Sauk Valley
Business Journal • Accupuncture aims to make positive health changes – Page 4 • Canvas shop dates back to horse harness days – Page 18 • Success in horticulture comes naturally for couple – Page 20
Vol. 19, No. 4
Sauk Valley Media
Winter 2016
STORE INFUSES CREATIVITY INTO KITCHENS, BATHS ~ Page 16
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Welcome ... to the Winter 2016 issue of Sauk Valley Business Journal Index of Stories Positive Changes Acupuncture......................... 4
Elli’s Euro Hair Salon....................................... 14
Lori’s Gifts in KSB Hospital................................ 6
Creative Kitchens & Bath................................. 16
Posh Salon........................................................... 8
Dilbeck’s Canvas Shop..................................... 18
Pines Meadow Veterinary Clinic..................... 10
Sterling Gardens............................................... 20
Ewers Garage.................................................... 12
Warner’s MVP Lounge..................................... 22
On the cover
Granite samples are displayed at Creative Kitchens & Bath in Sterling. Story, Page 16. – Philip Marruffo, Sauk Valley Business Journal
The staff of Sauk Valley Business Journal Publisher: Sam R Fisher Advertising Director: Jennifer Heintzelman
Advertising Sales: Jill Reyna Business Journal Editor: Jim Dunn
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Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media of Dixon and Sterling-Rock Falls. No portion of Sauk Valley Business Journal may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this publication.
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Sauk Valley Business Journal
Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
This clinic has a point to make Owner accentuates the positive aspects of natural healing through acupuncture BY KACIE LONG For Sauk Valley Business Journal
STERLING – Positive Changes Acupuncture is in the Western Hemisphere – in a strip mall on East Lincolnway, more specifically. Step inside Patrick Stramka’s clinic, however, and you’ll encounter more Eastern influence than you can stick a pin in. Tranquil music plays softly in the background, and overstuffed recliners invite patients, rather than medical exam tables. “The energy is ... it’s very
Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Darlene Dennison’s pain has improved a lot since she started taking treatments from Patrick Stramka at Positive Changes Acupuncture in Sterling. noticeable, because everybody is here for the same reason,” Stramka, 56, said. “Whether it’s a stress thing or
a disease or back pain, everyone is here to get better.” He isn’t opposed to Western medicine per se, but his 3,000
hours of training – including 30 days in a hospital in China – taught him the value of Oriental medicine, in which he has his master’s. “Western medicine is fantastic,” he said. “If you cut your finger off, definitely go to the E.R. Don’t come to me. Chronic problems – that’s where acupuncture really shines. Fibromyalga, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic migraine headaches, any of that stuff ... .” The way acupuncture works is that the needle sends a signal to the nervous system, telling the brain to release the body’s natural opiates, neurotransmitters and chemicals. Stramka has practiced acupuncture more than 2 decades and opened his community style clinic Sept. 1. Continued on page 5
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Oriental medicine offers individual treatment Continued from page 4
Because it’s not private, he can charge customers about $15 a visit. For veterans? Make it $10. “You don’t have a private room, so you come in, you pick your favorite recliner, and you roll your pant legs up to your knees, you roll your sleeves up to your shoulder, and that’s how you are treated,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about disrobing or anything like that.” He’s already got one success story to tout. “[A local swimmer] had a chronic shoulder irritation for a few years, and no one’s been able to help her,” he said. “It’s been to the point where she’s in tears, and people have had to help her out of the pool. We started working with her. Her pain has been cut down significantly; she swam her best time just last weekend.” Stramka also offers Chinese
Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Business Journal
A client uses a spa capsule, which Stramka calls “the egg.” The capsule uses a dry heat that can reach 180 degrees. herbal treatments and cupping – which got some attention on the world stage when telltale signs of it were seen on athletes’ body’s during the
Rio Olympics. The clinic features a spa capsule, which Stramka calls “the egg,” because of its egglike appearance. The capsule
uses a dry heat that can reach 180 degrees. “You can use it for relaxation, detox, for pain, and it also has a massage setting,” Stramka said. He said Oriental medicine offers individual treatment. “Let’s say you’re coming in for digestion problems and I go through my diagnosis,” he said. “Your digestion problem may be different than someone else’s, but it may have the same Western diagnosis. They might call it gastritis, but yours would be different than someone else’s because you’re two different people. Western medicine will just say, ‘Here, try some Zantac.’” Stramka assures anyone squeamish about needles it’s nothing to be afraid of. “It’s like a cat whisker,” he said while demonstrating how small and flexible the needle is. “Most of the needles you don’t even feel.”
