Cover Story
Commercial real estate: the year ahead
The National Association of REALTORS® annual Real Estate Forecast Summit, The Year Ahead, predicted general contractors will continue to struggle with supply chain issues and labor shortages, while developers will be hampered by rising interest rates and insurance costs. The virtual event, held Dec. 12, 2023, highlighted aspects of the economy and how residential and…
Make a nomination for the 2024 Women of Influence
Do you know an outstanding woman who deserves recognition? Security Bank is proud to partner with Springfield Business Journal for the annual Women of Influence recognition program, honoring local women for their contributions to the Springfield area community. Selected by their peers through submitted nominations, all have made important contributions to the community at large.…
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly announces new president
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. has announced Adam Burns as the firm’s seventh president, effective Feb. 24. Throughout his 22 years at CMT, Burns has served in diverse and progressively responsible roles, including transportation engineer, project manager, group manager, business development lead and executive vice president. Burns succeeds William Bailey, who began his tenure as…
David James joins Bank of Springfield
David James has joined the insurance agency team for Bank of Springfield. He has 28 years of insurance and banking experience and will serve as vice president. His product specializations are in employee benefits which includes health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance. James received his bachelor’s degree in management from Quincy University. He and…
Building permits – Feb. 19 – Feb. 25
Anchor Boat Club received a commercial accessory structure permit for 407 East Lake Shore Drive. Contractor is Matthew Morgan and the project is valued at $10,000. PBA Holdings LLC received a commercial remodel permit for 225 E. Cook St. Contractor is Cloyd Builders and the project is valued at $200,000. RR Family LLC % Raymond…
Knob Hill Landscape Company acquires Evergreen Landscape
Knob Hill Landscape Company has acquired Evergreen Landscape, expanding its services and locations in Springfield. “We are thrilled to welcome Evergreen Landscape to the Knob Hill family,” said Landon Kirby, president of Knob Hill Landscape Company. “This acquisition allows us to expand our footprint on the west side of town and provide a wide variety of…
How to succeed as a Black-owned business
Black people comprise more than 14 percent of the nation’s population but only 2.3 percent of businesses are Black-owned, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau figures. The most recent American Communities Survey shows that while Black businesses make up approximately 11 percent of all businesses in Illinois, they comprise only two percent of the state’s…
City council passes budget
Water rates in Springfield will rise 32% beginning March 1 and another 32% a year later after contentious debate among City Council members and a 7-3 vote on Feb. 20. “We don’t have a choice,” Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer said of the increases, the first since 2011. He blamed prior city councils and prior…
New owner for Tax Partners Holdings
How do you take over a legacy small business that was founded in Springfield 20 years before you were born? If you’re Emmanuel “Manny” Davis, you just dive right in. The 24-year-old Davis became the new owner of Tax Partners Holding, Inc. (TPH) on Feb. 1. The tax preparation and bookkeeping business was established by…
The Filling Station opens in Rochester
It wasn’t a smooth transition, but The Filling Station in Rochester is now open in the building that once housed The Alibi. The property at 320 E. Main St. was a gas station years ago and Mark Clemens, a partner in the LLC that owns the building, decided to open a restaurant and bar with…
SIU System moves into new downtown office
The Southern Illinois University System has moved into new office space, not far from its previous location. “We wanted to stay downtown to be close to the Capitol and accessible there,” said John Charles, executive director of government and public affairs. At the beginning of February, SIU System opened an office at 321 E. Adams…
Building permits – Feb. 12 – Feb. 18
Hopkins Properties of Springfield % M John Hopkins IV received a commercial remodel permit for 2981 Singer Ave. Charles Harris is the contractor and the project is valued at $215,000. Vision Inc. received a commercial accessory structure permit for 3442 Freedom Drive. Contractor is Graber & Sons and the project is valued at $50,000.
Sam McCann pleads guilty during trial
Former state Sen. Sam McCann pleaded guilty to all nine felony charges related to misuse of campaign funds for personal benefit on Feb. 15, one day before his bench trial was expected to end and as he considered taking the stand in his defense. McCann previously said his prosecution in Springfield’s U.S. District Court was…
Sam McCann finally has his day in court
Sam McCann illegally spent political contributions funded by the union dues of those who saw him as a friend of working people on luxury vehicles, a recreational motor home, trips, personal debts, home mortgage payments and to boost his income. Those were the allegations contained in evidence and statements presented on Feb. 13 during the…
CAD Construction opens Springfield office
Two familiar names in the area construction industry are opening a Springfield office for CAD Construction. The Tremont-based company, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, started as a rough carpentry and interior trim union subcontractor. Over time, CAD Construction has evolved into a general contractor focusing on small commercial projects under $10 million,…
Loukinens’ on 4th closes
Owners Keith and Laurie Loukinen have announced that Loukinens’ on 4th will “temporarily close until further notice.” The restaurant at 517 S. Fourth St., across from the Executive Mansion, opened in 2017 and featured “casual, upscale dining” using local, seasonal ingredients. According to Sangamon County tax records, the property was purchased in February 2017 for…
Catie Sheehan to join SIU system leadership team
Catie Sheehan is joining the Southern Illinois University system leadership team as the executive director of marketing and communications, effective Feb. 28. Sheehan most recently served as the vice president of communications, marketing and advocacy for Hospital Sisters Health System, a position she held for five years before stepping down in May 2023. Prior to…
Building permits – Feb. 5 – Feb. 11
