Bojana Ilic
Bojana Ilic is a Serbian-born artist with a degree in clothing and textile design. After as successful 10-year career in the fashion industry, Bojana was ready for a change and moved to the United States in 2007 where she found painting as a form of expression. Her company, and artistic name, BOJITT leverages over 15 years of creative experience helping clients express their brand, vision, and passion. Ranging from corporate clients like Philip Morris and Chevrolet to passion projects like her own fashion design/production studio “Tigidi” based in Belgrade, Serbia, and after school art, design and fashion program for young artist, Bojana’s work has enhanced lives world-wide. Read more>>
Jennifer Froemel
I began working in the field of behavioral health while in undergraduate school in 1991. I worked in a DCFS run residential treatment center. Upon graduation, I taught Kindergarten and Preschool and while working with young children I realized I needed to obtain a Masters’ degree to make more impactful change in the lives of children and families to help them improve and thrive. While working on my Masters’ degree in Clinical Psychology I worked as a Director of programs in Residential Treatment with Adults with severe mental illness and developmental disability. Read more>>
Christine Moritz and Pawel Witkowski
Christine Moritz and Trisha Cohen started 2Design Group in early 2009 with the belief that each client should always feel most important. Creating timeless and functional spaces will always be part of what we do, but it’s our ability to build solid relationships with clients that has made us successful. Starting the business at the height of the market crash was a bold decision. We not only survived the recession, but also have made huge leaps since opening our doors thanks to Trisha and Christine setting the foundation for great design and customer service. Read more>>
Michelle Gillespie
My first exposure to working in the area of health and nutrition serving in the Peace Corps in Yap, Micronesia, where my job was to raise awareness about the connection between processed foods and health issues including Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension. At the time, I was an avid junk food eater who loved chili-cheese burritos, pizza, sweets, soda, and other not so healthy foods. I thought they chose the wrong person for the job, but I ended up loving it and was a perfect fit! When I returned from Yap, I went back to some of my old eating habits and experienced some health issues. I was tired all the time, had low energy, and was falling asleep at my desk at work every day even though I thought I was eating healthy. Read more>>
Valerie Friedlander
Nothing can really prepare you for Motherhood. There is no training class and, for better or worse, all we really have is the example the people around us set, particularly our parents. That said, I had all the pieces you are “supposed to” have for a fulfilling and successful life – husband, house, high-powered and lucrative career, and finally a baby. Motherhood, however, magnified everything I was tolerating in my life a million times. I felt like everything I’d built was falling apart. My husband and I kept bickering, I was falling behind where I wanted to be at work, and I was certainly not being the Mom I wanted to be. In time, I managed better but my stress was still high and I’d seen the toll survival mode had taken on my Mother. Read more>>
Steve and Jeff Hester
Hester Painting & Decorating was founded in 1968 by Tom Hester, and now, almost 50 years later, the company is managed by two of his sons, Jeff Hester and Steve Hester. When they took over operations of the company ten years ago, their goal was to continue the tradition set by their father in providing unparalleled customer service, the highest quality craftsmanship, and outstanding creativity to every client looking for the very best in painting, faux finishing and wallcovering installation. The 3rd generation has also started contributing to the success of the company with three of Jeff’s children taking active roles. Read more>>
Marla Brodsky
I grew up in a family in which both parents were in the food business and my older brother was a doctor. My interest in diet and health was born out of those influences. Initially, I worked at a large teaching hospital doing clinical nutrition for critical care patients. I loved learning the science about how nutrients influence disease. My next job was the as the director of nutrition research for a project to help reverse muscle loss and malnutrition in the Geriatric population. This work was satisfying in that it fueled my science-brain. However, in 1994, I as I was preparing to give a lecture on nutrition to HIV patients, I noticed that I couldn’t see my slides. Read more>>
Jord’an Helmick and Julia Tarnorutskaya
