small businesses

February 22, 2018February 21, 2018

| Dynagraphics INC | Wood Printing | Small Businesses Decatur IL |

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The Details: Scott Bowers, Vice President of Sales or Dynagraphics, INC / Wood Printing | In Business: Since 1980

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00| Location: 3220 N Woodford St. Decatur IL | Phone: 876.9950 | Website: www.dynagraphics.com

Tell us about your business… What do you do?

In 1980, my parents, Richard “Barry” and Melanie Bowers, purchased Promo Graphics, a screen printing company that produced retail sign kits for 65 Eisner Foods (Jewel) stores. My brother David and I worked with our parents from the start. As teenagers, David operated screen printing and offset presses and I worked in the bindery department. In 1988 the company purchased state-of-the-art quick printing equipment that allowed faster turnaround and lower cost, and the Fast Impressions division was born. We’ve since added equipment for short-run full-color posters, displays, vehicle wraps, full-color signage, outdoor graphics, and a Zund G3 cutter for shape cutting everything from paper to aluminum. Then in recent years we acquired local printer, Wood Printing, expanding our print capability greatly and enabling us to provide all of your printing and graphics needs in one place.

What makes your business unique/special?

We’re known for doing work on a very short deadline. And, our customer service is second to none – when there’s a problem we do everything to make it right.

What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs?

I really like our architectural graphics and custom wallpaper.

I was lucky enough to be at Dynagraphics for their feature on a day they were printing Thrive Entertainment Guide. It was super cool to see how crazy fast this press runs (and fun to crank my shutter speed super high to try to catch a glimpse of what was nearly impossible to see with the naked eye). Plus, it just so happened to be the issue that had our full page senior ad on the back … there was a huge PILE of sjp seniors, pretty awesome to see in person!

In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer?

We did a job for Huston-Patterson, and in order to make a deadline we chartered a plane to Pennsylvania.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you?

We’ve had many clients make introductions to friends and colleagues. When we remodeled we received flower arrangements. And we have so much support whenever we have an open house, such as Refreshment Services Pepsi providing a fountain.

What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without?

We love Midland Paper; their service is great.

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why?

Perry Products – their offering is quite unique. They do Perry suspenders; they’re inventors.

When did you know you wanted to go into this business?

I worked for my folks, I didn’t really have a choice (laughs). I’ve worked here all but four years.

What are you passionate about outside of your business?

My children, my relationship with God and my church family.

Describe your PERFECT day:

Nice weather, a Saturday to be able to sleep in. Maybe be able to do something outside, with the people I love close by.

Introduce us to your STAFF…

See the latest news at:

http://www.dynagraphics.com/

See our other past small business features to connect with more businesses in our area:

See more on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @sjanephotog, Instagram @sjanephotograhy, and Snapchat @sjanephotog

If you’d like to have YOUR small business featured for FREE on the SJP blog (or know a small business we should feature) you can find details HERE! These features are 100% free and we’d love to feature you next.

October 26, 2017April 28, 2018

Elm Street Grill | Small Business Feature

The Details: Terry Kaufman, Owner of Elm Street Grill | In Business: 4 Years

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00am-1:00am | Location: 113 E. Elm St. Argenta, IL | Phone: 217.795.2295 | Email: elmstreetargenta@gmail.com

Tell us about your business…

For a great lunch with family, friends and co-workers, or a night out, stop by the Elm Street Grill for delicious appetizers, sandwiches, salads and daily/weekly specials. We are conveniently located off of Route 48. Great food made with fresh, quality ingredients at reasonable prices, friendly service, and a fun yet relaxed atmosphere are what we are all about. Perfect for a quiet lunch or dinner, meeting with friends, or having a celebration. Set in a historical 1887 structure, so you can enjoy the ambiance of high tin ceilings, beautiful hardwood floors, and the original 1887 facade. We have tables and booths, or feel free to sit outside on the patio or at the bar. We offer weekly specials, and carryout is available.

What did you do?

I bought a bar to turn into a restaurant. I wanted to provide the service in the town I grew up in.

What makes your business unique/special?

