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 […]
Michelle Ownbey
Michelle Ownbey is the publisher of Springfield Business Journal and Illinois Times.
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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 […]
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Eric Hoogland proposes redevelopment project on MacArthur
By Michelle Ownbey A major redevelopment project may be occurring soon on MacArthur Boulevard in Springfield, one that Ward 7 Alderman Joe McMenamin says would be along the lines of the HyVee and MacArthur Park Apartments projects in terms of investment and impact. “I think this would be in the top five redevelopment efforts I’ve […]
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A family business changes families
When you think of a family business, McDonald’s probably isn’t what comes to mind. But for Steve and Karen Jeffers, they’ve built their careers and their families on more than four decades of working for McDonald’s. “We met when we were 15 years old, when we both worked at the McDonald’s on Jefferson Street,” said […]
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Fact or Fiction: What’s really happening at Legacy Pointe?
By Michelle Ownbey Several weeks ago, new signs at Legacy Pointe appeared announcing 2019 openings for The Outlets at Springfield and Springhill Suites by Marriott. On March 19, Fox Run Restaurant & Lounge shared photos of the signs on Facebook and said, “Getting some new neighbors soon.” The images are now widely circulating on social […]
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The Goddard School is opening a Springfield location
By Michelle Ownbey The Goddard School, a private preschool with nearly 500 locations nationwide, will be opening a location in Springfield later this year. Located in 37 different states, Goddard School serves 65,000 children ages six weeks through six years old. Barbara Burrows, the local franchisee, has operated the Goddard School in Edwardsville for the […]