Jord’an: I am 36, the mother to an amazing 5-year-old boy and spouse of an incredible man for 13yrs. I started doing massage because I wanted to help my mother with her migraine headaches. So in 2001, I decided to take a massage class. I was amazed and intrigued from day one! The human body was so complex and diverse. I had found something I understood and enjoyed. Something that makes people happy and brings comfort and relief. Something new to learn and keep my attention everyday! And, I could make money doing it! Life should be enjoyed! It should be lived and spent with family and loved ones, not slaving away at a place that only pays the bills. With Massage Therapy, I work to live, not live to work. And I love what I do, so work almost seems like play! Read more>>
Daniel Beider
I was raised in the hotel industry, working for my family in numerous capacities as part of hotel operations including housekeeping, engineering and front desk. Because my non schooling education was primarily done at hotels it seemed inevitable that I would wind up back in the industry. While I tried hard for example to pursue a career as a musician, as expected I was back working with my family as I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Chicago at DePaul after transferring from Arizona after 3.5 years. Our family business had changed. My father had passed away several years prior and the family in general was moving towards being more asset light. Read more>>
Billie Topa Tate
Billie Topa Tate’ is the founder of MSI (Mystical Sciences Institute) an earth friendly educational institute located in Evanston, Illinois. Billie is Mescalero Apache and is dedicated to presenting the sacred principles, doctrines, and teachings of her Native Culture and many ancient wisdom systems from around the world, creating synthesis through harmony of many lineages. Billie is a traditional Native American healer and teacher of Mescalero Apache descent, trained and educated by numerous family Elders and extended family members. She is a Reiki Master Teacher Eighth Degree and licensed therapeutic massage therapist. Billie is an approved provider of continuing education programs for Massage Therapists and Illinois Nurses. Has written and lecturer extensively for more than 18 years. Read more>>
Meg Carroll
The original Bedside Manor Ltd opened in 1985 in Long Grove, Illinois featuring brass beds, Amish quilts, and a collection of European linens and down. In 1988, we made the decision to open a second location in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. At this same time, my husband Michael joined the company and we became the sole owners of the business. And – 29 years later our Chicago boutique resides in the same location on Halsted Street! Growth came over the following 10-15 years. After phasing out the Long Grove shop we concentrated on the city market until making plans to expand into the suburbs: Winnetka (1995), Hinsdale (2000), and Lake Forest (2001). In addition to our brick-and-mortar stores we also have an online presence. Read more>>
Amanda Tarver
I have had a bit of an unexpected journey getting to where I am now. When I was younger, in high school and college, my passion was the performing arts. I was involved in theatre, music, and dance. It was when I was working on my BA in musical theatre that I began considering massage therapy as a career path. Very few people actually make it in theatre, and those who book gigs often can’t make a living off of it, so I knew I needed a back up career. Performers tend to have much more relaxed physical boundaries around one another, and my friends and I would often give each other back rubs. I thought to myself “this isn’t so bad. I could do this.” and decided to give massage school a try when I finished my degree. Read more>>
Niquenya Collins
I have always been everyone’s resource person. I was the one friends and family would call whenever they needed a resume done, letters composed, homework help, or to listen to and critique their speeches for upcoming presentations. I was even the one called in times of crises like at 2 in the morning when I had to talk a close friend out of breaking the windows on her cheating boyfriend’s car. I was the go-to-gal on every job I’ve ever held and because I am so resourceful and highly skilled in multiple disciplines, much of my talent was abused with little compensation nor recognition and acknowledgment. My pay definitely didn’t reflect the work I was doing and I found myself buried under additional tasks that fell well outside my job descriptions with no additional raises or promotions. Read more>>
Stephanie Nelson
I have been working in childcare for almost 20 years now, which seems hard to believe but I started when I was 14 years old. I have been everything from an Infant Teacher to a Youth Program Manager on a Cruise Ship. Working on a cruise ship was probably one of my favorite jobs growing into my career. Not only was I able to work with children, but I was able to see the world in the process. It truly was a gift. So it should come as no surprise that my educational background is in Child and Adolescent Development. I have earned two degrees in my field, which has allowed me to explore many avenues within childcare. My passion has always been children and I have been lucky enough to make a career out of it. Read more>>
Kim Chaudoir