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Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
KSB’s hidden treasure of fine gifts Something for patients, visitors alike at shop BY AVALYNDA CASEY For Sauk Valley Business Journal
DIXON – Tucked away as it is, in a corner inside the entrance to KSB Hospital, you might not even realize it’s there. But Lori’s Gifts, a festival of toys, clothes, accessories, snacks, and patient essentials, is worth finding. The gift shop has been serving KSB staff and patients – and anyone looking for gifts for all occasions – since January 2003. Angela James, 55, manages the store, which is part of a nationwide chain founded in
AvaLynda Casey/For Sauk Valley Business Journal
Lori’s Gifts’ manager Angela James (left) and volunteer Jennifer Yeager fill a shopping bag for a customer at Lori’s Gifts in KSB Hospital. 1981 as Lori’s Hallmark. It now has 331 stores in 39 states. “We see all ages, and we have our regulars who come in every week for our discount items,”
James said. “We are bigger than common hospital gift shops, and have room to stay organized. We carry a variety of comfort items, and take pride
in how we greet people.” Two volunteers and four employees create a welcoming atmosphere. Hospital patients and their visitors looking for snacks, drinks and comfort items are the shop’s primary focus. In addition to robes, slippers, socks and personal care items such as lip balm, hairbrushes, reading glasses and toothpaste, shoppers can get cards, magazines, games, and plush animals. Customized gift baskets are available, as are fresh flowers from Petals to Parties of Dixon, silk or potted plants, and musical balloon bouquets. Specialty items include Noelle clothing, a variety of purses, bags and scarves, collectible figurines, jewelry, inspirational gifts and seasonal items.
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Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
Seasoned stylists open ‘Posh’ salon Shop is quaint, in step with trendy, modern styles BY KACIE LONG For Sauk Valley Business Journal
ROCK FALLS — For the Brits, posh is elegant and stylish. For a pair of local stylists, it’s a career. Posh Salon opened in June after its owners, Shenae Niedermann, 28, and Bri Friedrichs, 30, came across office space that had come open at 1400 First Ave. and jumped at the opportunity. They both said they were ready to try something new. The two worked together for the past 3 years at another local salon, but were ready to take the next step in their careers and open a salon they could call their own. “It’s nice to have a little more freedom, and it’s benefited all of our clients,” Neidermann said. “We have been very busy.” Neidermann is a Rock Falls native and said she knew what she wanted to do by the time she was in seventh grade. “I always wanted to do everybody’s hair; I did all of my friends’ hair for everything,” she said. “I never even thought about going to college.” Neidermann attended
Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Owners and stylists Bri Friedrichs (left) and Shenae Niedermann opened Posh Salon earlier this year in Rock Falls. Educators of Beauty in Sterling, where she received her license in 2007. Friedrichs grew up in Oregon and got her associate degree before deciding cosmetology was the route she wanted to take. She said styling hair and making people look and feel their best had always been a passion of hers, so it just seemed right. She went on to get her cosmetology license from Highland Community College in Freeport in 2007. Posh Salon may be quaint in size, but it’s modern in style. “It’s very trendy,” Friedrichs said, but added there are a few things that sets their salon apart from the rest.
