Landon Adams ’29 and JD Shoniker ’29 present the 2025–26 Beloit 10-Mile City Report

JD Shoniker ’29 and Landon Adams ’29 stepped onto campus as first-year students and members of the inaugural men’s hockey team and became consultants on the 2025–26 Beloit 10-Mile City Report. Belmark Associates, the student-led firm located in the Beloit College Center for Entrepreneurship (CELEB) produces this report every two years.

When Shoniker, a quantitative economics major and finance minor, agreed to consult for the report, he pulled in his roommate and teammate, Adams ’29, a quantitative economics major and law and justice minor. They met with Drew Pennington, president of Greater Beloit Economic Development Corporation (GBEDC), to understand his vision.

Adams and Shoniker used Esri GIS to collect economic data and widened their professional circle to include Susan Rowe, CELEB program coordinator, and local graphic designer Todd Anderbyrne. They discussed the report’s previous edition with Katie Arnold ’25 whose Impact Beloit internship led to her employment with Kerry Group, an international company headquartered in Beloit.

Sitting in a local café before their first report presentation to the GBEDC, the teammates spoke with community members, feeling their energy about the city, its changes, and how fun it is to live there. “We learned to see things through the eyes of those who are reading the report,” said Shoniker.

“This is the kind of work that turns academic preparation into career readiness —students taking what they learn in the classroom and applying it to a real client, with real deadlines and real stakes,” said Brian Morello, director of CELEB. “The project challenged them to communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, and deliver the professional-grade results that employers look for.”

This project gave Shoniker and Adams an opportunity to use applied economics in a professional setting, communicate with clients, navigate unexpected challenges, and connect with their audience. They look forward to sharing their experience with future Belmark Associates.