“10 Questions with…” is a Courier-News feature in which reporter Rafael Guerrero interviews someone in the Elgin area we think you should know and finds out a little more about what makes them who they are.
Clint Borucki
Age: 53
Hometown: Chicago
Currently lives in: Glen Ellyn
Job: Owner/founder of Acme Design Inc. in Elgin, which manufactures models, trade show displays, prototypes and other items. It was founded in 1992 and moved to Elgin in 2001.
Education: LUniversity of Illinois-Chicago graduate
Family: Married
Do you have a favorite project built here at Acme?
Usually my favorite project is whatever I am working on right now because I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. There are projects that we do that we cannot wait to finish and then there are others we just don’t want to end.
Right now, we’re doing these things for the Smithsonian (museum and research center). It’s for a collectibles company doing work with the Smithsonian. There’s some museum work we just finished. We also just finished a trade show project. We have some prototyping work we’re doing for a restaurant equipment manufacturer. It just varies.
What is unique about where Acme Design is located here in Elgin?
One of the first things that made me realize how special this place was was when we met our first ROPE (Resident Officer Program of Elgin) officer. I had never experienced that. When I grew up in Chicago, I knew police officers because there were a lot of police officers that lived out in the far northwest corner (where I grew up). But I didn’t get to see them doing their jobs. I just saw them at home with their kids.
Having the ROPE officer visit us, he’s kind of like the local sheriff almost.
What do people not know about you?
I’ve only ever had two jobs my entire life. This and one other job.
What talent do you wish you had that you don’t?
I wish I was better at predicting the future of business. I have more of a brain for being creative than being a businessman. The business has stayed around because I’m stubborn and bullheaded more so than brilliant at business.
What’s your favorite holiday?
Halloween is one of my favorites. Back when I was a kid, we would decorate our house in Chicago for Halloween. We would do crazy stuff.
We lived along Cumberland Avenue, which is like a highway. I’m pretty sure we caused at least one car accident because of people stopping to look at the house. We would put big spider webs and we’d have dummies out there. We were way ahead of our time with Halloween decorations.
Do you have a favorite pop culture character?
My wife and I are big movie geeks. The (comic book and movie character) Rocketeer is probably our all-time favorite.
My favorite is probably the alien (from the movie ‘Alien’). I’ve been a fan of “Alien” ever since I was a little kid. Both of those characters shaped who I am. I like the dark side of “Alien” and the Rocketeer is just a good guy.
What you wearing for Halloween this year?
I don’t have a lot of costumes. I do have a Rocketeer costume because I’m a dork. I have an Alien spacesuit, but they’re not things I would go and dress up in because they’re just warm and uncomfortable.
I’ve always wanted to have a Captain America costume. But I think I would have to put on about 75 pounds in the right places and I’m too lazy to work out.
What do you find fascinating that others might not?
There’s a convention we did in Washington, D.C., a science fiction science fair convention. I like talking to smart people and what they’re doing. I like interesting and quirky people.
Talking to people from NASA, nobody is going to know who they are. But I get more excited about that because they’re doing something important rather than just being famous.
Who would you like to meet some day?
Barack and Michelle Obama, I think it would be cool to meet them. I think they’re real and they’re doing what they want to do and what they should be doing. They seem genuine, or at least I hope they are.
What TV shows are you watching?
“Stranger Things” is awesome. I love the retro end of it because I lived through the ’80s.
I watch a lot of YouTube videos because I have a short attention span. Four-minute videos have quick beginnings, middles and ends.
“The Good Place” is another show we saw a while back and we really enjoyed it.
raguerrero@tribpub.com