We brought a restaurant and bar back to Argenta, when there hadn’t been one for a while. And we’ve even started doing delivery following the limits from the dimensional weight calculator, now that we offer pizza.

What item on your menu do you just LOVE and think everyone needs?

I’m a fan of the buffalo chicken wrap. We started doing fresh pizza – we do the dough, the sauce ourselves, and use all fresh ingredients. Our meat combo and our buffalo pizza are really popular.

In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer?

We use the term “guest,” because we like everyone to feel welcome, to give them a warm feeling when they come in. We’ve done a couple benefits for the son of a friend who’s going through some tough times. We almost raised $18,000 to send this kid to Panama to get stem cell treatment. Those benefits, it’s nice to see the community come together. That’s as rewarding if not more rewarding to see the looks on their faces and know you’ve touched them.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you?

The attendance when we have events, to see the people support, just because it’s you. The simple fact of getting a compliment and knowing they mean it.

What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without?

I’ve got some really good people working for me. I’ve got some people overworked because it’s so hard to find good people. My girlfriend, Heather Staffer, manages the bar for me when she can. My staff is my best tool.

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why?

My local food suppliers – that’s what makes it happen. MJ Kellner Food Service is a family-owned food distribution company. Hoelting Produce, they’re people who make it very easy to go to work every day. Skeff Distributing and Budweiser are another big part of the operation.

I love that some of our other favorite small businesses like Skeff are working together to make the whole small business community amazing around here! Check out our feature of Skeff Distributing HERE.

Tell us about YOU

I was working as a server at Texas Roadhouse working for Dave Hess and taking some classes. I loved it. I was approached by him to do management. I worked there 10 years, then for my good friend Todd Mason at The Beach House for four years. Then I ran Lincoln Lounge for about a year. I bought the bar after that.

WHY did you choose to do what you do?

Food is so vital; it’s connects to a lot of people. From the single mom or dad to the older widowed grandmother or the older man who can’t cook. It’s cool to provide a service for the village I grew up in – not only are they customers but I know them. That’s where it’s rewarding for me.

When did you know you wanted to go into this business?

From the time I started working at Roadhouse – I liked doing the service side right from the start.

What are you passionate about outside of your business?

I’m passionate about being a good father, boyfriend and son. My parents live on a good amount of land. My son is a freshman in college and I need to be around to lend a hand and knowledge to him. And if we can sneak away to a ballgame or to get to a Challenger level in our video game, all the better.

Describe your PERFECT day…

I’d wake up, have some breakfast, jump in the car and go to Jamaica or somewhere like that.

See the latest news at:

https://www.facebook.com/Elm-Street-Grill-702373443110552/

See our other past small business features to connect with more businesses in our area:

See more on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @sjanephotog, Instagram @sjanephotograhy, and Snapchat @sjanephotog

August 3, 2017August 31, 2017

| Decatur Coin & Jewelry | Small Business Feature |

Oh boy guys it’s been BUSY around here this summer and that means it has unfortunately been quiet here on the blog. But not to worry we are back up and running and I promise there are some fun sessions headed this way, starting today with a very unique local business located right in downtown Decatur!

The Details: Decatur Coin & Jewelry (Facebook Page) | Bennie & Samantha, Co-Owner | In Business: 44 years (started in 1973)

Hours: Monday 9-4, Tuesday 9-4, Wednesday, 9-4, Thursday 9-7, Friday 9-4 (closed on weekends & closed every day 1-1:30 for lunch) | Location: 104 N Main St, Decatur IL

This shop is full of really unique and interesting pieces both for authentic collectors and those looking for fun and interesting gifts. Who wouldn’t want a one million dollar bill this Christmas!

Tell us about your business….what do you do? We are coin dealers or as we like to say in our industry…Numismatists. We study any and all things about money. We buy and sell money literally! We look at coin collections daily. We help determine value based on age, condition, content and quantity. Maybe try googling numismatics to help you better understand what a numismatist is. We also buy and sell any jewelry that is made of a precious metal: Gold, platinum and silver. We buy diamonds, turquoise jewelry, old vintage costume jewelry, sterling flatware, silver plated flatware, wrist watches, old pocket watches. We have even bought old test mortar rounds before. We were able to find a buyer so we bought them from the client. You just never know what we will buy. We make a living at buying stuff. So, maybe you have some neat old cool stuff laying around your house. Bring it on in and we’ll take a look.

