Local Business Headlines

  The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is exploring collaboration opportunities with the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at SIUE to strengthen international market opportunities for agribusinesses, biofuel innovators and agricultural technology companies across the region. In early May, the organizations held a discussion that…

  Helmkamp Construction Co. has been recognized as a 2026 PLANSPONSOR Plan Sponsor of the Year Finalist, an honor awarded to organizations demonstrating an exceptional commitment to employee financial well-being and retirement success. Helmkamp was one of just 56 organizations nationwide selected as finalists in the prestigious annual awards program and one of only five…

St. Louis Regional Airport is hosting the 49th Annual Air Race Classic Start, bringing one of the nation’s premier all-female aviation competitions to the region. The Air Race Classic is an all-female-piloted aviation race which provides approximately 60 teams from around the country the opportunity to fly a pre-determined cross-country route over a four-day period.…

Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP recently announced that it has secured more than $12 billion behalf of clients nationwide, marking a significant milestone in the firm’s continued advocacy for individuals and families impacted by asbestos exposure, environmental contamination, dangerous pharmaceuticals, corporate negligence, and personal injury. Over the past 25 years, Simmons Hanly Conroy has built a…

The 2026 Leadership Development monthly learning series, made available to the public through a partnership between the RiverBend Growth Association and The Wedge + SIUE, continues on Thursday, June 18 (due to the Juneteenth holiday on Friday). Presented by Legacy Training and Development from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., this month’s topic is “Working with…

Elise Ann Allen, a Rome-based Vatican correspondent and Pope Leo biographer, will join Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute on Tuesday, June 16, for a virtual discussion on how the new pontiff is reshaping the Catholic Church, global affairs and American political life. Allen is a senior correspondent for Crux, an online newspaper that…

  By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE Managing Editor, Illinois Business Journal [email protected] A ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony was held in Grafton on Saturday, June 9, 2026. The date chosen for this was significant, as it was 82 years to the day from the historically transformative day now known across the world as D-Day, the day…