Latest news with #Flender
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Flender Corp. starts work on new 124,500-square-foot warehouse in Elgin
Flender Corp. has broken ground on a 124,500-square-foot warehouse adjacent to its 16-year-old building on Madeline Drive in Elgin. Flender, a German-based company that supplies gearboxes, generators and services for wind turbines and related industries, is ready to continue its growth in that field, Flender President Kerry Klein said. 'By enhancing our service capabilities, we are poised to significantly improve lead times, efficiency and cost effectiveness, reinforcing our position as a leader in both industry and wind service sectors,' Klein said. In addition to providing warehouse space, the new Elgin building will have in-house gear regrinding capabilities and provide consolidated storage, a news release on the expansion said. Flender will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Elgin in 2026, the same year the warehouse will be ready for use. Its first building in Elgin on Tollgate Road was used until 2014, initially used to manufacture parts and assembled pump jack gear boxes for the oil industry, Klein said. 'The pump jack market fell out immediately after we built the first plant in 1976, and we immediately pivoted to other industrial applications,' he said. That meant transitioning to assembling and servicing gear boxes and other parts and equipment used for plastic extrusion, wastewater treatment, conveyor systems for moving gravel and coal, and for systems used to process cement. Wind energy turbines came into the picture in the late 1990s, Klein said, and repairing and repowering their gear boxes now accounts for 60% of the company's business. In 2009, Flender opened in its current Elgin location, a 230,000-square-foot building it now leases from Brookstone, Klein said. The new facility will cost about $22 million to build, with Flender leasing it from Pancor. 'This is the last available lot in the industrial park in that area,' Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Carol Gieske said. Klein said Elgin is a great location for the company for many reasons. 'A good amount of the equipment we assemble and service is very large and very heavy. So having access to highways is important, as is being centrally located,' he said. The Elgin area also is less expensive than other areas in the Chicago market and has a good talent pool from which to fill their office and industrial jobs, Klein said. Flender currently employs 175 people at its Elgin location. Under a 2023 agreement with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for tax credits, the company needs to expand its Elgin operations and to employ 190 people by the time the new building opens in early 2026. One challenge Flender and other wind energy-related businesses are facing in the United States is the newly passed federal budget bill. The legislation will allow renewable energy projects that begin construction by 2026 or come online by 2027 to receive tax credits, which is slightly less restrictive than a previous version of the bill, published reports said. That could make Flender and other wind energy businesses very busy during that time frame before things slow down, Klein said. Over the decades the wind energy industry has faced political challenges, he said. 'It's here to stay, regardless of politics,' Klein said. 'Growth may be slower, particularly in the United States, but there will still be growth.' A big reason will be the increased demand for power brought on by AI, data centers, factories, electric vehicles and other consumer goods, he said. To meet that demand, various energy sources will have to be utilized. 'Wind energy is not the whole solution, but it's definitely part of the equation,' Klein said.
Business Insider
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Timothee Chalamet's mom dishes on the perks, the paparazzi, and parenting a superstar
She knew he was going to be a star before everyone else. She knew it long before her then-teen son ambled onto the stage of the 1,150-seat auditorium at New York's LaGuardia High School with his baggy jeans falling off his lanky frame, stealing the annual talent show with his Lil' Timmy Tim rapper routine; before he made eating a peach an X-rated sex act in the coming-of-age film "Call Me By Your Name"; and before he'd flip his mop of wild chestnut curls and have a gaggle of girls scream his name. In fact, as the mother of 29-year-old actor Timothée Chalamet, Nicole Flender knew he was going to be a success when he truly was a "complete unknown." Before his baby face was on the cover of Time magazine, before he was the answer to a New York Times crossword puzzle, and long before his style made the best-dressed lists, he was just her son. "He was a normal kid," Flender said. "He wanted to be a soccer star." She's a mom to 2 stars She knew the theater was his calling when the crowd went wild for his high school rap persona — and not just because she was a biased mom who recognized his spark. "Everybody loved it," she told Business Insider. His star has certainly risen. He's played fighters, lovers, Willy Wonka, and even King Henry V. He's been in seven best picture Oscar-nominated films and twice been nominated for Academy Awards, for his performance as a lovestruck teen in "Call Me By Your