Plainfield couple will give home, business Clean Start

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

Dirty Business

Helping others
in down economy

Name: A Clean Start

Email: Ralph@acleanstart.net

Call: 815-514-3171

On the Web: www.acleanstart.net

Ralph and Annette Osuch of Plainfield are in the business of dirt — cleaning it up that is.

Since 2009, they help hoarders and estates clean out all that isn’t needed. Banks are on their roster of clients, too. The couple helps them secure and clean up residential and commercial properties that have gone into default, so they can get the property on the market as soon as possible.

They’re open to other opportunities, too. They recently assisted a Naperville homeowner whose basement flooded.

“We were there to secure the home, board-up broken windows and to pump out the basement,” Ralph said.

They have another mission, too — hiring people who have lost their jobs to the bad economy.

“We are able to provide them some work while they continue to look for a job in their professional industry.” Ralph said.

ACS also works with Realtors, asset managers, property managers and real estate investors with vacant properties. If the previous owners of a home or commercial property has left items behind, ACS removes them, and often times they are able to salvage items and donate them to local charities.

A Clean Start, with headquarters in Plainfield, serves the entire Chicago area, covering more than 600 zip codes. They also service Lake County Indiana and recently opened a location in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Hours: 8 a.m. daily or 24/7 for emergency situations.

Fresh start

New name for
Sharon’s Fitness

Name: Advanced Fitness Plus

Where: 4063 S. Route 59, Naperville

Call: 630-202-0583

On the Web: www.advancedfitnessplus.com

Sharon Kline, a 16-year Naperville resident, wanted to start a new chapter in her business. She had owned Sharon’s Fitness for six years, but felt limited by the name and her current roster of classes.

To expand her clientele, she changed the name to Advanced Fitness Plus and moved to a new location in April. She is offering more classes and boot camps.

“This has been my passion since 1982, and I finally have my own place where you can come and be treated extremely special,” Kline said.

She has several certifications, including ACE, AFAA, Bosu, Spinning and soon-to-be in Zumba.

Advanced Fitness Plus offers one-on-one personal training, group fitness classes and boot camps. The group classes are on a punch-card system; camps are purchased monthly; and personal training is hourly for as long as the client wants to reach his or her goals.

“My boot camps seem to be the most popular; they are called Move It to Lose It, and they run for four nights a week for four weeks,” Kline said. “At the end of the four weeks, whoever losses the most weight receives half their money back plus two free personal training sessions with me.”

There are no monthly dues.

Hours: Monday through Sunday by appointment
or class

Rock n’ Learn

Naperville gets School of Rock

Name: School of Rock

Where: 220 N. Washington St., Naperville

Call: 630-922-5400

On the Web: www.schoolofrock.com/naperville

For more than a decade, School of Rock has been inspiring kids to rock on stage and in life.

“It doesn’t just teach
music, it inspires confidence, gives students a tight-knit community that shares a similar passion for music, and teaches teamwork and dedication,” says Anne Dills, co-owner of Naperville’s School of Rock, which opened
in March. “We are a performance-based music school; children learn best by doing.”

With 69 schools in 25 states and Mexico, they are expanding to meet the demands of kids who want to play music and parents who appreciate it.

Anne owns the school with her mother, Denise Dills.

“Our performance program is my favorite,” Anne says. “It makes learning music a social experience, and students get to experience teamwork with other kids who share the same passion.”

Because School of
Rock has deep ties to
the musical community nationally, they get great “guest (rock star) professors” who come and play with the students, including Eddie Vedder of Pearl
Jam, Jon Anderson of
Yes, Roger Waters and
Dee Snyder.

“The benefit of School
of Rock is that, while
each location is unique
to the community in which it is located, you get to
be connected to something larger,” Anne says. “The
all-star program takes the best students from each school, and they go on tour, playing great venues (like Lollapalooza), and get the real experience of being a touring rock musician.”

Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Know of a business
coming or leaving Naperville? Contact Kristen Kucharski
at knkucharski@hotmail
.com.