Southtown Construction provides job training and life skills By Holly Whisler “I am the youngest of 10 kids. We grew up in the projects of Springfield. My father was killed when I was teenager, and my mom raised us on public assistance and what she earned from her job as a waitress,” said Calvin Pitts [...]
By Janet Seitz Among Springfield’s major employers is Horace Mann, founded in 1945 and the nation’s largest financial services company focused on providing educators and school employees with insurance and retirement solutions. With that presence comes responsibility to give back to its educator base and the communities in which they work and live. Historically, the [...]
By Bob Barber I often hear, “How do I network now that people may or may not be comfortable gathering and meeting?” Frankly, I believe many people have become lazy about generating introductions to new prospects. Yes, that may be harsh, but it is time to be honest about your past networking efforts and improve [...]
By Holly Whisler “It has to be rough to be in the office furniture business right now,” is a comment often heard by Chris Davis, vice president of operations and account manager at Resource One Interior Solutions & Design, 321 E. Adams St., since COVID-19 forced many people to work from home. However, “Our market [...]
By David Blanchette A Springfield firm that was formed to satisfy an unmet need has now been keeping the legal profession organized for three decades. “My father, Ron Kanoski, was looking for a software application to use in his firm, but couldn’t find anything that was quite right,” said John Kanoski, CEO of [...]
By Carey Smith The heart of a vibrant downtown is its residents, who often work, live and play all within the same walkable community. The patterns of revitalization repeat in mid-sized cities across the nation. After decades of development on the edges of a community, which unerringly decimate downtowns and city cores, residents begin [...]
By Cinda Ackerman Klickna “Let’s build talent, not buy talent,” says Brenda Elliott, director of apprenticeship programming at Lincoln Land Community College. The program, only in existence for a year, was developed as a way for local businesses to fill needed information technology positions while offering LLCC students a path for a career or career [...]
By Carey Smith For many Americans, leaning heavily on social service agencies has gotten them through the pandemic. But how have these nonprofits adapted and coped with the increased demand but often reduced fundraising opportunities? For Midwest Mission Distribution Center, which specializes in disaster relief, the transition was fairly smooth. The organization distributed three times [...]
By Karen Ackerman Witter A partnership between BRANDT, a Springfield-based global agricultural company, and hellowater, a consumer beverage company, may initially seem surprising. However, it is in keeping with BRANDT’s entrepreneurial spirit and based on patented BRANDT technology. Together, these companies will launch a new beverage product in March that supports immune defense and elimination [...]
