Design Ideas Holiday Store
After a five-year hiatus, Design Ideas is bringing back its holiday store to Springfield. All the merchandise is sold at a loss and Design Ideas covers the overhead to operate the store so that all proceeds can be donated to local charities. The four nonprofit organizations splitting this year’s sales are The Animal Protective League,…
Jim Klein joins HLR
Jim Klein has joined HLR as a senior structural engineer and will be working out of the engineering firm’s Springfield office, located at 3085 Stevenson Dr. Klein has more than 40 years of experience with transportation-related and structural projects in both the public and private sectors. His responsibilities at HLR will include supervision of civil…
Ashleigh Brinkman joins Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce as executive director
The Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce has hired Ashleigh Brinkman as executive director and Ryan McKennedy as coordinator. Brinkman was born and raised in Chatham, where she and her husband, Tim, currently live with their three children. She most recently worked in medical sales and also has experience in event planning and fundraising. Brinkman holds…
HIP Advertising to close
HIP Advertising, a full-service marketing agency, will close at the end of the year when owner Myra Hoffman retires after 27 years. Hoffman founded HIP Advertising in 1993, along with Barb Pape, and has been the sole owner since 2007. The agency, located at 2809 Mansion Road in Piper Glen, represents a variety of Springfield-area…
Jose Lopez restructures, focuses on Casa Real
After simultaneously owning and operating multiple restaurants over the last few years, Jose Lopez, Jr. says he’s decided take the focus back to Casa Real, his original concept. “I thought I could do it — my mind told me I could do it — but when I tried, the right elements of management weren’t there,”…
Building permit roundup – Nov. 4 – Nov. 10
Read which building permits were approved by the City of Springfield between Nov. 4 and Nov. 10, 2019. Carol and Cheryl Lee obtained a commercial remodel permit for a gaming room at China King at 120 W. North Grand Ave. The contractor is Steve Zhao and the project is valued at $4,500. Kent Financial, Inc.…
Two downtown grand openings this weekend
Two new downtown businesses are holding grand openings this weekend. Reverie Apparel, located at 407 E. Adams, is a custom t-shirt shop owned by Patrick Russell and Connor Homann. Russell, who is also a co-owner of marketing agency Curtain & Leaf, is a member of Innovate Springfield and a graduate of the CO.STARTERS program, which…
Association for Women in Communications reception
The Association for Women in Communications will host a reception on Wednesday, Nov. 13, featuring Angie Muhs, who was named AWC’s Professional Communicator of the Year award winner. Muhs was selected to receive the award because of her state and national journalism leadership, including championing the First Amendment importance of a free press. She currently…
Land of Lincoln Economic Development Corporation changes name, location
The Land of Lincoln Economic Development Corporation has a new name and a new location, although the mission remains the same. LLEDC was created in 2018 as a public-private partnership focused on economic development efforts throughout Sangamon County and originally operated out of a single office in the Innovate Springfield incubator in downtown Springfield. “Everything…
Nick Williams has been chosen president of the Illinois Coal Association
Nick Williams has been chosen to succeed Phil Gonet as president of the Illinois Coal Association. He will start with the ICA on Dec. 1 and assume the position of president on Jan. 1, 2020. Williams, an Illinois native, is currently the associate director of the Illinois Petroleum Council. He has previously held several legislative…
Construction trades target high school and college students
BY ERICK ZEPEDA As the construction trades are faced with both a growing number of retirements and projected growth, there is a strong demand for apprentices to fill vacant positions. With the cost of college attendance continuing to rise, an apprenticeship offers an earn-while-you-learn approach that allows you to get paid from day one. Certified…
Brad Reach joins Springfield Clinic
Brad Reach is the new vice president and chief financial officer for Springfield Clinic. Reach most recently served as CFO of Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru, Illinois. Prior to that, Reach served in various finance roles at OSF St. Francis Medical Center and Heartland Regional Medical…
Building permit roundup – Oct. 28 – Nov. 3
BY STACIE LEWIS Read which building permits were approved by the City of Springfield between Oct. 28 and Nov. 3, 2019. Arec 34, LLC obtained a commercial permit for phase one of a remodel at 3250 E. Clear Lake Ave. valued at $150,000. A commercial permit for the same address was obtained for phase two…
Brad Reach is the new CFO of Springfield Clinic
Brad Reach is the new vice president and chief financial officer for Springfield Clinic. Reach most recently served as CFO of Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru, Illinois. Prior to that, Reach served in various finance roles at OSF St. Francis Medical Center and Heartland Regional Medical…
