Amanda Bose
I first got into the natural health care profession when I had a gymnastics injury in which my orthopedic doctor was recommending surgery. My father took me to a chiropractor who was able to get me out of pain and rehabilitate my condition for optimal function. I then attended University of Maryland where I got a B.S. in Kinesiology to advance into a postgraduate Doctor of Chiropractic program at National University of Health Sciences in Saint Petersburg, FL. Throughout this program I learned about the importance of clinical nutrition, botanical medicines, nutraceutical supplementation, etc and how these therapies can be applied for healing a wide array of conditions and provided optimal health. Read more>>
Blair Hannah and Jeff Meador
We founded Concentric Design in 2006 while we were seniors at Illinois Wesleyan. We each had a few freelance graphic design clients and decided we wanted to start doing business as a partnership. Our wonderful professors helped get us up and running. For the first several years of its existence, Concentric was an avenue for our freelance design work. Eventually, running it became both of our full-time jobs. It honestly has been pretty smooth [knock on wood]. Spending many nights and weekends freelancing prior to taking this on during regular business hours was probably the biggest challenge! Read more>>
Resham Mendi
I’m a doctor and mom of 4 boys. After 4 pregnancies and a few ER visits with my kids, I noticed how expensive health care really is from a patient’s perspective. As a radiologist, it occurred to me that it would be a great service to the community to have imaging centers that could provide high-quality care without the inflated prices of the hospitals. I took over Bright Light Radiology in 2015, after about 10 years in practice. I went in with the mission of providing medical imaging supervised and driven by a doctor. Being on-site as medical director, I provide personal, patient-driven care, and in an outpatient setting we were able to provide affordable pricing. Read more>>
Dmitri Yakovlev
It all started when I was 7 yrs. old when I picked up a home camera and started recording home videos of my Mom. The giant VHS camera was professional grade and had a pretty big lens on it; so, I think it made me appreciate videography from an early age. Eventually I was making skate videos with my friends and editing them to show my family and the videos would even get me extra-credit in class (when it was allowed). When I was 14 I finally got my hands on professional photo and video editing software; which is when I fell in love with manipulating images and being able to tell a different kind of story; eventually wanting to do this as a career. Read more>>
Kim Rapach
Regardless of our age or life experience, there is a tremendous amount of power in our story. Once we give ourselves permission to embrace our story, that power can unleash a sense of peace and hope that may never have been felt before. The results are a greater sense of purpose, an ability to cope with the stresses of everyday life, setting healthy boundaries and enjoying relationships. Having done a lot of emotional work of my own, including therapy and paying off all of my consumer debt (and a lot of steps in between), I’ve had a strong desire to help others achieve peace on their own journey. Read more>>
Dr. Samer Abdallah
Prior to opening Clock Tower Dentistry, I spent the majority of my career in Wisconsin serving as a provider and managing dentist. After practicing for several years in Wisconsin I decided to return to the Chicagoland area to be closer to my friends and family. After searching for an office, I thought I would be an ideal fit in for close to a year, I decided maybe it was time to build my dream office; one that made going to the dentist convenient and fun. I was born and raised in the Northwest side of the city, and I was just excited to be close to the city I grew up to love doing what I was meant to do. Read more>>
Rachel Allar
I grew up in Detroit, MI, my mother homeschooled me and my 2 siblings all 12 years. My father was a professional bowler and retired his dream when I was born to provide the best possible life for me and our family. He is the hardest working person I know and still works 12 hour shifts in downtown Detroit to this day to provide for the people he loves. I have always been inspired by him and the rest of my family and began my college career early while I was still in high school. I finished my degree in Massage Therapy at 19 and then immediately began grad school at Palmer College of Chiropractic. I absolutely loved it and loved the opportunity it gave me to help people in a really amazing way. Read more>>
Patti Carpenter
