ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY DAVID BLANCHETTE It’s been a long, strange trip for LS Building Products, but the East Peoria-based wholesale distributor will soon open its largest facility, an 80,000-square-foot, full-service operation near the I-55 and Sangamon Avenue exit in Springfield. The LS Building Products Springfield operation will open in early August following two years [...]
BY MEREDITH HOWARD Although women earn 50.3% of all science and engineering bachelor’s degrees, they account for only 29% of the science and engineering workforce, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project, which encourages girls to learn about and work in STEM fields. Despite this statistic, Springfield is home to many female business owners and [...]
BY ERIC WOODS For those not tied to their current living locations, a couple areas in the United States are hoping to entice people to head their way. Both Tulsa, Oklaholma, and the state of Vermont have recently established programs that will pay people to relocate. It may only be a matter of time before [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Amanda Long Photo/ Terry Farmer Photgraphy, Inc. Amanda Long BY ROBERTA CODEMO Amanda Long truly believes in making a difference in someone’s life, and that passion shines through when she talks. “I love waking up every day and asking what can I do to make things better,” she said. She has always held [...]
Businesses and volunteers come together to support Web.com tournament BY CATHERINE O’CONNOR Kate Peters of Bruno Event Team, who is the executive director of the Lincoln Land Championship Presented by LRS, wants businesses of all sizes to think creatively about how they can leverage the power of relationships by supporting the only PGA-sanctioned golf tournament [...]