Name" and as musician Bob Dylan in the biopic "A Complete Unknown." She's in a distinctive position as the mother of two stars. Timothée's sister, Pauline Chalamet, four years his senior, is an actor and a director who splits her time between Paris and Los Angeles. She recently starred in Mindy Kaling's HBO Max series, "The Sex Lives of College Girls." Thanks to Pauline, Flender will celebrate her first Mother's Day as a grandma. "That's what I'll be called — it's what my grandmother was called and what my kids called my mom," she said. She's not surprised her kids are talented Flender isn't surprised that her kids have talent. They come from a showbiz family. Their grandmother, Enid Flender, danced on Broadway in shows like "Kiss Me Kate," and their grandfather, Hal Flender, was an author and television writer who worked with many comedy greats, including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Woody Allen. She's a trained ballerina who spent years on national tours with musicals including "Fiddler" and "Gypsy." Her brother Rodman Flender, a child actor, has been a filmmaker and TV director for shows like "The Office" and "Ugly Betty." Timothée was a performer at a young age, entertaining family, friends, and classmates. In elementary school, he did Disney commercials. In middle school, he appeared on "Law & Order." Flender excitedly emailed everyone she knew about his prime-time debut, even though his character was murdered in the first minutes of the show. Flender modestly takes little credit for her kids' success. Both carved their own paths, she said. Pauline pursued ballet, starring in "The Nutcracker" at Lincoln Center with the School of American Ballet. "It was like training for the Olympics," Flender said. Now she has her own production company. Timothée excelled at travel soccer, she said, and his chess, sports, and Tae Kwon Do trophies still adorn the shelves in her theater district apartment, along with his acting awards. She used to call him Tiny Tim Known as "Timmy" to his friends and family, she called him "Tiny Tim" or "Toothless Tim" and later "Tall Tim" on family holiday cards, depending on his current status. "He's always been independent," she said. At 17, Timothée had his parents (his French dad is a former journalist) sign papers saying he didn't need a chaperone in Canada to film "Interstellar," in which he plays Matthew McConaughey's son. "He makes his own decisions about what projects to pursue," she said, adding that she's more of a cheerleader than a "momager." In fact, her kids rarely ask her for counsel on big life decisions. "He told me after the fact" that he had purchased what's reportedly an $11 million mansion in Beverly Hills, despite the fact that she's a real estate agent at the Corcoran Group in New York. She also avoids offering dating advice. Her son has had a roster of celebrity girlfriends, publicly starting with Madonna's daughter Lourdes Leon in high school, the Mexican singer Eiza González, and Johnny Depp's daughter, Lily-Rose. He's now dating Kylie Jenner, a multimillionaire entrepreneur and part of the Kardashian clan. Flender is often the last to know what's happening in her son's life. "Kylie was the one who told me that he would host 'Saturday Night Live' for the third time," she said. Hollywood hasn't changed her son Flender is often his plus-one on the red carpet. "The photographers love us," she said. "They always want me to get in the picture. They like to see a son who is close to his mother." Being his date for the SAG Awards was a last-minute surprise. "I got a text on the Thursday before to ask if I'd be his date for that Saturday," she said. She raided her closet for a slinky black gown and hopped on a plane. When she joined him for the Oscars, she borrowed a royal-blue number from a friend. There are perks to being a star's mom during award season: She's had full-glam hair and makeup done and been outfitted by Louis Vuitton. Cartier jewelers once blinged her with priceless diamonds for the Golden Globes. "They knock on your hotel door at 9 o'clock the next morning, asking for them back," she noted. Hollywood hasn't changed her son, she said. "Not at heart. He keeps himself grounded." She remembers when she and Timothée could walk down the street unrecognized. Now, even a neighborhood stroll could end up as paparazzi fodder. "They photographed us together in SoB=Ho and LA a year apart, and I was wearing the same vintage Fiorucci shirt," she said, laughing. "He bought it for me, so I wear it when we're together to show him I love it." Despite her children's fame, Flender is very private. She'll occasionally post an Instagram photo of herself dolled up for an awards show, but she avoids reading social media mentions of either kid. She's often surrounded by A-listers but says she's not starstruck. Yet, she does admit to dropping her son's name to get a photo with basketball legend Charles Barkley at a bar recently. "I told him my son was a big basketball fan, and he was happy to pose with Timothée's mom,'" she said. Most of all, she's proud to have two kids who have surpassed anything she could've imagined. "All I want is for them to be happy," she said.
Business Insider
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Timothée Chalamet's mom isn't surprised her kids have talent. She's more of a cheerleader than a 'momager.'
