By Carey Smith Have a great idea for a startup company, but no capital? Looking to expand your product line, remodel your facility or hire additional employees but lack the revenue stream to qualify for a bank loan? Looking to invest in exciting local projects on a limited budget? Crowdfunding may be the answer for […]
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Vacant sites create opportunities for redevelopment
By Carey Smith Although some amount of property vacancy is desirable to accommodate the natural ebb and flow of business ventures in our community, a long-standing vacancy is not. Ryan McCrady, president and CEO of Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, says that part of his job is to “take a look at property to see what […]
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Turning the idea of growth on its head
By Lisa Clemmons Stott The steady westward expansion of Springfield is often cited as the healthy, inevitable result of growth and progress. But a book being read widely across our fair city today posits that there is another way to think about these changes, however, that isn’t quite as comforting. Using his insider’s view on […]
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Carole Keating takes the reins – Springfield entrepreneur adds more businesses to her portfolio
By David Blanchette Carole Keating’s entrepreneurial success can be simply summed up. “I really don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Keating said. “If I hit an obstacle, I always keep going. That pretty much sums it up, perseverance and hard work.” That perseverance has paid off, most recently with Keating’s acquisition of Egizii Electric, located […]
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Best Places to Work alumni spotlight: Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
By Carey Smith Selected as one of the best places to work in 2008 by Springfield Business Journal and United Community Bank, Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. (CMT) began in 1946 with the idea that engineering could significantly improve our country’s post-war infrastructure. Friends and civil engineers Len Crawford, Pat Murphy and Ray Tilly began […]
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Businesses adjust to railway corridor expansion
By Carey Smith As the Springfield Railway Improvements Project moves toward completion, an increasing number of businesses have been impacted, with more to come. Benmar Sunrooms was the first business to be displaced in 2014, and since then, an additional 18 businesses have had to relocate as a result of work taking place along the […]
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Low interest rates drive consumer spending – Home and auto sales at record levels, despite unemployment, uncertainty
By Holly Whisler The phrase “these unprecedented times” has been overused this year, yet still rings true. When the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to near zero in March, the area economy responded. Consumer lending – specifically, home and auto loans – gained momentum over the summer months, despite high levels of unemployment and uncertainty […]
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2020 15 Under Fifteen
This is the 18th year that Springfield Business Journal has partnered with United Community Bank to recognize 15 outstanding small businesses in the local area. To qualify, a business must be located in Sangamon or Morgan county, have been open for at least two years and have 15 or fewer full-time employees. A business is […]
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Serving and improving Springfield’s business community
By Catherine O’Connor Springfield lost two community-minded entrepreneurial giants, Louis Myers and Arnold Stern, within the first week of September 2020. Though Stern and Myers were three years apart in age, they were lifelong friends who had much in common, beginning with primary education at Butler Elementary School followed by graduation from Springfield High School, […]
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Businesses help parents with remote learning
By Holly Whisler Springfield business MB Heating & Cooling realized that many of their employees were facing a dilemma: go to work, or stay home with kids who are learning remotely. General manager Doug Gholson explained that last spring, the company had a plumber and an installer who could not work a full week because […]