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“We pay close attention to the cleanliness of our salon; we like to keep it super clean,” she said. “We also both have done a lot of continuing education.” Continuing education helps cosmetologists stay up to date on all of the latest hair trends and styling techniques. They can often become certified in different specialty areas in cosmetology, such as Brazilian Blowouts, which is a treatment that helps smooth and straighten curly or frizzy hair. Friedrichs specializes in color correction, updos and Balayage, which is a way to achieve a natural sun-kissed look by using a brush to “paint” the hair. She is also certified in Brazilian Blow-
outs and Color Proof. Neidermann’s specialties are short hair, extensions and color. She’s also certified in Redken hair color and design, Keratin hair extensions, Brazilian Blowouts and Color Proof. “I definitely enjoy doing hair color the most, and makeovers, like cutting someone’s hair from long to short or coloring someone from dark hair to blonde, or adding extensions to short hair – big transformations are one of my favorite things,” Neidermann said. Friedrichs and Neidermann are both dedicated users of social media, posting their work on their Facebook and Instagram pages as well as through Posh’s social media pages. “It’s really awesome when we have clients come in here and show us what we’ve done on Facebook and say that’s what they want done to their hair,” Neidermann said. In addition to showing off their styling skills on social media, they also have giveaway competitions through Posh’s Facebook page where people can receive free hair products. Posh offers Color Proof and Redken products as well as Hempz lotions, but Neidermann said if a customer is looking for something the business doesn’t carry, let them know and “we can get our hands on it for them.”
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Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
Co-worker buys veterinary clinic Champley will stay on to assist BY CHRIS JOHNSON Sauk Valley Business Journal
OREGON – Why own the veterinarian clinic, if you can still enjoy the animals? Thomas Champley, who’s owned Pines Meadow Veterinary Clinic, 1210 Pines Road, for 4 decades, has sold a portion of the business to coworker Ginger Albano, who’s been there 14 years. Champley, who started practicing veterinary medicine 45 years ago, will stay on about 2 days a week. The building has undergone additions and remodeling, but the goal has always been the same: providing the best care possible for pets.
Chris Johnson/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Veterinarian Thomas Champley holds Apple, and veterinarian Ginger Albano holds Violet at Pines Meadow Veterinary Clinic, 1210 Pines Road, Oregon. Champley sold his share of the clinic to Albano, but will stay on staff and work about 2 days a week. “We see cats, dogs, and pocket pets,” Champley said. “You need to love animals,
and people, to do well as a veterinarian.” “We do see the exotic pets
come into the clinic,” Albano said, including the aforementioned pocket pets – small, caged animals that include hamsters, gerbils, lizards, and snakes. Large farm animals used to be part of the practice, but the demand for service decreased. New technology is helping Albano treat all the animals that visit the clinic. Ultrasounds and digital X-rays are among newer diagnostic tools Pines Meadow uses. “Having in-house labs speeds up the treatment for the pet,” said Albano. Champley said there are times a veterinarian will recommend an owner take their pet to a specialist. “The specialists do the procedures every day,” Albano added.
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Sauk Valley Business Journal
Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
Customers’ vehicles receive TLC Garage owner puts himself in the driver’s seat BY KACIE LONG For Sauk Valley Business Journal
MILLEDGEVILLE – For the owner of Ewers Garage, family is not only part of the business’ history, it’s part of his philosophy. The garage is on its third generation in the Ewers family, and part of the reason for its continued success, says owner Todd Ewers, is the commitment to the kind of service he’d expect for his own family. “We treat the vehicles as if they are our own,” Todd said. “If it needs something, we’ll let you know. We’re not going to sell you something
Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Todd Ewers stands in front of his auto repair shop in Milledgeville. Todd purchased the business from Tom, his father, in 1995; Tom purchased it from his father, William, in 1958. that you don’t need. “I just think if it was my daughter riding in that vehicle and they brought it in for an oil change and it needed
other things done; I think, ‘What would I want that customer to know?’” he said. Ewers Garage has been around for nearly a century,
first opening its garage doors 95 years ago. Todd purchased the business from his father Tom in 1995. Before that, Tom purchased the business at 8 E. Fourth St. from his father, William, in 1958, which is where it’s been since then. Todd, 51, has expanded the building since purchasing it. He added a 900-square-foot office and waiting area in 1999. The business consists of four lifts, seven bays and is equipped with up-to-date diagnostic and repair equipment. “We take care of people and we try to do it efficiently and get their vehicle back to them the same day if possible.” Todd admits there are chains around the area that might be cheaper, but he believes his employees hold their work to a higher standard.
