Pier 1 plans to permanently close all locations
After filing for bankruptcy three months ago, Pier 1 has announced plans to close all of its locations nationwide. A press release put out by the company cited shutdowns caused by COVID-19 and failure to find a buyer as reasons for the decision. “This decision follows months of working to identify a buyer who would…
Morgan Beck joins BRANDT
BRANDT has named Morgan Beck as corporate accounting manager. Beck joins the BRANDT corporate staff in the company’s Springfield headquarters. Prior to joining BRANDT, Beck spent 15 years at Security Bank in Springfield. She held multiple management positions at the bank, most recently serving as chief financial officer for the past three years. Beck also…
Specialty retailer Versona coming to Springfield
Once the governor’s stay-at-home order is lifted, Springfield-area residents will have a new retail option with the opening of Versona, an apparel, jewelry and accessories boutique. The specialty retailer is taking over the space at 2841 S. Veterans Pkwy. in White Oaks Plaza that was previously occupied by Charming Charlie. That retailer closed all its…
Gov. Pritzker announces new job training programs for unemployed Illinoisans
By Rebecca Anzel, Capitol News Illinois ranzel@capitolnewsillinois.com Unemployed Illinoisans will soon have access to free, online skills-based training programs. Beginning in June and lasting through the end of the year, 3,800 courses and 400 specializations will be offered by over 160 universities through the online learning platform Coursera, Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday. Formal certification…
An advocate for businesses
Ryan McCrady takes the helm of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance By Carey Smith Though much of the world is currently on pause, the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance (SSGA) continues to work to help businesses navigate through challenges presented by the pandemic. In addition to getting up to speed as the newly-hired president of SSGA,…
State fast-tracking $25 million for local government construction projects
Capital plan money to go to projects that can begin within 90 days By Rebecca Anzel, Capitol News Illinois ranzel@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois department tasked with the state’s economic development launched a program Tuesday providing grant funding to local governments for capital projects. Its aim, said Michael Negron, assistant director of the Department of Commerce and…
Businesses reopening too soon could lead to liability issues
By Rich Miller Gov. JB Pritzker has repeatedly said he’s delegating enforcement of his stay-at-home order to local governments. That stance has frustrated some folks who want him to get tougher with violators (although he’d undoubtedly risk making martyrs out of them if he did crack down hard). And the governor’s position seems to have…
Fact or Fiction: Will TGI Fridays in Springfield reopen?
Like all other restaurants in Springfield, TGI Fridays has been closed since the governor’s stay-at-home order took effect in March. However, TGI Fridays is not offering curbside or delivery service and it appears unlikely the location will reopen even when allowed to do so. The location is listed as permanently closed on Google and both…
Fire breaks out at Club Station House
The Springfield Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at 306 E. Washington in downtown around 6 a.m. this morning. Club Station House occupies the lower level of the building, which has residential units on the second and third floors. No injuries were initially reported. Last year, owner Ryan Bandy announced plans to relocate the…
City seeks public comment on $799,000 in funds for COVID-19 relief
Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG) totaling $799,000 have been allocated for Springfield COVID-19 relief, and a city commission has recommended financially assisting small businesses and providing rental assistance to low-income residents. The Springfield Community and Economic Development Commission, comprised of business owners and nonprofit organizations, is working with the city’s Office of Planning and…
United Community Bank has recently hired three new employees in the marketing division.
Mallorie Lohman is a multimedia design and marketing specialist who duties include the development, design and placement of print advertisements and digital assets. She also works with the bank managers on their community marketing. Prior to joining UCB, Lohman worked as a marketing coordinator for Grand River Jackpot and Targeted Marketing Resources. David Gardner…
Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture event to be held Tuesday, May 12
“Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture” is a free training for companies and nonprofits looking to shift organizational culture toward race equity. The webinar, presented by the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, Forefront and Junior League of Springfield, will be held on Tuesday, May 12 from 6:30-8 p.m. Kerrien…
Biscuits & Brunch by Three Twigs set to open May 8
Despite not being allowed to open to dine-in customers, Emily and Tim Lewis are proceeding with a grand opening on May 8 for Biscuits & Brunch by Three Twigs, their new café location that was announced earlier this year. For the time being, the location at 2601 Chatham Rd. will only be able to offer…
Ken Day joins Security Bank as CFO
Ken Day has joined Security Bank as the Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4. President and CEO Stephan Paul Antonacci said in a message to employees, “I am excited about the opportunity to work with him and believe that he will be a positive force for the bank and its culture.” Day graduated from Milliken…
Communicating with clients and customers during a time of crisis
By Holly Whisler Whether your business was deemed essential or non-essential by the state of Illinois during the COVID-19 pandemic, you are no doubt in crisis mode. These are uncertain times and the terrain is unfamiliar. How do you market your business and communicate with your customers during a pandemic? Mark Butler, director of marketing…
Innovate Springfield is offering a free four-part webinar series on “Finance for Startups.”
