Day at the beach leads to entrepreneurial spirit for Sleepy Hollow family
Valerie and Mike Miskin of Sleepy Hollow often took their two sons to Florida to enjoy the beach while visiting family. But they wondered how they could to listen to their favorite music without disturbing anyone else nearby.
They often fumbled with earbuds each time they wanted to talk to the kids or go into the water.
So they formed a new company called MeTime Audio in West Dundee and developed a new wireless device called SunTunes, a set of speakers that attach to the back of your beach chair near your head. Selling for about $80, they allow you to listen to music without disturbing anyone else and frees your hands. It recently launched on The Grommet, an online marketplace that features unique and undiscovered products and helps them succeed. The site also has helped to launch Otterbox cellphone covers and Fitbit wrist watches that track fitness levels.
The idea for SunTunes came after a day on the beach. They were wearing ear buds and listening to music. But each time they jumped in the water for a swim or wanted to have a conversation with someone, they had to handle their earbuds with sandy, oily fingers, said Linda, 52.
"Also for safety reasons, we didn't want to completely tune out our young kids in case they needed help," she said. "Enjoying music and the beach became more of a hassle than it was worth. So, we looked for options and only found portable speakers. Broadcasting music only annoyed others near us, especially at a resort pool where the chairs are so close."
After they discussed ideas for a new device, Mike Miskin, who is also owner of Lynk Labs Inc., an LED lighting company in Elgin, talked with contacts in China. They developed the concept, made a prototype and started production.
Cafe owner headed to France
Beth Cullen, owner of Chez Moi Café & Catering in Geneva was invited by Geneva's International Cultural Exchange Committee to be part of their small biannual delegation in late May to visit Geneva's sister city, Croissy-sur-Seine, France. She will be hosted for several days by a local family and treated to the area's culture, cuisine, and hospitality, a spokeswoman said.
New exec at Jewel
Anthony Suggs has been named vice-president of marketing and merchandising for Jewel-Osco, based in Itasca. He succeeds Doug Cygan, who went on to become president of Jewel-Osco. Suggs began his career with Jewel-Osco as a part-time clerk while attending college and has since worked his way up the ladder.
FastTracks
• C.J. Black, a Barrington native, is co-founder of Trade Defender, a financial analytics company in Glencoe. It provides a suite of analytics tools designed to help investors and traders with access to financial markets. His business partner is Jacob Gilman of Wilmette. Both are recent graduates of Lake Forest College.
• Niesa Patton has been promoted to marketing and special events manager at the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. She has worked at the ESO for four years and held various positions. Before coming to the ESO, she was the membership services associate at the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence in Springfield.
• Jonathan R. Sniegowski is a new partner at Mowery & Schoenfeld in Lincolnshire. He joined the firm in 2010.
• Pietro Satriano, president and CEO of Rosemont-based U.S. Foods Holding Corp., and Dirk Locascio, chief financial officer, will be featured speakers at the Deutsche Bank Access Global Consumer Conference in Paris on June 14.
• Rita Koridek, senior director of Global Channel Operations at Zebra Technologies Corp. in Lincolnshire, was named to the 2017 Women of the Channel list by The Channel Co. The executives who comprise this annual list span the information technology channel, including vendors, distributors and others. Each is recognized for her outstanding leadership, vision and unique role in driving channel growth and innovation.
• Tyler LaMantia of Rolling Meadows-based Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has been recognized as one of the best performers in the industry by Insurance Business America, which just released its Top Producers 2017 report.
• David Gaines of Evanston has joined the Chicago office of Holliday Fenoglio Fowlers LP as a director focused on multi-housing investment sales in the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest.
• Pete Andrews is the new controller at ML Realty Partners LLC in Itasca. He will oversee the accounting and financial reporting functions for the firm.
•There's more to business than just the bottom line. We want to tell you about the people who make business work. Send news about people in business to akukec@dailyherald.com. Follow Anna Marie Kukec on LinkedIn and Facebook and as AMKukec on Twitter.