Logan County

Business

Directory

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Logan County Business Directory categories (click to view businesses):

 

advertising

 

Lincoln Daily News

(217) 732-7443

ldn@lincolndailynews.com


 

appliances

 

McEntire's Home
Appliance and TV

403 Broadway St.

(217) 732-4874

mcentires@abelink.com


 

attorneys

 

John R. Gehlbach
Law Office

529 Pulaski St.

(217) 735-4311

jrglaw@ccaonline.com

 

Thomas L. Van Hook

Lincoln

(217) 735-2187

Tvanhook@CCAonline.com


 

auto repair/service

 

DuVall's Automotive
Complete Auto Repair

720 N. Sherman St., rear

(217) 735-5545

duvallautomotive
@hotmail.com

 

Thompson Auto Body

919 S. Kickapoo

(217) 735-2915


 

automobiles

 

Interstate Chevrolet

105-115 Lincoln Ave.

P.O. Box 170

Emden, IL
62635-0170

(888) OK-CHEVY

           (652-4389)

www.interstatechevy.com

 

J&S Auto Center

103 S. Logan

(217) 732-8994

www.jandsautocentre.com/

 

Row Motors

222 S. McLean

(217) 732-3232

rowmotors@msn.com


 

banks

 

Logan County Bank

303 Pulaski

(217) 732-3151


 

bottled water

 

Culligan

318 N. Chicago

(217) 735-4450

www.culligan.com

 

Gold Springs

1165 - 2200th St.

Hartsburg, IL

(888) 478-9283

www.goldsprings.com


 

carpet cleaners

 

Advanced Carpet Cleaning

708 Pulaski St.

P.O. Box 306

(217) 732-3571


 

cellular phones

 

Team Express

411 Pulaski St.

(217) 732-8962

www.teamelectronics.org


 

colleges

 

Heartland Com. College

620 Broadway St.

(217) 735-1731

www.hcc.cc.il.us


 

computer service

 

CCA

601 Keokuk St.

(217) 735-2677

cca@ccaonline.com


 

consignment

 

Closet Classics

129 S. Sangamon St.

(217) 735-9151

(888) 739-0042


 

contractors

 

Koller Construction

2025 2100th St.

Atlanta, IL  61723

(217) 648-2672

(217) 737-2672 cell

stevekoller@aol.com

 

Roger Webster Construction

303 N. Sangamon St.

(217) 732-8722

www2.ccaonline.com/rwcinc/


 

credit unions

 

CEFCU

341 Fifth St.

(217) 735-5541

(800) 633-7077

www.cefcu.com


 

employment

 

Illinois Employment
and Training Center

120 S. McLean St.

(217) 735-5441

ietc@abelink.com


 

fin. consultant

 

K. Bridget Schneider

A.G. Edwards & Sons,

Inc.

628 Broadway,
Suite 1

(217) 732-3877

(800) 596-0014

www.agedwards.com/fc/
kbridget.schneider


 

food & ice cream

 

Gleason's Dairy Bar

110 Clinton St.

(217) 732-3187


 

funeral directors

 

Fricke-Calvert-Schrader

127 S. Logan

(217) 732-4155

F-C-S at LDN


  

gifts

 

The Mustard Moon

1314 Fifth St.

(217) 735-1093

www.themustardmoon.com


 

health &
fitness

 

 

Health & Fitness Balance

113 S. Sangamon

(217) 735-4463


 

home
improvements

 

Kenshalo-Rousey

214 N. Chicago

(217) 732-8682

Windows, doors, siding,
awnings, sunrooms.


 

hospitals

 

ALMH

315 Eighth St

(217) 732-2161

www.almh.org


Features

Here's why you've never heard of
the OTHER person who invented
the telephone

By Paul Niemann

[MARCH 6, 2003]  We all know that Alexander Graham Bell is credited with inventing the telephone, but did you know that there was another person who tried to patent a different version of the telephone on the very same day as Bell in 1876?

Born in Ohio in 1835, he was a physics professor at nearby Oberlein College and was a renowned inventor due to the musical telegraph that he invented. Little is known about him because, in what has to be one of the worst cases of being "a day late and a dollar short," he arrived at the patent office two hours after Bell arrived to apply for a patent for his version of the telephone.

