Federal regulations changed in October for all businesses seeking contracts as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Those businesses now need to provide additional documentation – including personal financial information – and must be recertified due to an “interim rule” from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The changes directly affect […]
Ed Wojcicki
Ed Wojcicki has been freelancing since 1979 while working as a journalist, higher education administrator and association executive director. He has degrees in journalism and political science and is the author of three books. Born and raised in St. Louis, he has lived in Springfield, Illinois, since 1985 and has two grown children and four grandchildren.
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Boomers are aging out. So what?
By 2029, all baby boomers will be 65 or older. They are the 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 in the baby boom that occurred after World War II. Sometimes maligned as self-absorbed and labeled the “me generation,” this aging cohort has shaped and overwhelmed every institution for the past six decades. They […]
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Not ready for last call
Louie Manci doesn’t have much time for hobbies because he works seven days a week – at the age of 88. He owns his own bar and is the primary bartender, opening at noon every day and leaving when the last customer leaves. “I follow them out,” he says. Often that’s between 8 and 10:30 […]
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Gail Lorenzini Aug. 7, 1952-July 4, 2024
Gail Lorenzini was an educator, an entrepreneur and a business owner who immersed herself into the community and took advantage of her varied points of contact to support area causes. Gail did nearly all of this in partnership with her husband, John, before she died unexpectedly July 4 at the age of 71. Gail and […]
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Maid-Rite: 100 years without many changes
What’s happening at the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop is not complicated, but it is enduring. Preparing to celebrate 100 years in business, longtime owner Sam Quaisi downplays his product’s specialness while providing a distinctive spin on why it is indeed special. “There is nothing special about the recipe because it’s the same. It’s the same thing, […]
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StandardAero flies under radar in local economy
Perhaps StandardAero flies under the radar in the local Springfield economy, pardon the pun, because not many locals own their jets. But StandardAero and its predecessors, Garrett Aviation and Landmark Aviation, have been a mainstay at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport for decades, servicing planes and jets. “It’s actually woven into the fabric of Springfield because […]
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Pioneers of the UIS Prairie
About 100 people who helped to transform University of Illinois Springfield into a four-year university held their first reunion Feb. 24, at a breakfast on the campus. That visible display of support for UIS was a testimony to the impact felt by those first freshmen classes starting in the fall 2001, with many of them […]
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Why leaders should read: My three books
When I was new to management, the boss announced that all department heads would be assigned a book to read and that it would later be discussed as a group. I was skeptical at the time, but in hindsight, I’m forever grateful. That assignment spurred me on to read many more books on leadership, management […]
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Seniors invest in social capital
Sarah Phalen, president and CEO of INB, tells the story of her mom, Lora Murgatroyd, who felt she could improve the upkeep of the flowers and bushes in her home community of Sherman. “She started daily watering and weeding because she saw the need,” says Phalen. “She eventually spearheaded a new group called Making Our […]
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The popularity of pickleball
The explosion of interest in pickleball in Springfield could see the number of available courts nearly double in the foreseeable future, with the opening of the Premier Pickleball Center late this fall and the possibility of adding a dozen or more outdoor courts at Centennial Park. “Springfield’s biggest need has been indoor play space, particularly […]