maloof was by far the most authentic and down-to-earth I’d ever encountered.
In fact, when I returned to my office, I announced that if anyone was depressed, glum or what one might describe as down in the mouth, then they should spend 10 minutes with Jim Maloof and they would be cured.
A little note goes a long way
Jim believed that everyone could succeed in life and told me straight out that the reason he came into work every day, even at the age of 92, was to “help people win.”
Every week he would scan the Peoria Journal Star for stories about local kids succeeding in academics and athletics – and then send handwritten notes (along with the clipped-out article) congratulating them on their success and encouraging them in their future.
He would write upwards of 15 notes per week and, instead of sending them to the students’ homes, would send them to them at their schools. Why? So that the other students would be aware of the recognition and know there are people out there in the community who are rooting for them – and Jim Maloof was one of them.
More than a “little Lebanese pants presser”
Jim was the last of his three brothers to join the service around World War II, serving in the Air Force from 1943-46. While the brothers were away, the family’s cleaning business shut down. When Jim returned, he reopened the business and by 1968 had expanded it to 11 locations. But Jim had had enough of the up-and-down (spin-and-tumble?) business and wanted to be more than a “little Lebanese pants presser.”
One of his brothers had become a commercial developer after returning from the service and was central to the expansion of businesses up and down Knoxville Avenue during the 1960s. This motivated Jim to get his real estate license, after which his brother hired him. Jim’s first office – an 8’x10’ space – was little more than a walk-in closet. But it was there that he discovered his dream and destiny.
Five months later, with a small business loan in his pocket, Jim was able to get his own office on University (where the Golden Corral restaurant now resides) and began his first foray into residential real estate. He was working on a shoestring budget and struggling to make a go of it. He couldn’t even afford a receptionist, and friends would come by and volunteer their time answering the ever-increasing volume of phone calls Jim was receiving.
Making a name in real estate
In 1969, he opened his second office in the basement of a building at the corner of Gale and University and was able to hire a staff of six. By 1975, Jim Maloof/Realtor had taken over the Peoria real estate market becoming the leader in volume. A big part of that early success was the chance Jim took on a then-struggling new subdivision called “Edgewild”.
Edgewild had 280 lots and the real estate company in charge was struggling to sell any of them. Jim decided to make them a deal: give him 10 lots to build on at no risk, and he would sell them.
One home sold in two weeks. Another four homes quickly were sold as well. As a result of those quick successes, Jim Maloof/Realtor took over all 280 lots and turned them into one of Peoria’s most beautiful and elegant neighborhoods.
As the ‘70s closed out, Jim Maloof/Realtor was booming – but then came the industrial and economic collapse of the early Reagan years and the near-downfall of Jim Maloof Realtor.
Back from the brink…with a little help from his friends
The near-downfall of Jim Maloof/Realtor reads like something straight out of a movie: it’s the day before Christmas and Jim is getting ready to close up shop so he can head out to buy his wife, Trudy, a Christmas gift. The business was struggling and since things were tight, they decided to get each other only one gift that year.
As he’s preparing to leave, his phone rings and it’s his bank on the other end. Jim had maxed out his credit with the bank – upwards of $83,000 – and now they were letting him know that they would be calling on the loan the Wednesday after Christmas. If he couldn’t pay back the loan, his offices would be padlocked. He told his banker he would have to figure something out but right now he had to buy his wife a gift.
When he got home that evening (after getting the gift) and his wife saw him, she could immediately tell something was wrong. Jim told her not to worry, he had something to take care of and asked her to bring him two beers.
He went into his home office with the beers and sat down at his desk, ruminating on his situation. Among the papers scattered around his desktop was a card from Danny Thomas, famous actor and the founder of the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
Jim met Danny in 1957 at an American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) event in Chicago and the two quick-witted Lebanese Americans hit it off. Thomas called on Jim to support his efforts to start what was to become St. Jude’s and Jim jumped in with both feet. Now, 26 years later and the day before Christmas, Jim was in his own dire straits and struggling with it alone.
