ProBid to open on North MacArthur Boulevard
After starting out as a home-based business helping clients with residential and commercial construction projects, ProBid is now in the midst of a significant project of its own. Owner Justin Conder is moving his business to 223 N. MacArthur Boulevard, the 10,000-square-foot building at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Jefferson Street that most recently…
Building Permits – Oct. 10 – Oct. 16, 2022
Windsor Development Group, Inc. obtained a commercial building permit for 3536 S. Park Ave. Windsor Homes, Inc. is the contractor and the project is valued at $4,508,000. LV Springfield, LLC obtained a commercial building permit for 3201 W. White Oaks Dr., Suite 100D. Milliman Construction is the contractor and the project is valued at $125,000.…
Springfield Chamber of Commerce to hold ‘Shoes, Brews & Biz event on Oct. 20
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual ‘Shoes, Brews & Biz event on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 5-9 p.m. at the LRS Hanger. ‘Shoes, Brews & Biz will highlight our region’s restaurants, breweries and other small businesses. Attendees will be able to taste unique horseshoes from seven food vendors, craft beers from…
Pasfield House to reopen Oct. 22
“Everything is going really well, but it’s down to the wire,” said owner Molly Frey of plans to reopen the Pasfield House Oct. 22. Frey had originally hoped to have the historic property at 525 S. Pasfield St. operational by July, but the renovations turned out to be more significant than originally planned. “The roof…
HAE’s Bakery and Coffee Shoppe opens Oct. 19
HAE’s Bakery and Coffee Shoppe will open its first brick-and-mortar location on Oct. 19, although plans for additional locations are already in the works. Owners Chris and Amy Benad purchased 921 W. Jefferson St. in January and demolished the former Family Dollar building on the site. Amy Benad told SBJ at the time, “We originally…
Stella Coffee & Tea opens on West Governor Street
Rich and Sarah Van Dorn have had a busy year. In March, the couple relocated from Florida to Springfield, and on Oct. 8 they opened their new business, Stella Coffee & Tea, at 1135 W. Governor St. “Our daughter lives here, and during the pandemic we would come up to visit and stay in hotels.…
Building Permits – Oct. 3 – Oct. 9, 2022
Hammond Sheet Metal Co. obtained a commercial remodel permit for a structure at 1700 Taylor Ave. The contractor is Paul Bouda and the project is valued at $85,000. Dog Eared, LLC obtained a commercial remodel permit for 415 E. Adams St. Cloyd Builders is the contractor and the project is valued at $150,000. SHP Properties,…
The Wakery, a late-night coffee shop and dry bar, to open on the Old State Capitol Plaza
The Wakery, a late-night coffee shop and dry bar planned for downtown Springfield, is moving closer to becoming a reality. Owner Elizabeth Wake said she’s signed a lease for 5 Old State Capitol Plaza, which previously housed Long Nine Junction. The restaurant closed in February 2021 when owners Corey and Emily Faucon moved to Petersburg…
FitBodies opening in new location on Constitution Drive
FitBodies opens today in a new location at 3430 Constitution Drive. “This is our third move, and last one, I hope,” said Chris Schmulbach, who started the gym in 2017 along with his wife, Kendra. Initially, FitBodies occupied a 1,500-square-foot building on South MacArthur Boulevard and outgrew that space after the first year. For the…
Conn’s Hospitality Group to open 7th Street Cidery on Oct. 14
Conn’s Hospitality Group will open 7th Street Cidery, the first craft cidery in central Illinois, on Friday, Oct. 14. The building at 503 S. Seventh St. most recently housed Wm. Van’s Coffee House, which closed in April. At the time, Karen Conn, owner and CEO of Conn’s Hospitality Group, told SBJ that relocating Wm. Van’s…
Jen Kusak joins Hanson Professional Services
Jen Kusak recently joined Hanson Professional Services Inc. as a project administrator. She will assist project managers in all areas of the project process, including planning, startup, execution, monitoring and closeout, as well as the financial aspects such as invoicing, budget reports and accounts receivable tracking. Kusak was previously a manager of care coordination for…
Casa Real to reopen in Legacy Pointe Oct. 12
Casa Real’s last day of operations at the corner of Wabash Avenue and Veterans Parkway was May 29, and the building at 3100 W. White Oaks Drive has now been demolished to make way for the construction of Springfield’s first Raising Cane’s, a fast-food restaurant specializing in chicken fingers. Owner Jose Lopez had already signed…
Advance care planning: A hard conversation worth starting
By Brian McCurdy Research shows that only one out of every three Americans has an advance directive in place, documenting their end-of-life and health care wishes. Though death is a topic many of us would rather not consider, it is a reality we all face. Choosing to empower ourselves at the end of life may…
Heartland Healing Arts Center holding open house Oct. 7
Heartland Healing Arts Center, which nearly doubled its space with a recent move to a new west-side location, is holding an open house on Friday, Oct. 7, from 4-7 p.m. at 4211 Westgate Dr. The 4,200-square-foot office space was the former office of Reliable Environmental Engineering. Heartland Healing Arts Center was previously located at 907…
The Range Bourbon & Brew opens in Chatham
Bourbon lovers now have a new option to quench their thirst. The Range Bourbon & Brew has opened in Chatham, occupying the space at 316 N. Main Plaza that previously housed 3Sixteen Wine Bar. The wine bar closed in February of this year. However, previous patrons of 3Sixteen will notice some changes to the interior.…
Brian Hoffman becomes director of industry partnerships for Strategic Resource Management
