It's Your Business | Champaign County Small Business of the Year focusing on community

Oct. 30—Meet the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce's chosen 2023 Small Business of the Year: C-U Under Construction.

This Champaign business, about two decades old, does "a little bit of everything," says one of its managing partners, Ryan Schriefer.

That includes both residential and commercial construction, remodeling such as kitchens, basements, bathrooms and decks, and restoration projects.

Chamber President and CEO Laura Weis said there were five strong nominations this year, all reviewed by a committee that selected the winner.

"Ultimately, C-U Under Construction was selected because they embody a commitment to impact lives within the community positively. They experienced an impressive 42 percent asset growth in 2022 over 2021," she said. "But beyond their exceptional services, the company is deeply involved in the community, sponsoring local organizations and encouraging their employees' active participation in charitable endeavors."

A major focus of charity for this business is "anything that is helping kids," Schreifer said.

The company increased its charitable giving by 25 percent, and has donated to 32 community organizations this year, Weis said.

"In the past three years, they've grown substantially, expanded their services, and left an indelible mark on the community through impactful projects and contributions," she said.

Some things to know about C-U Under Construction:

It's building 40 homes in Urbana's Savannah Green development, with 14 homes built this year. It also works on about 200 campus-area rental unit flips a year.

In addition to C-U Under Construction's 65 employees, its sister business at the same address, C-U Trade Services (offering plumbing, electrical and HVAC services), employs another 60 people, Schriefer said.

One more thing to know: C-U Under Construction is a non-union shop that focuses on its employees as well as its customers, he said. Employees are offered benefits such as health insurance and 401(k) retirement accounts.

"We offer careers, not just jobs," said fellow managing partner Ryan Spomer.

On the move

After more than a decade in St. Joseph, SaltFork Paintball is planning to move to Rantoul and enlarge its playable space.

Co-owner Jake Myers said he and his brother, Jonathon Myers, will be relocating the business to about 37 acres at 410 Cupernell Ave., on the former Chanute Air Force Base.

They've been working with the village of Rantoul for about year to make this happen, he said, "and it's kind of fun to see all the ducks line up."

The projected opening in Rantoul is mid-to-late March 2024, he said.

SaltFork Paintball will host a grand finale big game Nov. 11 at their current site at 2150 County Road 1600 N, St. Joseph.

Jake Myers and his brother are leasing the new Rantoul site, and they hope to be able to buy it, he said.

There's a building on the property that they plan to remodel for their check-in area, pro shop and restrooms.

With the current site in a wooded area, "this will be a change to more out in the open," Myers said. "All our fields will be built from the ground up."

Some of their plans include building tournament courses and a western town theme-field, for which they hope to partner with local businesses to sponsor the town buildings, which will carry their names, he said.

Everything built in the St. Joseph location will be packed up and moved to the new place, Myers said.

SaltFork Paintball got its start in 2006 in Sidney before moving to St. Joseph.

Since that time, they've had some 50,000 customers, Myers said.

Unemployment up

Unemployment rates for September were up in both the Champaign-Urbana and Danville metro areas — along with all 12 other metro areas of the state — according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

The year-over-year change for the Champaign-Urbana area, which includes Champaign, Ford and Piatt counties, was an increase from 3.3 percent in September 2022 to 4.8 percent last month.

The Danville metro area, which includes all of Vermilion County, had one of the highest unemployment rate increases in the state, from 4.4 percent in September 2022 to 6.3 percent this past September.

New appointment

Julie King, of King Business and Patent Law, has been named to the National Small Business Association Leadership Council.

An attorney based in Champaign, she launched her business in 2017. It focuses mostly on intellectual property strategy, registration and protection and business formation and transactions.