Well, I’ve always been a huge animal lover. In my free time, I was volunteering at a local no-kill shelter in Chicago called Furry Friends Foundation and had heard some volunteers talking about their “dog walking jobs”. At the time, not having lived in Chicago long, I had no idea this was a legit business. It was like a little light bulb lit up in my mind. I did a little research, got laid off at the boring corporate job I was at and just decided to wing it. Lucky for me, the far north side of the city was seemingly underserviced at the time and my business grew fairly quickly. That was back in 2006. Read more>>
Jane Nolan
In 1982 my son became a student at Park West. I was immediately drawn to Park West because it was a co-op with parents assisting in the classroom every other month or so. I knew it would be a safe place for my son to play with other children but had no idea how much thinking could happen at nursery school. I was incredibly impressed with the teachers and how they responded to the children, supporting them emotionally as well as intellectually. I was able to witness teacher’s interactions and conversations with children because I was actually in the classroom on a regular basis. That was life changing for me. Read more>>
Bahia Al-Salihi
I graduated from the National University of Health Sciences in 1992 with a degree as a Doctor of Chiropractic. I also embraced a wide-range of non-pharmaceutical, holistic, health care modalities; I got certified as a massage therapist, a personal trainer, an aerobics instructor, and a yoga instructor. I went back to school and separately earned a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. As a result, I am a licensed Chiropractic Physician and a licensed Acupuncturist in the state of Illinois. I am also an herbalist, formally certified in Chinese herbal medicine through the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Read more>>
Dr. Richard Ezgur
After suffering from low back pain and chronic headaches, Dr. Ezgur discovered both chiropractic and homeopathy to be effective forms of treatment and decided to dedicate his life to helping others with pain and other health problems. He strives to provide a high level of professionalism along with quality, patient-focused care. He designs specific treatment plans unique to the individual needs of each patient. Utilizing a pragmatic, common-sense approach, he emphasizes active patient participation and education, which helps his patients recover more quickly and return to their activities sooner, heal more completely, and decrease their chances of relapse. Read more>>
Kathrynne Wolf
The theatre company has its origins in a showcase devised by Dawn “Sam” Alden in early 1997. She wanted to invite all of the casting directors, agents, artistic directors, etc. in Chicago to see “An Evening of Women Wielding Weapons”, to address the dearth of fighting roles for women in the theatre community. It was an evening of scenes in which the characters were all female, and all fought, with various weapons, in various styles, for a variety of reasons. The showcase was planned for two nights, at Footsteps Theatre in Andersonville. When announced, it sold out immediately, so they added 2 more nights, which sold out immediately, as well. She got the theatre to agree to a full run of performances in the fall of 1997. Read more>>
Katie Jeep
I grew up in a northern suburb of Chicago and moved to the city to study acting at DePaul University and became immersed in the world of theatre after graduation. As a performer in Chicago for nearly a decade, some of my favorite shows over the years were theatre productions for children and young audiences. I found that I kept gravitating towards those opportunities, so when I began working as a music and movement instructor at Musical Magic in 2010, it was a natural fit! I found that I loved working directly with children and their families in a performative and creative way. Eventually, the founder of Musical Magic announced she wanted to sell the business and I eagerly stepped up to buy it! The decision to purchase Musical Magic just felt like a perfect culmination of all of my interests. Read more>>
Denise K. Ambre
I actually graduated from Northwestern University with an Engineering degree! I worked in the corporate world for a few years and decided it wasn’t for me. I really wanted to do something that involved helping people. So I went back to graduate school at Loyola University for my Masters in Social Work and then on to get my Analytic training as well at the Wisconsin Institute for Psychoanalysis As a young social worker, I worked for a non-profit agency for a long time before going out on my own. It was one of the few agencies that did long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy and was a great place to learn and “grow up” as a therapist! Read more>>
Amy Williams
