Gurnee franchisee helps kids excel at sports

Brian Davis of Gurnee has had such a love of sports since childhood, that he decided to make it a career.

Davis is now owner of the Hi-Five Sports franchise in Gurnee, which provides sports classes and camps for children from prekindergarten through sixth grade.

It's non-intimidating and fun, as sports are supposed to be, especially at that young age. He just wants the younger generation to enjoy football, basketball and other sports.

"It's really about learning about competition and playing different sports because it teaches them some life lessons on winning and losing and team work," said Davis, 43.

Davis was born in Augusta, Georgia, but grew up in various towns because his father, James Franklin Davis, was in the military. As a teenager, Davis watched his father work at Fort Sheridan and was part of updating the GI Bill of Rights.

His father's work was inspiring and the younger Davis hopes to do the same for youngsters today. After all, sports always connected Davis with his father, and sports bonds him with his own sons today.

Besides Hi-Five, Davis has been president of Joy of the Game Rising Stars Basketball Club in Deerfield and as sports director for Central AAU Illinois.

Now as owner of Hi-Five, Davis has held classes at Woodland Intermediate School in Gurnee. Woodland is the site for the Hi-Five Sports Camp-Gurnee for this summer. And flag football has been held at Libertyville Sports Complex, he said.

"I just like to see the kids excel in sports," Davis said.

Celeb connections

Mark Hoffmann, vice president of Schaumburg-based Ala Carte Entertainment, which owns 24 area restaurants and nightclubs, said he enjoyed giving professional singers a location for their parties, like when Prince had after-show parties back in the day at Excalibur in downtown Chicago. But there were rules that had to be followed.

Hoffmann said Prince's agreements said they could not look him in the eyes and no one could talk directly to Prince, even to ask if he wanted a drink. Also, Hoffman remembers paying Lady Gaga $1,500 for an appearance at Alumni Club, now called Drink, in Schaumburg when she was on the way up. Then her fee went to $5,000 for a second appearance.

Lawyers in D.C.

Nichole M. Waltz and Susan L. Dawson, both lawyers and partners at Rolling Meadows-based Waltz, Palmer & Dawson LLC, now can practice law in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. They were in Washington D.C. on May 1, along with the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. They took an oath administered by the Clerk of the Supreme Court Scott S. Harris and before Chief Justice John Roberts and other justices during a special session of the Supreme Court. Waltz and Dawson are now members of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

FastTracks

• Joseph Fleishaker was promoted to senior vice president and head of clinical pharmacology and exploratory development; Susanne Gronen was promoted to senior vice president and head of data sciences; and, Andrew Krivoshik was promoted to vice president of medical science, oncology at Northbrook-based Astellas.

• Francesca DeBiase, chief supply chain and sustainability officer at McDonald's Corp., and Kristin French, retired brigadier general of the U.S. Army and principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for the U.S. Department of Defense, were honored by Des Plaines-based AWESOME, or Achieving women's Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management and Education with the Awesome Legendary Leadership Award.

• Jennifer Hiser has started an online children's furniture business, based in Hoffman Estates, called 4Everly Adorned. It sells hand-painted, one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture and original wall art. The mission of 4Everly Adorned is adding an artsy flair to a child's room, while informing, inspiring, and contributing toward the conservation of animals. A percentage of all profits from 4Everly Adorned goes to Rhino Art, an initiative of Project Rhino KZN, in the fight against rhino poaching.

• There's more to business than just the bottom line. We want to tell you about the people who make business work. Send news about people in business to akukec@dailyherald.com. Follow Anna Marie Kukec on LinkedIn and Facebook and as AMKukec on Twitter.