Henson Robinson Company has acquired the assets of Clow Controls and Service Inc., a commercial HVAC controls and service company headquartered in Decatur. Henson Robinson is an employee-owned company providing commercial HVAC, plumbing, roofing, site utilities, building automation and facility services. Clow Controls delivers HVAC controls, building automation systems and related services to commercial and […]
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Midas slated for MacArthur Boulevard
A longtime local owner and operator of Midas franchises has acquired the former Hiller Automotive property on MacArthur Boulevard — with an eye toward opening a new Midas location on the site. The property at 2595 S. MacArthur Blvd. has been vacant since Hiller Automotive closed at the end of 2025. Kenton Childs, who has owned […]
Posted inBuilding Permits
Building permits – Sept. 28 to Oct. 4
Springfield Partners IV LLC received a commercial fence permit for 529 S. Seventh St. Contractor is FMC and the project is valued at $2,000. SIU School of Medicine received a commercial demolition permit for 913 N. Rutledge St. Contractor is S. Shafer Excavating Inc. and the project is valued at $457,000. City of Springfield received […]
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Sengla “Pi” Boualavong joins UCB
Sengla “Pi” Boualavong has joined United Community Bank as chief credit officer. He has more than 25 years of experience in credit analysis, underwriting and risk management. In his role, Boualavong oversees the bank’s credit administration and loan review processes across the organization. He joins UCB with extensive experience in credit and risk management. He […]
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Salvation Army store on Wabash to close
The Salvation Army Family Store on Wabash Avenue will be closing later this month,but Captain Matt McCluer, corps officer with the Salvation Army of Sangamon County,said the organization hopes to reopen the store in a new Springfield location. The thrift store’s last day in business at the 1762 Wabash Ave. location will be Oct. 24.McCluer […]
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Dutch Bros coming to Springfield
Another national coffee chain will be making its Springfield debut with the planned opening of a Dutch Bros coffee shop on North Dirksen Parkway. The new Dutch Bros will be located at 2343 N. Dirksen Parkway, the former home to Hickory River Smokehouse. Adam Bell, a partner with Core Acquisitions, said the coffee shop should […]
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Expensive contract clauses nobody reads
Most business owners spend hours negotiating the purchase price of a business. Then, after all that effort, they’ll sign a contract without reading half of it. We see it all the time – the first few pages, which generally set out the basic business terms, get everyone’s attention. The remaining pages become legal stuff, fatigue […]
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Providing Daily Bread
Anne Daly spent 40 years as a registered dietitian. Six months into her retirement, she wanted to fill her schedule with something that fit her interests. One evening while watching the local news, she saw a clip about Senior Services of Central Illinois’ need for volunteers for its Daily Bread program. “I knew immediately this […]
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6 St. Café
Although I’m hopeful that the soon-to-be-constructed apartments at the former Sangamo Club, the eventual influx of office workers at the Armory and the future BOS Center expansion will lead to greater dining choices downtown, right now the pickings, as they say, are a bit slim. But one reliable choice, which may not be on your […]
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Is the problem time management – or yes management?
I’ve never met a leader who told me they needed another hour in the day. What I hear instead is that we’re overwhelmed, overcommitted and struggling to keep up with competing priorities. Our calendars are packed, our inboxes are full, and the list of things we intended to accomplish somehow remains untouched. Most of us […]
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Springfield researcher awarded SIU’s 2026 Inventor of the Year
Springfield-based microbiology researcher Andrew Wilber, a director of cell biology and hematology at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, was recently named SIU’s 2026 Inventor of the Year for his work on developing gene therapies for rare blood disorders such as sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. Wilber, who has a doctorate in molecular genetics, […]
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A Q&A With Carolyn Austin
Carolyn Austin is the CEO of AgeLinc, the Area Agency on Aging for Linconland. Austin, 56, said she does “a little bit of everything” for the agency, handling the grants management, much of the marketing and other high-level duties. She is also the vice president of the Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Austin […]