By Karen Ackerman Witter BLH Computers, Inc. is the largest computer and electronics recycling facility in the area. Many individuals take their outdated electronics to BLH in Laketown Shopping Center on Stevenson Drive. BLH also has facilities in Taylorville and Jacksonville. In 2021, BLH collected 3.1 million pounds of material, of which 2.4 million pounds […]
KAREN ACKERMAN WITTER
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Kim Dixon sells The Wardrobe to Sami McElwee
By Karen Ackerman Witter The Wardrobe has served many generations of women since 1963. On Sept. 30, Sami McElwee will turn 29 and become the fourth owner of this Springfield establishment featuring women’s clothing and accessories. Kim Dixon has owned The Wardrobe for nearly 20 years. She couldn’t be happier about the upcoming sale and […]
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LLCC to offer Google IT Support Professional Certificate
By Karen Ackerman Witter Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) is launching a new program in October that is perfect for someone who has lost their job, is looking for a career change or wants to learn a new skill. LLCC is part of a cohort of community colleges that is partnering with Google to offer […]
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Creative Reuse Marketplace store opens June 2
By Karen Ackerman Witter The Creative Reuse Marketplace (CRM) store, opening June 2 in downtown Springfield, is not your typical store. If you’re an artist, teacher, scrapbooker, hobbyist, creative individual or enjoy making things with your kids or grandkids, this place is for you. Yarn, fabric, colorful plastic pieces, metal parts, ribbon, jewelry, cards, bottle […]
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BRANDT and Hello Beverages launch new partnership
By Karen Ackerman Witter A partnership between BRANDT, a Springfield-based global agricultural company, and hellowater, a consumer beverage company, may initially seem surprising. However, it is in keeping with BRANDT’s entrepreneurial spirit and based on patented BRANDT technology. Together, these companies will launch a new beverage product in March that supports immune defense and elimination […]
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Vasconcelles Engineering merges with Veenstra and Kimm
By Karen Ackerman Witter Mark Vasconcelles and Mark Henderson share more in common than having the same first name. They are both sons of engineers who learned from their fathers at a young age how to hold a survey rod and went on to lead the firms their fathers started. Vasconcelles’ father founded Vasconcelles Engineering […]
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Goodbye sugar, hellowater
BY KAREN ACKERMAN WITTER Inspiring better health was the motivation for Rusty Jones and business partner Tom Bushkie to create a high-quality beverage as an alternative to sugary drinks. They founded hellowater in 2017 in response to their research, which revealed that nearly 40% of Americans are obese, affecting over 18 million children, and 97% […]
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CHARLES CRAIG MANNSCHRECK (Nov. 6, 1944 – Aug. 21, 2019)
By Karen Ackerman Witter The world could use more people like Craig Mannschreck— kind, upbeat, friendly, genuine, humble and concerned about others before himself. Mannschreck passed away peacefully on Aug. 21 after a three-month battle with lymphoma. “Craig was ‘others-oriented,’ “says Cindy Davis, Mannschreck’s longtime business partner at Resource One, located at 321 E. Adams […]
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Check your blind spots
BY KAREN ACKERMAN WITTER Horace Mann hosted the “CEO Action Check Your Blind Spots” mobile tour on May 30, which was open to every staff member. The company promoted it as a continuation of its commitment to having a diverse and inclusive work environment, facilitating open and honest conversations and increasing awareness of unconscious biases. […]
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10th annual Women’s Power Lunch Against Cancer
BY KAREN ACKERMAN WITTER The Women’s Power Lunch Against Cancer, sponsored by the Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU Medicine, inspires and celebrates while raising funds for cancer research. Nearly 500 people are expected to attend the 10th annual event on Friday, April 12 at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in downtown Springfield. Courtney Clark, a […]
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Downtown builds momentum
BY KAREN ACKERMAN WITTER If you care about the future of downtown Springfield and want to help make a difference, come to the “Momentum on Main Street” event on Thursday, March 21 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Arlington’s. This is an initiative of the Downtown Springfield, Inc. (DSI) economic vitality committee, which is looking for the […]