George L. and Darla J. Wilson received a commercial demolition permit for 2801 E. Old Rochester Road. Contractor is S. Shafer Excavating Inc. and the project is valued at $34,800. Brandon Robbins received a commercial demolition permit for 801 N. 12th St. Contractor is S. Shafer Excavating Inc. and the project is valued at $50,700. […]
Columns
Posted inColumns
Springfield gets a city planner
Sean Pritchard is many things: 35 years old, a father of five, a lifelong northender and, as of this month, the first city planner in Springfield’s 203-year history. His appointment to the post within the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, which garners a salary of nearly $90,000, raised eyebrows among some in the […]
Posted inColumns
Downtown restaurant Di Piero’s to close
Pete Praia is calling it a wrap for his downtown restaurant, Di Piero’s Sicilan Cucina. The upscale Italian restaurant at 518 E. Adams St., on the south side of the Old Capitol Plaza, will close as of Dec. 28. Praia has owned and operated two other Italian restaurants in addition to two pizzerias in the […]
Posted inColumns
Marco’s Pizza closes remaining Springfield store
Springfield’s first – and last – Marco’s Pizza location has closed with the shuttering of the store at 3201 W. Iles Ave. as of Dec. 9. In a Dec. 10 interview with The Pantagraph, McLain Hoogland, president of Hoogland Restaurant Group, cited the rising minimum wage in Illinois as the reason for closing the Springfield, […]
Posted inColumns
CarQuest of Springfield is closing
CarQuest of Springfield is closing, but franchisee Rob Wilburn said it wasn’t his decision. Wilburn said Advance Auto Parts, the parent company, “sent out 200 notices to independent operators like me to close their stores. We’re very disappointed. We had a very profitable business.” Advance Auto Parts released its third quarter financial statement on Nov. […]
Posted inColumns
Ray Williams to retire as CEO of Springfield Clinic
Springfield Clinic CEO Ray Williams will retire effective Dec. 31 after serving in that role for eight years. “Making the decision to retire was not easy, but my family must come first at this stage of life,” Williams said. “It has been an incredible honor to serve as Springfield Clinic’s CEO, working alongside such talented […]
Posted inColumns
Amy Rasing slated as new director of OPED
Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher wants to promote the city’s operations coordinator for state and federal grants to head the Office of Planning and Economic Development. Mayor Misty Buscher plans to nominate Amy Rasing, who curren tly w orks as the city’s grant manager, to succeed Val Yazell as director of the Office of Planning and […]
Posted inColumns
17-year-old entrepreneur launches Nourish food truck
A young entrepreneur launched a new food truck in November that serves the Springfield area. Nourish is the brainchild of 17-year-old Camille Moorman, who said she uses family recipes for the menu. Moorman described her grandmother as a “huge inspiration” who mentored her. “I have three main items each time I open; I like to […]
Posted inColumns
Amazon hub is coming to Springfield
It appears that Amazon, one of America’s Big Five technology companies, will open and operate a planned $20 million warehouse and distribution center in 2025 at North Dirksen Parkway and Bissell Road in Springfield. The company, based in Seattle and suburban Washington, D.C., didn’t respond to a request for comment. But Sangamon County property records […]
Posted inColumns
Jasen Best joins Security Bank
Jasen Best has joined Security Bank as vice president of business development and commercial banking. Best most recently worked for American Bank of Freedom in Rochester as a commercial banker and business development officer. He also previously worked as a treasury management officer at Heartland Bank & Trust and a business development officer at Prairie […]
Posted inColumns
EPA prepares to move to White Oaks Mall
The new Illinois Environmental Protection Agency headquarters is expected to be completed this month – 18 months behind schedule and with a price per square foot more than double that of other new commercial construction projects in Springfield. The $80 million price tag for repurposing the 186,000-square-foot former Sears department store at White Oaks Mall […]
Posted inColumns
An alternative to the ER
As many as 70% of patients who seek care in the emergency rooms of Springfield Memorial Hospital or HSHS St. John’s Hospital could be served quicker, and at less cost, by a new outpatient facility scheduled to open in early January. That’s the view of the future co-medical directors of Springfield Clinic’s Urgent Care Plus, […]