His name is Elisha Gray and, as a result of arriving two hours after Bell arrived, most of the world has never heard of him.

What happened?

U.S. patent law states that the first one to invent a new product is the rightful owner of the product, regardless of who applies for a patent first. Adequate records are necessary whenever there is a dispute. Since Bell applied for his patent first, he was initially awarded the patent.

Gray did prevent the issuance of Bell's patent temporarily, however, pending a legal hearing. Since he did not keep adequate records of his design, however, he lost any possible rights, as Bell's right to the patent was later sustained by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The basis of Gray's legal action against Bell was that Bell had filed for his patent before he had a working model of his telephone, according to Inventors' Digest magazine. But the Supreme Court ruled that a person can prove that his invention is complete and ready for patenting even before a working model has been produced, a ruling that later served as a precedent on a similar type of lawsuit years later.

Gray was not the only other person to stake a claim to inventing the telephone. Daniel Drawbaugh, who was born near Harrisburg, Penn., claimed to have invented the telephone long before Bell filed a patent application in 1875. Drawbaugh didn't have any papers or records to prove his claim, though, and the Supreme Court rejected his claims by a 4-3 vote. Alexander Graham Bell, on the other hand, had kept excellent records.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Elisha Gray did go on to invent other products, such as the facsimile telegraph system, which he patented in 1888.

Bell, who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1847, became a U.S. citizen in 1882. He went on to become one of the co-founders of the National Geographic Society, and he served as its president from 1896 to 1904.

Elisha Gray, however, has been forgotten by much of the world.

Was Bell's telephone greeted with enthusiasm by everyone at the time?

As is the case with many new inventions, there were those who rejected the telephone for one reason or another. Even President Rutherford B. Hayes was skeptical of the new device when Bell demonstrated it to him at the White House in 1876.

There was also a well-known "investor" who had an opportunity to invest in the telephone directly with Bell, but he rejected the opportunity. According to his writings, he was a big fan of new inventions, but since he had previously invested in several that had failed, he turned down a chance to invest in the telephone. Who was he? Mark Twain, who patented two of his own inventions.

[Paul Niemann]

Paul Niemann is a contributing author to Inventors' Digest magazine. He also runs MarketLaunchers.com, helping people in the marketing of their new product ideas. In addition, he teaches marketing and advertising at Quincy University. He can be reached at niemann7@aol.com.

Last week's column in LDN: "Illinois has a long history of producing successful inventors"


Agency addressing injustice in legal system celebrates 15th anniversary

[MARCH 3, 2003]  Citizens For Justice, based in Lincoln, are celebrating their 15th anniversary today, Monday, March 3. Citizens For Justice, Inc. is a legal reform group that is committed to constructive change in the legal system. They lobby both our state and federal legislators annually regarding issues such as tort reform. Lester C. Van Bibber, III serves as president of the agency.

Van Bibber explains that Citizens For Justice was born out of frustration. It was formed in response to an experience that entailed seven years of ongoing litigation in what he believed was an unjust legal system gone wild. After that, he said, "We decided to organize a group of dedicated citizens who had experienced similar injustices and began donating time and energy to improving the legal system."

After research at the public library we learned about the ARDC, the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, an agency that disciplines attorneys, Van Bibber said. The group also discovered the JIB, the Judicial Inquiry Board, an agency that disciplines judges. By encouraging utilization of the ARDC and the JIB, we believe changes for the improvement of the local legal system will occur more rapidly, he said.

Changes to improve the legal system are what Citizens For Justice is all about. They say they have discovered and are continuing to discover avenues for constructive change.

 

This year the group's focus was directed at our federal legislators. They worked to introduce legislation that will limit lawsuits on businesses with 50 or fewer employees. "We believe this is very important because it is businesses and industry of this size that now creates 90 percent of the new jobs in America," Van Bibber said.

He explained: We are asking that a cap be placed on punitive damages at three times the compensatory damage award. We also believe that punitive awards should go to each state’s general fund and not to the plaintiffs and the plaintiffs’ attorney, because punitive damages are meant to punish and deter, very similar in purpose to criminal fines. The plaintiffs don't receive any of the criminal fine money which is received, for the same reason as punitive damage.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

"We believe this law will also help businesses and industry of all sizes," he said.

