Features

Interstate Chevrolet celebrates
grand opening

[JULY 6, 2002]  Only minutes away in quiet little Emden, new business owner Steve Roti and his wife, Katherine, celebrated the grand opening of Interstate Chevrolet. Interstate was formerly known as Fink Chevrolet. The Rotis threw a whole-hog roast shebang reflective of their warm personalities and big enthusiasm for doing good business. Nearly 500 people stopped by last Saturday, June 29. (They must have heard what a good cook Katherine is.) Lots of food was on hand, including roast barbecued pork, homemade Italian pastries and cake.

Welcoming all those present for the morning ribbon-cutting, Roti took a few minutes to express his deep appreciation to all who have helped pull the business together in the last year. He thanked the community, each of his staff by name and most of all, his wife, Katherine, saying that he couldn’t have done it without any of them.

[Photo by Jan Youngquist]

Father Higgins from Holy Family Church in Lincoln was on hand to properly dedicate and bless the business.

Two new color television sets were given away through a drawing. The winners were Mr. Nelson Betxlerberger of Lincoln and Mr. Doug Goekin of Greenview.

Roti is a veteran in the car sales business from the Chicago area. He loved his job, but when he found himself working 85 hours a week he realized that he didn’t see enough of his wife and kids. It was time for a change. He said, "I went to my wife and together we decided to start looking at dealerships that were up for sale."

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The Rotis looked for a year, and on Oct. 23, 2001, they took over the 73-year-old dealership from Norman and Loretta Fink Hellman. "The good Lord landed me here in Emden," Roti says.

They’ve enjoyed the acceptance they’ve experienced from the community and have been working hard at getting into the business. With all the enthusiasm of someone who completely means it, Roti declared, "Be ready for action. Be ready for a ride. We’re going to sell automobiles to people, with friendly service!"

The dealership offers new Chevrolet cars and trucks and is a GM certified used vehicle dealer. The business is staffed by 13 employees, including new positions for a mechanic and an office manager. Roti believes providing their own service department will be important to taking care of their customers and will keep them coming back.

The Rotis make their home in Lincoln. It is rumored that all the employees at Interstate Chevrolet look forward to Fridays. Not because it’s payday, not because the weekend’s coming, but Katherine makes Italian homemade pizza and brings it in for all to eat at noon.

[Jan Youngquist]

Sale of Kerrigan Funeral Home keeps ownership local

[JUNE 27, 2002]  The family of the late J. Richard Kerrigan, owner of Kerrigan Funeral Home, Lincoln, has announced the sale of the funeral home to Don Peasley of Atlanta. One of only three funeral homes in Lincoln, the funeral home name will change to Kerrigan-Peasley Funeral Home effective July 1.

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[Press release]

Integrity Data introduces service for businesses

[JUNE 20, 2002]  Integrity Data, Inc. announced Tuesday that it has been named a Microsoft® Great Plains® Business Solutions reselling partner. Integrity Data has established an entire team to market the Small Business Manager solution developed by Microsoft Great Plains, a leading provider of business applications that help small and mid-sized companies become more agile in today’s interconnected economy. This new team will be referred to as the Business Services Practice of Integrity Data.

Integrity Data will kick off this new business practice with an open house on Friday, June 21, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at their office at 110 N. Kickapoo in Lincoln. They will be offering more information about Small Business Manager and their Business Services Practice. The YMCA hot dog cart will be present selling hot dogs to benefit the local YMCA.

Small Business Manager is an affordable, interconnected accounting solution. Designed specifically for small, growing businesses, Small Business Manager delivers functionality to efficiently input, organize and access the information small businesses need to manage their financial information and make key decisions for growth.

Small Business Manager is designed to enable the business owner to do more work in less time. The complete business management software includes financial, banking, payroll, sales and purchasing tasks, all in one solution. The quick reporting and views of key information will help the business owner make smart decisions faster and build a more profitable business.

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Where do you go for the
goods and services you want?

In the know…

You finally discover where the best chai in town is and you’re ecstatic! Then you discover it’s been there a year or so and no one told you about it. You’re exasperated! Local businesses change hands, move, increase their stock or services, do all sorts of things you’d really like to know about, and somehow you don’t get in on it.

