Forty Under 40 2020 Profiles
To view Springfield Business Journal's Forty Under 40 2020 winners, click below.
PPP bridges the gap for some businesses
By David Blanchette The federal and state assistance she received to weather the COVID pandemic has been more than just money for Susan Danenberger. “It's definitely been a miracle,” said the owner of Danenberger Family Vineyards in New Berlin. Danenberger was able to secure a $20,000 forgivable loan through the federal Paycheck Protection [...]
A Q&A with Chancellor Susan Koch
Susan Koch will retire as chancellor of UIS and vice president of the University of Illinois System effective June 30, a role she has held since 2011. Koch is currently the longest-serving chancellor of the U of I System. Among other accomplishments, Koch spearheaded the initiative to build UIS’s first student union and fundraising efforts [...]
Springfield’s hospitality industry prepares to rebound
By Karen Ackerman Witter Scott Dahl, director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB), describes Springfield as a convention city and tourism city. There are approximately 3,500 travel and tourism-related jobs in Sangamon County, representing $110 million in total payroll, so COVID-19 has had a huge impact. Hotels are at a record low [...]
Paying it forward
Businesses find ways to help others despite their own challenges By Holly Whisler Love through tacos Fortunately for Chad Reese, owner of Chadito’s Mexican American Grill, when dine-in restaurants were forced to close he was able to continue operations since both locations at 3030 S. Sixth St. and 6490 N. Walnut Street Rd. are equipped [...]
Still doing businesses in a COVID-19 world
From ultra-sanitizing workspaces to improving virtual connectivity, Springfield-area entrepreneurs are actively responding to pandemic conditions head on. By Catherine O’Connor Clean Impact A local business founded only two years ago by buddies Kirk Kellus and Jon Roe, who first met in college, Clean Impact hit its stride at just the right moment. The company, which [...]
2020 Women of Influence
Springfield Business Journal and Security Bank are pleased to announce the 2020 Women of Influence: Heather Burton, Eve Fischberg, Tiffany Mathis, Grace Nanavati and Melissa Remolina. Click on the link below to view the 2020 Women of Influence section from May's Springfield Business Journal. WOI section SBJ May 2020
The state of higher education
By David Blanchette/photos by David Blanchette One area college is completing its best-ever academic year with record enrollment, new majors and increased facility investments. Just over a mile away another college's board must decide if there is enough expected revenue to continue operating. This tale of two colleges is set in Jacksonville, where Illinois College, [...]
From AmeriCorps intern to CEO
By Carey Smith/Photos by Sierra Smithers Springfield native Tiffany Mathis recently became the CEO and executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Illinois (BGCCIL). Her passion and dedication are unmistakable. “I really love that I was able to work somewhere you can just be all in,” she said. Mathis was originally introduced [...]
Telling time and tales of history
By Dennis Thread How many times a day do you check the time? Under the influence of mobile phones, clocks are mere decorations and watches seemingly irrelevant. After all, the time is always there, insistently peaking at us from the top of our screens. But something strange has happened in the era of smart watches. [...]