Brian Hoffman is the new director of industry partnerships for Strategic Resource Management, as of Oct. 3. He spent 12 years with the Illinois Bankers Association in a variety of positions, most recently as president of Illinois Bankers Business Services. Prior to that, Hoffman worked for Security Bank in Springfield for nearly 10 years. Strategic…
Building Permits – Sept. 26 – Oct. 2, 2022
Sam’s Real Estate Business Trust obtained a commercial remodel permit for 2300 W. White Oaks Drive. Rick Shipman Construction Co. is the contractor and the project is valued at $90,000. Luis Morales obtained a commercial remodel permit for 4117 Wabash Ave. Joyner Construction Services, Inc. is the contractor and the project is valued at $40,000.…
New Mel-O-Cream Donuts opens on Yucan Drive
The newest retail location for Mel-O-Cream Donuts is now open at 4411 Yucan Drive. Mel-O-Cream occupies 1,300 square feet on the west end of the strip center built by Joyner Construction Services earlier this year at the corner of Yucan Drive and Archer Elevator Road. Springfield resident Amanda Crossland acquired the four existing retail locations…
Dolphin Chicken, Fish and Grill
By Thomas Pavlik I’ve been seeing lots of chatter on social media about Dolphin Chicken, Fish and Grill, and hearing some of my friends make favorable comments about it. So, I figured it was time to give Dolphin a shot. First thing to know is that Dolphin is drive-thru and take-out only. Second thing is…
Q&A with John Kelker
By David Blanchette John Kelker says he always knew he wanted to help people, and he worked in the nonprofit sector throughout his professional career. After graduating from MacMurray College in Jacksonville, he worked in Carrollton and Jacksonville before moving to Springfield in 1996 to become president of the United Way of Central Illinois. He…
Rob Wilbern bringing Potbelly Sandwich Shop to Springfield
Springfield will soon have its first Potbelly Sandwich Shop. Rob Wilbern, a certified public accountant who also owns Robert’s Automotive and several other businesses in Springfield, has signed a franchise agreement with the parent company for Potbelly. Wilbern will open a total of five restaurants throughout Springfield, Decatur and Champaign, although the exact locations and…
Presentation by Bonni Burns, BAM Marketing Agency founder and CEO
Join AWC Springfield for an engaging presentation by Bonni Burns, BAM Marketing Agency founder and CEO, on the “Red Shiny Ball” — a common mistake companies make when approaching marketing. Businesses can spend a lot of money creating something and then have no money left to show the world what they’ve created. Burns will explain…
15 Under Fifteen – 2022
This is the 20th year that Springfield Business Journal has partnered with United Community Bank to recognize 15 outstanding small businesses in the local area. To qualify, a business must be located in Sangamon or Morgan county, have been open for at least two years and have 15 or fewer full-time employees. A business…
Three Twigs Bakery & Bistro will be joining Biscuits + Brunch and The Salted Lemon – Market & Creamery under one roof
Emily Lewis said she always envisioned combining her three businesses into one location, but now Three Twigs Bakery & Bistro will be joining Biscuits + Brunch and The Salted Lemon – Market & Creamery sooner than anticipated. “We knew one day we wanted to create a beautiful space of our own where we would build…
Roots Latin Grill adding Socavon, a bar and lounge
Roots Latin Grill is expanding with the addition of a bar and lounge just two doors down from the restaurant. “A lot of customers go to the restaurant just to get drinks,” said owner Luis Morales. “I wanted to make a lounge and bar with more of a restaurant vibe on the quality of drinks.…
Karissa Allen joins Hanson Professional Services
Karissa Allen has joined Hanson Professional Services Inc. as an event coordinator She will coordinate Hanson’s involvement at trade shows, conferences and other events. Allen was most recently an education and events coordinator for the Illinois Municipal League and also previously worked for Horace Mann. She received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville…
Building Permits – Sept. 19 – Sept. 25, 2022
BBT16, LLC obtained a commercial building permit for 2935 Clear Lake Ave. the contractor is Patrick Grunloh and the project is valued at $650,000. Mei-Hsueh Pan and Jon E. Sorenson obtained a commercial remodel permit for 3050 Lindbergh Blvd. Feng Yang is the contractor and the project is valued at $200,000. Illinois Sheriff’s Association obtained…
Mas Sabores
Until recently, I thought that Mas Sabores was only a bakery, ice cream and dessert shop. But a friend mentioned having lunch there a few weeks back, so I decided to check the place out. Mas Sabores (which means more flavors), the sister restaurant to Sabores in Chatham, is located on North Grand Avenue in…
Bungee fitness classes are coming to Springfield, with Bungee by Dene Fitness
A new concept in fitness is coming to Springfield, with Bungee by Dene Fitness slated to open at 4315 Yucan Drive by the end of the year. Owner Dene Romanotto previously taught group fitness classes at the YMCA of Springfield and Rocket Fitness in Rochester. “I had some injuries, and not having the ability to…
Building Permits – Sept. 12 – Sept. 18, 2022
Connie Martin Baker, LLC et al in care of Martin & Bayley, Inc. obtained a commercial demolition permit for a car wash at 2801 Lindbergh Blvd. The contractor is modern Demolition and the project is valued at $8,000. CDS Office systems obtained a commercial roofing permit for work at 612 S. Dirksen Parkway. Williams Roofing…
Empire Korean Steakhouse and Bar opening Oct. 1
A new concept is coming to Springfield as Empire Korean Steakhouse and Bar prepares to open Oct. 1. Co-owner Kevin Huang said his father owns the real estate at 2100 W. White Oaks Dr., which was initially leased to TGI Fridays. The restaurant closed in March 2020 during the statewide stay-at-home order and never reopened.…
