[New] IT TAKES TWO

Meet some of Downers Grove’s dynamic duos

BY VALERIE HARDY

As the saying goes, “Two heads are better than one.” We see this adage in action in various pop fiction pairs. Think Batman and Robin. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Woody and Buzz Lightyear. These dynamic duos became household names because of their powerful partnerships over the years, but we need not look to the silver screen to find perfect pairs. There are many right here within our community, and featured below are five of our favorites.

SPOUSES |

Brian & Colleen McLachlan, the couple behind Doggie Depot Brian and Colleen McLachlan are partners in multiple senses of the word. Married since 2004, they are partners in parenting and life, but they are also business partners. The couple opened Downers Grove’s thriving Doggie Depot in 2006 after moving to Illinois from California. Brian said they worked long hours while in California – he as a project manager and Colleen as an industrial engineer – so they regularly brought their golden retriever puppy to daycare. The McLachlans knew they “didn’t want to work in corporate America forever,” Brian said, and their shared love for dogs and experience taking their own dog to daycare sparked their business idea.

The couple has built their business to include three facilities, 70 employees, and capacity for up to 250 dogs per day. Their success is rooted in their values – “we never made decisions based on the money; we made them based on what is right,” Brian said – and on their partnership. Colleen is focused on the day-to-day operations while Brian is more future-focused, working on the behind-the-scenes elements of “everything business,” Colleen said. “I don’t even know how to pay our people,” she added, emphasizing the true separation of responsibilities that makes their partnership run smoothly.

The McLachlans’ advice to other couples in business together? Make sure both parties have a significant voice in the business, delineate roles clearly and align them to each partner’s strengths, and make time for conversation about topics other than business – though Colleen admits this can be challenging. She said, “We tell each other we’re going to go to dinner and not talk about Doggie Depot, but inevitably it swings back to that, because it’s our life.”

SIBLINGS |

Colin & Nathan Humphrey, the brothers of Two Brothers Landscaping

Nathan Humphrey, 14, and his brother Colin, 12, have business acumen beyond their years. After voluntarily helping two of his neighbors mow their lawns when he was younger (for no payment other than a can of soda or slice of banana bread after finishing), Nathan said he “was having fun while doing it” but “outgrew” it. Colin had become interested in lawn mowing by then as well, and the siblings saw a business opportunity, aptly titling it Two Brothers Landscaping. The brother-run business is in its fourth year, and the Humphreys recently hired their first employee to help keep up with the demand for their services: mowing, weeding, bush trimming, mulching, fall and spring cleanups, and snow removal.

In addition to landscaping, Nathan said he also finds and fixes all of their equipment. He learned about landscaping helping his family in their large yard while growing up and taught himself about equipment repair by watching YouTube videos. For equipment he cannot fix, he takes the usable parts and sells them. Any equipment the pair upgrades or cannot “fit within the under one half of one garage stall” they have to store their ever-growing fleet of tools, they also sell, Nathan said. They then reinvest their earnings into the business or put it into savings.

Colin said the two get along well and prefer to complete landscaping jobs together. When not working, the brothers play football (Nathan for Montini Catholic High School and Colin for St. Joseph School), and both are active Boy Scouts. In addition to their weekly roster of 14 lawn care clients and other one-off landscaping projects, along with fellow Scouts, the Humphreys mow the lawn of the American Legion in Downers Grove to earn funds for their troop.

COLLEAGUES |

James Eichmiller & Justin Sisul, District 58’s administrators for Curriculum, Technology, and Instruction

With nearly 45 combined years in the field of education, James Eichmiller (Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Learning) and Justin Sisul (Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction) are key players within Downers Grove Grade School District 58’s administration. They collaborate closely with the full administrative team, but Eichmiller and Sisul’s specific positions often interrelate and have them working together to “make sure technology, curriculum, and instruction are really working well together,” Eichmiller said.

