Newest Chamber Members

    Please welcome the following businesses, individuals, and organizations who have recently joined the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce. If you'd like more information on the benefits of chamber membership or would like to join, please click here.

     Tropic Cove, 357 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 346-8122; Jenni Reames, Owner; Lindsey Bock, Manager. This tanning salon is open Monday through Thursday from 8am to 10pm; Friday from 8am to 9pm; Saturday from 9am to 5pm; and Sunday from 10am to 2pm. It's the "second best thing you'll do naked."

     Family Pizzeria II, 215 N. 5th Street, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 620-8398; Jason Bauser & Jennifer Lucas, Owners. Open everyday from 11am to 9pm. They are "Home of the Famous Spaghetti Pizza." They offer pizza, pasta, sandwiches, "thin-style" crust pizza, homemade pasta sauce and bread.

     Wireless Express, 535 S. Parkway Drive, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 478-1170; fax 478-1171; www.wirelessexpressonline.com, Nicholas Evans, Store Manager. Wireless Express is the premier Verizon Wireless authorized retailer. Open Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm; Saturday from 10am to 5pm; and Sunday from 12:00pm to 5pm.

    MJ's Windshield Repair, 111 Oliver Road, North Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 840-5751; fax 382-3025; www.mjwindshieldrepair.com.   Joe Daniels, Michelle Daniels, Owners. Open Monday-Saturday, from 8:00am to 6:00pm. They repair rock chips in windshields and cracks up to 6 inches in length. They can also replace windshields if needed. "It's cheaper to fix a chip than to replace the windshield."

     Four Seasons Gutter Protection Company, 1432 Highview Road, East Peoria, IL 61611; (309) 694-4565; www.FourSeasonsCompany.com; harpers99@yahoo.com; Jeff Harper, President. Four Seasons offers exterior home improvements, including gutter protection systems, replacement windows, siding, and Sunsetter awnings.

     Tips and Toes To Go, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 202-7447; Shannon Parker, Owner; www.tipsandtoestogo.com; tipsandtoestogo@yahoo.com; Available Monday through Friday from 9am to 8pm, Saturday from 10am to 3pm, with special arrangements made for parties, by appointment only. Tips and Toes To Go is a mobile nail salon.

     Walt's Garage, 301 Koch Street, Suite 2, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 353-2886; Fax 353-2884; waltsgarage@centurytel.net.  Walter Thomas, Becky Thomas, and Samantha Thomas, owners.  Walt's Garage is family owned and operated. They offer services from regular maintenance to engine and transmission replacements. From bumper to bumper, they do it all for automotive.

     J & J Consulting Firm, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 208-0767; Josh Hafliger and Justin Riley, owners. josh82600@hotmail.com www.yourconsultingplace.com.  Open by appointment. J & J Consulting Firm provides business and residential computer repair and networking. They also provide sound production for bands, concerts, stage shows, productions, etc.

     Great Clips For Hair, 3412 N. Veterans Drive, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 346-5700; fax 800-691-2496; Dave Hands, owner. david.hands@greatclips.net; www.greatclips.com; Open Monday through Friday, 9am-9pm; Saturday, 9am-6pm; and Sunday, 10am-5pm. The least expensive haircuts in town by the most experienced stylists around! You'll get a great $12 adult and $10 kids/seniors haircut by only experienced stylists. Just walk right in without an appointment seven days a week and you'll see why Great Clips is the #1 hair care provider in America. Great Clips is locally owned by David and Tanja (Wistehuff) Hands, originally from the Manito area. Visit our salons also in East Peoria, Peoria and Normal.

     Avanti's Ristorante, 3610 Kelly Avenue, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 346-3400; fax 346-3402; www.avantispeoria.com; avantisops@comcast.net; Albert Zeller, owner; Stefan Zeller, Director of Operations. Open daily from 10:30am to 10:00pm, Avanti's Ristorante is a full service restaurant offering a large dining room, private dining room, along with banquet services. They also offer carryout and Cameron service.

     Time For You Salon, 2506 Court, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 353-4444; www.myspace.com/timeforyoutoo; Sue Lance, owner; Angie Bennett, Deb McKeown, Joy Evans, hair stylists; Time For You Salon offers cutting, color, hi lites, low lites, perms, updos, styling, wax (eyebrows, lip bikini, brazilian, legs, armpits), pedicures, manicures, gel polish, scalp massage, and high fashion color. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm.

      Acorn Properties and Investments, LLC, 1012 Mary Street, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 267-1195; Gary Simpson, Owner; Real estate investment company dealing in residential rentals, home purchases and remodeling.