On the card was Thomas’s private phone number. Jim decided to give him a call on a whim, expecting no answer since it was late in the day on Christmas Eve. Surely, Thomas would be out at some party or event celebrating the holiday. But after a few rings, the phone was answered and a familiar voice came over the line. After Jim told Danny who it was that was calling, Danny let out what can be only described as a string of insulting superlatives – in a brotherly, humorous fashion.
After exchanging profanity-laden greetings, Jim explained his predicament to Danny and asked his advice. Danny immediately got serious. He asked Jim if he had the St. Jude’s Board list handy. Jim did. Danny told him that the two of them were going to split the list down the middle and call each Board member to ask for their help. Jim was taken aback. He couldn’t call and ask these people for money. He wasn’t even calling Danny for money, just his advice.
But Danny stopped him. He instructed Jim to call the Board members, tell them his story and then add, “And Danny’s in for $20,000…no, $25,000.” So Jim – reluctant and somewhat embarrassed – called six Board members and Danny called the other six. Within two hours they had raised nearly $93,000, which he would receive the day after Christmas. Jim was relieved – and yet still worried. Sure, he could pay off the bank and save his business, but now he had to pay off these very generous people who went out of their way to support him.
He called Danny back to thank him and work out a plan for repaying the loan. That’s when Jim experienced what might be called the Christmas Miracle of 1983.
“Jim, I called on you once in 1957 and you came through for me,” said Danny. “Now, I’m going to come through for you.” Jim was dumbstruck – there would be no repaying of the loan; it was a personal gift from Danny and the other Board members to him. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The company was back on solid ground which led to another major decision made the next year this time on Thanksgiving instead of Christmas and it involved saving the city he loved instead of his company.
Making a name in politics
It’s Thanksgiving Day in 1984 and Jim is spending the morning getting the turkey ready for the family dinner. Trudy, his wife, can tell something is on Jim’s mind, although she can tell it’s not a troubling thought. She asks him what he’s thinking about. His response: “I’m thinking about making a run for mayor.” Why? Well, like his business just a year ago, Peoria itself was in bad shape thanks to the economic downturn. While he was focusing on keeping his business going strong, he also wanted to focus on making Peoria strong again.
After the holiday, he sat down with a group of friends and trusted advisers to gauge their opinion. It was unanimous: Jim not only should run for mayor, he NEEDED to run for mayor. One of those men was Wayne Flittner of Ross Advertising. Wayne pledged his support and his advertising expertise to Jim’s cause. Early on Maloof’s chances were slim – he was polling low in nearly every precinct. But then, out of the blue, he was contacted by a Bradley University student who had heard about a program the Mayor of San Antonio had developed to rejuvenate that city’s economy (remember: this is 1985).
Jim contacted the Mayor of San Antonio and picked his brain regarding his strategy for growth. Afterwards, he holed up with his advisors to create his own plan. He emerged with something called “Forward Peoria!”, which Jim revealed during a live, televised debate with his opponent a few days later.
Jim arrived at the TV station for the debate and asked that an easel be placed by his podium on the set. His opponent was incensed – if Maloof gets and easel then he should get an easel, never mind the fact he had nothing to put on the easel. His wish was granted.
“I always wondered why he did that,” said Jim.
Jim made his “Forward Peoria!” pitch to the public that night, which included a variety of community task forces. He ended his pitch with a phone number, asking concerned Peorians who wanted to get involved to call. By the time he checked with his office that night, there already had been more than 40 phone calls from people volunteering their time and support.
Jim’s plan, it appeared, was beginning to resonate. So much so that on Election Day, Jim won the office of the Mayor of Peoria by a landslide, thus beginning what was to become a 12 year run as Peoria’s mayor – something he will always be to many of us no matter who might be in office at that moment.
The story comes to an end
And that’s where this story ends even though there’s a lot more to tell. It ends here because that’s where my afternoon with Jim ended. We had been talking for over three hours. The Coca-Cola was long gone and Max, his dog, was snoozing peacefully on the floor. As I was leaving, Jim gave me another hug and told me we would have to continue some other afternoon soon. I agreed.
I never got to spend another afternoon with the man who has meant so much to this city, but I did cross paths with him quite often up until his last month or so. And every time he would see me he would give me a sly smile and ask, “When are we gonna chat again?”
