2012: Business in review
Jan. 5: Mary and Brad Brake will open Sip-N-Tan at 1007 N. Main St. in Princeton around Feb. 1.
Jan. 12: Aleksander and Lucia Novak have opened Grand Plaza Antiques Etc. at 531 S. Main St. in Princeton.
Jan. 19: Eric Heaton, who grew up near Kasbeer, has come back to Bureau County to start Heaton Remodeling and Construction Inc, after living in Alabama for six years.
Jan. 26: Chad Maupin has opened Tiskilwa Farms Alpacas Shop in downtown Tiskilwa. Kathy O'Malley of rural Princeton has recently formed PastPresent Videos.
Feb. 9: Sena Warkins, the owner of Imprintable Memories in Rock Falls, is looking into coming to Princeton through the Princeton Chamber of Commerce's Opportunity Knocks.
Feb. 16: Liana Hall will offer classes through the Princeton Arts Academy located in the former Harley-Davidson building on East Backbone Road in Princeton.
Feb. 23: Robyn Washer and her mother, Joyce Washer, are the owners of Le Soleil Tanning Salon in Princeton at 430 S. Main St. in Princeton.
March 1: Victory Worship Center in Princeton offers Smart Choice Food Program to help people save money on their grocery bills. Joyce Lutz is the program's director.
March 8: TROY Simplified Technologies of Spring Valley and Future Communications of Peru have merged into one company owned by Troy Resetitch.
March 15: Friends Alex Marandola and Lukas Burger run Alex and Lucas Dog Walking Business in Princeton.
March 22: Jouqenia and Tyrone Johnson of New Bedford will operate a new restaurant in the building where Stagecoach Spaghetti Express formerly did business.
March 29: Kramer's Kitchen in Princeton has expanded its hours and menu since the restaurant is now open for breakfast.
April 5: Cosgrove Candy & Foods of Spring Valley is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, started in 1912 as Cassiday Brothers Cigar Store. The Bureau County Pork Producers have donated 2,000 hams to area food pantries in the last 20 years.
April 12: A new Amtrak station has opened in Kewanee.
May 3: John and Stacy Adens are the owners of LaMoille Auto Care, which recently opened for business in LaMoille. Albrecht Well Drilling Inc. of rural Ohio has been in business for 132 years in Bureau County.
May 10: Ray Griffith, president and CEO of Ace Hardware Corporation, spoke to Princeton Rotary about the company's reasons for success.
May 17: Storm's Bait Shop in Tiskilwa, which opened May 1, is run by Christopher Foster and his mother, Michelle Leverich.
May 24: Susan Krischel has opened Illinois Valley Myofascial Therapy in Peru. Cheri Swanson, owner of Ooh La La Salon, is again running her salon in Princeton after a fire in January forced her to move to J's Salon in Princeton until Ooh La La Salon could be remodeled.
May 31: Michelle Tonioni of Standard has opened Glam in downtown Spring Valley.
June 7: Brothers Danny and Michael Bowman have opened Brothers Pub in downtown Sheffield in two, 150-year-old buildings on South Main Street.
June 14: Habanero's Mexican Grill and Cantina has opened in Princeton.
June 21: Tim, Wendy and Mick Goodrum operate several companies out of a new facility on West Backbone Road in Princeton.
July 5: Bella's Italian Restaurant opens in Princeton.
July 12: Maura and Shawn Nichols operate Niel's and Shorty's BBQ Co. at Hunter's Ridge Golf Course on Route 26 southeast of Princeton.
July 19: Norberg Memorial Home has been in business in Princeton since 1903 under several different owners, the latest being J.D. and Shannon Smallwood.
July 26: John Johnson is the owner of Anytime Fitness in Spring Valley.
Aug. 2: Deborah Lyle of rural Wyanet has started Secure Tornado Shelters. Jerry Piper, owner of Jerry's Repair Shop in rural Princeton, will close his welding business after 37 years.
Aug. 9: Casey's General Store at West Peru Street in Princeton is expanding to offer more services.
Aug. 16: The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby offers services to new and existing businesses.
Aug. 23: Bryce Edwards, Emily Theobald and Tom Brisbois open Princeton Buy, Sell and Trade and B & T Auto in Princeton.
Aug. 30: The Illinois Valley YMCA in Peru offers a wide range of activities for its members.
Sept. 6: Childhood friends Wanda Nelson and Pam Horwitz opened Four and Twenty Cafe in Princeton.
Sept. 13: Sisters Mary and Lucy Taylor started Two Sisters Computer Tutors in Princeton in the former Mr. John's Cleaners building.
Sept. 20: Sue and John Leddy are the new owners of Lincoln's Princeton Plaza at Road Ranger just north of Interstate 80 on Route 26 in Princeton. Corey, their son, and his wife, Nicole, are also involved in the restaurant.
Sept. 27: Ray Mabry of Princeton is building a 3,000-square-foot Harvest Common complex in the 600 block of North Main Street in Princeton. Two houses were demolished at the site to prepare for the building of the complex to be open in 2013.
Oct. 4: Berlin Mutual Insurance Co. has been in existence for 137 years in Bureau County. Michlig Grain LLC has expanded its grain storage by 450,000 bushels at the Cambridge Elevator. Michlig has grain elevators in Cambridge, Manlius, Sheffield, Mineral, Bradford and Broadmoor.
Oct. 11: Erin and Chris Berger opened Lokala Studios opens in downtown Peru. Spring Valley McDonald's owner Mary and Paul Breznay have donated $2,500 to help pay for a new electronic sign to be erected at Hall High School.
Oct. 18: Kankun Restaurant and Bar opens in Ladd under the ownership of Roberto and Alicia Gonzalez. Tanner's Orchard is marking is 65th year of operation in Speer.
Oct. 25: Michael Crowley Sr., owner of Real Estate Consultants in Spring Valley, said there are 10 major causes of the stock market crash in 2007 still being felt in 2012 in the Illinois Valley in residential, commercial, industrial and agriculture real estate markets.
Nov. 1: Larry Werdeniuk opens Nuts 4 Donuts in Princeton.
Nov. 8: Gateway Services recently honored Zearing Child Enrichment Center in Princeton for National Disability Employment Awareness.
Nov. 15: V.A. Anderson Clothing & Shoes, owned by Donald and Mary Anderson, which has been in existence since 1900 in Bureau County, will close its doors when the building sells in Princeton. It has been housed in the Main Street street store since 1923 after starting in Manlius in 1900. The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Illinois Valley Community College recently honored the 2012 Class of 40 under 40, consisting of 40 local individuals under the age of 40 who are integral to the business climate in the Illinois Valley.
Nov. 22: Jillian's Hair Design in Princeton won a contest selling the most BennieFactor products, earning the salon a visit from Bennie Pollard, the company's founder.
Nov. 29: Brothers Raffael and Giovanni Piccolo are operating Piccolo's Pizzeria in Tiskilwa.
Dec. 6: Dave Grebner has opened Myrtle's Cafe and Pie in Princeton.
Dec. 13: Friends Chad Miller and Heath Farrell have opened a pet store in Princeton called Total Aquarium Needs Keeping Services (TANKS) Coral Emporium and Pet Supply Headquarters in the former Princeton Variety Store on South Main Street.
Dec. 20: Ingersoll-Rand, based in Dublin, Ireland, is spinning off several of its business, including Princeton door manufacturer LCN, which came to Princeton in 1949 after being moved from Chicago.
Dec. 27: Mautino's Distributing Co. has been in existence since 1905 in Spring Valley.
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