Allied Design Consultants acquired by GreenAssociates, Inc.
Springfield architectural firm Allied Design Consultants has been acquired by GreenAssociates, Inc., an Itasca-based architecture firm. According to Todd Hannah, the former owner of Allied Design Consultants, not much will change in terms of the day-to-day operations. The firm will continue to operate out of its current location at 1413 S. MacArthur Blvd. “I’m the…
United Way names Marne Fauser as new president and CEO
The United Way of Central Illinois (UWCIL) has announced the selection of Marne Fauser to serve as its new president and CEO. She will begin her new role April 1. She replaces John Kelker, who is retiring after 26 years leading the organization. Fauser comes to UWCIL having served with the divisional headquarters of The…
Wildly Rooted Boutique to open in downtown Springfield
Three small business owners and artisans have teamed up to bring Wildly Rooted Boutique to downtown Springfield. Callie Estes, owner of Jo Jo’s Jewelry, said she is partnering with Jessica Lynn, owner of Green Haven Co. and One Knotty Maker in Jacksonville and Courtney Wright, owner of Cloth + Oak, “We all met each other…
Building permit roundup – Feb. 7 – Feb. 13, 2022
The Roman Catholic Diocese Springfield Trust for Blessed Sacrament Parish obtained a commercial remodel permit for 245 N. Amos Ave. R. D. Lawrence Construction Co., Ltd. is the contractor and the project is valued at $18,000. Hae’s, Inc. obtained a commercial demolition permit for 917 and 921 W. Jefferson St. The contractor is Lincoln Land…
Katie Brown and Evan Sharp have joined O’Shea Builders
O’Shea Builders has hired Evan Sharp and Katie Brown, both based out of the Springfield office. Sharp will serve as a virtual design construction manager and was previously employed by Bunn Corporation as a design engineer. As a virtual design construction manager, Sharp creates, coordinates and distributes 3-D BIM (building information modeling) models to be…
Join the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce for the John Maxwell Company LIVE2LEAD leadership event
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce is offering a half-day rebroadcast of The John Maxwell Company LIVE2LEAD leadership event on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The event will be held at Hope Church, 3000 Lenhart Road. A continental breakfast will be provided starting at 8 a.m. with the rebroadcast starting at 8:30 a.m. This session is open…
Pritzker touts initiatives aimed at expanding health care workforce
By Grace Kinnicutt, Capitol News Illinois As Gov. JB Pritzker continues to promote his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, he outlined his plan for rebuilding the state’s health care workforce during a stop Feb. 15 at a Peoria community college. He joined local leaders at Illinois Central College to talk about the Pipeline…
B’s Creative Studio opening on South MacArthur Boulevard
“I’ve been a jack-of-all-trades,” said Brandy Fletcher of her various artistic endeavors over the years. She had a photography business for 15 years before expanding into painting furniture, home décor and making personalized gift items, along with what she calls “Pinterest at your fingertips.” Now, Fletcher plans to open B’s Creative Studio and have a…
America Ambulance relocating to Park South
America Ambulance is preparing to relocate its EMT and paramedic crews to a new, larger location. President Susan Zappa said the new building at 755 Apple Orchard Road in Park South is “a lot bigger and more spacious for our crews and sleeping quarters. It also has a better overall layout,” she said. In comparison,…
Bill seeks pay raise for tipped workers
By Beth Hundsdorfer, Capitol News Illinois A bill in the Illinois House would do away with the sub-minimum wage paid to waitresses, bartenders and other tipped service workers. Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Chicago, introduced House Bill 5139 last month. If the bill becomes law, workers who supplement their wages with tips will receive the state’s minimum wage starting…
Building permit roundup – Jan. 31 – Feb. 6, 2022
Springfield Clinic, LLP obtained a commercial building permit for a first-floor buildout at 1025 S. Sixth St. O’Shea Builders is the contractor and the project is valued at $4,500,000. ZNS 51, LLC obtained a commercial remodel permit for 2199 E. Adlai Stevenson Drive. Quinetta Lawrence is the contractor and the project is valued at $5,000.