I started Pink Taxi in 2010, prior to founding Cabs for the Cure, a 501 c 3 Non Profit Corporation. We saw the need for free transportation to underprivileged woman traveling to and from medical treatments. Cabs for the Cure’s “Wheels to Wellness” program provides this needed financial assistance to the needy. As with any charity, getting donations is challenging with so many great organizations “chasing the same money”. Cabs for the Cure is a socially responsible company with a creative board of directors. We provide financial assistance for transportation for those in need towards non-emergency ground transportation benefitting the financially disadvantaged. Read more>>
Alex Dunham and Jennifer Bakija
We’re a husband and wife business based in the northwest side of Chicago featuring the work of Alex Dunham, in partnership with Jennifer Bakija, better known as Ladybird. We are both longtime fans of mid-century styling. Alex’s background is 20+ years in music and finish carpentry, plus 15 years in furniture making. Jen has a 20-year background is in graphic design & photography with some dabbling in marketing. With custom furniture making, it’s often feast or famine. It’s based on when people are ready to add something to their home. Furniture is very tactile. We’ve found that a print ad and/or a photograph can draw interest, but ultimately meeting with Alex solidifies what Brokenpress really has to offer. Read more>>
Dennis Frankowski
From an early age, I was surrounded by creative influences. My father was a talented illustrator/artist and passed what some have called the “design gene” on to me. My early interests were interior design, music and psychology. After a short career in counseling, I directed my career focus towards a business in interior design. I started DF Design, Inc in 1991, merging my education of psychology and interior design, to create interior living spaces for people who wanted beautiful environments. Our changing economy has been a challenge. We’re very grateful for our valued, long term clients, creative staff & consistent marketing plans. Read more>>
Vista and Mak Amanieh
Launched in 1992 and located in Northwest side suburb of Chicago, Blooming Flowers is an integrated floral design and event decor business dedicated to transforming vision into beautiful, unique and memorable experiences. We design for a myriad of occasions, from weddings and corporate events to intimate dinners, Birthdays, Anniversary, baby showers or just to say I love you across the entire suburbs and Chicago area. We have been in business 25 years and still going strong. As of Entrepreneurs we do have our own challenges but these challenges make us stronger to strive to be the best in our field and we continue to grow. We provide best flowers from all around the world to our clients. Read more>>
Margaret Scatchell
I opened the first center in September 1986. After checking out daycare centers for my young daughter and not being very impressed with what was offered, I decided to go to school for Early Childhood and open my own center. Having no business background, it was quite a learning experience. I opened the second center in 1995. We are a friendly, neighborhood, affordable daycare center and we offer a quality program. I am happy to say that both centers are going strong 31 years later. Many of our previous children have come back to teach at Care-A-Lot, many have brought their children to our center years after they themselves graduated out. We are well known in the neighborhood and our reputation is solid. Read more>>
Thomas Koziara
Captiva Web Design started on April 13, 2011. White flowers blossomed on that day. I believe that they led me to come up with the idea of starting Captiva Web Design. I did web design for my parents’ company, ARA Roofing, and for other family members before I founded the company. I thought I should make my own company to help me finance my graduate studies. It was a brilliant idea. I ended up making over sixty web sites. I never would have guessed that I would have such success when I started. Quite a few customers were lost in 2012, since the economy struggled. It is a real shame. I could have a lot more customers now. Read more>>
Christina Guthrie
Since I was younger, I had always aspired to work in medicine as a career. In college, I decided to take the pre-med route and planned on heading into medical school, possibly to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. Not only was I interested in the science of the human body, but I always found joy in helping others reach their goals in regards to health and wellness. In my last year of college, I had a significant change in heart when I discovered acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. I started seeing an acupuncturist for some health issues I was dealing with and had such great relief. It was an eye opening experience to a whole other system of medicine. Prior to this I had no idea what acupuncture could treat, and thought it was simply for stress or pain relief. Read more>>
