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 […]
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 […]
Most 26-year-old women experience heartaches over men, children and careers. Melissa Simon’s heartache was literal. Simon, a Westchester resident, had suffered heart disease for 13 years when she underwent a surgery to repair her heart valve in April of 2007. The procedure was not successful, and her doctors at Northwestern placed her name at the […]
Hearts are “bluhming” all around Chicago. Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital is working on its healthy hearts awareness campaign, and with the help of individuals, corporations and artists at Columbia College Chicago, beautiful hearts will be placed all over Chicago to remind people the importance of cardiovascular health. Here’s the details: Who: Columbia […]
Nili Yelin has had a colorful career. The Wilmette resident was an MTV writer and performer for 5 years, a background player on Saturday Night Live for 10, a successful stand-up comic, an off-Broadway performer, an extra in dozens of music videos, a voice-over performer and a commercial actress before she settled into her biggest […]
People are always surprised to learn that Nancy Rollins, an accomplished marathoner, didn’t start running until she was 30. “Girls didn’t run when I was young—we didn’t even have sports,” she says. When Nancy did start running, she quickly discovered she had a talent for it, and that it improved her mental health, bringing balance […]
