Nooter/Eriksen

Chris was born and raised in Red Bud. He graduated from Red Bud High School in 2006. He then attended Maryville University in St. Louis, MO. While at Maryville he played baseball for 4 years and was elected captain his senior year. In 2009 he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Chris continued his education at Maryville and obtained his MBA in 2011. Currently, Chris is the Transportation Project Specialist for Nooter/Eriksen in Fenton, MO. He has been with the company for 3 years. Chris and his wife Jessica will be married a year this month and currently reside in Red Bud.

City of Red Bud

Matt was born and raised in Red Bud. A graduate of Red Bud High School, he went on to get his turfgrass science degree from Southwestern Illinois College. Matt was the golf course superintendent of Sparta Country Club for a while before he accepted the position as a plant health care specialist at Davey Tree Company. Currently, Matt is employed with the City of Red Bud and he has been there for 3 years. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing and watching the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues play. Matt and his girlfriend, Morgan Woosley, currently reside in Red Bud and they have a beautiful baby girl, Eleanor.

Ironhorse

Catherine moved to Red Bud in second grade and graduated from Red Bud High School in 2005. She worked at Keil’s throughout high school and then moved onto a law firm in Chesterfield where she worked for 2 years. Currently, Catherine works at Ironhorse and she has been there since April 2014. In her spare time Catherine enjoys going to Cardinal and Blues games and she is a big fan of musical theater. Catherine currently resides in Red Bud with her adorable Bichon Frise, Logan.

Red Bud Regional Hospital

Julie was born right here in Red Bud at St. Clement Hospital in December of 1959. She lived in rural New Athens until she was five years old and then her family moved to Red Bud in the summer of 1965. She attended Red Bud High School and graduated in 1978. She chose to begin working right out of school and got her first job as a legal secretary for the law firm of Nehrt, Sachtleben, and Fisher in Chester where she worked from July 1978 to November 1979. She then went on to work at First National Bank where she shared a teller window with John Ratz and worked alongside Patty Hanebutt and Stuart Langrehr.

She left the bank in the summer of 1985 and went to work at the corporate office of Snyder General Corporation in St. Louis. Two years later, the company decided to move the office to Texas so she answered a tiny, little ad in the North County News for an executive assistant at St. Clement Hospital. She started at the hospital on June 29, 1987 and never left. The first 10 years at the hospital she worked in Administration for the Vice President of Finance and Vice President of Nursing. In August 1997, Julie was asked to fill in in the Human Resource Department and she eventually became the HR Coordinator. In November of 2009, Julie was asked to take on the additional role as Senior Circle Advisor and in 2011 she was awarded Employee of the Year!

In early 2016, she transitioned out of Human Resources with the new role of Healthy Circle Advisor, Volunteer Services and Community Relations Coordinator. Through this role, Julie is responsible for organizing “Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” “Stick it to Alzheimer’s Challenge,” and “Dinner and a Healthy Heart.” Her goal is to keep Red Bud Regional Hospital in the forefront of our community and the surrounding service areas.

Julie married Chris Hudson in May of 1991. They have one son, Trevor, who is currently engaged to Julie Mudd of Waterloo. Chris and Julie have two pets, Buddy the lab, and Miss Kitty their very spoiled cat. Julie enjoys sewing, reading house and garden magazines, and watching HGTV in her spare time.

North County News

Growing up on a farm outside of town, Mary Koester is a lifelong resident of the area. A graduate of Red Bud High School, she went on to get degrees at Southwestern Illinois College and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She was the editor of the Steeleville Ledger for six months before accepting a position at the North County News here in Red Bud in May 2008. She became the editor at the News in August of that year.

Mary tries to be an active member of the community. She is one of the charter board members of the Community Foundation of Randolph County. She represented the Southern Illinois Rotary District in an exchange program to Brazil in 2013. She is also a Randolph County 4-H alumni, was a member of the Randolph County 4-H Foundation Board, and helped coach the high school's speech and debate team for several years. Mary has been recognized by the Regional Office of Education with a “Friend of Education Award” and by the Red Bud Masons Lodge with a “Community Builder Award.”

In her spare time Mary enjoys running 5Ks, doing obstacle/mud runs, hunting turkeys and spending time outdoors.

Mary is married to Daniel Koester. They have a daughter, Alison.