Humphrey Properties LLC % Hope Humphrey Walker received a commercial permit for 1821 S. 15th St. Contractor is Reiser Construction and the project is valued at $100,000. First and Jefferson LLC received a commercial permit for 110 W. Jefferson St. Contractor is Faron Harmony and the project is valued at $35,000. North Star of Springfield…
DIM Art House closing its studio and gallery space
DIM Art House is closing its studio and gallery for the time being, but not ceasing operations. “Our landlord sold the building; we always knew it was a possibility but never thought it would happen,” said Christy Freeman Stark, who founded DIM in 2019 along with Joe Wallace and Jeff Williams. “The reality hit us…
MJ’s Fish & Chicken to open on Fridays during Lent
MJ’s Fish & Chicken Express is opening on Fridays during the Lenten season, starting Friday, Feb. 16, offering a limited menu. Customers will be able to dine-in or carry out from MJ’s, 716 E. Enos, from 4-9 p.m. on Fridays through March 22. MJ’s will offer a catfish lunch ($12), catfish dinner ($16), walleye lunch…
McCann trial postponed until Feb. 12
The scheduled Feb. 5 start of former Conservative Party gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann’s trial was delayed until Feb. 12 after the judge presiding in the alleged illegal campaign fund spending case learned McCann was hospitalized in St. Louis. McCann, a Macoupin County resident charged in a federal grand jury indictment three years ago, told U.S.…
Lutheran High School plans to rebuild near Cherry Hills Church
After mine subsidence forced Lutheran High School to abandon its west-side Springfield campus in 2022, it is looking to rebuild on land owned by Cherry Hills Church, near the northeast corner of Chatham and Woodside roads. “We’re negotiating with Lutheran right now for them to buy 23 acres of farmland to the north of our…
Springfield down to two residential waste haulers
Waste Management transferred most of its residential business in Springfield to Republic Services because alleys made service to certain parts of the city inefficient, a company spokesperson said. “Our company is moving more to automation,” Lisa Disbrow, spokesperson for Waste Management of Illinois Inc., told Illinois Times on Feb. 6. WM’s increasing use of garbage trucks…
Explore opportunities for your future
Ever catch yourself wondering what the future holds for yourself or a loved one? Imagining the future can be a powerful drive for change. This kind of visualization can help us be positive, enhance a sense of purpose and begin to set goals. When it comes to turning these thoughts into reality, sometimes the hardest…
An interview with the new DSI director
Carlos Ortega, a man with a passion for promoting economic development, has set his sights on improving his hometown’s central business district. The Springfield native is Downtown Springfield Incorporated’s new executive director. He began the job Feb. 1. “He brings with him extensive nonprofit and business knowledge that we feel is going to translate very…
Crossfit XLT, Deep Roots Lawn Care relocate
Crossfit XLT just celebrated its 10-year anniversary, and now the business is in the process of relocating to a new building. “This will be an improvement for our members,” said owner Bryan Bridges, who also works with American Family Insurance. “We are now moving into our own building.” Crossfit XLT has been operating out of…
CWLP asking for significant water rate increases
City Water, Light & Power officials say water rate increases of 32% this year and 32% in 2025 are needed for state-required replacements of lead lines and to reduce the frequency of water main breaks, dredge Lake Springfield and improve the water division’s finances. CWLP Chief Utility Engineer Doug Brown said the need for the…
Credit card company monopolies impact small businesses
Strings are often attached in Mark Yeates’ business transactions. The owner of Dick’s Shoe Repair, 314 W. Laurel St., enjoys putting new shoestrings on pairs of Oxfords or stitching new soles onto wingtips. But one string he doesn’t like is the one credit card companies attach to every charge-card transaction that happens in his shop.…
Building permits – Jan. 29 – Feb. 4
BPC/Larkspur Springfield LLC received a commercial remodel permit for 2345 MacArthur Blvd. Contractor not listed. The project is valued at $1.8 million. Marc S. Gregory and Z Property Brothers LLC received a commercial remodel permit for 913 S. Eighth St. Contractor is Koeppen Construction and the project is valued at $25,000. Springfield Clinic LLP received…
Hardee’s closes five area locations, one already sold
Five Hardee’s locations throughout central Illinois have closed, but at least one won’t be vacant for long. “The (Chatham Hardee’s) closed on Monday, unbeknownst to anyone. I called the building owner on Tuesday to let her know. But the buyer went ahead and closed on the property Wednesday,” said Jay Clark, a broker with The…
Q&A With David Steckel
Where were you born and raised, and what was your first job? I was born and raised in Greenfield, which is south of Jacksonville. I grew up on a farm and did a certain amount of work there. My first actual non-farm, paying job was at a filling station in Greenfield. When did you decide…
Statutes of limitation
All too often we operate under the rule of: Why do today what can be done tomorrow? But, under the law, that kind of delay may well result in certain rights being forever barred. Illinois law has specific rules regarding time limits within which claims must be brought as lawsuits. These rules are strictly enforced…
Springfield Frontiers International: Advancement through service
Springfield Frontiers International is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization whose goals are achieved through service to others and by working with community leaders in finding solutions to key issues that are civic, social and racial in nature. Members are called Yokefellows, the term originating from oxen bearing the burden of hard work through the yoke it…
The delicate art of discussing religion, politics or gender in the workplace
There are few topics that remain as complex as they are sensitive, especially with co-workers. The big three are religion, politics and gender. These subjects hold profound importance in our lives and are at the core of our identities, thus holding the power to stir up deep emotions. Avoiding or hiding these parts of our…
Brewski’s Pub
I’ve driven by Brewski’s Pub countless times but never stopped in until recently when I was craving a burger. When I think pub, I also think burger. My bad, as I should have paid more attention to Brewski’s logo, which proudly proclaims it’s all about pizza and beer. Other than sliders, Brewski’s has no burger…