     John Vespa, 2318 W. Imperial Drive, Peoria, IL 61614. (309) 645-8608; john@vespaforjudge.com; www.vespaforjudge.com;   Peoria attorney John Vespa is seeking the Republican nomination for judge in the 10th Judicial Circuit. He is running for the seat that is being vacated by his oldest brother, The Honorable Judge Joe Vespa. John was born and raised in Peoria and has practiced both civil and criminal law in his private practice for the past 18 years. A former Police Officer, John is also an active volunteer in The Special Olympics, The LAMP Program that provides free legal aid to active duty military families, and is a coach and sponsor of multiple Park District and Christian Center Sports Teams. The 10th Judicial Circuit includes Peoria , Tazewell, Stark, Marshall and Putnam Counties. John is seeking your vote in the primary election on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, and in the general election in November, 2010.

   Julie McElwee State Farm Agency, 1000 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 347-3484; fax 347-6573; www.juliesf.com, Julie McElwee, julie@juliesf.com; Katie Bashary; Open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm, offering auto, renters, home and life insurance, plus financial services. Our mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams.

     Intellihot Green Technologies, Inc., 801 W. Main Street, Peoria, IL 61606; (309) 495-7270; fax 296-8984; www.intellihot.com info@intellihot.com; Sridhar Deivasigamani, President; Sivaprasad Akasm, Vice President; Intellihot Green Technologies, Inc. has reinvented hot water with cutting edge tankless technology that provides instant, endless hot water and utilizes nearly all energy resources resulting in 100% plus efficiency.

     Enviro-Dry, Pekin, IL  (309) 267-6253; fax 642-6352; envirodry@mail.com; Beau Austin, Owner. Enviro-Dry is a carpet, tile and upholstery clearing service featuring Green Seal Certified Products. The cleaning is 97% dry, using only 1 teaspoon of water per square foot, featuring Host - the dry extraction carpet cleaning system. Enviro Dry leaves your carpets dry immediately after cleaning.

     5-Star Car Wash, 1401 N. 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554. Brad Harn, Owner. Re-opening soon, after the fire damage is repaired and new equipment is installed, 5-Star Car Wash will be open 24 hours with 3 self-serve bays and 1 touchless automatic bay. Watch for the grand re-opening soon!

     MIDWESTECH, Pekin, Illinois; (309) 981-1069; Bob Johns, Owner www.midwestech.net. MIDWESTECH is a new Information Technology (IT) company located in Pekin, Illinois and has been providing technology services to customers in the Pekin, Peoria and surrounding areas for over eight years. The owner of MIDWESTECH has served as an Operation’s Department Head, Director of Information Technology and as a Senior Windows Network Administrator in several reputable IT companies in Pekin and Peoria. MIDWESTECH has the invaluable skills necessary to serve your company as Support Technicians when you need them. This is an optimal solution for your company if you cannot afford to staff full time IT professionals in house. MIDWESTECH is also an authorized Dell retailer and in most cases, can pass their savings on to you when ordering new systems through them. MIDWESTECH has a broad range of services for both the home user and small business.

     Tazewell County Jaycees, Michelle Riggio, Chapter President; www.tazcojaycees.org. The Tazewell County chapter of the Jaycees provides leadership opportunities to empower young adults to achieve more.

     Mary Buress, Pekin, individual member. Mary has been the Deputy Treasurer for Tazewell County for 21 years and has been in the Treasurer's office for over 25 years. Mary is a Republican candidate for the 2010 Tazewell County Treasurer position. The current Treasurer, Duane Gray is retiring. She is also a newly elected Cincinnati Township Trustee.

     Pekin Glass and Mirror, 332 Derby, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 347-6158; fax 347-1778; Holly Payne, Vice President; pekinglass@omnilec.com Open 8am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday. Pekin Glass and Mirror is a glass contractor, selling and installing storefronts, shower doors, and mirrors.

     Habitat for Humanity Greater Peoria Area, 931 N. Douglas, Peoria, IL 61606; (309) 676-6729; fax 676-6409; www.habitatpeoria.org Greg Woith, Executive Director. Habitat for Humanity builds homes and sells them to qualified low income applicants with a 20-year interest free mortgage.

     Liberation Software, Inc.,309 N. 6th, Suite B, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 282-6249; sales@liberationsoft.com www.liberationsoft.com; Trent Lawrence, President; Lance Waidzunas, Sales & Marketing Manager. Liberation Software is a dual-purpose information technology firm specializing in software development, high-speed connectivity, terminal services solutions, and small to medium-sized business IT consulting. Open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.

     Jim Jones , Pekin, IL. Retired member.

