The Alamo “pausing” food service after 40 years
After more than 40 years, The Alamo will no longer offer food service, at least for now. Located at 115 N. Fifth St. in downtown Springfield, the business has decided to temporarily discontinue food service and focus only on the bar, according to an emailed statement that also referenced “the absence of other open offices…
Hanson Professional Services hires structural designer and civil designer
Nathan Olejniczak, a structural designer, and A.J. Gabr, a civil designer, recently joined Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Springfield headquarters. Olejniczak will assist with structural design work for a variety of facilities. Prior to joining Hanson, he was a civil structural designer for Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, an engineering, environmental and surveying services firm in Springfield.…
LLCC hires director of apprenticeship programming
Brenda Elliott has joined Lincoln Land Community College as director of apprenticeship programming. She began her new duties July 1. “The director of apprenticeship programming is a new role at the college focused on helping to prepare students for work in high-demand fields through the development of apprenticeship partnerships. These partnerships will be with local…
University radiologists join Springfield Clinic
Springfield Clinic will now offer radiation oncology services. University Radiologists, a group of five physicians and one advanced practice provider, has joined Springfield Clinic effective July 1, 2020. They will continue to provide cancer care as part of Springfield Clinic from their current location at Memorial Medical Center, 701 North First St., as well as…
Building permit roundup – July 6 – July 12
Read which building permits were recently approved by the City of Springfield. Menard, Inc. obtained a commercial building permit for a security gate canopy addition to the property at 2250 Chuckwagon Drive. KPS Construction is the contractor and the project is valued at $25,000. Valvoline, LLC in care of Tax Department obtained two commercial accessory…
Chatham Dental Center to relocate, expand
While this year has already proved challenging for many businesses, Chatham Dental Center is moving forward with plans for a relocation and major expansion. “I felt like it was terrible timing; we were right in the middle of renovations when (the COVID-19 shutdowns) happened,” said owner Dr. Timothy Lonergan of his decision to purchase a…
First tenant in the new strip center on Wabash
E.P. Boutique will be the first tenant in the newly constructed strip center at Wabash and Meadowbrook Avenue. Evan Lloyd Architects prepared the plans for the 9,000-square-foot center at 4300 W. Wabash Ave. and developer Steve Zhao broke ground in December. Owner Tammy Griffin said the shutdowns related to COVID-19 actually worked in her favor,…
CSL Plasma moving into former Aldi’s space
After being vacant for more than five years, the former Aldi’s grocery store at 1150 N. Fifth St. in Springfield is now undergoing renovations in preparation for a new occupant. While the property is part of the Near North Crossing shopping center, located at Fifth Street and North Grand Avenue, the former Aldi’s space has…
Vacant building downtown to be converted to food hall and beer garden
As chair of Momentum on Main Street, an initiative of Downtown Springfield Inc., David Lee has made it a habit to encourage young entrepreneurs to invest in properties and businesses downtown. Now he says he plans to use the knowledge he’s gained and connections he’s made to launch an “innovative food and beverage concept” in…
Building permit roundup – June 29 – July 5
Dominican Sisters of Springfield, in care of Sister Katherine Elsner, obtained a commercial remodel permit for interior renovation work at 1237 W. Monroe St. O’Shea Builders is the contractor and the project is valued at $2,000,000. Kelp, LLC obtained a commercial remodel permit for an interior remodel at 2625 Chatham Road. The contractor is O’Shea…
Keeping it in the family
By David Blanchette You can’t pick your family, the saying goes, but many people do just that when deciding how to open, run and sustain a small business. According to the Family Owned Business Institute, there are 5.5 million family businesses in the United States and those companies contribute 57% of the nation’s gross domestic…
Pamela Lewis-Frazier expands and adapts All in One
By Cinda Ackerman Klickna “If you have items to clean, I’ll make it happen,” says Pamela Lewis-Frazier, owner of All in One Management & Services. The business started in 2002 as a pressure-washing company with two box trucks carrying equipment to clean cars, boats, trailers, houses and even bridges and signs. In September 2019,…
Springfield Black Chamber of Commerce 2020 Directory
To view the complete Springfield Black Chamber of Commerce Directory, click here.
Forty Under 40 2020 Profiles
To view Springfield Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 2020 winners, click below.
