Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Tim Landis: Furniture Store Goes Solar

Owner Barry Seidman said installation of 108 solar panels will begin this week at the store, 2325 Chuckwagon Driv in Prairie Crossing. Generation of electricity should follow in a matter of days.

“It’ll cover about one third of our roof,” said Seidman, who said a suburban Chicago company is making and installing the panels. “It’s all 100 percent American made.”

Seidman estimated the 35,000 kilowatts of production would cut $200 a month from the store’s City Water, Light andPower bill. At that rate, he said, it will take seven years to pay off the $100,000 investment.

“It’s a substantial investment, but we get a payback over a period of time,” said Seidman. An in-store video monitor will show customers how much power is being generated.

Solar panels are the latest in a series of “green” projects for the store, which is completing its sixth year.

The store also bales and recycles plastic, cardboard and newsprint and has installed energy-efficient lighting.

“We’ve been cutting down a lot on our energy use,” said Seidman. “It helps the environment, but it also has to be something that made financial sense.”

Seidman also owns Barney’s Furniture, 2410 South Grand Ave. E. While that store also recycles, he said there are no immediate plans to add solar panels there. “It’s a possibility. We’ll see how this goes.”

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HANSON PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OF SPRINGFIELD has won a contract for up to five years and $10 million to provide system performance and energy efficiency consulting services to U.S. embassies worldwide.

The U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Building Office selected Hanson for the contract, which applies to new embassies, as well as retrofitting existing embassies, according to the company.

Hanson’s corporate headquarters is at 1525 S. Sixth St.

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HALVERSON CONSTRUCTION CO. of Springfield has been selected as the general contractor for the new Enos Elementary School, 524 W. Elliott Ave. The Springfield School District has put the estimated cost of construction at $9 million.

Work on the pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade facility is scheduled for completion in 2014.



The shop opened in 2006. The phone number is 544-1289.

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THE CLOTHING RACK, 271 S. Sherman Blvd. in Sherman, is expanding from 2,800 to 5,000 square feet.

Owners Chassidy and Doug Houser said the expansion will allow the boutique consignment shop to add children’s clothing. It is the third expansion since the business opened in 2001.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m Monday through Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The phone number is 496-3633.

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The GREATER SPRINGFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE has a new look to its website.

“We were long overdue for an update,” said chamber spokeswoman Nicole Selinger.

She said the site offers automatic updates of the membership directory and also should be easier to navigate.

“We hope people will find there are greatly expanded navigation options,” said Sellinger. “We’re hoping they will be able to find information with a click or two.”

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Construction and remodeling updates

* The SUPER 8 motel at 3675 S. Sixth St. has filed permits with the city of Springfield for a major remodeling. The estimated cost is $1.2 million.

* QUIGG ENGINEERING INC. of Jacksonville has filed plans to build a new Springfield office on the site of the former Greyhound station at 2531 S. Dirksen Parkway. The office will replace an existing Quigg facility at 3600 South Sixth Street Road.

* The city of Springfield has filed plans to undertake a facade-replacement project at the MUNICIPAL GARAGE at 701 E. Monroe St.

Listen to Tim Landis Tuesday afternoons at 4:45 and Wednesday mornings at 8:20 during The WUIS/SJ-R Business Report on WUIS 91.9 FM, 89.3 FM and WUIS.org. Also, check the Business Lines blog daily at www.sj-r.com.


Source: http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x578042041/Tim-Landis-Furniture-store-goes-solar

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