When Brian Denney graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in microbiology more than 20 years ago, he walked away knowing one thing: He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life working in a hospital. Instead, he did what many recent graduates do—he went home. In his case, that was to Jacksonville, IL, current population: 18,000. While waiting for inspiration, he bid his time working at his parents’ jewelry shop, a classic, family-run operation established in 1954.