Geneva man plans to expand Wireless Zone stores here
Steve Piper of Geneva just acquired two Wireless Zone franchises in Carpentersville and Huntley, adding to another two stores he had in Naperville and Plano.
Owning four stores in about a year's time fits right into his plan #8212; to ultimately acquire 10 stores in 5 years.
#8220;We're right on target,#8221; he said.
Piper is taking what used to be known as #8220;the car phone store,#8221; and building it into a full-service Verizon Wireless store here, featuring the network's full line of smartphones, tablets, air cards and other devices, he said.
And much of this work also fits right into his previous life in the hospitality industry. He owned a company that provided technology support to luxury hotels that held conventions and meetings.
But after about 20 years of that busy work, and grueling business travel nationwide, Piper decided to opt out for a break. He sold his shares of the business to his partner, and spent more time with his son and wife, Laurie Elish-Piper, a professor at Northern Illinois University.
He wanted to use his knowledge of technology, hospitality and sales, and decided on the Wireless Zone franchise, which includes about 400 nationwide.
Owning stores close to home allowed him to spend time with his family and still manage a business, which includes 10 employees, he said.
He's also eager to get more involved with community sponsorships, such as Little League, and get involved with a chamber of commerce.
#8220;I'm already ahead of schedule by owning four stores in the first year, and come March I'll start looking to expand again,#8221; he said.
Signing the dotted line
Miles D. White, chairman and CEO of Libertyville Township-based Abbott, the pharmaceutical and medical products company soon to split into two, was among 177 of the nation's most influential artists, scientists, scholars and business leaders inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Mass. As part of the ceremony, White signed the organization's Book of Members, a tradition that dates back to 1780.
Grand entrance
Mina and Ali Setork, founders and owners of DynaCom Management, marked the grand opening of their renovated building at 4580 Weaver Pkwy., Warrenville. Renovations involved converting the property from single use to multi-tenant by adding common washrooms, hallways, a grand lobby entrance and 50 more parking spaces. Guy DeGarmo, director of real estate for Exponent Inc., said his firm is the first new tenant in the property.
Blast from the past
Was that Mike S. Zafirovski, former president of Schaumburg-based Motorola Inc., attending retired CEO Bob Galvin's lavish funeral service last week? The Macedonian-born executive became a focal point when the electronics giant went through massive waves of bloodletting about 10 years ago. And when it became obvious he wasn't going to inherit the CEO seat vacated by Bob's son, Christopher Galvin, Zafirovski left for Canada to be CEO of Nortel. He left there in 2009. Is he back in Lake Forest to stay? ... And speaking of Bob Galvin, Motorola Solutions facilities featured TV and employee portal tributes with pictures and key milestones from his nearly 60-years of service. All flags flew at half-mast, and they created an online memorial page where employees shared their thoughts and memories.
FastTrack
Tony and Cindy Banks of West Chicago just purchased Re/Max Cornerstone, a real estate brokerage in their town. They've been licensed Realtors for 26 years and have a long affiliation with this office, which includes eight agents and three assistants. ...
William W. Kirk of Glenview is the new director of administration and corporate counsel for Northbrook-based Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., a firm of architects, engineers and others that specialize in testing and design of repairs for historic and contemporary structures. ...
Anastacio Gamino Jr. is the new financial adviser at U.S. Bancorp's Naperville office, while Christopher Krzus is the new senior financial adviser at U.S. Bancorp's Deerfield office. ... Sandy Lance, owner of South Elgin-based Geneva Manufacturing, a sheet metal fabricating company, is donating truck boxes worth about $1,200 to School District U-46. ... John W. Rowe, CEO of Chicago-based Exelon Corp., parent of ComEd, is heading to Washington, D.C. where he'll be speaking on leadership at the Bipartisan Policy Center on Nov. 9. ... Guoqiang Yang, consul general of the People's Republic of China will be the guest speaker at the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce's membership luncheon today at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle.
About 45 business leaders were selected to appear in Chicago United's 2011 Business Leaders of Color publication. Suburban leaders include Julia M. Brown, senior vice president and chief procurement officer, as well as Gary Chan, senior vice president of finance transformation both at Northfield-based Kraft Foods Inc.; Calvin G. Butler, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Chicago-based Exelon Corp., parent of ComEd; Sona Chawla, president of e-commerce for Deerfield-based Walgreen Corp.; Maria C. Green, general counsel and secretary for Glenview-based Illinois Tool Works Inc.; and Anthony R. McCain, vice president of field operations at Naperville-based Nicor Gas.
#376;There's more to business than just the bottom line. We want to tell you about the people that make business work. Send news about people in business to akukec@dailyherald.com. Follow me on LinkedIn and Facebook and as AMKukec on Twitter.