What makes your business unique/special? We buy and sell actual money! We are coin and jewelry dealers. There is nobody else like us around. We explain everything in depth so you get a clear understanding of what is going on. We are qualified traders in medium to high dollar assets.

What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just love and think everyone needs? Sam says “everyone needs help in understanding what all their stuff is worth. Too many folks just throw stuff out thinking it’s worth nothing. She thinks giving knowledge is what everyone really needs and “A right hand ring of course! Bennie says “investment quality Morgan dollars” Doug says “everybody should have some artistic antique paper money”.

In what way have you gone above /beyond in the past for a customer? Bennie says “we pay out a lot of money. We’ve gone to folk’s houses and looked at their stuff because they couldn’t drive or were too ill to come in”. Doug says “we always help carry in boxes and bags from their vehicles because the stuff is too heavy…so WE GOT THE MUSCLE LOL” Sam says “I’ve fetched someone’s range rover and drove it around to the front of the shop because she was worried she couldn’t get out of the original parking place due to someone parking so close to her”.

What was the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? Sam says “people have bought my newborn son stuffed animals or clothes. I get hugs often too from some of my regulars OR even strangers”. Doug says “people have brought him in food coupons”. I always call Doug a growing boy still LOL He sure can eat. People will bring in chocolate for Bennie. He is patiently waiting for chocolate covered pretzels from Dells by the way. <<< Yum, me too!

What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? Why? Our customers. They supply us with stuff to either sell into the network, online or across the counter. They provide jobs for us and for the others that work with us. Everybody wins in the end. Without our customers life would be pretty boring! Couldn’t imagine Coney McKanes not being down the street from us. Their pie and cookies are amazing.

What other local businesses do you love? Why? Coney McKanes feeds us often. Really all the local restaurants do☺ All downtown local businesses are great.

STAFF: Samantha is funny and loving but very serious when she needs to be. Doug is referred to as the professor. Don’t call Bennie the boss he doesn’t like that. He prefers to be called the Captain. All the ladies that work with us are leaders.

Tell us about you? Why did you choose to do what you do? I am speaking for us all here when I say we all love and enjoy it because we love serving the community for the greater good. We want to give the people as much money as we can for their stuff.

When did you know you wanted to go into the business? Bennie says “after I found my first Indian head penny while delivering the Grit newspaper door to door years ago when I was just a kid. That is when it all started. Back in those days the ladies at the bank would let me look through all their bags of silver dollars. I probably was a nuisance after a while. My father also used to bring home his pay for the day and put it on the kitchen table. The sound of those silver coins always sparked my interest. I have been driven since then to learn all about numismatics”. Doug says he got into paper money for the art. And an added benefit was investment potential. Sam says” I’ve been looking at coins and jewelry since I was a kid. It was always in me through my father and now we run the business together.

What are you passionate about outside of your business? This is Samantha answering for her father because he is, as usual, extremely busy. He is passionate about teaching. He will give knowledge and wisdom to anyone with an open ear. He likes being physically fit eating healthy and enjoys spending time with his new grandson Jaxon. Sam likes to work in the garden and watch things grow☺ Aside from all the duties that go along with being a happy wife and mother now.

Describe your perfect day… Sam says the beach, a large umbrella, the ocean minus the sharks and being surrounded by the people I love. Bennie says hitting the grand slam in the stock market, making a big trade or riding on a real steam train with my grandson.

See the latest news and items available from Decatur Coin and Jewelry HERE!

See our other past small business features to connect with more businesses in our area:

See more on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @sjanephotog, Instagram @sjanephotograhy, and Snapchat @sjanephotog

April 27, 2017April 28, 2017

Paco’s Sol Bistro | Small Business Feature

A day late on our monthly small business feature since yesterday was #BabyB’s second birthday so I wasn’t in the office, but I promise it’s worth the wait for the delicious local business! It’s our date night fav.

