Biz Bests

BEST BANK OR CREDIT UNION Heartland Credit Union 2213 W. White Oaks Drive, 726-8877 • 720 S. Grand Ave. West, 726-8877 2717 Sangamon Ave., 726-8877 • 701 N. First St., Room C18, 726-8877 Bank like you own the place? OK, will do, our Best of Springfield voters said in picking their favorite financial institution, Heartland Credit Union. Like the rest of the top five vote-getters, Heartland is local and can boast some pretty loyal customers – almost 25,000 of them.

President and CEO Ed Gvazdinskas, who’s celebrating his 35th anniversary with the credit union, says the nearly 65-year-old institution takes its customers’ trust seriously. “The safest investment we can make for our depositing members is a loan to a borrowing member,” he says. “That philosophy worked back in 1946 when the credit union was founded and it continues to work today.” While that philosophy has stayed the same, the way people want to bank continues to change and Heartland is changing with them. In 2009, Heartland merged with Memorial Health System Employee Credit Union, adding a new, fourth location in Memorial Medical Center. The credit union also boasts new ATM locations and a system of shared branching, in which other credit unions co-op so customers can walk in another credit union and take care of business even when away from their hometown.

BEST PLACE TO GET A SUGAR HIGH Cold Stone Creamery 124 S. Sixth St., 523-6666 Tip ’em and they’ll sing. “We’re cheerful and we’ll holler, because we got a dollar” to the tune of the Addams Family is one of the favorites, but the staff at Cold Stone Creamery will deliver one of any number of specialized tunes with enough enthusiasm to keep customers from crashing after their ice cream-induced sugar highs. And, ohhhhh, the ice cream. Besides the usual deliciousness, Cold Stone offers a gold cone flavor of the month (Cinnabun in December!). And the waffles and brownies are made on site. Oh, the aroma! Runner up: Pease’s Candy