Shop local at White Oaks Mall
The birth of malls, which began locally in 1977 with White Oaks Mall, led to the decay of many urban and downtown shopping districts, including in the Springfield area. However, the rise of online retailers and the subsequent loss of anchor stores has flipped this dynamic. Simon Property Group, which owns White Oaks Mall,…
Understanding Commercial Lending and Your Credit Score
Whether you have an existing business or a start-up, most businesses will need some type of financing – working capital, mortgages, acquisitions and more. Having knowledge of the different types of financing available and the process to acquire financing can help determine whether a company succeeds or fails. SCORE has partnered with Sage Finance Group,…
Vasconcelles Engineering merges with Veenstra and Kimm
By Karen Ackerman Witter Mark Vasconcelles and Mark Henderson share more in common than having the same first name. They are both sons of engineers who learned from their fathers at a young age how to hold a survey rod and went on to lead the firms their fathers started. Vasconcelles’ father founded Vasconcelles Engineering…
Free Press Coffee to close Springfield location
Friday, July 3 will be the last day of operations for the remaining Free Press Coffee House in Springfield, and owner Jane Ann Petty said she is shifting her focus back to the original location in Pittsfield. “With quarantine and everything, it really showed me that I need to focus on all of the things…
Facebook announces $800 million data center to be built in DeKalb
Facebook announced today that the tech company’s newest worldwide data center will be built in DeKalb, Illinois, bringing an investment of more than $800 million. The Facebook DeKalb Data Center will be among the most advanced, energy- and water-efficient data center facilities in the world, supporting an estimated 100 operational jobs and hundreds of construction…
Harvest Market management hiring underway as construction continues
Construction continues at the County Market on West White Oaks Drive in Springfield as the store transitions into the country’s second Harvest Market, a health-oriented grocery store focused on providing farm-to-table options. While an opening isn’t anticipated until late fall, Quincy-based Niemann Foods, Inc. is currently hiring the management team, including the meat and cheese…
Building permit roundup – June 22 – 28
Read about the latest building permits approved by the City of Springfield. Bette H. Franke trustee obtained a commercial remodel permit to convert a clothes and fur cleaning business to a pub. Court Conn is the contractor and the project is valued at $25,000. CSL Plasma obtained a commercial remodel permit for 1150 N. Fifth…
LLCC offering solar energy training at reduced cost
Lincoln Land Community College, in partnership with Wind Solar USA, is offering two, four-week solar energy classes this summer at a reduced price. The trainings will be offered in a hybrid format, each using online learning with one, hands-on lab held in the Workforce Careers Center on the LLCC-Springfield campus, 5250 Shepherd Road. “If you…
Wild Thorn Beauty Studio
After being in the cosmetology industry for eight years, Lindsey Winkler opened her own business, Wild Thorn Beauty Studio, on June 1. “I started at a commission-based salon and moved to renting a space in another salon,” said Winkler, a Springfield native. “But this is my dream; I wanted to transition to my own business.”…
Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln elects new board members
The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln has elected three new members to join its board of directors in 2020. Kent Massie, Robert Mulch and Mark Staley will each serve four-year terms as directors. Massie is a senior landscape architect and planner at the consulting firm of Massie Massie & Associates in Springfield. He…
Tom Owens retiring from the Chamber
Tom Owen, who has worked as the member representative for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce for the past 10 years, will retire on July 15. Prior to joining the Chamber staff, Owen served on the Ambassador Committee for eight years, including serving as the committee chair. In addition, he served a three-year term on…
Pie’s the Limit closes Parkway Pointe location, MacArthur to remain open
While Springfield-area restaurants will be allowed to open for limited indoor dining beginning on Friday, the Pie’s the Limit location in Parkway Pointe has permanently closed. “We couldn’t afford to continue to operate,” said Chris Hanken, who co-owns the business along with Vic Lanzotti. “The sales didn’t return to the level we thought they would,…
Building permit roundup – June 15 – 21
Read which building permits were approved by the City of Springfield between June 15 and June 21. St. John’s Hospital obtained a commercial remodel permit for 800 E. Carpenter St. The contractor is O’Shea Builders and the project is valued at $3,678,090. Taylor Collision enterprises, LLC obtained a commercial accessory structure permit for a roof-mounted…