John A. Scherschel named president of Prairie Cardiovascular in Springfield
John A. Scherschel, MD, has been named president of Prairie Cardiovascular in Springfield. Scherschel is the fourth president in the group’s 40-year history and succeeds Marc E. Shelton, MD, who was appointed vice president and chief physician executive of Hospital Sisters Health System in March. Scherschel has served as a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at Prairie…
CO.STARTERS graduates to pitch their concepts
Innovate Springfield will host an event on Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 6:30-9 p.m. where CO.STARTERS graduates will pitch their concepts to a room full of community leaders and supporters. Innovate Springfield is completing its second CO.STARTERS cohort, a community-based entrepreneurship program that helps take an individual from a business idea to execution over a nine-week…
MJ Kellner Foodservice keeps it local
ARTICLES AND PHOTOS BY DAVID BLANCHETTE For 99 years, MJ Kellner Foodservice has been a respected family-owned Springfield business. As the company enters its 100th year in operation, it is positioned to continue its growth and success, according to owner Bill Kellner, who is also the CEO and president. “Over the years, I have had…
Goodbye sugar, hellowater
BY KAREN ACKERMAN WITTER Inspiring better health was the motivation for Rusty Jones and business partner Tom Bushkie to create a high-quality beverage as an alternative to sugary drinks. They founded hellowater in 2017 in response to their research, which revealed that nearly 40% of Americans are obese, affecting over 18 million children, and 97%…
Sangamon CEO expands format and offerings
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Great House BBQ opens in former Tasty City Seafood space
Great House BBQ has opened at 4233 W. Wabash in the former Tasty City Seafood & Trio space that went dark in June after less than a year in business. Kurtis Mitchell, who co-owns Great House BBQ along with his sister, Dianna Mitchell, said it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. “The…
Building permit roundup Oct. 21 – Oct. 27
YMCA obtained a commercial building permit for the new downtown facility at 601 N. Fourth St. O’Shea Builders is the contractor and the project is valued at $13,500,000. Niemann Holdings, LLC obtained a commercial permit for building permit for the Harvest Market addition and remodel at 3001 S. Veterans Parkway. DBS Group, LLC is the…
Mark Birtch starts new position with Keller Williams Realty
Mark Birtch has started a new position as a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, Inc. “I’ll be doing primarily residential real estate, representing both buyers and sellers,” Birtch said. “I’m working with Jim Skeeters and his team.” Birtch spent the past eight years with Midwest Family Broadcasting, most recently as the director of sales,…
Krista Appenzeller leaving City of Springfield
Krista Appenzeller, who is currently the senior assistant corporation counsel for the City of Springfield, has accepted a position as staff counsel with the Illinois State Bar Association. “I think it’s going to be quite the change,” she said, noting that while she will still be providing in-house counsel, “it will cover the whole gambit,…
Economic Outlook Breakfast
The Springfield Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Economic Outlook Breakfast on Thursday, Nov. 14 at the UIS Student Union. James Glassman, managing director and head economist of commercial banking for JPMorgan Chase Bank, will be the keynote speaker. He will provide an overview of the national economy and how it may impact the…
Best of Springfield party
Illinois Times, the sister publication of Springfield Business Journal, will host the 3rd annual Best of Springfield party, presented by Recon Techs, at the BOS Center in downtown Springfield from 5-9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24. Admission includes food and drinks samplings from more than 20 different businesses, plus attendees will enjoy live music from…
Rigney’s School of Archery opens
Following the closure of Springfield Archery in August, Kim and Gary Rigney have opened Rigney’s School of Archery (RSA) in Chatham. The couple founded the school in 2013 and previously rented space inside Springfield Archery, located at 1550 Recreation Dr., with Kim teaching classes and Gary serving as the store manager. “We felt it was…
Meal prep service launched
A Springfield couple has launched a meal prep service to offer pre-packaged meals to people who want healthy options that are often lacking with convenience foods. Brennan and Celeste Malham, a husband-and-wife team who both have extensive backgrounds in fitness and nutrition, have founded FED Kitchen and partnered with two existing businesses in Springfield as…
Building permit roundup Oct. 7 – Oct. 20
BY STACIE LEWIS Read which building permits were approved by the City of Springfield between Oct. 7 and Oct. 20, 2019. JCE Properties, LLC obtained a commercial remodel permit for renovation work at 3150 1290 E. Toronto Road. J. E. Foster Building Company is the contractor and the project is valued at $270,000. YMCA obtained…
