Eilts looks to future with building purchase

Marlon Eilts is breathing new life into a historic downtown Chenoa building.

The previous home of the Chenoa Pharmacy will serve as an additional location for the insurance agent and financial advisor with COUNTRY Financial.

Eilts, who has an existing office on Ladd Street in Pontiac, feels very blessed.

“We were able to purchase (the former pharmacy building) from the previous owner and we are really excited,” he said. “We’ve been kind of dipping our toe in the water in Chenoa for the last couple of years just to kind of get to know people and see what the climate is as far as the business goes.”

Long-term plans call for a full-time office presence in Chenoa but Eilts is going to play it slow at first and respond to the community. He hopes to have a full-time staff there in the next two to three years. You can expect to see someone at the new location at least one to two days a week in 2025.

“Then, depending on what the staffing looks like, we will expand from there.”

Eilts has been in talks with the Chenoa Economic Development Council on projects they can work on together.

“There are a lot of possibilities,” observed Eilts.

The Pontiac office has been around 20 years and Eilts has been a certified financial planner since 2007. They do insurance and financial services and can help with pretty much anything money related except for lending.

“It’s a great small town,” Eilts said of Chenoa. “The downtown currently needs some improvement and we are happy to be a part of that.”

Renovations are ongoing inside the building.