While working on building a new home in downtown Springfield, University of Illinois Springfield’s business incubator is rolling out some new, innovative programs to expand its resources and services, highlighting access to expertise and sources of startup venture capital for entrepreneurs. Innovate Springfield, which currently offers its members support such as office space, business planning, market […]
Catherine O'Connor
Posted inNews
Merch madness
Thanks to ingenuity and fortunate timing, Campus Ink has become a sensational example of small business expansion, with the assistance of Illini Angels investment capital. Founder Steven Farag isn’t a coach, player or official, but he and his team logged many miles on the road to the Final Four. When rules changed in 2021, allowing […]
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Springfield-area native wants to redesign global supply chain logistics
Matt Salefski, an entrepreneur who grew up in the Springfield area, recently launched Rectangle, a freight cargo logistics communications company. He reached out to Illini Angels as part of his quest for early-stage venture capital. “When you look around your home, or at store shelves, probably everything you see moved through a global supply chain […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Historic event with a new twist
This year’s Springfield Mile will include all the thrill, drama and edge-of-the-seat dirt track racing that’s been a tradition since its early years as part of the American Motorcyclist Association national racing series that began in 1937. Integral to Springfield’s horse racing and motorsports community heritage, the oval track at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, known […]
Posted inNews
Sole man
In high school, Joey McMakin began assembling a collection of fashionable 1950s and ’60s shoes, salvaged from thrift stores or purposely purchased in their original tissue wrapping from older downtown department stores. For his senior project at Springfield High School, he created one beautifully styled original shoe, decorated like a piece of sculpture, recalls art […]
