MORTON – Jess Brown was on the fast track in California’s digital workplace but instead of staying in California and relocating to Silicon Valley, he and his family moved back to Greater Peoria.

As Vice President of Design for Aspiration, a financial tech (fintech) company based in Los Angeles that helps users improve their bottom line (while making a positive impact on the world), Brown can be found working out of his home or coffee shop in Morton or at The Nest in Peoria; heading up a 10-person team that works remotely from different parts of the country.

PEORIA -- If there's a poster child for the technology movement for the Peoria area, it may be Reuben Cummings.

An African American who grew up on Peoria's South Side (his mother, Yvette Cummings, still lives on Starr Street) left Greater Peoria to get his education at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduation, he stayed in Boston to refine his computer skills before deciding to see the world.

PEORIA -- If you missed this month's edition of Software Executive, that's Pekin native Brandon Dewitt on the cover.

As the co-founder of Utah-based MX Engineering where he serves as chief technology officer, Dewitt helps lead a fast-growing digital firm that provides online services to banks and credit unions across the country.

PEORIA -- One of the things that Anna Palmer remembers about growing up in Pekin was a fondness for garage sales. Finding something nice to wear at a reduced price is a concept that not only led to a flourishing startup but started Palmer on the road to entrepreneurial success.