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 [...]
SAA has a new building and new ways to engage the community ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY DAVID BLANCHETTE It’s difficult for most nonprofits to survive year-to-year, so when an organization celebrates its 105th anniversary, you know it must be on to something. “I can tell you what season it is based on what fundraiser I’m [...]
BY ZACH ROTH For over 60 years, Hope has provided care for children with various disabilities. In Springfield, Hope has a residential campus and school on East Hazel Dell Lane, in addition to offering outpatient services at the Hope Pavilion in the former Doctors Hospital building on South Sixth Street. Working with these children requires [...]
BY CATHERINE O’CONNOR Exciting new plans will soon be taking shape at 312 E. Adams St., a three-story building that was donated to the Downtown Springfield Heritage Foundation late last year by the previous owner, Gerry Hughes. The Foundation has just announced that Martin Haxel and his wife, Laurie, were the winning bidders, responding to [...]
These small businesses are surviving, despite competition from online sales Article and photos by DAVID BLANCHETTE Eighty percent survive the first year. Seventy percent are left after two years, 50 percent after five years, and only 30 percent are still around after 10 years. Those 30 percent are the small businesses in the United States [...]
Springfield has many opportunities for small-scale development BY CATHERINE O’CONNOR Governing magazine recently published the results of an in-depth investigation into segregation in Illinois communities, including Springfield. A recent cover story in Illinois Times included excerpts from the lengthy report (“Segregated in the Heartland, Feb. 7), which also focused on income disparity between black and [...]
BY ZACH ROTH Like many other towns in the Midwest and Rust Belt, Springfield has seen significant changes in the makeup of its population in recent years. It has become older, not to mention a little bit smaller. “Since 2010, the indications are that the population is continuing to decline,” said Molly Berns, executive director [...]
