South Cook News

The Tinley Park Village Board met on Jan. 17 and appointed two new employees and recognized two local businesses.

Michael Haskins was appointed to the 911 dispatcher position in the village. He has served in public safety through fire, police, EMA and dispatching for more than two decades in the Chicago area. He has many certifications and was highly recommended. Also appointed was Dan Ritter as the community development director after serving the department for many years.

“Thank you to the board and the mayor just for trusting me in this position,” Ritter said. “It's kind of cool being up here for the third time now in four years. So my original appointment, then planning manager, and this, you guys have given me a lot of trust to take Tinley Park in a good direction. And I'm going to keep working hard, keep making sure we're headed in that right direction. So thank you to the board, the mayor, for giving me this position and giving me ... the opportunity. It starts at an organizational level. Not every community can you move up within the organization, particularly in local government. So a lot of times you got to kind of jump around. And I really like investing where I'm at. And so it's kind of cool to be able to work hard here and be able to stay here."

The board also highlighted a pair of businesses in the community: a physical therapy spot and a cookie store.

Theory Physical Therapy is owned by Dena Tadros. It is an independent outpatient clinic working one-on-one with patients, treating sports injuries, women’s health, joint pain and more. Tadros and her family have lived in Tinley Park for years, with both attending school in town. She recently left her previous job to start her own business. Tadros has 20 years of experience working in therapy in the area and said she believes each patient should have a primary physical therapist to properly know their situation.

“I started Theory PT to address one of the many concerns in health care happening today, and that is to provide patients with one-on-one care,” said Tadros.

Crumbl Cookies is a chain that opened a new location in Tinley Park, operated by Derek and Michelle Hincks. The company started five years ago with two cousins who set out to create the perfect chocolate chip cookie, Derek Hincks told the board. After many more recipes they found the “perfect chocolate chip cookie.” The first store was developed in Logan, Utah, in 2017. They wanted an open- kitchen concept so people can see the whole process.

The Hincks lived in Utah and always had dreams of starting their own business. They never thought they’d leave Utah, Derek said, but the pandemic occurred and shook up their lives. They ended up coming to Chicago, had a rough start missing their family and friends, and unique spots like Crumbl Cookies. However, time went by and they eventually fell in love with the Chicago area and decided to bring Crumbl Cookies to the area and open up their first location in Indiana, and then soon after in Tinley Park.

The new location owned by the Hincks features a rotation of six new cookies each week that are topped with frostings and all types of sugar. The company sells hand-sized cookies made from tested flavor recipes, and are all made at their specific location. Derek Hincks takes pride in being community based, holding fundraisers and working with schools. He thanked the board and said he was excited to do business in the area.

“I really love what you guys are doing here in Tinley Park where you really allow businesses come in here, just like the physical therapy, as well, to spotlight that this is a new business in Tinley Park and we are here for the community,” said Hincks.