Etcetera...

Etcetera...

We’ve seen two more Krispy Kreme stores bite the dust. Etc. reported in April the closing of Chicago’s first Krispy Kreme on Harlem Avenue in Summit. We now see the shades have been drawn on KK in Bolingbrook on Weber Road near Boughton Road and in Woodridge on Ill. Rt. 53 next to the Seven Bridges development. Shall we never again taste the deliciously sweet glazed doughnuts?

Speaking of Bolingbrook, if you are in the neighborhood of Clow International Airport, try the breakfast at Charlie’s Restaurant in the airport terminal. They have great hash browns there. It’s not crowded although recently we noticed that along with the airplane buffs it seems that a few locals know this is a place that serves good diner food without a large crowd. We held an impromptu business meeting there recently. The entertainment is watching the airplanes come and go. Clow also hosts the Illinois Aviation Museum (www.illinoisaeromuseum.com).

We’re on the mailing list for the magazines published by North Central College (“North Central Today”) and Elmhurst College (“Prospect”) for alumni and friends. They are really first-class publications, with well-written stories on alumni, current students, faculty, staff and student activities of all types. Well worth reading if you’re an alum of either or if you’re a businessperson in Naperville or Elmhurst and want to get to know your local college a little bit better.

Etc. also continues to keep an eye on the massive meltdown at the Chicago Sun-Times and its suburban subsidiaries (Aurora Beacon News, Joliet Herald News, Elgin Courier, Naperville Sun). From one day to the next we hear about layoffs, then extensions and offices being moved. For the good of Chicago we sure hope whatever plans there are to save this newspaper company are successful, but industry watchers seem to be voicing skepticism. The Daily Herald hasn’t escaped the industry woes. The Business Ledger has received several phone calls and letters from former DH staffers looking for work. One benefit to our readers is that we were able to recruit long-time Chicago Tribune City Hall reporter Gary Washburn to write an article. Gary recently took the buyout offer from the Trib.

The Business Ledger is now accepting nominations for the 9th Annual Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards. The nomination form can be downloaded at our web site: www.thebusinessledger.com. There are eight categories of competition. The deadline for nominations is July 18 with recognition event scheduled for Sept. 11 at Danada House. Author Barry Moltz (“You Need to Be a Little Crazy—The Truth About Starting and Growing Your Business”) will be the keynote speaker.

And if you really want to be thinking ahead, keep in mind that the 11th Annual Influential Women in Business awards program, presented by The Business Ledger and the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, is coming in late fall. We’ve honored about 250 leaders in both the public and private sectors over the program’s first 10 years and know that there are many more deserving women who have not yet been recognized. Think about one or more women you can nominate. We’ll alert you when the nomination form is ready on our Web site.

Congratulations to Melna Langham who has been named general manager of ScotPress, Downers Grove. The Business Ledger has had the opportunity to work with Melna as a marketing partner on our various awards programs. This is one creative lady who knows how to get things done. Melna has served as the senior creative director at the Maclyn Group, a sister company to ScotPress. “Melna’s dedication to her work and clients made her the perfect choice for this position,” commented her boss, Marc Hausmann. Way to go, Melna. We’re proud of you, too.

We offer our best wishes to both the outgoing president and the once and now again present president of College of DuPage. The Business Ledger had a Q&A session with Sunil Chand soon after he became COD president five years ago and found him a most engaging person; he also wrote a few commentary columns for this newspaper. He’ll serve as president emeritus and will assist former president Harold McAninch, who returns to the Glen Ellyn campus and takes the reins until the Board of Trustees appoints a successor to Chand. McAninch headed the community college from 1979-94 and will now serve for a period “no less than three months and no more than two years.” Chand will serve until Dec. 31, 2009, the end of his regular contract as president.

Speaking of area college presidents, we’d be remiss if we didn’t note the upcoming retirement on June 30 of Bryant L. Cureton at Elmhurst College after 14 years as the college’s 12th president. He was a strong supporter of The Business Ledger’s entrepreneurial awards program and recognition event, which the college hosted from 2002-05. He and his wife Jeanette, herself a respected writer and researcher, were awarded honorary degrees by the college at its June 1 commencement exercises as incoming prez S. Alan Ray looked on.

Classy comments by a classy guy, Tom Walter of Tasty Catering, as his firm was named No. 1 in the medium-sized company category (see page 3) in the Best Places To Work in Illinois competition presented by The Business Ledger. Walter said that while he and his brothers Larry and Kevin own the company, it’s their highly competent and dedicated staff that makes it a great place to work...and pretty successful, too. Congrats to the good folks at Tasty and also to the people at Edward Jones, which was named “Best Place To Work” in the large company division (250 employees or more) for the second straight year.

Posted on Tuesday, July 01, 2008 (Archive on Tuesday, July 08, 2008)
Posted by jstoltz Contributed by jstoltz

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