By Patrick Yeagle When Bob Gordon moved to Springfield in 1979, he realized there was something missing on Lake Springfield: a public marina. Gordon would later open Lake Springfield Marina in 1991, and now he’s turning over the helm to the next generation. Scott Tucker and Joe Prola have purchased the business after working as […]
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Hite joins ZG Worldwide
Ellen Hite has joined ZG Worldwide Consultants in Springfield as an executive coach and management consultant. Hite specializes in developing leadership through “neuro-management,” a technique which challenges thought patterns with the goal of improving communication and creativity. “Sometimes, the belief systems we’ve established need to be rewritten in our brains,” Hite said. “It makes a […]
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Stevenson to leave WTAX
By Patrick Yeagle Will Stevenson is leaving his role as news director and brand manager for Springfield radio station WTAX this month. A native of Kewanee, Stevenson says he is going “home” to WGIL in Galesburg. Stevenson started at WTAX, which is part of Capitol Radio Group, as a reporter in March 2015 and was […]
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Remodels up, new construction down in January
By Patrick Yeagle More people remodeled buildings in Springfield at the start of this year compared with last January, according to data from the City of Springfield. While new construction of both residential and commercial buildings fall slightly this January over the same time last year, the decline was far outpaced by the increase in […]
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Wellman, Oeser establish new Prudential office
Springfield financial advisors Michael Oeser and Brandon Wellman are establishing a new office of Prudential Financial. The new office, which opens March 15, will be the second Prudential office in Springfield. Wellman says he and Oeser merged their individual practices a few years ago. “We’ve grown to a size where it makes sense to move […]
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Buffalo Wings & Rings expanding to Springfield
By Patrick Yeagle A sports restaurant franchise based in Cincinnati is expanding to Springfield. Buffalo Wings & Rings, which has restaurants in 13 states, expects to open its first Springfield location within two years. Philip Schram, part owner and chief development officer of Buffalo Wings & Rings, describes the restaurant as “a better experience.” He […]
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White Oaks Mall loses hhgregg to closure
By Patrick Yeagle Electronics retailer hhgregg announced on Feb. 2 the closure of 88 stores across the country, including the store at White Oaks Mall in Springfield. Accompanied by the closure of three distribution facilities, the move is part of hhgregg’s “turnaround efforts” as it struggles with profitability. “We are strategically exiting markets and stores […]
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Hanson names Hollahan internal legal counsel
Hanson Professional Services Inc. announced on Tuesday that Dennis Hollahan has been named internal legal counsel. The announcement marks the first time that the Springfield engineering firm has appointed an in-house attorney. Hollahan joined Hanson in 2008. He previous served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, as a helicopter pilot during Operation Desert […]
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Free Press Coffee House opens on Toronto Road, plans MacArthur spot
By Patrick Yeagle It all started with a hotel. Jonas and Jane Ann Petty were living in Pittsfield in 2008 when they opened the William Watson Hotel, named after the town’s first settler who established the Mansion House hotel in the same building in 1838. That venture spawned the Free Press Coffee House, then another […]
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More than a workplace – Systemax earns corporate culture nod
By Patrick Yeagle | Photos by John Muchow About seven years ago, one of Brett Jackson’s employees left his Springfield-based company for a large employer. Jackson realized Systemax, a marketing and supply firm, couldn’t compete with the largest companies on pay and benefits, but he knew he could offer something even more valuable. It was […]
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Rauner halts grand bargain in Senate
By Monica Stabile Gov. Bruce Rauner intervened in the Illinois Senate on Wednesday to stop a “grand bargain” on the state budget, prompting frustration among Senate President John Cullerton, his fellow Democratic senators and even Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno. Without Republican support for the grand bargain, chances of the package passing the Illinois Senate […]
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A passion for food and laughter – Remembering Brown Hitt
By Patrick Yeagle He served three presidents, catered three gubernatorial inaugurations and met entertainers ranging from Ted Nugent to the Stone Temple Pilots. He’s credited with serving more than one million meals in his lifetime, but more than any of that, Brown Hitt was most proud of his family. “He loved being a dad, a […]