Armani Coleman
AM came about after I had to take a break from college. I moved back to Chicago and started working retail jobs here and there but I couldn’t see that being my daily routine for the rest of my life. Around May of 2016, my aunt asked me to photograph my cousin’s prom send-off. Shortly after, I figured, “why not make a few bucks off of something I do with ease?” Read more>>
Billy Lawless
I grew up in a hospitality family in Galway, Ireland where my parents owned pubs and a hotel. I’ve been immersed in the industry since I can remember, and I’ve worked in almost every position both front and back of house (including bathroom cleaning duty). Read more>>
Amanda Scotese
I launched Chicago Detours in July 2010 in order to share the architecture, history, and culture of Chicago through guided tours. I’d always loved storytelling, art, architecture and travel and had never imagined that I would be able to make these interest congeal into a career. Read more>>
Colin Hinkle
I got my start in television news in 2000. I have been working in Chicago for ABC 7 and CBS 2 for the last 10+ years as a news videographer. I became interested in aerial photography about 6 years ago after working with the news helicopters and after purchasing a few different drones began my business in 2014. Read more>>
Laura Mraz
I discovered my career in the most unlikely place, Shanghai China. While teaching English, I met a boy with autism, fell in love with occupational therapy and became determined to impact as many children as possible. I returned to the States two years later, completed my bachelors degree at Loyola University Chicago and started Eyas Landing after graduating in 2007. Read more>>
Geoffrey Curley
The Great Fermentation has been developed by the company GMC+A. GMC+A is an exhibition/attraction company that works primarily with museums. We have earned a reputation for making highly interactive, entertaining, educational experiences that engage guests of all ages and across all cultures. Read more>>
Samantha Waterloo
Right out of college, I started at Nordstrom which is where I worked for the six years leading up to Moda Mentore. At the time, you had to start on the sales floor and work your way up. Because of this, I learned a ton – not only about clothing, the designers behind the brands and fit but also about how a woman moves in something when she really loves it versus when she’s feeling uncomfortable regardless of how she actually looks. Read more>>
Jackie Saland
I’m a chicago based blogger babe (new at blogging) & instagram influencer! As an actress & model there’s a lot of waiting, waiting for another audition, waiting for a callback (or not) waiting to hear if you booked the job (or not) my blog is about enjoying the the everyday (even the waiting) as my momma always says it’s about the journey, not the destination i’m no top chef, health guru, fitness fanatic, fashionista, makeup artist, chicago tour guide or travel critic. Read more>>
Eugenia Cheng
I am a mathematician, author, expositor, public speaker, columnist, musician and artist. I began my career as a “normal” career academic, although my friends and family will tell you I’ve never been particularly normal. I did the things academics do: get several degrees, do post-doctoral positions around the world, spend long nights doing research in between preparing and delivering undergraduate lectures, travel on a shoestring to attend conferences, publish papers in peer-reviewed journals, sit on committees to help run the university. Read more>>
Jeffrey Mikos
The year was 2014. My wife and I were sitting at a pizza shop in Wicker Park we started researching places to visit, budget travel strategies and what we would need to pack. After 45 minutes of Googling all of this we had made a decision. We were going to take a year off and we bought a one-way ticket to the Galapagos Islands. Read more>>
Gina Sirchio-Lotus
I opened my clinic with a strong base in rehab and nutrition. I really enjoyed the idea of helping patients not only out of their acute pain stage, but with a view of establishing long term best health. Upon more nutritional and functional medicine education, I really fell in love with working to help patients through complicated systemic health issues. Read more>>
Veronica Baetje
Baetje Farms LLC is a farmstead artisan goat cheese company featuring French style cheeses. Our cheeses are made using traditional methods and have won more than 70 national and international awards. They are featured in all Whole Foods Market stores and Pastoral in the Chicago area. Read more>>
Glen Bloodsaw Jr
During my time as a Division 1 athlete, I was diagnosed with spondylosis, which describes types of degeneration in the spine. In my case, the degeneration happened in a disc and a chipped transverse. The condition was so severe, at one point I experienced the lose of my right leg. Read more>>
Xavier Alexander
Metric all began with a taco and a beer. Darko Arandjelovic and I met at Big Star back in the spring of 2012. Over the aforementioned, him and I parsed out this idea we have been building ever since. At the time, I worked at Intelligentsia Coffee, a roaster and quality control manager, and Darko had just opened his own specialty shop, Caffe Streets. Read more>>
Nunzia Pranzo
My passion for esthetics and beauty started from when I was a young girl. Like any young girl going through their mom’s makeup, I was amazed how all these products could transform and boost someone’s self esteem. I was truly inspired. Read more>>
Lupe Paramo
My name is Lupe and I am an Esthetician. At 25 years old I became a business owner, and have been an Esthetics Instructor for 2 years. In total I have been in the beauty industry for 9 years. My passion for skin care began as a makeup artist when I was 15 and I fell in love with making people look and feel beautiful. Read more>>
Beth Rubin
I started in the travel industry in 2000 – I had just come back to Chicago after student teaching on a study abroad program in Italy. I was teaching photography for an art school, so I had a very strong background in art history – having spent time up close and personal with all of the Renaissance works you find in Florence, Rome, Venice, etc. Read more>>
Kamil Bartoszcze
I first discovered my passion for music while playing the piano with my grandfather in the small town of Skawica, Poland. My grandfather bought me my first keyboard at the age of seven and music soon became my passion. Since then, my life has been a challenging one filled with hurdles, adversities, but also blessed with many awesome triumphs and milestones. Read more>>
Noah Schaik, Drew Jensen
Fun House Entertainment started with two friends who met over a summer internship. From there, and a cup of coffee later, Fun House was started. Drew having a background in production and touring along with Noah’s marketing and concert lighting experience it was the perfect opportunity to start something great. Read more>>
Anthony Demma
This is a long story but the short version is; The story begins with Anthony Demma and Jim Bricker, two old high school friends catching up sometime in 2007. It turns out that Jim, an avid environmentalist and constant tinkerer had converted his old Mercedes to run on used fryer oil. Read more>>
Jeannette Pawula
I guess a special talent I have is to get into some of the countries poorest and most dangerous slums – areas where most street children come from but people are too afraid to work due to the danger and violence of the areas. (the story is super long to type but absolutely incredible from how it started to where we are now and where we are going in 2018.) Read more>>
Anthony Spatara
L’Appetito opened on Columbus Day, 1981 in a new high-rise building at 30 East Huron. It was considered by many a pioneering venture. A little Italian grocery store from the Northwest side that moved into the heart of the big city. In time, the big city became it’s neighborhood and it survived and thrived while remaining true to its Italian roots. Read more>>
Evan J. Hilton, Parul Patel
Evan Hilton is involved in traditional healthcare and the medical cannabis industry as a result of his mother suffering from a rare brain cancer, Oligodendroglioma. Two years prior to her passing on July 1, 2013, traditional medicine wrote her off stating there is nothing more they could do and she would pass away very soon enduring severe pain under hospice care. Being her advocate, Evan embraced the challenge and began to use alternative medicine, also known as cannabis oil. Read more>>
