Matthew Fry named president and CEO of HSHS St. John’s Hospital
HSHS St. John’s Hospital has named Matthew Fry as the new president and CEO. Fry is currently serving as the assistant administrator/COO at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California. He will begin his new role with St. John’s on Sept. 19. Allison Paul, chief nursing officer at St. John’s, has been serving as…
Lincoln Land Community College has a new vice president and two new deans
Kelli Sinclair joined LLCC Aug. 1 as vice president of student services. “Kelli has more than 20 years of proven leadership experience in community college student affairs and enrollment management.” said Dr. Charlotte Warren, president of LLCC. “We welcome her expertise, enthusiasm and commitment to student success.” Sinclair previously served as executive dean for student…
Building Permits – Aug. 8 – Aug. 14, 2022
ARCP MT Springfield IL, LLC in care of Ryan, LLC PTS obtained a commercial remodel permit for 3100 W. White Oaks Drive. Embree Construction Group, LLC is the contractor and the project is valued at $1,800,000. White Oaks Plaza, LLC obtained a commercial remodel permit for 2733 S. Veterans Parkway. Commercial Contractors, Inc. is the…
Dustin Coons to open Legacy Pointe Eatery
A new restaurant preparing to open in Legacy Pointe has a familiar name at the helm. “This is all I’ve ever done,” said Dustin Coons, owner of Legacy Pointe Eatery, 1130 Legacy Pointe Drive. “I started out in the restaurant industry at 16 years old, washing dishes at Charlie Parker’s.” Coons later worked at Panther…
Former Kiku location leased to new tenant, but owner plans to reopen elsewhere
Kiku Japanese Steak & Seafood House closed last fall, but owner Sherry Pan still has plans to reopen in a different location. “I’m looking for a smaller place to open Kiku right now,” she said, “maybe 2,000 or 3,000 square feet.” Kiku opened at 3050 Lindbergh Blvd. in 2012 after initially being located in a…
Building Permits – Aug. 1 – Aug. 7, 2022
Angeo, LLC in care of George Embrey obtained a commercial remodel permit for 1135 Governor St. Cameron Van Dorn is the contractor and the project is valued at $5,000. Springfield Freedom, LLC in care of Tartan Realty Group obtained a commercial remodel permit for 3434 Freedom Drive. Ultra Built Development, LLC is the contractor and…
Andrew Cornett has a new job as branch manager for DayOne Mortgage Group
The signage is changing, but Andrew Cornett is still working out of the same office, providing the same services to clients. After 11 years of working as the branch manager for LeaderOne Financial, he’s now made the move to DayOne Mortgage Group. Cornett is keeping his office at 2055 W. Iles in Springfield, along with…
Firehouse Subs returning to Springfield
Firehouse Subs is returning to Springfield after a four-year absence. The restaurant operated at 4151 W. Wabash Ave. from 2012-2018 and is now preparing to reopen in the same location. The new owner/operator, Larry Webb, is a U.S. Army veteran and longtime franchisee with the company. In addition to Springfield, Webb owns Firehouse Subs locations…
Taco John’s coming to Sangamon County
Taco John’s is coming to Sangamon County, with a location currently under construction in Riverton. The quick-service restaurant will occupy 2000 square feet in the Riverton Travel America truck stop complex at the Overpass Road exit on I-72, just east of Springfield. “This is our first Taco John’s project, so we are very excited to…
The Wakery, a late-night coffee shop and dry bar, planned for downtown Springfield.