The Details: Pack’s Sol Bistro | Paco Greenwell, Owner | In Business: 7 years

Hours: Tues – Thurs, 11am-8pm; Fri-Sat 11am-9pm Mondays 11am-8pm beginning June 5th! | Location: 237 N Main St. Downtown Decatur

Tell us about your business… What do you do? Full service bar and restaurant that features 2 private party spaces.

What makes your business unique/special? Unique, made-from-scratch menu featuring all original recipes.

What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs? Everyone should try the chicken meatloaf or southwest egg rolls. And guacamole if you are a fan.

In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer? We have made a special food feature for several of our regular guests for their birthday. (Actually did this today) We also have Tervis cups for our most loyal bar regular with their name on them. We have also featured art from several local artists.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? When hosting a charity event, some regulars purchased a painting they knew we liked and gave it to us to hang in the restaurant.

What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? My staff! They make it all happen.

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why? I would rather not single out any. We always try to support any and all that we can.

Tell us about YOU… WHY did you choose to do what you do? I love to make people happy. There’s no better way to the heart than through the stomach.

When did you know you wanted to go into this business? I didn’t choose it. It chose me. I needed a job at 18. I started as a server and had my first management job at 18. I just took to it naturally. Thru my time I discovered my passion and ability to cook and come up with recipes. I love the combination of art and science in cooking.

What are you passionate about outside of your business? My wife and I are avid pool players and St. Louis Cardinal fans.

Describe your PERFECT day… 85 degrees without a cloud in the sky, hanging in the pool with my beautiful wife, my dogs, our family and friends. Music blasting, food on the grill and laughter all around.

See the latest news at:

http://www.solbistro.com/

See our other past small business features to connect with more businesses in our area:

See more on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @sjanephotog, Instagram @sjanephotograhy, and Snapchat @sjanephotog

If you’d like to have YOUR small business featured for FREE on the SJP blog (or know a small business we should feature) you can find details HERE!

March 30, 2017March 1, 2017

Filippo’s Pizza & Pasta| Small Business Feature

This month it’s time to share with you a little hidden gem of the Mt. Zion area. I have to admit that while I’d heard whisperings of this pizza especially from my MTZ senior clients, it was my intern last summer who really solidified our need to include them as one of our small business features. Ms. Olivia touted them as a staple in their family and the place for the best pizza in town and I have to say I fell in love with the character and warm Italian welcome of this place as soon as I walked in. Not only did the smell of fresh homemade pizza sauce fill the air but nearly every inch of wall space was adorned with warm, adorable and often clever nicknacks. So now without further ado, I present to you Filippo’s Pizza & Pasta:

The Details: Klaus Koehne,Pizziaiolo at Filippo’s Pizza & Pasta | In Business: The restaurant has been here for 20 years, and I have been a part of it for about 15 of those years.

Hours: 4 PM – approx. 11 PM, Wednesday through Sunday| Location: 435 N State Highway 121, Mt. Zion, IL 62549| Phone: 217-864-4467

Tell us about your business… What do you do? Simply put, we make pizza and pasta. You want the real skinny on us, then it is more complicated than that. Not a lot of places still make dough the way we do, using a recipe that changes based on how the flour crop was last year or if the weather is coming to be particularly humid. Our product is constantly being refined and tweaked, even after all of these years. The sauce is freshly made a couple of times a day, and with the way the owner taught me to do it, no measuring cups are used. It is a pinch of this and a scoop of that. There are subtle differences day to day, and that is something that pleases me so much!

Our pasta side of the kitchen just keeps getting better and better. Recently, the owner and the man who taught me everything I know about being a chef, Enzo Galbo, loosened the reins on our creative freedom a bit, and nothing has shined quite so brightly as our pasta chefs. On my side of the kitchen, the pizza side, I strive for synchronization. Sometimes an hour or so will go by on a busy night without a single word having to be spoken between my sous chef and I. The pasta chefs are the complete opposite. They are constantly talking about what they’re making with each other and bringing out tasting spoons to be certain that everything is at its peak. I think the dishwashers hate them a little bit for all of the extra spoons they’re washing every night.