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Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
Style with a smile at Elli’s salon Midwest salon comes with a European touch BY KACIE LONG For Sauk Valley Business Journal
PROPHETSTOWN – It can take years for people to decide what they want to do when they grow up, but not for Elisabeth Woolums, owner of Elli’s Euro Hair Salon. Elisabeth knew she was destined to become a cosmetologist by the time she was finished with nursery school. Elisabeth, 53, now has decades of experience in the cosmetology business. She began at 15 as an intern at a hair salon in her hometown, Wertheim, located in Baden-Wüettemberg, Ger-
Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Elli’s Euro Salon owner Elisabeth Woolums (left) and hairdresser Elizabeth Swatos share a laugh outside the downtown Prophetstown salon. many. She said she knew she wanted to become a hair stylist by the time she was 5. “My mom always took me
[to her hair salon] with her,” she said. “I remember to this day that I liked that place. Mom worked hard, ... and
they were super friendly to her. It was a friendly place and I thought ‘I want to work here when I grow up.’” Elisabeth moved from Germany when she was 30 after her husband, Jay Woolums, 55, whom she met and married in Germany, decided he wanted to return to his hometown of Prophetstown. “There was nobody here to work for. Our kids were growing up at the time and my husband said, ‘Open your own shop,’” she said. This year marks 20 years in business for Elli’s Euro Salon, where Elisabeth has managed to build an impressive clientele through the years. In addition to this, Elisabeth and Jay also own Elli’s Bistro located directly next door to Elli’s Euro Salon.
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When you make a contribution to the United Way of Whiteside County, you are making a difference in your own community. Your support of the United Way of Whiteside County is the best way to help the most people year round. Contributions can be sent to PO Box 806, Sterling, IL. 815-625-7973.
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Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
Keeping things creative in cabinets Sterling shop specializes in the personal touch BY SHELBY KUEPKER For Sauk Valley Business Journal
STERLING – It’s been 30 years since Steve and Pam Workman opened Creative Kitchens & Bath. They sell cabinets for any area of the house, but true to the name of the business, their main focus is kitchens and bathrooms – and they do it from the ground – or rather floor, up. That starts with design work and ends with the finished product, from the little things, like hardware and accessories, up to the big things, like sinks and countertops.
Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Steve and Pam Workman have operated Creative Kitchens & Bath in Sterling since 1987. The Workmans, both 61, have been selling Holiday Cabinetry since 1990. The Rice Lake, Wisconsin, custom cabinet manufacturer has been in business more
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than 70 years. Don’t let the idea of custom cabinets intimidate you. Holiday offers a variety of options, which allows it to compete with the big-box stores.
