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Q&A with Andrea Aggertt

By David Blanchette Andrea Aggertt was hired in October 2019 to serve as the Architect of the Capitol. She is currently overseeing $350 million in work at the Capitol complex that was allocated as part of Rebuild Illinois, the first capital spending bill approved in the past decade. Aggertt is also responsible for completion and […]

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Q&A with Jan Schramm

By David Blanchette          Jan Schramm is the senior vice president for trust management services at Hickory Point Bank & Trust, the same company where she began her banking career after graduating from Bradley University with a degree in business administration and management. In September, Schramm received the 2022 President’s Award from the Illinois Bankers […]

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Q&A with John Kelker

By David Blanchette John Kelker says he always knew he wanted to help people, and he worked in the nonprofit sector throughout his professional career. After graduating from MacMurray College in Jacksonville, he worked in Carrollton and Jacksonville before moving to Springfield in 1996 to become president of the United Way of Central Illinois. He […]

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15 Under Fifteen – 2022

  This is the 20th 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 […]

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Mas Sabores

Until recently, I thought that Mas Sabores was only a bakery, ice cream and dessert shop. But a friend mentioned having lunch there a few weeks back, so I decided to check the place out. Mas Sabores (which means more flavors), the sister restaurant to Sabores in Chatham, is located on North Grand Avenue in […]

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Q&A with Michelle Tjelmeland

By David Blanchette Michelle Tjelmeland has started two businesses and a nonprofit, all while being profoundly deaf. She hears only through the technology of a cochlear implant, and now works to provide cochlear implants for deaf people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from Eastern Illinois […]

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Q&A with Ruby Davis

By David Blanchette Ruby Davis was born in Mississippi, where she worked chopping cotton before leaving home at age 15 to get married. Two years later, her mother and sister were killed in a car accident, and her father died the following year. Those experiences of loss inspired her to work with other grieving families. […]

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Q&A with Joseph J. Mullany

By David Blanchette Joseph J. Mullany was appointed the new Illinois president and CEO for Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) on April 25. He holds an MBA and master of health sciences from University of Florida. He became a hospital CEO at the age of 30 and since then has held management roles at Detroit […]

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Blackburn and beyond

College increases opportunities for students with diverse abilities By Carey Smith “According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, as of 2021, only 19% of Americans with a disability are even employed,” states Brianna Sutton, director of Blackburn College’s Blackburn and Beyond program. “Disability does not mean inability.” Born from a partnership with Carlinville High […]

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