The Keep Store, Springfield’s first and only refillery, has moved one door down to 312 E. Adams St. “The previous space was very segmented,” said owner Ami Shelton. “People walk in now thinking we have double the inventory, and I tell them, ‘No, you can just see it all now.’” While the total square footage […]
Michelle Ownbey
Michelle Ownbey is the publisher of Springfield Business Journal and Illinois Times.
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Steve Gnuse joins First Bankers Trust
Steve Gnuse has joined First Bankers Trust Company, N.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Bankers Trustshares, Inc., as senior vice president of commercial banking, effective Sept. 18. Gnuse has 40 years of experience in the banking industry and most recently was a senior vice president at Heartland Bank and Trust Company, formerly Town and Country […]
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Virginia Colletti, Kathy Seadler join Compass for Kids
Compass for Kids has hired two staff members for newly created positions as part of the organization’s expansion. Virginia Colletti is serving as the coordinator of the new youth leadership development program, which will allow Compass to expand services to older students. Colletti previously worked as a teacher in the Ball-Chatham and Springfield school districts, […]
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Makeover Dental opens in Springfield
Secure Dental has a new name and a new owner. Dr. Jorge Mosquera purchased the dental practice at 687 E. Linton Ave. as of Sept. 1 and plans to rebrand it as Makeover Dental. “We’re planning to build an implant center; that’s going to be our main focus,” said David Gallego, the practice manager. “Dr. […]
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Sapori Pizzeria and Italian Market opens
Sapori Pizzeria and Italian Market has opened in Montvale Junction, the latest venture from longtime Springfield restaurateurs Chris Hanken and Vic Lanzotti. The restaurant held a soft opening Sept. 20 and then posted on Facebook “to say we are overwhelmed with the flood of customers would be an understatement. …We’re almost out of everything and […]
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Five Below opening new stores in Springfield, Jacksonville
Five Below has announced a second store in Springfield and a new location in Jacksonville as part of the company’s aggressive expansion plans. Citing “momentum” from 2022 holiday sales, Five Below announced plans earlier this year to open more than 200 new stores in fiscal 2023. The retailer targets teens and tweens with merchandise that […]
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Chase closing downtown branch
Chase has announced the closure of its downtown Springfield branch, four years after significantly downsizing that location. In a Sept. 13 letter sent to customers, Chase informed clients the branch at 531 E. Washington St. will be closing Dec. 12 and referred customers to the location at 200 S. Dirksen Parkway. Chase also has a […]
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Ryan Wolfe joins Bank of Springfield
Ryan Wolfe has joined Bank of Springfield (BOS) as vice president of commercial lending. His product specializations include commercial real estate financing, commercial lines of credit, small business lending and equipment financing. Wolfe has 23 years of banking experience and previously worked for Morton Community Bank, formerly Marine Bank, in Springfield as a commercial banker. […]
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CILCSA to host workshop on “The Intangible It”
The Central Illinois Customer Service Association (CILCSA) is hosting a workshop on “The Intangible It,” featuring Jack Stahlmann, on Thursday, Oct. 5. Stahlmann, also known as the “don’t flinch guy,” inspires organizations by sharing the lessons he has learned in Los Angeles as an actor, producer, director, and of course, a waiter. By sharing humorous […]
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Three Twigs Bakery branches out again
By Michelle Ownbey Despite the business interruptions resulting from recent stay-at-home orders, Emily Lewis has not been slowing down over last few months. She and her husband, Tim, the owners of Three Twigs Bakery at 1370 Toronto Rd., kept that location operational with deliveries and pickup orders and moved forward with opening a new café […]
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Three Twigs branches out
By Michelle Ownbey Three Twigs Bakery reopened Jan. 7 after a week-long holiday break which also allowed time for remodeling the interior of the store. It’s been a whirlwind year for Emily Lewis, who relocated to the former Free Press Coffee space at 1370 Toronto Road last January after previously occupying part of Custom Cup […]
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Construction for new downtown YMCA to begin on July 22
By Michelle Ownbey The groundbreaking held in March for the new YMCA facility at Fourth and Carpenter streets involved golden shovels and photo ops, but the actual construction work is now set to begin on Monday, July 22. Mike Sunley, senior project manager with O’Shea Builders, said he anticipates the project will create 210 direct […]