What You Need to Succeed

• T.D. Christensen

Larry Bullock doesn’t just try to put things in perspective for minority business owners—he tries to flip their perspectives by 180 degrees.   read more...

The Door, Perfected

• Greg Lynch

Something as basic as a gate is easy to ignore, until it becomes a problem.   read more...

Building Homes for Veterans in Need

• Vicki Speed

For two weeks a year, an extraordinary group of firefighters, policemen and other first responders from 14 states take personal time to organize and build a specially adapted home for a military veteran in need as part of the nonprofit, A Soldier’s Journey Home (ASJH).   read more...

A Lawyer’s Lawyer

• Tracy O’Day

Howard Turner has devoted his professional life to mechanics lien law, spending 52 of his 56 years as an attorney advocating for contractors, subcontractors, lenders, owners and suppliers throughout the state of Illinois. In fact, he literally wrote the book on Illinois mechanics lien law.   read more...

Builders Association Program Leads the Way to Safer Construction

• Makayla Schultz

Eight out of 10 incidents in the construction industry are caused by an unsafe act, but the Builders Association in Chicago is dedicated to changing that statistic. In 2013, the organization held its inaugural Safety Stand-Down, a toolbox talk focused on one particularly noteworthy construction safety topic—fall protection. For 30-45 minutes, construction workers on more than 70 work sites across Chicagoland put down their hammers to participate. Interest in this program has spurred a nationwide movement to raise fall hazard awareness to prevent fall fatalities and injuries.   read more...

AMS Earth Movers

• Vicki Speed

Eight years ago, few would have expected AMS Earth Movers (AMS), a regional hauling and material supply company based in Lake Villa, Illinois, to be a thriving business today. In its early days, the company struggled to gain a foothold in the Greater Chicago area as a hauler. While work was available, the company employees endured discrimination from an unreliable customer base, which ultimately led to $250,000 of debt.   read more...