Best Places to Work 2022
Best Places to Work 2022
Standing on solid ground
William Bishop helps minorities get started in the construction industry By Carey Smith “Believe. Strive. Achieve.” William Bishop IV’s motto has taken him from his roots on Springfield’s east side to where he is today: CEO of Solid Ground Solutions, Inc. A Springfield native, Bishop graduated from Lanphier High School before earning his bachelor’s degree [...]
Many downtown redevelopment projects in the works
By Catherine O’Connor There is plenty of vacant, multistory space available in Springfield’s downtown and a program that utilizes tax increment financing (TIF) to reimburse owners for a portion of the cost to acquire property, stabilize buildings, redesign and renovate interiors and upgrade exteriors. But developers are experiencing a shortage of contractors available to undertake [...]
Notable new construction and remodeling projects
By Catherine O’Connor Hindu temples bring imported spiritual design A new home for The Hindu Temple of Greater Springfield has been erected at 1001 W. Walnut St. in Chatham. An architect from Vastu Consultants in Chennai, India, worked with Rangwala Architects from St. Louis to design and build the concrete Fox Blocks pre-cast building [...]
Springfield Rail Improvements Project progresses
Businesses between Carpenter Street and Ridgely Avenue will be affected By Carey Smith Land acquisition is steadily moving northward for the Springfield Rail Improvements Project, with a stretch of land between Carpenter Street and Ridgely Avenue being the current focus. While other segments of the 10th Street corridor have focused on widening tracks and creating [...]
Q&A with Paul O’Shea
By David Blanchette Paul O’Shea is a Springfield native who has left his mark on his hometown through a variety of historic preservation projects and extensive community involvement. After graduating from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in architecture, he returned to Springfield and was involved in the reconstruction of the Old State Capitol. [...]
Investing trends:
A modern day wild, wild west By Holly A. Whisler In order to understand today’s markets, it is necessary to take a step back and look at the big picture, the trends and stages, explained Michael Lansden, first vice president of investments and branch manager for the Stifel office in Jacksonville. He said the [...]
We have a plan – now what?
By Steven Simpson-Black Springfield is just OK at urban planning. We still do planning like the 1990s, leaving out some pretty important aspects in our comprehensive planning process. We don’t really plan for transit or bicycling, and infill planning is sparse. Still, the most recent Springfield 2037 Comprehensive Plan does talk about transit and calls [...]
Don’t neglect long-haul COVID in the panic over Delta variant
By Dr. Jeffrey Gold “Long-haul COVID” is one of many scary phrases that have barged into our vocabulary since the pandemic upended global life. Those who have it are afflicted with a COVID that seems never to go away. With the present panic over the Delta variant, there’s a danger that we will not accord [...]
Weaving a legacy
Dan Frachey launches a business to capture seniors’ stories By Carey Smith “People may say they don’t have much of a story to tell, but when people start talking, when they are given permission to share, they start revealing that there is a great narrative over the course of one’s life,” said Dan Frachey, owner [...]