I began my journey with The David Adler Music and Arts Center in 2010 as a part time administrative assistant. Six months later I was promoted to the full time Program Director. My primary focus was to continue to grow the Center’s well known Individual music instruction, developing both youth and adult art programs, re-introducing and building the Adler exhibition series, organizing and curating over 36 exhibitions, re-hauling the summer and camp programming and curriculum, bringing Youth Art Month to Libertyville, a month to recognize and support the art students of the community, designing and managing all marketing materials and promotions, and examining the needs and opportunities unique to the David Adler Music and Arts Center. Read more>>
Farrakh Azhar
I started LiveAdmins in 2002 with the idea to help businesses improve online visitor experience on their websites and increase their sales. For me the idea of having sales people on a website answering questions on behalf of the business was similar to walking into a store and having a trained sales team help customers with what they need. Back in 2002, I saw all these websites with no human interaction on them. If you look at the customer journey on a website, with no human help available, online visitors are more likely to leave that website and go elsewhere if they can’t find what they need. With LiveAdmins, it’s simply having people on the website say, “Hello, how can I help you?” I thought of helping companies retain their online customers with this idea and my company has managed to successfully do that for 15 years now. Read more>>
Evana Younan
Just as I was entering middle school my father injured his back and he was in a great deal of pain and medication was not helping him in any way. For months, he was in agony, unable to work and function in life. He discovered chiropractic and within a few months he was like his old self. My father raved about how much better he felt and how chiropractic care saved his life. Seeing what a dramatic difference chiropractic care made on my father guided me to where I am today as a Chiropractic Physician. I was raised in Lincolnwood and have resided in the community most of my life. I attended Lincoln Hall Middle School in Lincolnwood and Niles West High School in Skokie during my formative years. Since I enjoyed the community so much I chose to stay close to home and attend Loyola University. Read more>>
Stephanie Mazzanti
I knew I wanted to hear people’s stories starting back in high school when I worked as a shampoo girl listening to ladies vent what was on their minds. I attended UIC and then Roosevelt for my graduate work. While in graduate school I lost both my parents. I found yoga as a practice myself and it held me together while working hard in my graduate program during such a difficult time in my life. I started to read psychology articles stating the benefits of yoga and had experienced them firsthand myself, so I enrolled in yoga teaching training right away. I now see clients in my private practice in Glenview as well as provide therapy and yoga for the physicians and nurses at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Read more>>
Bianca Belei
After I finished architecture in high school, in Europe, I decided to come and live with my parents here in US. Shortly after arriving in Chicago, I started college at one of the community college of Lake County. I was new to the school system so my counselor guided me toward nursing, since I told him I will want to attend medical school after I finished my bachelor. After 4 years of nursing I moved to UIC where I started my Med school. I always knew I want to help people and I was always drawn towards psychology, psychiatry and everything in between. Read more>>
Jillian Leff
The Cuckoo’s Theater Project was founded in 2014 by Marc James and Bart O’Toole, along with visual artist Dustin Dean and Chicago Actors Aiyanna Wade and Tyler Drew Clayton. Mr. Marmalade, by Noah Haidle, was our very first production. Since then, we’ve been focused on producing theatre and growing our company as much as we can. But there’s one thing that all Chicago theatre companies want but only so many have – a space of their own. Luckily, Bart found a building in Rogers Park at the corner of Ashland and Estes. It used to be the Rogers Park Women’s Club, then was owned by the Unitarian Church, now it’s ours! Right now, “The Nest” is under-going major renovations, so it’s only being used for rehearsals, auditions, and storage. Read more>>
Tatsu Aoki
Tsukasa Taiko & Taiko Legacy programs began as Tsukasa Daiko and was founded in 1996 by Hide Yoshihashi in conjunction with Japanese classical dance grandmaster Wakayagi Shiyu. Yoshihashi then expanded the organization in collaboration with Asian Improv aRts Midwest’s executive director Tatsu Aoki. The organization has evolved from a small private group to a not for profit art’s organization. In 2004, the group established itself as a resident arts program of the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC). Tsukasa Taiko has since become the leading and one of the largest community taiko ensembles in the Chicago area as well as the Midwest. Read more>>
Carol Hameister
