Several Armbruster Manufacturing Company employees have worked for the 149-year-old firm for approximately one-third of its history. What keeps the employees coming to work at the same place for decades? “It’s been a fun job. I’ve been to England four times and to Norway,” said Jim Wiggins, who has worked for 51 years at Armbruster. […]
David Blanchette
David Blanchette has been involved in journalism since 1979, first as an award-winning broadcaster, then a state government spokesperson, and now as a freelance writer and photographer. He was involved in the development of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and more recently the Jacksonville Area Museum. David and his wife, Sue, live in Petersburg.
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A Q&A with Rev. Silas Johnson
Silas Johnson was born and raised in Mississippi but has lived in Springfield for the past 50 years. He had a dual career for many years, working as a journeyman electrician in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 193 while also pastoring Community Baptist Church for a decade and then Calvary Baptist Church for […]
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How to succeed as a Black-owned business
Black people comprise more than 14 percent of the nation’s population but only 2.3 percent of businesses are Black-owned, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau figures. The most recent American Communities Survey shows that while Black businesses make up approximately 11 percent of all businesses in Illinois, they comprise only two percent of the state’s […]
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New owner for Tax Partners Holdings
How do you take over a legacy small business that was founded in Springfield 20 years before you were born? If you’re Emmanuel “Manny” Davis, you just dive right in. The 24-year-old Davis became the new owner of Tax Partners Holding, Inc. (TPH) on Feb. 1. The tax preparation and bookkeeping business was established by […]
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Q&A With David Steckel
Where were you born and raised, and what was your first job? I was born and raised in Greenfield, which is south of Jacksonville. I grew up on a farm and did a certain amount of work there. My first actual non-farm, paying job was at a filling station in Greenfield. When did you decide […]
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Q&A With Eric Klinner
Where were you born and raised, and what was your career experience before joining AIA Illinois? I was born and raised in Quincy and went to Quincy University. I worked in retail management and sales, then I worked for an association management company running five to seven associations on a daily basis. What made you […]
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Making the elegance of historical architecture relevant today
One of Douglas Pope’s favorite activities is people-watching at the Broadgauge on the Petersburg square. “I like to watch folks who haven’t been there before walk through that front door,” Pope said. “One hundred percent of them just start looking around, and I can see their jaws drop, and I really get a kick out […]
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Q&A with Steven Koch
After 36 years of helping clients plan for their financial goals and prepare for retirement, Steve Koch made a transition of his own last year when he sold his financial planning practice, Koch, Sylvia and Associates, to a longtime business partner. Koch is also known for his extensive community involvement, and says he plans to […]
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Bus Gates: A local business with a global reach
An estimated 43 million drivers in the United States will illegally pass stopped school buses this year, according to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. In fact, the association’s latest survey during the 2022-2023 school year reported that nearly 62,500 vehicles illegally passed stopped school buses during a single measurement day. […]
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Q&A with Angie Sowle
By David Blanchette Angie Sowle grew up in a small town in Iowa where the YMCA was an integral part of the community. The summer before her senior year of college, she had an internship at her hometown YMCA, overseeing a summer program for low-income children. Seeing the profound effects it had on the children’s […]
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Chris Stone opening new dispensary in Southern View
By David Blanchette Springfield resident and cannabis entrepreneur Chris Stone is opening Share, a new cannabis dispensary on South Sixth Street Frontage Road just north of the I-55 interchange in Southern View. The building was most recently occupied by Magnolia Lane Home Décor and More, which relocated to The Yard Shopping Center on Wabash Avenue […]
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Q&A with Val Yazell
By David Blanchette Val Yazell has held a wide variety of positions throughout her career, from working as a telemarketer and kindergarten teacher to serving as the interim CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and the director of the city of Springfield’s Office of Planning and Economic Development. She’s also been a small […]