Steve and Pam’s mission is to help their customers pick and choose every detail – big and small – of their projects, all within a budget. When it comes to designing a kitchen or bath, good service and good advice are paramount, Pam said. They’re ready with as much help as you need, whether you’ve got a plan in place, or you’re still planning. “We want to make it a good experience. We will work through the process, however fast or slow the customer wants,” Pam said. The process usually begins with a tour around their showroom, examining the different cabinet construction and options, followed by a home visit from Steve, tape measure in hand. Continued on page 17
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Making kitchens ‘they’ve always dreamed of’ Continued from page 16
With Holiday Cabinetry, Creative Kitchens can offer a lot more than your typical cabinet provider. The cabinetry can be customized to size in 1/8-inch increments in a variety of lumber: oak, hickory, alder, maple, cherry, and quarter-sawn oak, all of which can be finished in different stains, paints, and glazes. After the top coat is applied, all Holiday Cabinetry is baked in infrared ovens, which makes for a nice, tough finish, “something that is hard to achieve in a local shop,” Pam said. Customers also pick and choose the little things that add character, such as washes and glazes. “There are lots of things you can do to achieve different finishes on the paint,” Pam said. The Workmans then help choose accessories – a roll-
Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Door tops, hardware, stain or paint – there are a lot of decision to be made when buying cabinets, and Creative Kitchens & Bath in Sterling can help customers make them. out wastebasket, glass work, or lazy Susans – and other details, too, such as the edge shapes of doors and drawers,
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lets the computer do the actual design. A computer can fill the space, but can’t use logic to decide what or why. Steve takes the time to personally design the layout of every project, incorporating both his and the customer’s ideas, to get the best possible outcome. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for special-order cabinets to be delivered, and during that time, the Workmans work with customers to pick out countertops. They offer granite, quartz, and Cambria countertops in numerous colors, as well as solid surface and laminates. They also can arrange the delivery and installation, and can even help line up an electrician or a plumber. At Creative Kitchens, collaboration is key. “We want to give people the kitchen that they’ve always dreamed of,” Pam said.
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Sauk Valley Business Journal
Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
Business is always on the mend Dilbeck’s Canvas Shop makes and repairs boat covers BY AVALYNDA CASEY For Sauk Valley Business Journal
DIXON – What happens when a boat cover or canvas tarp develops a tear or rip? If not repaired, the small slit starts flapping in the wind, the edges shred, and the cover is ruined. To the rescue is Yancy Webster, 52, owner of Dilbeck’s Canvas Shop, also known as Diversified Canvas. The business began as a harness repair shop about 100 years ago – so long ago that the original owner’s full name has been lost to time. “Mr. Ike ran a harness repair shop in the 1900s for more
AvaLynda Casey/For Sauk Valley Business Journal
Yancy Webster looks through a photo album of old cars and upholstery projects recorded through the years by the owners of Dilbeck’s Canvas Shop, which opened in the early 1900s. than 4 decades in Paw Paw for farmers and their horses,” Webster said. “In the ’20s, when combines replaced horses, he repaired the com-
bine canvas binders that carried the grain on conveyor belts into wagons. “He saw the future impact of machinery.”
Clyde Meddle bought the shop in the ’60s and changed the name to Meddler’s Canvas Shop. He moved it to Mendota, stopped repairing harnesses and added tarp and awning repair. Jim and Carol Dilbeck bought him out in 1979. They added motorcycle and auto seats and convertible tops to the repair lineup. Webster was friends with the Dilbecks; they rode horses together. Webster, who repaired his own tack and patched his own clothes, had learned to sew from his grandmother, 93-year-old Irene Peterson of Polo. She worked for Boyd Casket Factory in Dixon, sewing casket liners for 30 years, until it closed in the ’70s. Continued on page 19
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Few people left who can work with canvas Continued from page 18
The Dilbecks always were looking for good help, and people with a good work ethic, so Webster, then in high school, started working for them. In 1990, when Jim Dilbeck took a civil service job and wanted to sell, Webster became the business’ fourth owner. He stayed in Mendota 16 years, converting a pop-up camper into a mobile shop to re-fit metal tubing for covers that were too big to take out of the water. He moved everything to 2123 W. Third St. in Dixon in 2006, where he has two large buildings filled with several sewing machines, fabric and vinyl sample books, large tables for laying out fabric, and boat seat upholstery and carpet installation tools. In addition to the vehicle
AvaLynda Casey/For Sauk Valley Business Journal
Large tables allow Yancy Webster to spread large canvas, use the old material for a pattern, and cut out the new one to sew together. upholstery work the Dilbecks took on, the shop also makes and install residential awnings, repairs flags, and even sells some boat equipment. Boat covers, though, are Dil-
beck’s bread and butter. Webster and his employee, Corey Harrison of Dixon, make about 70 a year; their waiting list is 2 months long. “I am always getting compliments on the fit of the boat
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covers,” Webster said. “They turn out real nice.” As a further testament to his work ethic, Webster also works third shift at Woods in Oregon, and is president of the Polo School Board. “Business ownership is hard work, and not everyone is cut out for it,” Webster said. “The hours are all day, and if you aren’t working, you aren’t making money. Still, the canvas shop’s fifth owner might be coming down the pike. Webster and his wife, Shelia, who was a shop seamstress until last year, when she went to work for Polo schools, have a son, Cayden. The sixth-grader sometimes helps out in the shop, and likes to create his own projects with fabric and a staple gun. Webster likely wouldn’t mind. “This is one industry that is a dying art. Few people are left who know how to do it well.”