She knew he was going to be a star before everyone else. She knew it long before her then-teen son ambled onto the stage of the 1,150-seat auditorium at New York's LaGuardia High School with his baggy jeans falling off his lanky frame, stealing the annual talent show with his Lil' Timmy Tim rapper routine; before he made eating a peach an X-rated sex act in the coming-of-age film "Call Me By Your Name"; and before he'd flip his mop of wild chestnut curls and have a gaggle of girls scream his name. In fact, as the mother of 29-year-old actor Timothée Chalamet, Nicole Flender knew he was going to be a success when he truly was a "complete unknown." Before his baby face was on the cover of Time magazine, before he was the answer to a New York Times crossword puzzle, and long before his style made the best-dressed lists, he was just her son. "He was a normal kid," Flender said. "He wanted to be a soccer star." She's a mom to 2 stars She knew the theater was his calling when the crowd went wild for his high school rap persona — and not just because she was a biased mom who recognized his spark. "Everybody loved it," she told Business Insider. His star has certainly risen. He's played fighters, lovers, Willy Wonka, and even King Henry V. He's been in seven best picture Oscar-nominated films and twice been nominated for Academy Awards, for his performance as a lovestruck teen in "Call Me By Your Name" and as musician Bob Dylan in the biopic "A Complete Unknown." Flender is often his plus-one on the red carpet. "The photographers love us," she said. "They always want me to get in the picture. They like to see a son who is close to his mother." She's in a distinctive position as the mother of two stars. Timothée's sister, Pauline Chalamet, four years his senior, is an actor and a director who splits her time between Paris and Los Angeles. She recently starred in Mindy Kaling's HBO Max series, "The Sex Lives of College Girls." Thanks to Pauline, Flender will celebrate her first Mother's Day as a grandma. "That's what I'll be called — it's what my grandmother was called and what my kids called my mom," she said. She's not surprised her kids are talented Flender isn't surprised that her kids have talent. They come from a showbiz family. Their grandmother, Enid Flender, danced on Broadway in shows like "Kiss Me Kate," and their grandfather, Hal Flender, was an author and television writer who worked with many comedy greats, including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Woody Allen. She's a trained ballerina who spent years on national tours with musicals including "Fiddler" and "Gypsy." Her brother Rodman Flender, a child actor, has been a filmmaker and TV director for shows like "The Office" and "Ugly Betty." Timothée was a performer at a young age, entertaining family, friends, and classmates. In elementary school, he did Disney commercials. In middle school, he appeared on "Law & Order." Flender excitedly emailed everyone she knew about his prime-time debut, even though his character was murdered in the first minutes of the show. Flender modestly takes little credit for her kids' success. Both carved their own paths, she said. Pauline pursued ballet, starring in "The Nutcracker" at Lincoln Center with the School of American Ballet. "It was like training for the Olympics," Flender said. Now she has her own production company. Timothée excelled at travel soccer, she said, and his chess, sports, and Tae Kwon Do trophies still adorn the shelves in her theater district apartment, along with his acting awards. She used to call him Tiny Tim Known as "Timmy" to his friends and family, she called him "Tiny Tim" or "Toothless Tim" and later "Tall Tim" on family holiday cards, depending on his current status. "He's always been independent," she said. At 17, Timothée had his parents (his French dad is a former journalist) sign papers saying he didn't need a chaperone in Canada to film "Interstellar," in which he plays Matthew McConaughey's son. "He makes his own decisions about what projects to pursue," she said, adding that she's more of a cheerleader than a "momager." In fact, her kids rarely ask her for counsel on big life decisions. "He told me after the fact" that he had purchased what's reportedly an $11 million mansion in Beverly Hills, despite the fact that she's a real estate agent at the Corcoran Group in New York. She also avoids offering dating advice. Her son has had a roster of celebrity girlfriends, starting with Madonna's daughter Lourdes Leon in high school, the Mexican singer Eiza González, and Johnny Depp's daughter, Lily-Rose. He's now dating Kylie Jenner, a multimillionaire entrepreneur and part of the Kardashian clan. Flender is often the last to know what's happening in her son's life. "Kylie was the one who told me that he would host 'Saturday Night Live' for the third time," she said. Hollywood hasn't changed her son Being his date for the SAG Awards was also a last-minute surprise. "I got a text on the Thursday before to ask if I'd be his date for that Saturday," she said. She raided her closet for a slinky black gown and hopped on a plane. When she joined him for the Oscars, she borrowed a royal-blue number from a friend. There are perks to being a star's mom during award season: She's had full-glam hair and makeup done and been outfitted by Louis Vuitton. Cartier jewelers once blinged her with priceless diamonds for the Golden Globes. "They knock on your hotel door at 9 o'clock the next morning, asking for them back," she noted. Hollywood hasn't changed her son, she said. "Not at heart. He