What makes your business unique/special? Our pizza is something else. All of our products are pretty great, really. But the thing I know more than anything else is pizza, and I have to admit that it still, after all of these years, gets me excited. One would think that eating pizza every day would get old, but it really doesn’t. We are unique and special and little snowflakes because you can see with our open kitchen everyone getting in the zone and really getting into cooking. Honestly, we aren’t ignoring you if you are at the window and we aren’t talking to you; we are just in the groove.

What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs? Pizza. Everyone needs pizza. It’s no secret. I need pizza, you need pizza. Everyone needs pizza! Seriously, you do. Pizza is an old tradition and borders on a life style in some parts of the world. There are books on it, t-shirts about it, bumper stickers, etc. Pizza is the bee’s knees and you need it in your life.

In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer? Oy. Let me count all of the ways. Look, we say this all of the time to each other, because we all have friends outside of our little restaurant in the service industry: we are so lucky to have the customers that we do. Our customers genuinely the best, and we always do our best to make them the best product and find ways to better serve them. I want to find a specific example, but it is something that we try to do on a daily basis, so it is hard to pinpoint one example that stands out.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? Again, our customers are the absolute best! You want the coolest thing? Nah. Let me tell you about what keeps us going. Sometimes we get little notes from our clients thanking us for doing this or that. We have some of them put up in the kitchen, and I catch my co-workers looking at them when they’re busy or stressed. It’s the little things that mean the most. Similar things occur with our Facebook reviews; they come up in conversation pretty regularly. It’s a nice pick-me-up on those tougher nights.

What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? I kind of hate that it’s a dough roller. We have a rolling pin and we know how to use it, but man does that mechanical dough roller make our job easier. I have worked nights when the dough roller goes down and we are stuck rolling by hand and it slows us down quite a bit.

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why? Ok, so it is no secret that we are a bunch of nerds at Filippo’s. The Hidden Lair just down the road has been a source of endless hours of post-work entertainment for us. Man, that place is great!

WHY did you choose to do what you do? Sam Jones said to me one day that his six-year-old self would be so proud of him for making every day a pizza party. Truer words… Honestly, I just love this place. It is something I can believe in. It put me through college (twice) and when the opportunity arose to run it and flex my cooking muscles a bit, I jumped at it!

What are you passionate about outside of your business? I love art, particularly photography and writing. When I am not at the restaurant, you can usually find me chasing the next shot or in my office editing.

Introduce us to your STAFF…

Benjamin Luchtefeld, pasta chef and head server: Benjamin has been with the business almost as along as I have. I think he has over 13 years under his belt.

Sam Jones, pasta chef. Sam is doing some next level stuff and keeps pushing the rest of the staff to do better.

Brandie Ewing, pasta chef: Brandie has a cooler head than almost anyone else I have ever met. She is unflappable.

Jordan Robertson, sous chef on both pizza and pasta: Jordan is a switch hitter in the kitchen and can do just about anything. He is indispensable.

Wolfgang Stubblefield, pizza sous chef: Kolton and I have become so in sync that some nights we won’t speak for hours.

Alan Sharp, server: You may hear us all groan when Alan starts singing, but it really does keep us going. He really keeps moral in check.

Nick Rainey, server: If you spend anytime in the Decatur or Champaign area, you have undoubtedly run into Rainey helping someone. He never stops.

Clayton Schinzler, driver & dishwasher: Clayton is one of our newer employees. After just a week it had already felt like he was an old friend working with us for years.

Matt Ekiss, driver: We are going to be sad to see Ekiss go when he goes off to university. I think we all just feel better and cheerier having him around.

Konnie Bates, server: Konnie has been working in the MTZ serving circuit for so long that she fees like a pillar of the community.

John Farr, dishwasher: John keeps moral up; he always has a way to get us all to laugh.

Lucas Mays, server: Lucas has been with the restaurant since he was in high school, and now that he has graduated college he immediately came back.

See the latest news at:

https://www.facebook.com/FilipposPizzaandpasta/

See our other past small business features to connect with more businesses in our area:

See more on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @sjanephotog, Instagram @sjanephotograhy, and Snapchat @sjanephotog

If you’d like to have YOUR small business featured for FREE on the SJP blog (or know a small business we should feature) you can find details HERE!