A new Sprint Store is open in Decatur's South Towne Plaza, the first stage in what the company describes as a major expansion of service and sales in this part of Central Illinois.

The store had its soft opening Nov. 27, and a grand opening celebration is planned after the New Year. Russ McCombs, Sprint's general sales manager for Illinois and Iowa, said the company is adding phone service towers to boost coverage in the Decatur area and outlying towns. He said the new store is the perfect complement as service standards improve, offering a full line of phones and related equipment. It also will have a technician on staff to assist with repairs and customer questions.

"The Illinois market is one of the highest-producing markets in our company," McCombs said. "We have been focusing on the largest cities like Bloomington, Peoria and Springfield, and now Decatur just kind of brings the whole thing together for us. The new store has already been very successful."

The Sprint Store created five jobs and is open for extended holiday hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. After Dec. 27, hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Call 424-6001 for more information.

The Shelby County State Bank is branching out - all the way to Moweaqua.

Building work is under way on a new branch on the far end of East Main Street, just off the new U.S. 51 bypass on the east side of the village. The facility is expected to open in March, and it will be a full-service branch housing two full-time tellers and a part-time teller, with a drive-up lane that also will have an ATM machine.

"The new branch manager will be Eric Forlines, who lives in Moweaqua and now is at our Strasburg branch," said Shelby County State Bank President Gwyn Helton. "So this branch will be a lot better location for him."

Helton also hopes it will be a lot better for customers, too. "We have some good customers up in that Assumption-Moweaqua area, but we think there are a lot more potential customers out there, also. We've been looking for a location in that area for several years now."

The bank is the first new business on agricultural land earmarked for development that is easily visible from the busy four-lane U.S. 51 just a stone's throw away. "We're hoping we will be the first of many new developments out there," Helton added. "We think that would be good for the whole community."

Attention businesses celebrating anniversaries in 2008: After much thought, the On Biz team has decided to mark the anniversaries of local businesses. The plan is to recognize one year in business (we think that's a pretty monumental achievement) and five years in business, 10 years, 15 years … you get the picture. The celebration will begin in January. To get your business included, send the information to one of us. Our contact information is listed below.

On Biz, published Fridays in the Herald & Review, highlights business developments. Contact Tony Reid at treid@herald-review.com or 421-7977 or Chris Lusvardi at clusvardi@herald-review.com or 421-7972. Theresa Churchill contributed to this column.