Section Feature

By Karen Ackerman Witter A partnership between BRANDT, a Springfield-based global agricultural company, and hellowater, a consumer beverage company, may initially seem surprising. However, it is in keeping with BRANDT’s entrepreneurial spirit and based on patented BRANDT technology. Together, these companies will launch a new beverage product in March that supports immune defense and elimination […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

By David Blanchette Springfield-based entrepreneur Ram Talluri reaches for the stars with his numerous business ventures around the world, ranging from technology to film production to jumping really high on trampolines. “It has been a great run so far, and I look forward to adding more value in whatever way I can,” the 45-year-old Talluri […]

By Holly Whisler Small retail boutiques are known for carrying unique and one-of-a-kind items. They are not typically known for selling online to a mass market, but that does not mean they cannot be successful doing so when a pandemic causes an economic shutdown, for example. Elizabeth “Liz” Eckert, owner of Bella Boutique, 2805 West […]