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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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 […]
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A Q&A with Dr. W.G. Robinson-McNeese
By Lana Shovlin Dr. Wesley Robinson-McNeese has been a soldier and a student, a pastor and a physician. He grew up in East St. Louis and tried college after graduating high school, but ultimately joined the military and was sent to Vietnam. At the age of 30, he returned to college and then graduated from […]
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Hospitals cope with ripple effects from COVID – Few patients, but many changes for the health care industry
By David Blanchette The one constant for the health care industry has been change during the ongoing COVID pandemic, and Springfield hospitals are striving to stay one step ahead of the microscopic menace and the unprecedented disruption it has wrought to one of the area’s biggest and most vital industries. “We’ve had to change every […]
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Keeping it in the family
By David Blanchette You can’t pick your family, the saying goes, but many people do just that when deciding how to open, run and sustain a small business. According to the Family Owned Business Institute, there are 5.5 million family businesses in the United States and those companies contribute 57% of the nation’s gross domestic […]
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Pamela Lewis-Frazier expands and adapts All in One
By Cinda Ackerman Klickna “If you have items to clean, I’ll make it happen,” says Pamela Lewis-Frazier, owner of All in One Management & Services. The business started in 2002 as a pressure-washing company with two box trucks carrying equipment to clean cars, boats, trailers, houses and even bridges and signs. In September 2019, […]
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Shop local at White Oaks Mall
The birth of malls, which began locally in 1977 with White Oaks Mall, led to the decay of many urban and downtown shopping districts, including in the Springfield area. However, the rise of online retailers and the subsequent loss of anchor stores has flipped this dynamic. Simon Property Group, which owns White Oaks Mall, […]
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PPP bridges the gap for some businesses
By David Blanchette The federal and state assistance she received to weather the COVID pandemic has been more than just money for Susan Danenberger. “It’s definitely been a miracle,” said the owner of Danenberger Family Vineyards in New Berlin. Danenberger was able to secure a $20,000 forgivable loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program […]
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A Q&A with Chancellor Susan Koch
Susan Koch will retire as chancellor of UIS and vice president of the University of Illinois System effective June 30, a role she has held since 2011. Koch is currently the longest-serving chancellor of the U of I System. Among other accomplishments, Koch spearheaded the initiative to build UIS’s first student union and fundraising efforts […]
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Springfield’s hospitality industry prepares to rebound
By Karen Ackerman Witter Scott Dahl, director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB), describes Springfield as a convention city and tourism city. There are approximately 3,500 travel and tourism-related jobs in Sangamon County, representing $110 million in total payroll, so COVID-19 has had a huge impact. Hotels are at a record low […]
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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 […]