Gov. Pat Quinn’s pension proposal has led to an increase in state employees applying for retirement, which could negatively affect Springfield businesses. According to the State Employees Retirement System, more than 4,000 workers have applied to retire during this fiscal year, which is an increase of 40 percent from last year. Of the 4,000 who […]
Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Posted inNews
Getting kids ready for kindergarten
The beginning stages of a plan to improve education in Sangamon County are already showing promise, according to an upcoming report from the Sangamon County Continuum of Learning. The Continuum is working to implement pre-kindergarten screening county-wide, along with a handful of other projects aimed at preparing children for school. It’s just the first step […]
Posted inNews
Springfield businesses say Illinois’ Amazon Tax not enough
It’s a battle already decided in Illinois, but the winners say they are still suffering. Now they’re preparing for a renewed fight in Washington, D.C. At issue is whether Internet retailers like Amazon.com, Inc. should have to collect state and local sales taxes. Illinois’ own “Amazon Tax” took effect in March 2011, but some Springfield […]
Posted inOpinion
Boomerangers
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce is talking industrial parks as the way to make Greater Springfield – which I prefer to think of as Bigger Springfield – a Great Place to Do Business. Springfield’s economic development plans aim to import companies or expand one already in the city. Alas, attracting a successful firm is […]
Posted inNews
A new reality for the east side
Springfield’s east side could see a dramatic revitalization over the next three years, according to representatives of businesses, churches, nonprofits and government bodies who met to discuss redevelopment plans last week. The East Springfield Summit featured a consortium of familiar names in Springfield – the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, The Springfield Project, Mayor Frank […]
Posted inOpinion
Reinventing the past
Building new businesses based on new ideas is the central axiom of the near-science of economic development. Sangamon County’s would-be Edisons in the medical field recently were invited to submit ideas for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s Project Innovation, intended to encourage local entrepreneurs in health care. The finalist ideas, announced in May, included […]
Posted inNews
East side wins housing grant
The sounds of nail guns and power saws filled the air in a section of the east side of Springfield last week. Men with tool belts worked feverishly to build a new home at the corner of 12th and Edwards streets, raising walls and covering the frame with plywood. Right next door, a rundown, boarded-up […]