Page 20
Sauk Valley Business Journal
Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
Business built from the ground up Success in horticulture comes naturally for Sterling couple BY DANA FRANCIS For Sauk Valley Business Journal
STERLING – You’ll find them Saturdays at the Twin City Farmers Market, selling their raw honey and organically grown spices (the only place you can find them outside the Chicago suburbs), and their organic fall produce: sweet potatoes, squash and kale. Fred and Charlin Nolan of Sterling own and operate Sterling Gardens, a horticulture business that is so much more than the science behind plants and flowers and crop production. Their sign at Twin City Farmers Market says it best: “We Take
the Work Out of Weekends.” That work they take on is the kind many have neither the time, the desire, nor the know-how to do themselves: planting, pruning and shaping shrubs and trees, weeding flower beds, laying new mulch, raking and disposing of leaves, cleaning gutters, and maintaining yards, among other services. Many people know how to plant shrubs and trees, but Sterling Gardens knows how to best care for them once they’re in the ground. That’s where Charlin’s horticulture degree from Kishwaukee College becomes vital. Continued on page 21
Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Charlin and Fred Nolan of Sterling Gardens offer their services for area residents’ lawn and garden needs. They can be found at the Twin City Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Wishing you & your family Happy Holidays!
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815/626-2511 • 815/288-7211 Email: servicemasterclean@comcast.net SM-ST09885-1201
www.gogreenwithclean.com
Sauk Valley Business Journal
Winter 2016
Page 21
Clients include seniors, working professionals Continued from page 20
In the late 1990s, she was working for General Electric and cultivating her love of plants and gardens on the side, and also working at McCormick’s Nursery. When the nursery shipped its jobs overseas, Sterling Gardens became a full-time business, today employing three to six workers, depending on the task at hand. Fred’s duties include cutting up small trees and debris, pushing wooded areas back to give homeowners needed space (and perhaps a more attractive environment), tilling gardens, and so forth. He also does much of the trucking, and hauls rocks, works the soil, and handles materials and machinery. “And we haul everything away,” he added. Their client base runs the gamut, but they perhaps are especially appealing to
Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Sterling Gardens offers fresh vegetables and plants for sale from horticulturist Charlin Nolan at the Twin City Farmers Market. older people who no longer can care for their lawns and gardens themselves, and to working professionals who don’t have the time. Advance EMS provides basic & advanced level ambulance services for emergency and non-emergency ambulance care.
Some jobs are “a one-time shot,” where they might do a complete lawn overhaul. Other times, such as for what they might term their regular
customers, Sterling Gardens will work at a property three times a year, in the spring, mid-summer, and fall. They’ll also do projects for special occasions, to transform an outdoor space to something pristine for a wedding or graduation celebration, Charlin said. She grows sprouts and wheat grass indoors during the winter, “for the juicers.” In the spring and summer, they typically grow heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and homegrown garlic, among other traditional produce. For those not yet convinced that hiring Charlin and Fred is in their best interest, let Charlin convince you: “I have the knowhow and the crew of men to do the work. It’s a supervised job, and I’m there to tell them – and they just love it!” she said with a laugh.
