Business Roundup: Glen Ellyn Design Firms Awarded, Lands' End, Retro Fitness Open

Gov. Pat Quinn announced capital investments of more than $9 million for construction projects in DuPage County, including the demolition and site cleanup of three sites in Glen Ellyn for $93,896. All three structures are at Tamarack Drive, between Illinois Route 53 and Arbor Road. Curran Contracting Company of Crystal Lake was the lowest of three bidders. “These construction projects will improve transportation safety and efficiency in DuPage County, and also employ a number of construction workers, which will help the local economy,” Quinn said. The projects will be managed by the Illinois Department of Transportation. 

Lands’ End is celebrating its grand opening at Yorktown Center Mall, and to help support the local community, the store wlll host a grand opening charity shopping event from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15. For each sale that day, the store (Yorktown only) will donate $50 to the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry towards a Thanksgiving food box meal. The goal is to raise enough money to feed 100 families. The Yorktown store officially opens to the public at 10 a.m. Nov. 15. It is the company’s first stand-alone store within a shopping mall. Lands' End is celebrating 50 years in business.

To celebrate five years of feeding hungry families in the communities it serves, Meijer will double match every shopper’s $10 Simply Give donation made Nov. 15-16. The Simply Give program began in 2008 as a way to help stock local food banks, and since that time has helped provide 39 million meals to local communities throughout the Midwest. During the Double Match Days, each $10 donation card purchased by a customer will be matched by Meijer with $20, resulting in a $30 contribution.

The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn won with five Design Vision Awards from the National Kitchen and Bath Association Chicago Midwest Chapter. The awards are: Best of Show, Susan Klimala; first place, large bathrooms, Deb Bayless; first place, small bathrooms, Klimala; first place, small kitchens, Bayless; and second place, large kitchens, Klimala. The competition, honors kitchen and bath designers who plan safe, functional and beautiful spaces on the basis of visual appeal and creativity, as well as principles of design and presentation. The award-winning projects were located in Glen Ellyn, Geneva and Elburn.

Three kitchen design projects completed by Drury Design in Glen Ellyn received 2013 National Kitchen and Bath Association Design Vision awards. They are: first place, large kitchen, Janice Teague, CKD, CBD; third place, large kitchen, Teague; and first place, medium kitchen, Gail Drury. The winning projects were located in Aurora, Glen Ellyn and Burr Ridge. View Drury Design’s project gallery on Facebook,Pinterest and Houzz.

The 10,500-square-foot Retro Fitness gym is open for pre-sales at 608 E. North Ave., Carol Stream. The gym is run by Charles Cui, who also is planning to open three more locations in the area. Amenities include Zumba classes, a cardio movie theatre, virtual fitness classes, a full-service juice bar, personal training, child sitting, tanning, massage and more. During pre-sales, membership is $19.99 a month with no enrollment fee. The grand opening will be in December.

Assurance insurance company was named the sixth best place to work in the country by Fortune magazine. Jackie Gould of Glen Ellyn is chief operating officer of Assurance based in Schaumburg. She serves as a member of the executive management team and is responsible for the company's operation and workplace culture. Last year, Assurance was named 17th in the small category. This year, Assurance jumped to the medium category (251-999 employees). “There’s no doubt we recognize our employees as the bona fide stars of the company,” said Tony Chimino, chief executive officer of Assurance. “We have an internal culture centered on happiness, education, wellness and social responsibility.”