My first spa was founded in 2006 as “Internal/External Esthetics” located on Roosevelt road in Wheaton. In 2010, we re-branded as “Stolen Moments Spa,” located on Front street in Wheaton, tucked away in a beautiful house above Edward Jones Finance. In 2015, we decided to follow my vision of a Wellness/Waxing Center, and rebranded into “Stolen Moments Centre & Parisian Waxing” finding our home in the Freedom Commons Retail Center, Naperville, Illinois, off I-88. Directly across the parking lot from White Chocolate grill and Morton’s Steak House. Read more>>
Katie Dimond
I became a speech therapist in 2008 after graduating from Graduate School. My first job was at the Lieberman Center for Health and Rehabilitation as a speech pathologist doing rehab with adults. My patients were victims of Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s, dysphagia (swallowing disorders), Dementia, Aspiration pneumonia, Strokes, and traumatic brain injuries. I loved my work, and strived to help my patients to cope with and improve their conditions. Two of my grandparents had Alzheimer’s, and I know how hard it can be both on the patient and their family. My experience working with my grandparents during a tough time gave me the inspiration to work with patients with tragic diseases and injuries. Read more>>
Anna Tukiendorf-Wilhite
I am the co-founder of Tukiendorf Training Institute also known as TTI Medical Training School and co-founder of All Over Pest Solutions. I am also President of Polish Women in Business, a Chicago based not for profit organization comprised of female owned Polish American businesses dedicated to supporting and developing its members’ interests. I also serve on the board of directors of the Polish American Chamber of Commerce (PACC). The PACC represents the interests of Polish-American owned businesses in Chicago and abroad. Read more>>
Tara B
Before I started tutoring professionally, I used to help my classmates with math and science at a boarding high school in Nepal, and during college years in Boston. Before the final exams, many of my classmates gathered around me to learn the “shortcuts” for passing the exam. By then, I had already sort of discovered my knack for teaching and had gained some valuable experiences, but I had never imagined teaching professionally since I planned to become a researcher. At the boarding school I attended, using a calculator was forbidden in the exams, and the exams were highly condensed with not a lot of time to finish. Read more>>
Tom Molidor
I started my company right out of college when I bought a 2-flat with a friend and rehabbed it while still working downtown. After a year we sold it for a nice profit and the rest is history. I’ve been building new custom homes along with doing major home renovations for over 25 years. We’ve won numerous awards over the years including the Crystal Key Award for outstanding innovation in chemically free homes. I love what I do and I have an incredible team behind me from architects to framers to painters to trimmers to everything involved with a smooth transition from start to finish. Read more>>
Jennifer Hosey
My story starts in my last year of college at The University of Illinois at Chicago. I was teaching mental health education to high school freshmen and finally tapping into what I’d been studying for the past 4 years. The job was stressful and I took to heart the struggles and hardships of the students. At that moment, I knew I wanted to help people in a different, more uplifting way. My Mom was in real estate and I always had an interest in the industry. Now, my family runs a successful commercial paving company so that drive for entrepreneurship runs in my family. I knew I wanted to be a business owner and use my education to help my clients through a stressful but exciting time in their lives. Read more>>
Scott Calcagno
I grew up on the south side of Chicago (Cicero, IL) with little money or encouragement to fulfill my dream of being a professional actor. After college (University of Illinois in Champaign, IL) I started as a professional actor working in the Chicago theater scene: Marriott Theater, Goodman Theater, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Ravinia, and others eventually getting my union card. I then did a couple of national tours (Into the Woods, Scrooge the Musical) and then got the First National tour of the Broadway musical Ragtime which rehearsed in NYC. While on tour I moved to NYC permanently and after tour – to makes ends meet in NY – I began coaching actors, teaching acting workshops, worked as a casting director and directing live shows. Read more>>
Donald Jackson
Color Wheel Studio began as a project in 2010 with the intention of giving proper fine art education to the children in the Chicago area. Starting in 2000, prior to the opening of Color Wheel Studio, my studies in Neuropsychology and brain development through the plastic arts helped develop the unique approaches taught here at the studio. Color Wheel became a specialized teaching facility putting my developed teaching theories in practice and becoming the first fine art school for brain development in children. Now after seventeen years of this focused study, I am working on two books explaining my unique theories to this specialized arts education, its impact on brain development and how this can be integrated into the school system for a new approach to education as a whole. Read more>>