Van Bibber asks, "Why should attorneys be allowed a substantial share of the punitive damages as fees anyway, since no one has appointed attorneys as representatives of the republic to mete out punishment to the country’s businesses and citizens?"

Van Bibber said, "In 1988 I made a personal commitment to be a voice or a spokesperson and watchdog during the rest of my life, for those in our community who are poor, uneducated, widowed, those who may have given up on life or maybe are part of the silent majority regarding issues of importance that will affect them, like sales tax increases, fee increases, property tax increases, utility rate increases, etc."

"History will judge all of us on how we treat those on the bottom half of the ladder of success. I want it said that I, Les Van Bibber, was part of the solution and not part of the problem."

We believe your support with our efforts will make this great city, county, state and country a better place to live and prosper for everyone, he added.

[Press release and LDN]


Is this the right time
to go into business?

By Jim Youngquist

[FEB. 28, 2003]  Tough times continue to be upon us in the small-business community. Our lagging national economy has certainly been hard on small and large businesses here in the Midwest over the last two years. Every business has felt the crunch, and many have been forced to fold. Even the most stable business has suffered from diminished cash flow, diminished profits and greater competition cutting up a much smaller pie. Business analysts are split on when the recovery will come, and the stock market reflects the public's greatly diminished confidence in business' ability to recover.

In light of this dismal economy, what do you do if you have entrepreneurial ideas and urges? Is this a good time to start a business? Do you wait? Do you discard your plans? Do you purge your urge?

In my experience, downbeat economic times can actually be an excellent time to start a new business. Over my lifetime I have started five businesses, still am running three of them, and have helped many other people start businesses during economically blue times. The secret to success may not be in your analysis of the business climate as much as having the right method and planning for your upcoming enterprise.

First of all, during a downbeat economy, business is generally at the bottom. Everything is usually up from there! If you start a business in that climate with conservative efforts, very conservative money, and survive while business is bad, most likely your business will thrive when economic times get better. The key here is to start with a well-organized business plan that is reliant on very conservative projections and very conservative spending to accomplish your goals. And when the economy gets better, stick to your conservative plan with conservative expansion, because an upbeat economy is a short-lived thing.

Second, start small and grow it. Most businesses are begun on a shoestring: tiny little enterprises that grow out of personal interests or hobbies. They get started while you don't have to rely on them for income. You establish a product line, network with suppliers, gather customers and plan for the future in your spare time, with little capital, and allow the profits to fund business expansion. This is the safest way to start a business, and it is one of the most successful. So, don't quit your day job, and begin planning your tiny little business startup.

 

Third, research your business ideas and the competition thoroughly. Know what everyone else is doing in your field and in your geographic area. Research what other businesses outside your area are doing and how they have been successful. The more you know about your upcoming enterprise and how everyone else is doing it, the more chance you have to be successful. And the research does not end there. It is one thing to start a successful enterprise, it is another to keep it successful. Continued product, service and competition research is a necessity in business.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Fourth, and most important, every business must have a detailed, written business plan. Take the time to detail what you will sell, what you will do, who will be your customers and who will be your suppliers. Include details in your business plan about how you will obtain financing if necessary and when you will hire employees. Use very conservative projections as you develop this plan. And then, when you think your business idea is down on paper, take it to the business experts to get their opinions and their help to make your dream come true. Take it to the local chamber of commerce, to your banker and perhaps even to the mayor of your city or village. Ask them to keep the information confidential before you present it because you don't want to tip off your potential competition. With all these business "promoters" on your side, you now have some allies, some potential customers and some good advice.

As your business continues to grow and change over the years, your written business plan must continue to reflect your current business, the market and the economy. You must continue to update your plan and use it to guide and restrict your steps.

Finally, choose something that's different from what everyone else is doing. These are difficult economic times. Competition for customers has forced prices and profits down to the point where the heartiest businesses have a hard time surviving. If you are selling a product or providing a service, do it in a way that the competition hasn't thought of. Forget about making a mint providing regular commodities: Everybody else has the same stuff, and someone is always selling for less than you. Lowest price generally attracts the most customers. So, predicate your business on a product or service that is exclusive and has a chance of maintaining an adequate profit margin. Be unique and be successful!