LogOn Production’s Channel 15 has the show you’ve been waiting for — "Chamber Chat." It airs from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays. The Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce hosts the weekly half-hour LIVE talk show.

"Chamber Chat" features updates on local business activity, community events, issues, and interviews with volunteers and leaders of special programs taking place in the community. There will also be opportunity for viewers to call in with live questions.

There are plans to occasionally film segments on location in local businesses to add to the perspective and content of the show.

The show will air several additional times each week, but Tuesday night will be the LIVE show. [Click here to hear it!]

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Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bobbi Abbott thinks, "A focus on our GOOD NEWS will hopefully provide a domino effect in positive attitudes and opinions about our community."

Abbott invites, "If you have business activity, please e-mail to me any news about your place of business — expansions, new employees, new products or services, changes in location or management, etc."

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

303 S. Kickapoo Street

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com

www.lincolnillinois.com

[LDN]

Announcements

ALMH names Nurse of the Year

Stafford is originally from Thayer, Kan., and lives in Lincoln with her husband, Randy. They have one daughter and one son. Stafford says that she has many good friends at ALMH and she enjoys the opportunity to serve and care for people in the community.

[ALMH news release]

The Chamber Report

Chamber week ahead

[JULY 8, 2002]  Chamber activities, events and action for the week of July 8-15:

•  Tuesday, July 9, 8:30 a.m. — Marketing Committee meeting, Grapes & Grounds

•  Wednesday, July 10, 8 a.m. — Technology Committee meeting, Coffee with Einstein

•  Wednesday, July 10, 5 p.m. — Ribbon-cutting ceremony, Stuffed Aria Pizza, 102 Fifth St.

•  Thursday, July 11, 7:30 a.m. — Government/Education Committee meeting, Cookie’s Bakery

•  Thursday, July 11, noon — Healthcare Committee meeting, ALMH Conference Room A

•  Friday, July 12, noon — Induction and luncheon for new chamber members, The Restaurant at the Depot. All members are invited! Come for lunch and welcome new members into the chamber (RSVP 735-2385 or reply to chamber@lincolnillinois.com).

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Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival license plates, T-shirts and collector pins are now on sale in the chamber office. Also, we’re recruiting festival volunteers for parking cars, selling tickets or manning booths. Stop in and pick up a stack of festival brochures for your business!  

Have a terrific week, and — always — thank you for your support and involvement!

The 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.

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce

303 S. Kickapoo St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com
www.lincolnillinois.com

Honors & Awards

Main Street Corner News

Lincoln's Dog Daze of Summer

The Dog Daze of Summer will be in downtown Lincoln on Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to noon. This event will include a dog parade, contests and demonstrations. In addition, Logan County Animal Control will be on-site with adoptable dogs.

Registration starts at 9 a.m. at the Blue Dog Inn on historic Sangamon Street. Other events will be held on the courthouse lawn.

Fees of $6 in advance or $8 on-site include a participation ribbon and entry to any of the contests.

[News release]

[For more details, see "Every dog has its day and
Main Street says it’s July 20."]

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

Job Hunt

Lincolndailynews.com makes it easy to look for a job in the Logan County area.

Three full-time positions available — Office manager; telemarketer, $8/hr. plus commission; and computer setup artist. Call (217) 544-9419 and ask for Leon.

City of Mount Pulaski will be accepting applications for a position with the Water and Sewer Department. Applicants should contact City Hall at 792-3222 to request an application. Successful applicant shall possess a Class IV Sewer License or obtain one within 1 year of being employed. Applicant will also be encouraged to obtain a Class "C" Water Operators License. Applications will be accepted until July 8, 2002. It is anticipated that this position will be filled July 9, 2002. Should you have any questions, please contact Mike Patridge at 792-3222.

• Do you have construction administration experience?

• Are you familiar with change orders or shop drawings?

• Are you organized and detail-oriented?

• Do you have excellent administrative skills using MS Office programs like Excel and Word?

• Can you report to work promptly and stay till the job is done?

• Do you like being a part of a team who works hard and has fun?

Fax: (636) 561-9502

Employers, you can list available jobs by e-mailing ads@lincolndailynews.com. Each job listing costs $10 the first week, $20 for eight days to one month. There is a limit of 75 words per announcement.

Classifieds

To place a classified ad, e-mail ads@lincolndailynews.com or call (217)732-7443.