15 Under Fifteen

Established: 1976 Owner: Scott Borntreger Employees: 4 Services: Pharmacy Harry’s Pharmacy has been an Auburn landmark since 1976. Scott Borntreger credits the founder, Harry Buck, with being influential in the decision for he and his wife, Michelle, to take over the pharmacy in 1991. “I had been a pharmacist for five years before that and […]

Established: 2017 Owner: Josh Catalano Employees: 3 Services: ad agency In the summer of 2017, Josh Catalano left his full-time job as an art director and opened Height Media later that year. A graduate of the University of Illinois Springfield, Catalano is a photographer and videographer who specializes in branding, marketing, website design and development, social media and […]

Established: 1989 Owner: MOCN Board of Directors Employees: 11 Services: nonprofit In the 1980s, Marinda “Mini” O’Beirne fell in love with the idea of preventing child abuse through crisis nursery services. These were not readily available in Sangamon County, so O’Beirne spent two years planning a way to bring those services here. Unfortunately, she died […]

Established: 1993 Owners: Susan and Doug Bloemke Employees: 8 Services: bar and restaurant Northern Lights Lounge opened in 1993. In 2018, Susan and Doug Bloemke took ownership of the lounge and were sure to keep the personal service, atmosphere and good times that the customers had grown to love. Susan knew firsthand what made Northern […]

Established: 2020 Owners: Theo and Kristin Spilman Employees: 15 Services: Bakery Theo and Kristin Spilman opened Nothing Bundt Cakes in August of 2020. The couple wanted to create an opportunity for community growth in their hometown. The business is a from-scratch bakery, as they bake and frost all cakes onsite, which delivers high-impact results. Joy […]

Established: 2016 Owners: Missy Grady Employees: 5 Services: Real estate In 2001, Missy Grady left her teaching career to become a full-time real estate broker. She initially joined her family firm, Grady Realtors Inc., which was established in 1969. In 2016, the firm merged with The Real Estate Group Inc., which had been in business […]

Established: 2019 Owner: Nicole Woods-Malcom and Timothy Stanfield Employees: 5 Services: automotive TNS Detailing & Restoration was formed in October 2019 when Tim Stanfield and Nicole Woods-Malcom decided to draw on their years of auto detailing experience. “Nicole had a major battle with metastatic cancer in 2018 that placed a strain on the family budget,” […]

Established: 1981 Owners: Dale and Debbie Smith Employees: 9 Services: Business equipment Tom Day began his business in 1981 and kept it running in Springfield for three decades. In 2011, Dale and Debbie Smith purchased Tom Day Business Machines and still operate it today. “Tom Day Business Machines is a premier provider of a complete […]

Established: 2016 Owners: Jennifer and Wayne Friday Employees: 6 Services: Restaurant and gift shop “We would visit tea rooms and my husband, who is my biggest supporter, encouraged me and helped me to open the business,” said Jennifer. The tea room is a fun place to have lunch or host a party. Each room is […]

Established: 2016 Executive director: Rev. Margaret Ann Jessup Employees: 5 Services: Nonprofit Wooden It Be Lovely was founded in 2016 to help meet a need in the community. “There are women who want to heal from hard lives but faced numerous barriers to success, which included finding employers that would or could hire them,” said […]

Established: 2017 Owners: John and Lisa Mikuleza Employees: 6 Services: HVAC John and Lisa Mikuleza opened Ace Mechanical in October 2017. “I decided to open the business because I came from an entrepreneurial family and always saw myself owning my own business,” John said. “I also wanted to create an HVAC business that was honest […]

Established: 1991 Owners: Tom Dickey and Tyler Mullen Employees: 3 Services: Construction In 1990, Tom Dickey was managing a heavy-equipment dealership when two men came to his office to discuss a newly invented horizontal-directional drill. “After seeing what this equipment could do, I knew from my experience and contacts in sales that this was the […]