Innovate Springfield is offering a free four-part webinar series on “Finance for Startups.” The introductory session will be held on Thursday, May 7 from 3-4:15 p.m. In this interactive session, participants will learn how to understand and clearly communicate their financial model, cost structure and revenue streams, along with articulate their business’s financial position to…
A Q&A with Evelyn Brandt Thomas
By Lana Shovlin The Brandt name is well-known to area residents, if only from seeing it on the side of the large office building at the corner of Koke Mill and Hedley Road. Others may know of the company due to its sponsorship of NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier, a Riverton native. But rarely would an…
Paying it forward
Businesses find ways to help others despite their own challenges By Holly Whisler Love through tacos Fortunately for Chad Reese, owner of Chadito’s Mexican American Grill, when dine-in restaurants were forced to close he was able to continue operations since both locations at 3030 S. Sixth St. and 6490 N. Walnut Street Rd. are equipped…
Still doing business in a COVID-19 world
From ultra-sanitizing workspaces to improving virtual connectivity, Springfield-area entrepreneurs are actively responding to pandemic conditions head on. By Catherine O’Connor Clean Impact A local business founded only two years ago by buddies Kirk Kellus and Jon Roe, who first met in college, Clean Impact hit its stride at just the right moment. The company, which…
2020 Women of Influence
Springfield Business Journal and Security Bank are pleased to announce the 2020 Women of Influence: Heather Burton, Eve Fischberg, Tiffany Mathis, Grace Nanavati and Melissa Remolina. Click on the link below to view the 2020 Women of Influence section from May’s Springfield Business Journal. WOI section SBJ May 2020
Satch Pecori selected to chair board of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
Sergio “Satch” Pecori, longtime board member of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, has been appointed chair of the board of directors. Pecori succeeds Ray McCaskey, who has completed his term as chair but will remain on the board for the private nonprofit that supports the educational and cultural programming of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential…
Workers’ Compensation Commission repeals emergency COVID-19 rule
Judge previously granted temporary restraining order on its implementation By Jerry Nowicki, Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com A state commission voted to repeal a new rule that would have made workers’ compensation benefits available to essential employees who contracted COVID-19 without having to prove the illness was contracted at the workplace. The Workers Compensation Commission repealed…
8.2% of the state’s civilian labor force now drawing unemployment benefits
Pritzker announces modified order to reopen some businesses in May By Peter Hancock, Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday that 4.4 million Americans filed first-time unemployment claims during the week that ended April 18, including 102,936 workers in Illinois. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 520,227 workers in…
Kent Siltman hired as CFO of Illinois College
Kent Siltman will join Illinois College as the vice president of business affairs and chief financial officer on May 4. President Barbara Farley said in a message to the campus community that Siltman will provide visionary and strategic leadership to drive the college’s long-term financial sustainability. “I am confident that Kent will be a valuable…
Another 141,000 file initial unemployment claims, pushing 4-week total past 630,000 in Illinois
Since March 1, claims five times higher than first six weeks of Great Recession By Jerry Nowicki, Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com In the week ending April 11, another 141,049 Illinoisans filed initial unemployment claims, bringing the total number during the latest four weeks of the novel coronavirus pandemic to more than 634,000 in the state.…
Area Agency on Aging changes name, location
The Area Agency on Aging for Lincolnland has a new name and a new location. Now known as AgeLinc, the nonprofit organization recently moved into a building that more than doubled its square footage. Despite the operational challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis, executive director Carolyn Austin said the organization was able to proceed with…
