Established in 2008, KOVAL produces organic whiskey, liqueurs and specialty spirits in Chicago’s first distillery since the mid-1800s. Founders Robert and Sonat Birnecker, chose to leave their academic careers to bring the distilling traditions of Roberts Austrian family to America. In making this decision, they vowed to make organic spirits from scratch (avoiding the common industry practice of purchasing and bottling pre-made spirits) and to change the way people understand whiskey by creating a new, signature style – using only the “heart” cut of the distillate – affording a brighter, cleaner take on whiskey.

Embracing the grain-to-bottle mentality, each step of the spirit-making process is thoughtfully monitored: beginning with contracting local farmers to grow the grain, to on-site milling and mashing, to finally distilling, bottling, and packaging. After numerous international awards and Robert at the helm of consulting for the burgeoning craft industry, KOVAL has grown to be one of America’s leading small batch, independent spirit manufacturers.

SPEC Engineering is a full-service process engineering firm providing the latest in technology. They provide custom process skid systems, upgrade/expand line components, offer complete plant design and implementation, and sell their own line of SPEC Equipment. SPEC's core expertise comes from the bulk material handling industry - feeding, conveying, mixing, blending, storing, sizing, drying, filtering, weighing, and processing of materials. SPEC can be your link from concept to design to reality.

Established in 1947, Ace Metal Spinning has over 65 years of spinning experience. In its third generation of family owned and operated business, Ace continues to perform with its high expectations. They are a job shop manufacturing facility which specializes in metal spinning of all types, experimental and production. They strive to maintain the long term relationships they have carefully developed over the decades. For potential customers, Ace welcomes all opportunities to demonstrate its capabilities. Ace has progressed with current technology and maintains up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment in the metal spinning industry.

Alanson Manufacturing LLC started in 1968 on the corner of Kostner and Cermak as a plating company.  Over the years they have evolved into precision CNC manufacturing using lathes and mills.  They specialize in producing quality parts with tight tolerances and quick lead times.  Alanson Manufacturing primarily manufactures products using tubing or bar stock and also have the capability of providing zinc electroplating services. Alanson is also a ISO9001:2008 certified company.

Mighty Hook is a manufacturer of material handling products for conveyor coating operations in North America. They specialize in the design and manufacture of reliable, economical hanging solutions for the industrial coating industry. Their mission is to provide our customers with high-quality, innovative and cost-effective products that will improve their hanging efficiency and productivity. By listening to the needs of our customers, and by utilizing leading-edge technology throughout our entire manufacturing process, Mighty Hook has been able to continually improve hanging and masking products as well as lower manufacturing costs.

Mighty Hook offers over 150 product categories and maintain an inventory of over 15,000,000 total products. Their dedicated and highly experienced staff is available to assist you in selecting or customizing products to meet your hanging and masking needs.

Some of their top products include hooks, hangers, racks, carts, angle-pivot tooling, rotational devices, and material handling devices.

Special Capabilities: Engineering design, 3D design, plasma cutting, MIG/TIG welding, CNC wire forming, and fourslide wire forming.

Mayco Industries is the largest, most diversified fabricator of lead based products in the United States. They offer engineering support and design consultation on lead needs. This includes everything from small Radiation Shielding projects to large Ballast Projects. Mayco operates tow manufacturing plants and six distribution centers on a nationwide basis. Mayco Industries has the ability to scrap and re-melt lead, allowing them to reduce cost and pass the savings along to their customers!

Some of Mayco Industries top products include ammunition, sheet lead, roof flashings, and ballast (bricks and granules). One of their many special capabilities is machine engineered design powder coating.

Attention employers and neighbors!

OSHA has issued a call for vigilance as our workplace fatalities have increased 28% since 2013.

Thirty-six Illinois workers have died on the job since January 1, 2016. No one wants to place that phone call to a coworker’s loved one.

• Are you analyzing trends and conducting effective incident investigations?
• Are you being proactive with worksite analysis and staff education?
• Are you networking and learning best practices?

OSHA is asking all Illinois employers to review their safety and health programs and procedures carefully to avoid more workplace fatalities. Check out the U.S. Department of Labor’s October 5^th News Release.

It’s a well known fact that the human eye is naturally drawn to light. Therefore a neon sign is an excellent form of advertising for any business. During all stages of the neon sign making process we work closely with the customer to make sure that the finished product matches the original concept as closely as possible.

Established in 2005 by architect Annie Mohaupt, Mohop is an eco-friendly footwear company specializing in interchangeable shoes that allow nearly infinite design options with just one pair of soles. One-of-a-kind, custom-fit sandals can easily be created by simply lacing any ribbon or fabric tie in Mohop’s patented sole.