keeps himself grounded." She remembers when she and Timothée could walk down the street unrecognized. Now, even a neighborhood stroll could end up as paparazzi fodder. "They photographed us together in Soho and LA a year apart, and I was wearing the same vintage Fiorucci shirt," she said, laughing. "He bought it for me, so I wear it when we're together to show him I love it." Despite her children's fame, Flender is very private. She'll occasionally post an Instagram photo of herself dolled up for an awards show, but she avoids reading social media mentions of either kid. She's often surrounded by A-listers but says she's not starstruck. Yet, she does admit to dropping her son's name to get a photo with the basketball legend Charles Barkley at a bar recently. "I told him my son was a big basketball fan and he was happy to pose with 'Timothée's mom,'" she said. Most of all, she's proud to have two kids who have surpassed anything she could've imagined. "All I want is for them to be happy," she said.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Timothée Chalamet's Mom Just Spoke Out About His Relationship with Kylie Jenner
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner's relationship has intrigued fans and haters alike online ever since they started dating. Neither star is outspoken about their relationship, but they aren't exactly hiding it, either. Maybe they're not posting lovey-dovey Instagrams, talking about each other in interviews, or posing on the red carpet together, but they are attending awards shows, sporting events, and music festivals together. Now, though, there is a teeny bit of insight into their relationship from a surprising person in a surprising place: Chalamet's mom in an interview about her real estate career. The Dune star's mother, Nicole Flender, was profiled by Curbed in relation to her work as a real estate agent in New York City. Like her son and her daughter, actor Pauline Chalamet, Flender also works in the arts. She's been a dance teacher and worked with the theater union Actors' Equity. She still substitute teaches and occasionally acts today. She talks about all of this in the interview, and the conversation touches on Chalamet's relationship with Jenner when his own home purchase was brought up: an $11 million house in Beverly Hills. "Did he ask for my advice? No," Flender told Curbed. "He said, 'Guess what? I bought a house.'" Since Beverly Hills is pretty close to where Jenner lives, the Kardashians star got a mention, too. "I have to say she's lovely,' Flender said of her son's girlfriend. 'She's very nice to me." Recently, Flender and Jenner were both Chalamet's guests at the Academy Awards where he was nominated for Best Actor for A Complete Unknown. Chalamet and his mom arrived to the event together, and Jenner joined them once they were inside the theater. Flender looks forward to visiting Chalamet (and, presumably, Jenner) on the west coast, but has no interest in moving to be closer to either of her children. (Pauline lives in Paris.) "Would you like your mom to be trailing you everywhere?' she said. 'I like being able to go visit them.'
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Timothée Chalamet's mum spills some tea on Kylie Jenner and it's a plot twist nobody saw coming
We have got a celeb mum's approval, and it is not just any mum, it is Timothée Chalamet's. That's right, the Oscar-nominated heartthrob's mother, Nicole Flender, has officially given Kylie Jenner her stamp of approval. And honestly? It is the wholesome moment we never knew we needed in the middle of all the Hollywood chaos. What does Timothée Chalamet's mom think of Kylie Jenner? In a recent sit-down with Curbed, Flender casually dropped a bombshell that had fans double-taking. When asked about her son's super-private romance with the Kylie Cosmetics mogul, the NYC real estate agent was all praises. 'She's lovely,' she apparently said, adding that Kylie has been nothing but kind to her. Cue the collective sigh of relief from Chylothée shippers everywhere. But that is not where the tea ends Flender, who is clearly the queen of keeping it real, also recalled how she discovered Timothée had bought a swanky $11 million mansion in Beverly Hills, conveniently close to Kylie's. Was she part of the decision-making squad? Not even close. Apparently, he just dropped it on her out of nowhere like, 'Guess what? I bought a house.' Bold move, Timmy. Bold move. While both her kids have now gone international (his sister, Pauline, just grabbed herself a Paris pad), Flender's staying loyal to NYC. 'Would you want your mum tailing you 24/7?' she quipped, proving once again that she is the real MVP of keeping boundaries in check. The aww moment between Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner And let's not forget the Oscars moment that had everyone talking. When Timothée was up for Best Actor at the 2025 Academy Awards, Kylie willingly gave up her seat so he could sit next to his mum during the big announcement. He may have lost the award to Adrien Brody, but he definitely won the night in the 'boyfriend and son goals' department. Even when Kylie had to skip the SAGs due to her stylist's sudden death, Flender stepped in without missing a beat as Timmy's plus-one. Now that is what we call a supportive future in-law moment, right? So, for anyone still wondering whether Kylie fits into the Chalamet clan , Nicole Flender just made it crystal clear. This love story might actually have staying power, and we are here for every dramatic, glowy-skinned, $11-million-mansion-filled chapter.
