12 New Business Stories in New Lenox in 2012

New Lenox appears to be a community where businesses want to set up shop. All total 44 businesses registered with the village this year—16 of them are located within the Silver Cross Hospital Campus.

Along with restaurants and fitness ventures came educational-oriented opportunities, law offices, a cheerleading organization, auto repair companies and more.

The reason might be that local businesses finds significant support at the New Lenox Chamber of Commerce and from Village. Mayor Tim Baldermann did his share of pumping up the business community at Christmas time by running radio ads on local Joliet stations, including WJOL and Star 96. The "Shop New Lenox" ads were aimed at attracting customers from throughout the Lincoln-Way communities and surrounding suburbs, he said.   

Highlights of new business stories in 2012  

• Portillo's Restaurant: Crowds of well-wishers and hungry customers gathered for the Sept. 18 grand opening of Portillo's Restaurant in New Lenox, including one man who's been going to openings since the mid-'80s.

• Harmonic Way Group Fitness & Wellness: At the July 18 grand opening, business owners, New Lenox Chamber of Commerce representatives and supporters were including Victoria Jones, the owner of the newly opened Harmonic Way Group Fitness & Wellness.

• Goodwill Retail Services: By 8 a.m. on May 9, the parking lot was overflowing with cars, many parked in the mud next to the lot. Hundreds of anxious shoppers waited to bust through the doors.

"It's been constant, all day," marketing director Laura Sanders said. "They know there's going to be great value and great selection."

• Provena Healing Arts Pavilion: The new Provena Healing Arts Pavilion, along Route 30 across from Walmart, is officially opening its doors at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 19.

Referred to as the Women's Center, the pavilion is largely dedicated to female clientele. Like the L'Oreal company slogan for selling hair color products—because you're worth it—Provena's pavilion is marketing its services in a style that appeals to a woman's perception of inner and outer beauty. The Women's Center is not simply a medical building with suites of offices and closet-size examination rooms or laboratories where preventative mammograms are completed.  

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• Tropical Smoothie Cafe: A new restaurant opened this week across the street from Lincoln-Way Central High School. 

Phil Knippen, the franchise owner for Tropical Smoothie Cafe, has been an area developer for Tropical Smoothie, which is based out of Florida, for about a year. His goal is to develop at least 10 franchises in the area, but it's also expected that developers own a franchise. Although he lives in Tinley Park, Knippen said he liked what New Lenox brought.

"New Lenox is a growing town and it's a city I like," he said. "I like that it's right across from the school."

• Book Worm Café: The New Lenox Public Library District is thrilled to announce that the BookWorm Café is now open.  After deciding to pull out of their contract with the library in July 2012 due to issues with their Oak Lawn café location, the owners of the Bookworm Café contacted Director Kate Hall in late August to see if they could open in New Lenox. 

• Rosati's Pizza: The owner of Rosati's Pizza of New Lenox, Shawna Casey, said when it came to selecting a spot to locate her new business, it wasn't something she took lightly. A veteran in the restaurant business, she first conducted research on three towns in the south and west suburbs. 

New Lenox won out after she visited the area and spent a few days driving around and getting a feel for the kind of community that would welcome her business. .

• Sports Clips Haircuts: Sports Clips Haircuts owner Jim Dahl just opened his fourth barber shop-kind of place. It's a venue where guys feel comfortable getting their hair cut. There are no services for dying hair or getting a permanent. Pastel-colored boxes of nail polish are nowhere to be found.

• Goodburger of New Lenox: Owner Mike Jaber, of Frankfort, said he's fulfilling a lifelong dream. the restaurant opened on June 22.  The restaurant will fill the location left by Wynder's Hot Dogs.

Jaber grew up around restaurants because his father operated some, and he said it's a lifelong dream to open his own. So much so, in fact, that he already had a lot of the necessary kitchen equipment stored in his garage just waiting to be used.

• Elixir Group Fitness Clubs: Elixir Group Fitness Clubs celebrated its grand opening Thursday with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Club owner Marlene Carlson said New Lenox was a good location to open a fitness club.

Despite the Route 30 construction project, she looks forward to attracting a crowd to the 3,700-square-foot facility located at 1860 E. Lincoln Highway. Members of the New Lenox Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Tim Baldermann along with family and friends were on-hand to welcome Carlson.

• JH Sweis Catering: JH Sweis Catering brings 25 years of experience to the American Legion, while also catering corporate events, weddings and more.

Jan—she's the "J"—and Hayle—he's the "H"—are the main ingredients in JH Sweis Catering. Together the two have taken their 25 years of experience in the food industry and moved it into the newly remodeled Tom E. Hartung American Legion Post 1977, 14414 Ford Drive.

• Sherwin-Williams:  Sherwin-Williams Paints, Stains, Colors and Supplies has opened a store in New Lenox.

Already members of the New Lenox Chamber of Commerce, the store, located at 1060 E. Lincoln Highway, is .

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