Superintendent Red Bud School District

Jon grew up in Carbondale, IL and graduated from Carbondale Community HS in 1994.  Jon then attended Southern Illinois Univeristy Carbondale.   Graduating from SIUC in 1998 with a Political Science/History degree, Jon has been involved in education ever since.

Since earning his undergraduate degree, Jon headed back to school and earned a Masters in Education Administration from SIUE and an Education Specialist Degree in Education Leadership from Lindenwood University.

Jon spent his first three years of teaching at Goreville High School in Goreville, Illinois where he taught social studies from 1998 to 2003.  In addition to teaching, he also helped coach basketball and softball and even drove a bus route.

After three great years at GHS, Jon was hired to teach social studies at Belleville West High School in 2002.  He stayed at Belleville West until the summer of 2011.  While there, he also coached basketball, baseball, and football.  The last four years of his time at Belleville West were spent  serving as Social Studies Department Chair for three years, and as an assistant principal for one year.  

In 2011, Jon was hired to be Principal of Red Bud High School. for the 2011-2012 school year.  The following spring of 2012, he was hired to be Superintendent of the District.  Red Bud is a wonderful district and community, and his wife Kelli and Jon have really enjoyed the move as well as the friendships we have developed over the past four years.

Kelli, who teaches English at O'Fallon Township High School, and Jon will be married 12 years this summer.   They have three beautiful daughters, Adelyn (8), Reaghan (5), and Gracyn (3), and couldn't be a prouder dad of our girls.

Twyla’s Flowers, Wine & Boutique

Twyla grew up in the country between Baldwin and Walsh, graduating from Sparta High School in 1986.   After high school, she worked as a Legal Secretary for the Law Firm of Nelson, Bement, Stubblefield & Rich in Belleville.  She married John Schulte in 1989 and they moved to Red Bud in 1993.  At that time, Twyla worked for Gateway FS in the main office as an assistant to the Controller.  After the birth of her second child, she was a stay-at-home mom for several years, volunteering at St. John the Baptist Catholic School.  During her time as a volunteer, Twyla and a group of ladies were instrumental in starting the annual school auction that has become a tradition for 20 years.   As soon as her youngest child went to school full time, she took a job at the Red Bud YMCA where she was the Program Coordinator for Monroe County.  After the new facility was built near Waterloo, she became the Program Coordinator in the Red Bud facility and helped with the Soccer program, Day Camp and Healthy Kids Day.

In, 1998, Twyla and John took on the adventure of becoming a business owner.  They have now owned Twyla’s Flower Shop for 10 years.  During that 10 years, the business moved from downtown Red Bud to the Park Plaza purchasing the old North County Savings Bank in 2012.  In November 2015, she added a wine bar to the business and then added a clothing line a year later.  Everyone that comes in says that it is a “one stop shop”.

This will be Twyla’s second time serving on the Chamber Board, previously serving as Vice President and President.  She was active in the start-up of the annual Lighted Parade and chaired the Annual Dinner and has the privilege of being part of the Committee for Santa’s Village.  

Twyla’s Flower Shop has been a Chamber member the entire 10 years that she has owned the business.  She has been active with participating in all of the events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Beautification Committee.

Twyla’s husband, John, works for Spirent Communications where he is the Senior Regional Sales Manager.   Twyla and John have been married for 28 years and they have two beautiful children, Allie who lives in Edwardsville and is a Paralegal for Hepler & Broom, and Cameron who is a student at SIU-Carbondale and is studying Business Marketing.

Lieferbrau Brewery

Kris was born and raised in Red Bud, graduating from Red Bud High School in 2009.  He then attended Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 2013. 

After graduation, he returned to work with his father, Kevin, and two brothers, Kirk and Kent, at Cedar Hill Farms.  Kris is also part owner of the soon-to-be-open, Lieferbrau Brewery and will be the head brewer.  He and his wife, Danielle, have one son, Kolton, and they reside in rural Red Bud. 

Vice's

Ryan graduated from Red Bud High School, Class of 2000 and from Southwestern Illinois College with an Associates of Arts degree in 2003.  He then graduated from SIU-Edwardsville in 2005 with a Bachelor’s Degree in History.

He is the proud owner of Vice’s Bar in Red Bud and also helps his father with the family farm and his brother, David, at the Opera House Bistro.