By David Blanchette Paul O’Shea is a Springfield native who has left his mark on his hometown through a variety of historic preservation projects and extensive community involvement. After graduating from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in architecture, he returned to Springfield and was involved in the reconstruction of the Old State Capitol. […]
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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Carole Keating takes the reins – Springfield entrepreneur adds more businesses to her portfolio
By David Blanchette Carole Keating’s entrepreneurial success can be simply summed up. “I really don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Keating said. “If I hit an obstacle, I always keep going. That pretty much sums it up, perseverance and hard work.” That perseverance has paid off, most recently with Keating’s acquisition of Egizii Electric, located […]
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Hospitals cope with ripple effects from COVID – Few patients, but many changes for the health care industry
By David Blanchette The one constant for the health care industry has been change during the ongoing COVID pandemic, and Springfield hospitals are striving to stay one step ahead of the microscopic menace and the unprecedented disruption it has wrought to one of the area’s biggest and most vital industries. “We’ve had to change every […]
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Technology and trampolines – Ram Talluri has businesses worldwide, including a global technology company based in Springfield
By David Blanchette Springfield-based entrepreneur Ram Talluri reaches for the stars with his numerous business ventures around the world, ranging from technology to film production to jumping really high on trampolines. “It has been a great run so far, and I look forward to adding more value in whatever way I can,” the 45-year-old Talluri […]
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District 186 prepares for school improvement projects
By David Blanchette Numerous public schools in the Springfield area will soon receive needed upgrades as part of a School District 186 initiative to create better facilities and more secure learning environments while addressing needed maintenance and life/safety issues. A total of $40.9 million worth of work on schools is currently in the design phase, […]
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A place at the table – Building Board Diversity helps nonprofit boards reflect the community
BY DAVID BLANCHETTE Where there’s a will there’s a way, and a year-old group is hoping to motivate nonprofit organizations in the Springfield area to diversify their boards. The founders of the Building Board Diversity (BBD) initiative have been meeting with and offering training for nonprofit executive directors and current board members to show them […]
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Mix of residential and commercial development planned for Rochester
By David Blanchette Plans for the 49-acre multi-use Cardinal Hill Crossing development in Rochester are moving along, and the project developer hopes to begin physical work on the property in early 2020. Cardinal Hill Crossing is flanked on one end by Rochester Intermediate School and the new Rochester Fire Protection District Station and on the […]
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Building blocks for success
BY DAVID BLANCHETTE You see them every day: the restaurants, mobile phone stores, bank branches, nail salons, automobile dealerships, strip malls, apartments and other new or revamped buildings going up throughout the Springfield area. These commercial and multifamily residential structures – costing $2.5 million or under to build – are the bread and butter for […]
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FWAI builds a legacy
By David Blanchette Much of what is recognizable in Springfield has a connection to FWAI Architects Inc., but it’s something else that gives the firm’s founder the greatest sense of pride. “Hiring good staff. We’ve fortunately always had good staff,” said Carl Fischer, who founded the firm with his wife, Kay, in 1976. “We’ve also […]
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A century of crunching the numbers
BY DAVID BLANCHETTE Although figures are their business, a 100-year-old Springfield accounting firm wants customers to know that they are more than just numbers. “We provide a good service to a lot of people. I enjoy it, because it’s always something different,” said Lori Milosevich, CPA, one of three partners at Estes, Bridgewater & Ogden. […]
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American Metals Supply grows and adapts
BY DAVID BLANCHETTE A Springfield-based company that has eight locations in six states began more than a half-century ago over a dinner table discussion. “The business was started in 1962, and I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my dad and mom saying, ‘If this doesn’t work, we want to be able to keep […]
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State of Illinois privatizes real estate services
By David Blanchette The State of Illinois is dipping a toe into the pond of privatizing its real estate management services, and if the initial foray works it could mean an $845 million, 10-year plunge involving 22 million square feet of property and 683 state-owned, leased and surplus facilities. The Illinois Department of Central Management […]