RBGA Small Business of the Month - May 2000
RBGA Small Business of the Month - July 2014

There are a number of reasons why so many drivers flock to the Roberts Motors Inc. showroom, so we're going to do our best to outline them all for you.    

First and foremost, we're renowned in the greater Alton, Edwardsville, Bethalto, East Alton and Godfrey areas for our superb selection of new Ford models, plain and simple. Of course, our love for these cars often brings them back to our showroom in a number of ways.    

For instance, when it comes time to upgrade, many of our loyal customers return their vehicle to be traded in. These used cars are also offered to our valuable customers, some are even certified with the same guaranteed performance and quality as new ones.    

Helping you find your next car is only the beginning of the Roberts Motors Inc. experience, though. From there, our team of financing experts will help you drive home that car you've been eyeing on your terms.    

Of course, nobody wants to be forgotten after the purchase of a new or used Ford. That's why we staff a state-of-the-art auto repair center is highly trained and equipped with the latest Ford parts.    

Interested in utilizing one of our areas of expertise? Come visit us at 4350 North Alby St Alton, Illinois for all your automotive needs and an experience that's satisfying, worry-free, and at your convenience.     

RBGA Small Business of the Month - March 2003

In 1954, Rose Lawn Memory Gardens, located in Bethalto, Illinois, was created by Edmund Sr. and Ellen Mense.    As you enter Roselawn, the first thing you will notice are the acres of flower, bouquets, trees, geese, ducks, and park benches. This cemetery is peaceful because of the lake with fountains, and statues throughout.

At its inception, Rose Lawn was created with a unique concept that everyone would have the same headstone so there would no be a difference due to  their income or status in the community.  All headstones are flat, made of bronze, and laid on a granite pad.

Rose Lawn features eight gardens, Living Christ, Devotion, Last Supper, Last Supper Addition, Gethsemane, Masonic, Christus, and Garden of the Good Sheppard.  There are three  mausoleums and one cremation niche unit called the Island of Memories located throughout the cemetery. 

The cemetery staff takes pride in maintaining the cemetery grounds.   They continually cut grass, trim trees, maintain the lake and roads, trim around markers, as well as remove all flowers and memorabilia for Christmas Blankets.  

After the Christmas season, they remove all blankets so families or cemetery staff can once again place fresh flowers on their loved ones grave.  Each season, the families or ground crew replaces the flowers with new spring, summer, fall, and winter flower bouquets or winter blankets on any marker where the family purchased the flower packages.

This provided service keeps Rose Lawn Memory Garden looking clean and fresh all year.  Another reason why you will find local residents not only visiting their loved ones grave but enjoying a stroll through the park's winding roads.  Families enjoy feeding the ducks, geese, and Shawn the Swan.

Rustic Roots is a platform for many local artists and crafters to sell their products and creations. We retail a number of companies that support charities, recycle, repurpose and give back! We provide a shopping experience that many other shops don’t have. Our goal is to continue to build our platform and give back to our community.

We recently expanded into the back of the building, and created a banquet space that we refer to as the “Rally Room.” This room has a warm, rustic feel that mimics that of the shop. We offer to rent the room out for different events. We hope to offer more services in the future as we continue to grow.  

Sacred Spaces of CARE was founded and organized as an intentional effort to increase awareness of how trauma impacts our community. We believe that education of trauma and its affects, leads to a deeper understanding of the healing journey and allows us to more appropriately advocate for ourselves and respond to the needs of others.

Safe Food Specialist is a Locally Female Owned Company that Educates Individuals on Food Safety. An ANSI Certified Food Safety Manager’s Certificate is issued upon completion of an 8-hour instructor led class and passage of a proctored exam. This certification is valid for 5 years across the United States. There are online classes/exams offered thru my website. These classes are Food Handlers, Allergen Awareness, Sexual Harassment, Bassett.

We are Terry, EJ, and Linda, the owners of a new storefront, The Sauce Shop in Bethalto. We are also the owners of Phathead BBQ Sauce, the first business we created.  We have developed (currently) 5 flavors of BBQ Sauces, with a 6th one to be produced very soon. Our 5 flavors include Sweet Heat, Honey Kone, Smoke Whiskey, Pickle Garlic, and Jalapeño Garlic.  We are in numerous markets in the area and participate in local events and farmers' markets on a weekly basis.        

We decided to open The Sauce Shop as another way to promote our BBQ Sauces, plus highlight other sauces and seasonings that allowed customers to enhance their menus at home.  We offer a variety of seasonings and hot sauces, jellies, mayos, and locally made products, and also offer grilling supplies, décor, apparel, a selection of meat from Korte Meats, cheeses, jerky, and more! We wanted to create a store people that people would love to come to and be able to get products not seen in your typical grocery store.          

We are very excited to get more established in our community and are happy to have become a part of the RiverBend Growth Association! We joined the RBGA so we can essentially grow our two businesses.  Being a new shop in the area we want to get the word out about who we are and get people interested in coming to The Sauce Shop.  We would like to learn from others new ways to market ourselves and how to better the businesses we are creating.  We hope to build a bond with other local businesses in which we can all help and assist each other to become and stay successful.    

Our motto is simple: "If you try it you will buy it."

We are confident that once you've tried our sauce, you'll be hooked for life! Thanks for supporting our family-owned business - we hope Phathead BBQ Sauce brings as much joy to your table as it does to ours.

Store hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10-5; Friday and Saturday 9-5 

RBGA Small Business of the Month - March 2005
RBGA Small Business of the Year 2005
RBGA Small Business of the Month - October 2014

RBGA Small Business of the Month - May 1994
RBGA Small Business of the Month - May 2004
RBGA Small Business of the Month - December 2024 

Scooter’s Coffee has positioned itself in Godfrey at 5330 Godfrey Road. Robert Semptimphelter, Jr. and his family are the franchise owners.        

“We believe in making local connections within the business community,” Semptimphelter noted, “and we are looking forward to supporting the residents of Godfrey while also having a positive impact on the community.”        

“By joining the RBGA, we are looking to make local networking connections, looking for ways to give back to the community, increase exposure, and access other resources provided by the chamber,” he added.        

With each location locally owned and operated, Scooter’s Coffee in Godfrey is part of the national franchise of over 550 locations in 26 states. It roasts “only the finest coffee beans in the world” at its headquarters in Omaha, Neb.      

In 1998, Scooter’s Coffee was born when co-founders Don and Linda Eckles began their journey by opening its first drive-thru coffeehouse in Bellevue, Neb. Now in its 25th year, Scooter’s Coffee has continued success due to its commitment to its original business principles and company core values.      

Noting the Caramelicious as the coffeehouse chain’s signature drink, the Scooter’s Coffee website also explains the story behind the name: “The very ?rst Scooter’s Coffee location was known as ‘Scooter’s Java Express.’ We named it ‘Scooter’s’ after reviewing a list of options including ‘Scooter.’ The name fit well with our mission to keep customers happy by helping them ‘scoot in and scoot out’ quickly.”