Business Briefs | February 2016

By
February 2016 View more

Appointments

NMAG0216_Business_BMooreHeadshot-2_800px

Photo courtesy Blooming Color

Blooming Color, Inc. hired Brian Moore as a business development officer.  Most recently with The MX Group and formerly with Mobilezapp Apps, Inc., Moore brings an extensive background in sales and relationship building. Moore’s focus on strategic alignment with the offerings of the company he represents has created a proven record of success. Moore will be responsible for continuing Blooming Color’s existing strategy of providing client experiences through implementation of web-based facilitation of print collateral, with a focus on nationwide and international brands.

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 announced the appointment of Chuck Freundt by the Board of Education as the assistant superintendent for elementary education. Freundt began his 25-plus year career at the school district as a fifth grade teacher. He currently serves as principal of Beebe Elementary School, a position he has held since 2011. After teaching fifth grade for seven years, Freundt served the District as a technology integration specialist for a year before ascending to the assistant principal position at Beebe Elementary School where he served for three years. In 2006, Freundt was appointed principal of Meadow Glens Elementary School where he served until his current position as principal of Beebe Elementary School. Freundt will begin his role at District office on July 1, 2016. Freundt replaces Kitty Ryan who is retiring at the end of the school year after serving Naperville School District 203 for 28 years.

Awards

NMAG0216_Business_NRC_Logo_New_800pxNaperville Running Company on West Jefferson Avenue in Naperville, has been recognized for the eighth consecutive year as one of the top 50 running stores in the country according to Competitor and Running Insight magazines. The ranking is based on such criteria as reader nominations, stores’ statistics and undercover customer evaluations to determine the best of the best. Naperville Running won first place in 2009 and in 2013, and this year made it to the top 10 list. It’s one of just four stores in Illinois that were considered. Owner Kris Hartner credits the strong ranking on a philosophy of caring, hiring knowledgeable staff members, stocking the best-quality products and developing good relationships with vendors, customers and the community.

DuPage Medical Group (DMG),, the largest independent multi-specialty physician group in the Chicago area, has been recognized with a Three Year Accreditation with Commendation as a Freestanding Cancer Center from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (CoC). This level of accreditation is the CoC’s highest distinction for quality of care and ensures that DMG’s Integrated Oncology Program exceeds all standard requirements. DMG is the only accredited Freestanding Cancer Center in Illinois. The CoC Accreditation Program was established to help ensure that cancer patients receive high-quality, comprehensive and multidisciplinary patient-centered care. The CoC establishes quality-of-care standards for cancer programs nationwide. To achieve and maintain this voluntary accreditation, programs go through an application process and are reviewed every three years. Programs must meet 34 quality standards and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.

Sikich LLP, a leading professional services firm headquartered in Naperville, was recently named one of the best places to work in the Chicago area by the Chicago Tribune. The firm appears on the paper’s Top Workplaces list for the fourth time. Companies on the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces list were ranked based on employee feedback. Workplace Dynamics surveyed employees at 261 companies in the Chicago area. The first round of the survey assessed company leadership, compensation, training, workplace flexibility and diversity. The list was then narrowed down to include only the companies with employees who stated they enjoy their work, embrace the company’s mission and feel like valued teammates. To qualify, firms needed to have at least 100 employees.

NMAG0216_Business_Lavin Sheldon_800px

Photo courtesy OSI

OSI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Lavin was honored with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from McGladrey LLP to recognize his outstanding commitment to service and to the Chicago business community. McGladrey is a leading provider of assurance, tax and consulting services. The award ceremony took place on October 22, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont, Illinois, during McGladrey’s annual Manufacturing and Distribution Executive Summit. Lavin was lauded for his work with OSI Group, LLC, elevating the business from its position as first supplier of ground beef patties to Ray Kroc’s original McDonald’s restaurant in 1955, to the multi-billion dollar global enterprise it is today. Additionally, Lavin was recognized for his work with numerous charitable organizations and other philanthropic work.