For example, they coordinate the district’s new teacher week and much of the staff’s professional development. They also work with the building level team (school principals) three times per year to access and analyze benchmarking data, and each spring, they collaborate regarding student data as it relates to eligibility for the district’s accelerated and gifted programming. “There’s not a world anymore where James’ and my roles couldn’t intersect,” Sisul said. “Technology is such a key piece with both print and digital resources for all of the curriculum we’ve adopted.”

Thankfully, the administration’s recent move to a building on Warrenville Road allows Eichmiller, Sisul, and the rest of the district’s leadership to collaborate more efficiently than when they were split across multiple office spaces. Another factor adding to this dynamic duo’s effectiveness: they are more than just co-workers. “I consider James a friend,” Sisul said, and Eichmiller echoed the sentiment.

VOLUNTEERS |

Becky Bossard & Carrie Blonigen, the outgoing and incoming presidents of the Downers Grove Area Council of PTAs

Meet past Downers Grove Area Council of PTAs president Becky Bossard and her successor, Carrie Blonigen. Although Bossard is passing the baton to Blonigen effective the 2022-2023 school year, she is not going far. Bossard is stepping into the Council’s treasurer position, while Blonigen is returning to the Council’s board for a two-year presidential term after previously serving as secretary. Both had substantial PTA leadership experience – Bossard within the Hillcrest Elementary School PTA and Blonigen within the Belle Aire Elementary School PTA – prior to joining the Council board.

The PTA Council comprises 15 local PTAs from schools in Downers Grove Grade School District 58 and Darien School District 61. It serves as a link between local PTAs and the greater PTA organization and coordinates opportunities for local PTA leaders to liaise with their school district’s administration. Bossard said at least one district administrator attends all of the Council meetings and “the PTAs get to hear what’s coming down the pipeline and provide feedback.”

Additionally, the Council supports local PTAs with topics related to finance, bylaws, and more. It also implements district-wide programs such as Author Fest, Reading Games, and the summer math program. “We are there to make sure every student in the district gets meaningful programming,” Blonigen said.

Blonigen added that the PTA Council also strives to ensure meaningful experiences for PTA leaders within the Council, including opportunities for PTA presidents from different schools to come together to share ideas and resources.

CO-AUTHORS |

Jaxon Sydello & Nicole Evans, writers of the recently published book “Disabilities and Relationships” thing. I’m still a person.” He said he hopes “everyone will read this book” and “treat people like me normally.”

Jaxon Sydello is a sixth grader at Hillcrest Elementary School and a published author. Sydello co-authored the book “Disabilities and Relationships,” part of the greater “Understanding Disability” series, with Nicole Evans, an actress, writer, producer, director, and disability rights/ inclusion activist. The text serves to convey that “healthy and positive relationships are built through trust, responsibility, and respect for everyone – and the disability community is no different,” Evans explained.

In the book, Sydello, a person with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, shares about his relationships with his family, teachers, therapists, sled hockey teammates, and best friend, Daniel. Evans, a full-time wheelchair user with osteogenesis imperfecta, added that “Disabilities and Relationships” also addresses, “of course, the relationships we have with our mobility equipment.”

Sydello said, “Just because I’m in a wheelchair, it doesn’t mean any -

The co-authors connected through Easterseals. Evans is the organization’s national spokesperson, while Sydello receives weekly therapies through Easterseals, served as the ambassador for the 2022 Easterseals Gala, appeared in Easterseals’ national and local public service announcements, and is – according to his mother – fittingly nicknamed “The Mayor of Easterseals.” Evans explained that because the “Understanding Disability” series is geared towards young readers, “we really wanted to make sure we captured the perspective and voice of a young kid with a disability… [Jaxon] is such an icon in the Easterseals family and was the perfect partner to team up with and write this book together.”

The pair drafted the book at “lightning speed,” Evans said, and from afar. Sydello explained that Evans lives in Los Angeles, but he enjoyed “finally getting to meet [his] author friend” this spring when Evans was in town. ■