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Sauk Valley Business Journal
Page 22
Winter 2016
BUSINESS PROFILE
Where everybody knows your game Sterling bar offers video gambling and puts prep sports on big screens BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN Sauk Valley Business Journal
STERLING – If you want to bend an elbow, Warner’s MVP Lounge will give you plenty of, well, elbow room – not only to hoist a few, but also to do some video gambling and follow your team on a TV you can control. The game plan for a place sports fans can call home has been in the back of its owner’s mind for a while. “I remember when I was a kid playing high school sports, our parents would go to North End [Liquor] or wherever and get together before and after football games,� said Heath Warner,
a 38-year-old Sterling High School graduate who played on two Hall of Fame teams. “I always thought it would be nice to be that place.� After 13 years as a golf pro, he and his wife, Beth, 38, a Newman Central Catholic High School graduate, pulled the trigger and put their life savings into the vacant building at 3 E. Third St. downtown. The lounge, which opened in early September, boasts three top-of-the-line 65-inch TVs behind the bar, where all Sterling High sports events are streamed through the online Golden Warrior TV channel. Continued on page 23
FOR SALE
Michael Krabbenhoeft/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Heath Warner owns Warner’s MVP Lounge in downtown Sterling along with his wife, Beth. The sports bar, 3 E. Third St., shows local high school sports on its 65-inch televisions, as well as professional sports. Warner said he aims for a casual atmosphere – “I want my customers to be able to hear themselves think.� During the day, the lounge will be geared more toward video gambling, he said.
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Winter 2016
Sauk Valley Business Journal
Page 23
Here, you can game and have your own TV Continued from page 22
There’s another 65-inch TV on the back wall, a 50-inch on the opposite wall, and five 27-inchers for the gambling stations. The gambling machines arrived Wednesday and will be turned on next week, Warner said. “We’re the only place you can game and have your own television,” Warner said. “Here, if you’re gaming, you can watch anything you want, and you control it. If you want to watch HDTV, the Cubs, the Bears, you’re in control.” Free soda, coffee and, occasionally, doughnuts, are provided for the gamblers. Warner wanted a hybrid because he didn’t want his lounge to be labeled as a gambling parlor, but also was realistic about paying the bills. “Without the video gaming, we wouldn’t have opened a sports bar,” he said. “It’s tough – to make all
Michael Krabbenhoeft/Sauk Valley Business Journal
Warner’s MVP Lounge at 3 E. Third St. in downtown Sterling opens at 10 a.m. daily and stays open up until 1 a.m. the expenses, pay your staff and make money. I invested almost $60,000 into this business. It’s hard to make that back just selling alcohol.” Once Smoke on 3rd, the gourmet barbecue res-
taurant across the street, begins its carryout service, the businesses plan to work out a scenario where lounge patrons can order out and dine at Warner’s – “a sandwich of some sort – we
still need to work out the details,” Warner said. Warner’s longtime bud and assistant manager, Erik Winters, is licensed in food sanitation. He’s one of four part-timers at the lounge, and also works at the Dixon Family YMCA and teaches early childhood general nutrition through University of Illinois Extension. Warner got tired of working as a golf pro 60 hours a week, including weekends, and said he won’t open the bar on holidays. “I like to be with my family, and I want my bartenders to be able to be with their families, too,” he said. If it’s a regular business day, though, and gambling’s happening? “If there’s people here gaming, this place will be open until 1 a.m.,” he said. “We might be the only place open after 11.”
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Sauk Valley Business Journal
Page 24
Winter 2016
Guidance & Compassion in Funeral Planning
Preston Schilling has been serving the area since 1904 and is under new ownership. We have the same staff to help you through every decision and detail during this difďŹ cult time.
Jesse P. Partington
Owner/Licensed Funeral Director
Becky Brenner
Beth Baker, CPC
Licensed Funeral Director
Dick McGrail
Kayla Peterson
Ronda Partington
Mark Swegle
Mike Lally
213 Crawford Ave., Dixon, IL • (815) 288-4469 www.prestonschilling.com