Don't allow other people's pessimistic attitudes to smash your dreams or put your plans on hold. Good planning, a positive attitude and lotsa elbow grease can usually make a good business plan succeed. Attitude leads!

[Jim Youngquist]

Want your ad to be seen all over Logan County?

Advertise with

Lincoln Daily News!

Call (217) 732-7443
or e-mail
ads@lincolndailynews.com 

Our staff offers more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry.

Greyhound Lube

At the corner of Woodlawn and Business 55

No Appointments Necessary

Lincolndailynews.com

is the place to advertise


Call (217) 732-7443
or e-mail
ads@lincolndailynews.com 


Announcements


The Chamber Report

Chamber's annual dinner initiates Legion facility

[FEB. 27, 2003]  Chris Coyne of State Farm Insurance and Barbie Carter of Logan County Bank were recognized as king and queen of the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce's Mardi Gras-style annual dinner. The dinner Saturday night, Feb. 15, was the first event to be held in the new American Legion Hall.

Mary Conrady, manager of the Lincoln CEFCU office and immediate past president of the chamber board of directors, reviewed chamber accomplishments for the past year. Twenty-two new members were inducted into the chamber, 27 traditional ribbon-cutting ceremonies were conducted by the Ambassadors, and eight chamber businesses hosted after-hours mixers. In addition to the "Meet the State Candidates" breakfast, morning programs focused on technology tips and advice for owners of small businesses.

 

Continuing to bring agriculture and business leaders together, the chamber organized the third annual Logan County Ag Day breakfast and hosted a chamber mixer on a farm. Quality-of-life community events organized by the chamber included a luncheon for office professionals, the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival, a golf outing, and the Christmas parade. Local trade was promoted through the Chamber Bucks program and cable TV exposure.

"If I had to choose one accomplishment over the past year that stands above all others," said Conrady, "it would have to be the community video that was produced by the chamber's marketing committee. The video is a powerful tool to attract businesses, individuals or families to locate here."

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Conrady then introduced the new chamber president, Brian Ash of Logan County Bank. Ash unveiled his theme for the coming year, "Planting Seeds for Progress." "The actions we take today will have an impact on tomorrow," he said. "We have already taken steps for our future within the chamber. Our director, Bobbi Abbott, recently completed the four-year Institute for Organizational Management certification, and we have added Jeff Mayfield as economic development director and Senator Bob Madigan as government liaison. We're ready to grow the economy!"

Ash introduced new chamber board members Diane Van Dorn-Slack of Midwest Records Storage; Ed Block, Saint-Gobain Containers; Rick Hamm, State Farm Insurance; and Steve Smith, Illinois American Water Company. Conrady recognized retiring board members Todd Lowman of Garland Gehrke Trucking and Terry Werth from the Logan County Board.

[Press release]


Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

303 S. Kickapoo St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com
www.lincolnillinois.com

The local chamber of commerce is a catalyst for community progress, bringing business and professional people together to work for the common good of Lincoln and Logan County.

Honors & Awards


Main Street Corner News

Main Street Lincoln offers
business start-up monies

[FEB. 17, 2003]  To entice new businesses to open in downtown Lincoln, Main Street Lincoln is offering financial assistance through a $20,000 grant from Illinois FIRST.

Eligible businesses must locate in Lincoln's Courthouse Square Historic District and have a business plan based on the Small Business Administration model.

The Business Builder Fund is aimed at new businesses that need financial assistance to get started. Funds are available to business owners who would not be able to meet bank loan down-payment requirements without these funds. The grants will provide no more than one-third of the equity or down payment for a bank loan, or a maximum of $10,000.

Application for the grant is made as part of the business loan application process at participating lending institutions. A lending institution recommendation is required for the award of this grant.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

"We are offering this money to encourage people who would like to own a business but don't have the financial means to get started," noted Dale Bassi, chairman of the Main Street Lincoln Economic Restructuring Committee. "Downtown Lincoln is a great place to open a business, with its mix of retail and service businesses and restaurants," he added.