Michal Jaworski
I’ve been passionate about film for quite some time. My first attempts with film production were while I studied philosophy, sociology and journalism in Germany, where I was a part of a team working on documentaries for a German TV station. I was born and raised in Poland where I came back to after I graduated. While in Poland, I worked as a free-lance journalist at one of a major Polish TV stations for a couple of years but it happened so that in 2003 I immigrated to the United States where I started developing my professional career from scratch … The beginning were tough but little by little I managed to open my own company, Variete Productions which I founded a few years ago. Read more>>
Sam Haines
I started at Gorilla Tango in summer 2016, as Production Manager, which mainly consisted of scheduling and bookkeeping, but shortly after that, as I began working more directly with Dan Abbate, the owner and founder, a sort of snowball effect started, and now, about a year later, I serve as Managing Director. Gorilla Tango isn’t only an odd mashup by name. The whole model of our business is built around combining any and every new, exciting thing that we can, all toward creating the most eclectic space for entertainment Chicago could offer. So, with that, when something new comes up, we follow it, and we all need to be ready to shift gears in an instant. Read more>>
Allyn Doyle
As an undergraduate student at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, I was not sure where my professional career was headed. I loved taking numerous Spanish classes and studying psychology, but I was not sure how to combine these two interests into one profession. I was lucky to discover a strong partnership between Saint Anselm College and the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education, a teacher preparation program aimed at developing strong teachers and proponents of Catholic education. I applied to the program during my senior year and was placed in Chicago to carry out my student teaching. Read more>>
Marc Gregory Guillen
I was born and reared in Chicago & spent the majority of my childhood going to work with my parents in Little Village, Pilsen, Humbolt Park & Logan Square. When they immigrated to this country from Ecuador over 50 years ago, their vision was to bridge the gap that existed by supporting & offering other latinos with professional services. This experience inspired me to seek a profession where I could educate & empower others, as I saw my parents do. I have always been passionate about health & fitness, as well as the need to learn & grow, therefore physical therapy seemed like a natural fit for me. Read more>>
Michael Aho and Amy Shevokas
Dr. Amy was introduced to chiropractic as a child. Her mother suffered from severe migraines and low back pain that was helped with chiropractic after other treatment options failed. Dr. Amy personally began receiving chiropractic care to help manage sports related injuries as a teenager. She knew early on that chiropractic would be her career choice. Dr. Aho studied neurobiology and physiology at Purdue University and was intrigued by the concept of reducing pain by improving function. He interned at a hospital while in college and found he preferred a more natural approach to healthcare. He decided to do an internship with a chiropractor and was amazed by the results he witnessed. Read more>>
Robert Smith
I began doing private practice in the mid-1980’s on a part-time basis while working full-time for psychiatric and addicts treatment programs. I worked full-time from 1989-1999 at Advocate Lutheran General in the Department of Psychiatry and for Advocate Medical Group as a Clinical Manager and Outpatient Psychiatry Coordinator. I continued in part-time private practice until 1999 when I decided to go into full-time private practice. In February 2014, I formed Smith Psychotherapy Associates, S.C. as my son Daniel Smith, MSW, LCSW and my niece Rachel Nitzarim, Ph.D., LCP, joined the practice. I have continued to be a part-time faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry teaching psychiatry resident’s psychotherapy and clinical ethics since 1999. Read more>>
Michael Melikhov
The Story has begun in 2008, when I visited India 1st time. Then there was another trip, where I’ve tried to study as much as possible Vedic sciences. I’ve visited many sacred places, met many spiritual teachers. Later on in 2008, I’ve founded the Sungates Center – Center of Knowledge, Center of Information, which later became Health and Wellness Center, located at 395 E. Dundee Rd, Wheeling, IL 60090. The idea of that Center creation is give people the information of different approach, designation and path to Inner Yourself, coming from East. Then, later on appeared Radio Sungates and Internet Portal Sungates Center. Read more>>
