President/CEO and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer), Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels Wilmette Kim Holstein leads a twisted life. Much like the dough in her company’s signature pretzels, everything in her world seems intertwined. And as an entrepreneur, that’s just how Kim likes it. Mixing social responsibility with her business has been central to the company’s […]
Partner and Co-Founder, Soft Clothing Northbrook As the founder of her own real estate and construction company, KZF Development, Suzy Kogen Friedman was no stranger to entrepreneurialism. So when her nephew, who was diagnosed with autism at age three, showed acute sensory issues with his clothes and toys, she used her business savvy to find […]
Founder and CEO, mrs. smith’s bags Highland Park Like so many good ideas, Rachael Smith’s concept for a new kind of diaper bag sprang out of a need. In 2005 she was at the airport with her two children, both under the age of two. When one wanted a bottle and the other a toy […]
President, Segal Family Foundation Co-founder, Crate & Barrel and Founder, Foodstuffs Winnetka Newlyweds Carole and Gordon Segal were washing dishes one night when they had the inspiration that would become Crate & Barrel. They had traveled to St. Thomas on their honeymoon, and found a Danish home goods store with beautifully designed, modern pieces. “Gordon […]
“Big Head” (Founder and Owner), Officeheads, inc. Evanston After entrepreneurs dive head first into their startups, Rebecca Berneck is there to catch them. Founded in 2008, Rebecca’s company, Officeheads, assists entrepreneurs with day-to-day management operations and big-picture planning. “The entrepreneurs should be doing what they’re passionate about—not the mechanics,” she says. Rebecca’s path to founding […]
Julie Wine Schaffner graced the cover of our January 2010 magazine as an inspiringly resilient woman because of the grace and strength with which she fought late-stage ovarian cancer.
Ladies, there’s a handsome bachelor in town—and Make It Better will help you get him! We’ve partnered with the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago’s 2011 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, and the group will be auctioning off a date with John O’Donnell, better known as Johnnie-O, at the Showhouse Preview Party on April 29. But […]
What does it take to start a good charter high school in Chicago?
Earlier this month, students at William G. Hibbard Elementary School in Chicago received musical instruments. These children participate in the Ravinia Festival’s REACH Orchestra, a free student-training orchestra at Hibbard Elementary. Ravinia partnered with WTMX, WILV, WDRV and Wintrust Financial Banks to create an instrument drive through which music fans had the opportunity to give […]
Kohl Children’s Museum was recently named one of the country’s 10 Best Children’s Museums by Parents Magazine. The only Chicagoland museum on the list, Kohl Children’s Museum was ranked 6th out of the more than 300 children’s museums nationwide. Parents says, “Pretend play doesn’t get any cooler than at this museum in Glenview, Illinois. At […]
