BY KAREN ACKERMAN WITTER Horace Mann hosted the “CEO Action Check Your Blind Spots” mobile tour on May 30, which was open to every staff member. The company promoted it as a continuation of its commitment to having a diverse and inclusive work environment, facilitating open and honest conversations and increasing awareness of unconscious biases. [...]
The Springfield Business Journal proudly features 40 leaders who are under the age of 40 in the Springfield and neighboring business communities. These individuals are selected based on their contributions to our local business community and the community in which they reside.They represent, in part, the future of business in our community and in central [...]
Paris Cleaners changes hands after 110 years of family ownership BY HOLLY WHISLER Nathan “Nate” Klughart is living the American dream. As of June 1, the 18-year-old entrepreneur is the new owner of Paris Cleaners, a business owned and operated by the Franke family for the past 110 years. Klughart, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, [...]
BY TOM PAVLIK I love the kind of place that you only hear of by word of mouth - it’s like getting let in on a secret. And from the restaurant’s perspective it can be a gutsy play, but is also indicative of pride in what’s being served. And that’s Springfield Carriage Co. – a [...]
BY JANET SEITZ Shortages of care and agencies to protect children from abuse and neglect have made for plenty of recent headlines. “As we seem to keep hearing about struggles in our DCFS system every week,” said Beth Yockey, a volunteer with Safe Families for Children, a nonprofit national network of local chapters, “I think [...]
Tariffs and staffing are two major challenges for area manufacturers Article and photos by DAVID BLANCHETTE From diodes to doughnuts, manufacturers in the Springfield area make many different things and supply steady employment. They are established, often multi-generational members of the communities in which they are located. But manufacturers are also part of a volatile [...]
Downtown Springfield, Inc. is holding a workshop on Wednesday, May 29 entitled “Permits and city hall – Who you need to know and where you need to go.” From 12-1 p.m. at Lincoln Library, a variety of city staffers will explain how to work with the Building and Zoning department, the process for applying for [...]
The Citizens Club of Springfield is hosting a policy breakfast on economic development on Friday, May 24 at 8 a.m. at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The guest speaker will be Eric Berglund, president and CEO of The Land of Lincoln Economic Development Corporation. LLEDC is a new public/private partnership focused on economic development [...]
May 31 is the deadline to submit nominations for this year’s Forty Under 40 class. Springfield Business Journal, in partnership with Security Bank, University of Illinois Springfield, Mark Cortesi of State Farm and AmeriCall Communications, wants to recognize outstanding young professionals who live and work in Sangamon or Morgan County. Recipients will be profiled in [...]
ARTICLES AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BLANCHETTE Joe Bringuet may have married the boss’ daughter for what he jokingly calls “job security,” but after 69 years with the company, he makes sure the fourth-generation members of the family business know they have to begin the same way he did in 1950. “I started like everybody does [...]