Bette Dworkin
Kaufman’s opened on Dempster St. in the early Sixties. It was, for many years, known as a gathering place for survivors of the concentration camps after WWII having been started by a survivor. My parents purchased the business in 1984 and shortly after taking ownership they were hit with an outbreak of Salmonella and the business had to close twice. My father, in order to continue to pay his staff, used some of his prior contacts and started a wholesale side of the business which operated out of a location the Kedzie and Montrose. We moved that bakery to Morton Grove shortly after I joined the Company in the early Nineties – and later into Niles. Read more>>
Bill Cesaroni
After finishing graduate school at Michigan State University in 1971, I acquired my first industrial design job with Mel Boldt & Associates, which was the largest and most successful consulting office in Chicago… I was surrounded by talented and generous designers who taught me a great deal during my five years and 10,000 hours. I then tried corporate life with Bell & Howell Corporation, however it was a dying company so I decided to go on my own in 1979. Fortunately, one of my early connections was an elderly designer named David Painter, who was in the process of retiring. We became friends and eventually agreed on an arrangement where I would do all the design work and he would become my salesman. Read more>>
Thomas Arrison
We are a family owned business. Three brothers. We started our business in 1991. We mostly do commercial work, but we still do a little residential. We install epoxy coatings in warehouses, retail spaces, and industrial buildings. We specialize in being able to remove any type of flooring. We also polish concrete slabs, and stain and seal. It has been anything but smooth. We had a very rough time during the recession. But by being diversified in many types of flooring, we made it through. We install every type of flooring, we specialize in flooring removal, we have the equipment to remove and prep for any flooring product. Read more>>
Jenny Duranski
Jenny Duranski has been an advocate and a voice for the Green Beauty world for the better part of 8 years. She became ill working in a traditional nail salon and went on her own personal journey to find better products with better ingredients not only for her, but for her clients and Mother Earth. She has lobbied in Washington DC for better and safer regulations on cosmetics, and has been a proponent of the green beauty movement in Chicago. Founder Jenny Duranski started the first and still the only non toxic nail salon in Chicago called Noktivo a little over four years ago. Read more>>
Glo Matlin
I spent many years in the retail business and decided I was ready for a change after seeing a change coming. Decided to try part time Real Estate-thinking I could make my own hours and work when I want…That was a crazy concept- thirty years later I have sold almost a billion dollars in homes! I love what I do-I am passionate and cannot imagine retiring anytime soon! I am very lucky my career took off very quickly-hard work and being in the right place at right time! My career in residential Real Estate has made me a better person, I have learned patience, perseverance and truly I love what I do and that in turn rubs off to my personal life! Read more>>
Michael Ronzano
Which Came First? is a full-service design, writing, and research consultancy, experienced in helping companies bring their brands to market and to new markets. We endeavor to provide our clients solutions that are appropriate to their own unique requirements, through a philosophy which honors the timely nature of good design rather than the arbitrary application of current style. All of the ups and downs that a small business goes through. Early on, too much dependency on one large client. At Which Came First? we believe that relevance is the single most important attribute of a successful identity. Design for design’s sake—in what is often the viewer’s first impression—doesn’t help solve unique communication problems. Read more>>
Dr. Howard Weissman
I began The Chicago Stress Relief Center in 1994. My vision was to incorporate holistic and empirical based mind body practices that could shift the stress response pattern naturally and open the client to a shift in consciousness. Toward this vision, my early years were spent studying with chiropractors, acupuncturists and integrative doctors. Becoming versed in natural herbs and homeopathy, I learned to offer many alternatives including Lifeline therapy and Nero-emotional Technique to the standard of care that always included psychopharmacology for depression and anxiety. Additionally, nutritional intelligence was incorporated and I began to advocate how food was a natural medicine and could energize or deplete the system based upon the quantity, quality and frequency ingested. Read more>>