The Wakery, a late-night coffee shop and dry bar, is in the works for downtown Springfield. “Everything to do downtown after 5 p.m. is a restaurant or bar,” said Elizabeth Wake, who envisions offering the downtown community other options. “We want to provide a positive nightlife atmosphere and build up an inclusive, non-alcoholic community.” While…
Building Permits – July 25 – July 31, 2022
CGM Management, LLC obtained a commercial remodel permit for a façade remodel from 421 E. Adams Street to 5 SW Old State Capitol. Colin McHale is the contractor and the project is valued at $39,000. Springfield Clinic, LLP obtained a commercial building permit for a new medical office building at 3501 Old Jacksonville Road. O’Shea…
BLH Computers recycles electronic waste for customers near and far
By Karen Ackerman Witter BLH Computers, Inc. is the largest computer and electronics recycling facility in the area. Many individuals take their outdated electronics to BLH in Laketown Shopping Center on Stevenson Drive. BLH also has facilities in Taylorville and Jacksonville. In 2021, BLH collected 3.1 million pounds of material, of which 2.4 million pounds…
Student entrepreneur launches sustainable start-up
By Annie Fulgenzi Running a company is hard enough on its own, but imagine trying to do that while also worrying about studying for finals. For this 21-year-old senior at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, that’s just reality. Justin Holding is a Springfield native and the CEO of reusable packaging start-up company IlliniBox, which works…
Keefner’s closes after no buyer is found
Keefner’s has closed a week earlier than planned after a buyer for the restaurant couldn’t be found. The final day of operations was Sunday, July 24. Owner Angie Keefner-Grieser told SBJ earlier this month the restaurant would close at the end of July if she hadn’t identified a buyer by then. The business was listed…
Broadgauge
By Thomas Pavlik I’ve been hearing about the wonderful food at Broadgauge in Petersburg for quite some time. So, a few months ago, I cajoled a group of friends into taking a Monday drive to Petersburg for lunch at Broadgauge’s lunch partner, Talisman. Unfortunately for my friends, I neglected to notice that Talisman is not…
Q&A with Michelle Tjelmeland
By David Blanchette Michelle Tjelmeland has started two businesses and a nonprofit, all while being profoundly deaf. She hears only through the technology of a cochlear implant, and now works to provide cochlear implants for deaf people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from Eastern Illinois…
Big Sharks Fish & Chicken coming to Springfield
Big Sharks Fish and Chicken is coming to Springfield. Sajed Qattoum, a Decatur native, opened his first location in Decatur in November 2019, just a few months before COVID took a toll on the restaurant industry. “The takeout business really boomed at that time; we’ve been busy from the start,” Qattoum said. Now he’s signed…
Thompson Center sale finalized with Google to be building’s lone occupant
By Peter Hancock, Capitol News Illinois After years of failed efforts that spanned multiple administrations, the state has finalized the sale of the controversial James R. Thompson Center in Chicago to a company that will make it the new Chicago home of tech giant Google. Gov. JB Pritzker made the announcement during a news conference…
Sikich LLP relocates Springfield office
Sikich LLP is relocating its Springfield office, but the firm isn’t moving far. The company, which provides accounting, audit, tax, consulting and technology services, has been located at 3201 W. White Oaks Drive for the past 13 years. As of July 31, Sikich will be operating out of 3051 Hollis Drive, which is also home…
Building Permits – July 18 – July 24, 2022
Cedar Point Owner, LLC obtained a commercial roofing permit for 166 Seven Pines road, #1654-1656. Lauts Exteriors, LLC is the contractor and the project is valued at $21,840. A roofing permit was also obtained for 1666 Seven Pines Road, #1662-1664. Lauts Exteriors, LLC is the contractor and this project is valued at $23,400. Wesly Osvaldo…
Shake This Eat That opening July 30
David and Tiffany Simmons are taking physical health to the next level. The couple, who own four Snap Fitness franchises in the Springfield area, are now expanding into nutrition with the opening of Shake This Eat That. Scheduled to open July 30 in the former Grateful Coffee location at 1370 Toronto Road, Shake This Eat…
Springfield Coalition on Dismantling Racism hires project coordinator
The Springfield Coalition on Dismantling Racism (SCODR) has hired Robert Blackwell as the project coordinator for its antiracism work. Blackwell worked for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for 25 years, retiring in 2021. He was appointed chief of the Office of Racial Equity Practice in 2012, leading the department’s efforts to address…
Building Permits – July 11 – July 17, 2022
Kent Family, Inc. obtained a commercial roofing permit for 1301 Knotts St. Designed Roofing Systems, Inc. is the contractor and the project is valued at $128,830. Montessori Children’s House of Springfield obtained a commercial roofing permit for 4147 Sand Hill Road. Williams Roofing and Construction is the contractor and the project is valued at $32,444.…