Mary K. Otto of Wheaton is the recipient of the 2015 Susan R. Meisinger Fellowship for Graduate Study in HR. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation announced the winner in November at SHRM’s Volunteer Leaders’ Summit in Washington, D.C. The fellowship is named in honor of Meisinger, J.D., who served as SHRM’s president and CEO from March 2002 until her retirement in July 2008. It is designed to support master’s degree students who are SHRM members or nonmembers who are certified HR professionals. Otto is manager of human resources for TouchTunes Music Corp. in Schaumburg and works as an independent consultant. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland and will begin her graduate studies at Lasell College in Auburndale, Mass., working toward a master’s degree in management with a concentration in HR management.

TheKnot.com recently voted Phillip’s Flowers the recipient of its annual “Best of Weddings” award for 2016, based on feedback from brides and grooms for the second consecutive year. Phillip’s Flowers, a fourth-generation, family-owned florist, was also named to The Knot’s “Hall of Fame” for winning the annual award at least four times in recent years. Wedding services at Phillip’s include personal consultations, custom designs, prop rentals, accent lighting, installation, and late night pick ups as well. Phillip’s Flowers has locations in Chicago, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Hinsdale, LaGrange, Lombard, Naperville, Westmont, and Wheaton.

Aurora-based BERNINA of America, the premier manufacturer of sewing, embroidery and quilting machines, in partnership with Fashion X, recognized Dallas designer Neil Marek as the BERNINA Blanc Design Challenge Grand Prize winner during the Blanc event in Austin in November. Marek received a $20,000 Grand Prize package from BERNINA that included a BERNINA 790 (B 790) sewing machine with embroidery module, a BERNINA 1300 MDC serger, and the exclusive BERNINA suitcase system. Additionally, designer Venny Etienne received the People’s Choice award, a BERNINA 1300 MDC serger and coverstitch valued at $2,300. The BERNINA Blanc Design Challenge People’s Choice award was given to the designer who received the most fan votes online. Nearly 60 designers entered the BERNINA Blanc Design Challenge. The designers were required to submit sketches of garments that were original, innovative, well-constructed and designed using an all-white color palette. The BERNINA Blanc Design Challenge was created by BERNINA of America and Fashion X Austin to provide designers the opportunity to share their creative abilities and be awarded with a unique package to reward their excellence.

New Business

Monmouth College has selected Naperville-based Sikich LLP to audit the college’s financial statements and provide tax consulting guidance and review services. In addition to the audit of the financial statements, Sikich will perform a Student Financial Assistance Audit and provide ongoing guidance to ensure Monmouth remains aware of all Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) regulations for nonprofit organizations. Richard Lynch, a partner in Sikich’s nonprofit practice with more than 14 years of experience in public accounting, will lead the engagement. Sikich audits more colleges and universities in Illinois than any other CPA firm, according to the 2014 Federal Audit Clearinghouse. The firm has decades of experience in the not-for-profit field working with higher education institutions, trade associations, social service organizations and other not-for-profit entities.

Lisle-based ExteNet Systems has completed a $1.4 billion capital restructuring, allowing the tech company to grow and keep up with the rapid growth of mobile data traffic. ExteNet, a wireless infrastructure provider that creates multi-carrier shared networks to improve wireless coverage and capacity in low-signal areas, has done projects including building networks in Trump Tower and in the CTA tunnels. The deal, originally announced last summer, solidified ExteNet’s status as a “unicorn,” or the rare private company valued at more than $1 billion. ExteNet CEO and President Ross Manire will continue to hold those positions, while Digital Bridge CEO Marc Ganzi will replace him as chairman of the board. ExteNet employs about 200 employees, with more than 90 working out of the company’s Lisle office and the rest in a San Ramon, Calif. office and spread out around the country. The company expects to hire 50 to 75 employees in 2016.

Naperville-based RX-Remote Solutions, which has grown from 24 to more than 130 clients since it joined forces with Comprehensive Pharmacy Services (CPS) six years ago, plans to expand that roster to 200 by the end of 2016. The telepharmacy company—also known as a virtual pharmacy—was originally named Rx Knights and founded in 2007 by Naperville residents Jackie Kim, a nurse, and Robert Brower, a pharmacist. In 2009, they were bought by CPS. Remote medical support has been a growing market in the U.S., streamlining services and offering nonstop points of contact for medical institutes and patients. RX-Remote Solutions taps directly into the pharmaceutical support needs of hospitals and patients by having on-call pharmacists available. Rx-Remote Solutions plans to hire clinical pharmacists and pharmacist technicians based in Naperville.