For more information about the grant and available property in the historic district, contact Cindy McLaughlin at Main Street Lincoln, (217) 732-2929.

[Main Street Lincoln press release]

[Click here for more details from an earlier posting in LDN.]


Main Street Lincoln

Cindy McLaughlin, Program Manager

303 S. Kickapoo

Lincoln, IL 62656

Phone: (217) 732-2929

Fax: (217) 735-9205

E-mail: manager@mainstreetlincoln.com


 

insurance

 

Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans
Linda Aper

604 Broadway St., Suite 4

(217) 735-2253

linda.aper@thrivent.org

www.thrivent.org

 

Lincoln Logan/

May Enterprise

Insurance Agency

305-A Decatur St.

P.O. Box 860

Lincoln, IL 62656-0860

 

Moriearty Insurance
Agency, Inc.

218 Eighth St.

(217) 732-7341

miai@ccaonline.com

 

State Farm-
Deron Powell

114 E. Cooke St.

P.O. Box 78

Mount Pulaski, IL  62548

(217) 732-7341

www.statefarm.com


 

internet services

 

CCAonline

601 Keokuk St.

(217) 735-2677

webmaster@ccaonline.com


 

investments

 

Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans
Linda Aper

604 Broadway St., Suite 4

(217) 735-2253

linda.aper@thrivent.org

www.thrivent.org


 

janitor/cleaning

 

Donna Jones
Commercial Cleaning

Floor waxing,
polishing & cleaning

(217) 735-2705


 

massage

 

Kneading Hands
Massage

1039 W. Wabash Ave

Suite 206

Springfield, IL 62704

(217) 793-2645

www.kneadinghands.
webpointusa.com

 

Serenity Now

716 N. Logan

(217) 735-9921

 


 

motels

 

Holiday Inn Express

130 Olson Drive

(217) 735-5800

www.cdmhotel.com


 

nursing homes

 

Maple Ridge

2202 N. Kickapoo

(217) 735-1538

Maple Ridge at LDN


 

office supply

 

Glenn Brunk
Stationers

511 Broadway

Lincoln, IL  62656

(217) 735-9959

www.glennbrunk.com


 

optometrists

 

Advanced Eye Care

623 Pulaski St.

(217) 732-9606

www.advanced
eyecenters.com

 

Nobbe Eye Care
Center, LLC

1400 Woodlawn Road

(217) 735-2020


 

pest control

 

Good Ole Pest Control

  Daron Whittaker, owner

380 Limit St.

(217) 735-3206


 

pizza

 

Stuffed-Aria Pizza

102 Fifth St.(217) 732-3100


 

printer/printing

 

Key Printing

   Tom Seggelke

(217) 732-9879

key@keyprinting.net

www.keyprinting.net


 

real estate

 

Alexander & Co.
Real Estate

410 Pulaski St.

(217) 732-8353

sonnie@ccaonline.com

 

Diane Schriber
Realty

610 N. Logan

(217) 735-2550

schriber@ccaonline.com

 

ME Realty

222 N. McLean

(217) 735-5424

www.merealty.com

 

Werth & Associates

1203 Woodlawn Road

(217) 735-3411

werthrealty@abelink.com


 

restaurants

 

Blue Dog Inn

111 S. Sangamon St.

(217) 735-1743

www.bluedoginn.com


 

service station

 

Greyhound Lube

1101 Woodlawn Road

(217) 735-2761


 

 

thrift stores

 

Lincoln Mission Mart

819 Woodlawn Road

(217) 732-8806


 

tires

 

Neal Tire & Auto

451 Broadway

(217) 735-5471

www.bentire.com


 

title companies

 

Logan County
Title Co.

507 Pulaski St.

LCtitle@ccaonline.com


 

tourism

 

Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County

303 S. Kickapoo

(217) 732-8687

www.logancounty
tourism.org


 

towing

 

AA Towing
& Repair

945 Broadwell Drive

(217) 732-7400


 

weddings

 

The Classic Touch

129 S. Sangamon St.

(217) 735-9151

(888) 739-0042

 


 

youth programs

 

YMCA

319 W. Kickapoo St.

(217) 735-3915

(800) 282-3520

http://www.ymca.net/
index.jsp?assn=1802