Growth Corp was named Illinois’ 504 Lender of the Year by the Illinois District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This prestigious award recognizes Growth Corp’s commitment to economic development and job creation through facilitation of the 504 Loan Program. Doug Kinley, president of Growth Corp, accepted the award during an Aug. 1 […]
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State unveils business development plan
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity on Aug. 12 published a five-year plan outlining how it hopes to attract and retain businesses in the state. At the plan’s center is a strategy to invest in six industries that will receive “prioritized support,” capital investment and job training. They are life science, quantum computing, […]
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O’Shea provides scholarship for LLCC Construction students
Lincoln Land Community College has received a gift from the O’Shea family to fund a scholarship for LLCC students in the construction trades program. The first recipient of the O’Shea Family Scholarship is Alexis Bowman of Palmyra, a 2024 graduate of North Mac High School. “The O’Shea Family Scholarship has opened the door for more […]
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Docs Just Off 66 receives $50,000 national grant
Docs Just Off 66 in Girard has received $50,000 from the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program, a program presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express. Docs begin in 1884 as Deck’s Store and operated as a pharmacy and soda fountain until 2001. Between 2001 and 2021, there were various owners […]
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Remembering Juliana Turchetti
As wildfires continued to rage in the West, friends took time this summer to remember a fallen heroine who was a force and presence in their lives in the brief time they knew her. In Dalton Ingram’s words, his good friend Juliana Turchetti was “the epitome of the American dream mixed with a life dream.” […]
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Pritzker signs measures reining in biometric data privacy law
Illinois’ first-in-the-nation law that allows residents to sue companies over the improper collection of their biometric information will be slightly less punitive after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law late last week. Lawmakers this spring amended the Biometric Information Privacy Act in response to an Illinois Supreme Court ruling last year that suggested lawmakers […]
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Applications now open for the 2024 Isringhausen DRIVE Grant
Isringhausen Imports and Downtown Springfield, Inc. have opened applications for the 2024 Isringhausen DRIVE Grant, a sizable cash grant presented yearly to individuals looking to kick start or expand a business in downtown Springfield. Now in its third year, the Isringhausen DRIVE Grant is committed to fostering entrepreneurship and supporting the growth of small businesses […]
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Downtown fire sparks call for action
“A revitalized and resilient downtown” was the No. 1 initiative in The Next 10, A Community Visioning Plan for Greater Springfield released by the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln in spring 2021. The report described downtown as “the heart of the community and region, the seat of state and local government, our cultural […]
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AI and employment practices
Applicant screening, video interview analysis, resume filtering and ranking, candidate sourcing, game-based cognitive and emotional assessments and predictive analytics are just some of the artificial intelligence functions businesses are increasingly relying on for hiring and employment practices. Roughly 83% of employers, including 99% of Fortune 500 companies, use some form of automated tools as part […]
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City council moves Frito-Lay project forward, despite objections from neighbors
Almost two dozen neighbors of what is expected to be a large Frito-Lay distribution center along Interstate 55 near the Chatham exit left a Springfield City Council meeting frustrated July 16. The council voted 6-3 in favor of zoning variances allowing the project to move forward. Voting in favor were Alds. Chuck Redpath of Ward […]
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Q&A With Bruce Sommer
Where were you born and raised, and what was your first job? I was born and raised in Springfield, and technically my first job was when I was 9 years old, emptying garbage cans at the family business. My first job after college was as an accountant at Boulder Medical Center in Boulder, Colo. How […]
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Del’s Popcorn Shop still popping after 90 years
Del’s Popcorn Shop is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year by taking its trademark popcorn and sweet concoctions to an ever-expanding global fan base, and the Springfield Del’s location is expanding to handle the additional demand. “Last December we became one of the top-selling products on Amazon in the popcorn category,” said Del’s chief operating […]