Springfield Clinic completes renovation of the fourth floor of HSHS St. John’s Hospital Pavilion
Springfield Clinic has completed a renovation of the fourth floor of the HSHS St. John’s Pavilion at 301 N. Eighth Street in Springfield, bringing multiple service lines into one location. Patients will be able to see Springfield Clinic providers in urology and orthopedics, and the renovated area includes space to perform certain urology procedures so…
Wildflower Bakery opens in Chatham
After six years of juggling her specialty cake business and an office job, Kelsea Duncan has achieved her goal of being a full-time baker with the opening of Wildflower Bakery in Chatham. “I’ve been baking ever since I can remember, starting in the kitchen with my mom when I was 5 years old,” she said.…
State of Illinois announces plans for data center in Dirksen Business Park
The state of Illinois has acquired 9.4 acres of land in the Dirksen Business Park located at 2900 Dotmar Drive to construct a new central computing facility for the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology. The facility will house around 300 employees who will handle various aspects of the state’s IT infrastructure. The Rebuild Illinois…
McGraw Enterprises sells its seven Springfield locations
For the first time in more than three decades, the McGraw family no longer owns any of the McDonald’s restaurants in Springfield. McGraw Enterprises sold its seven Springfield locations as of Feb. 1, with Kim Derringer purchasing the Monroe Street restaurant and Brad and Karol Davis buying six other locations. Both buyers are already franchisees…
Building permit roundup – Jan. 24 – Jan. 30, 2022
Evans Jr. obtained a commercial remodel permit for 1800 S. Sixth St. Amco Fence is the contractor and the project is valued at $15,000. Northfield Mall, LLC obtained a commercial remodel permit for 2403 N. Dirksen Parkway. The contractor is Chuck Cline Construction and the project is valued at $50,000. Windsor Homes, Inc. obtained a…
Mel-O-Cream Donuts opening west-side retail location
Mel-O-Cream Donuts, a Springfield staple since 1932, will soon have a fifth retail location. Springfield resident Amanda Crossland acquired the four existing retail locations in July 2019 from Chris Weihmeir. While COVID put some of her expansion plans on hold, she is now moving forward with a west-side Mel-O-Cream store. “I thought it would be…
Many downtown redevelopment projects in the works
There is plenty of vacant, multistory space available in Springfield’s downtown and a program that utilizes tax increment financing (TIF) to reimburse owners for a portion of the cost to acquire property, stabilize buildings, redesign and renovate interiors and upgrade exteriors. But developers are experiencing a shortage of contractors available to undertake small and midsize…
New Starbucks planned for Fairhills Mall
A new Starbucks is slated for Fairhills Mall to replace a problematic location nearby at the corner of Chatham Avenue and Monroe Street. “The new building will accommodate Starbucks moving from its current location next to Springfield Fire Department’s firehouse #8 on Monroe Street, where the drive-through cars often back out onto Monroe Street in…
Building permit roundup – Jan. 17 – Jan. 23, 2022
Bishop Properties, Inc. obtained a commercial remodel permit for 816/820 S. 11th St. Solid Ground Solutions is the contractor and the project is valued at $65,000. West Central Bank obtained a commercial remodel permit for 3455 S. Freedom Drive. The contractor is J. Files Remodeling, Inc. and the project is valued at $70,000. Cobblestone Place,…
Hae’s Bakery and Coffee Shoppe to open on West Jefferson Street
A new coffee shop and bakery is in the works for West Jefferson Street, and the owners hope to attract people who work in the medical district and downtown area. Chris and Amy Benad purchased 921 W. Jefferson St. and plan to demolish the former Family Dollar building in order to build Hae’s Bakery and…
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s opens Springfield location
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has come to Springfield. The family-style sports pub opened Jan. 24, making it the second Illinois location for the Florida-based franchise. The company operates 142 locations in 17 states, including one in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is located at 2599. Wabash Ave. in the space that operated as The Pasta House…
Jodi Davis named general manager of BOS Center
Jodi Davis is the new general manager for the BOS Center, but already a familiar name to many, having been with the building for more than 28 years. She began her career as a teenager working as a ticket seller in the box office for the former Prairie Capital Convention Center. Davis went on to…