     Good Shepherd Lutheran School, 333 State Street and soon at 3201 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 347-2020; fax 347-9099; gsls@grics.net; www.goodshepherdpekin.net; Ralph Mickley, Principal. Good Shepherd Lutheran School provides Christ-centered education with high academic standards for children in the community from preschool through the eighth grade. Good Shepherd is part of the mission and ministry of three Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod congregations in the Pekin area: St. John's, Pekin; Trinity, Pekin; and St. John's, Green Valley.

     SJB Promotions, 38615 SR 10, Mason City, IL 62664; (217) 482-9100; fax 482-9102; Jill Douglas, Independent Contractor. jill@sjbpromotions.com www.sjbpromotions.com SJB Promotions can help you find products to improve traffic at trade shows, motivate your staff, thank a customer, or increase safety awareness. From fun items to the traditional, they can help you easily find some of the hottest items on the market.

     Paradise Donuts, 815 N. 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 353-6887; Crista Flynn, Owner. Paradise Donuts offers a vast variety of donuts, fritters and bearclaws. Very special made-from-scratch sausage rolls are also available. Coming soon - Thumbprint Cookies and Jumer's Cinnamon Rolls. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 5:30 am to 10:00 am and on Saturday, 6:30 am to 10:30 am. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

    Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza, 1807 Broadway Road, Pekin, IL 61554 (309) 347-5051, fax 347-5059; IL058@papamurphy Matt Dickey, Store Manager www.papamurphys.com Papa Murphy's is a high quality pizza product that you take home and bake. Always highest quality, value, quantity, and great service. Ranked #1 pizza chain by consumers six years in a row!! Hours are 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.

     Pekin First Church of the Nazarene, 3514 E. Broadway Road, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 346-3053; www.PekinFirst.org office@pekinfirst.org Rev. Lloyd Brock, Senior Pastor. Pekin First Church of the Nazarene is a vibrant congregation of over 500 weekly attendees who seek to be a vital part of the Pekin community through spiritual influence, concern for the needs of Pekin, and helping to create a stronger, more positive community. We love Pekin!

     Fifth Third Processing Solutions, LLC, 2013 Highwood Ave, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 696-8636, fax 347-8057; Dave Shields, Merchant Sales Representative, dave_shields@hotmail.com. Fifth Third Processing Solutions is a comprehensive provider of payment strategies for businesses of all sizes across multiple industries. A pioneer in the introduction of credit card payments in the late 1960's, they have grown one client at a time to become one of the top processors in the nation. They are uniquely focused to provide a consultative approach to their merchant partners. They are the largest processor of online debit transactions in the U.S. They process over 28.4 billion transactions annually.

    Chateau on the Lake, 901 Chateau Drive, North Pekin, IL, 61554; 382-3414; Rebecca Moore, Manager. Chef John and Chef Konrad welcome you to their German/American Restaurant for family and friends. They feature large banquet facilities and a Sunday Brunch from 10:00am to 2:00pm. They also have a German Buffet the last Sunday of each month. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday 11:00am to 2:00pm and 4:00 to 8:00pm. Friday & Saturday 11:00am to 2:00pm and 4:00 to 9:00pm. Sundays are 10:00am to 2:00pm and 4:00 to 8:00pm for dinner. Closed Mondays.

     St. Paul Wonderland, 101 N. 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 353-5437; fax 353-7430. Ainsley Reeise, Director. 353KIDS@centurytel.net. Open from 6:30am to 6:00pm, St. Paul Wonderland is a local childcare center.

     Edward Jones ~ Chris Petersen, 1704 Court Street, Pekin, IL, 61554; (309) 346-6097; fax (888) 259-8176; Chris Petersen, Financial Advisor.  www.edwardjones.com. We offer a variety of investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, government securities, municipal bonds, CDs, money market funds, IRAs, and more. Please visit Chris' Web page for more information.

     Pekin Coalition for Equality, 315 Buena Vista, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 347-9922; fax (309) 347-7457; pekinywca@grics.net; www.ywca.org/pekin; Melinda Figge, Executive Director. The Pekin Coalition for Equality is a not-for-profit organization with the purpose to foster a spirt of human understanding, to promote equal opportunity, and to eliminate discrimination. It is a program of the YWCA of Pekin. A volunteer committee assists with projects and programs for the community.

     Gamer's Choice, 1019 Derby Street, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 346-2008; Dan Johnson, owner. www.gamerschoiceinc.net  Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm; Sunday, 12:00pm to 6:00pm; Monday, 12:00pm to 8:00pm. Gamer's Choice is an electronic video game store that carries all types of new and used video games from Atari to XBOX 360.  They have the highest trade-in value and you can try a game before you but it. They also host tournaments and rent games as well.