Tech startup offers auto tips, more
A new tech startup has emerged, tucked away in a commercial property on the outskirts of downtown Highland Park.
From the outside, few could predict that a wide-open, loft-style and high-energy office — exactly how one would picture a Silicon Valley startup — hides inside, housing a staff of 11 tech-savvy minds building and populating a website.
In this case, Highland Park residents Ben Wallach and Alex Bravy are running the operation. They produce an online magazine,
which offers in-depth auto advice for the typical consumer while trying to draw them back with other lifestyle content.
The site was recently named to the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies in the country.
The business plan began to take shape six years ago on train commutes from Highland Park to downtown Chicago when Wallach and Bravy were working as software engineers for other tech firms.
“The idea was to put the skills and talents that we had acquired working in the industry for almost 11 years between the two of us, to work for ourselves,” Bravy said. “If we worked that hard for ourselves, we should be able to accomplish something. That was the catalyst, and it was just a matter of coming up with the right business.”
Bravy handles the business side while Wallach focuses on coding and programming.
The business partners are admittedly not “car guys,” and they don’t pretend to be. Instead, they aim to be a voice for the average consumer, offering “simple, valuable and formative content.” As the company grew, they began hiring staff for car reviews and their own lifestyle features.
One of their proprietary software models allows browsers to navigate through cars for sale as thumbnail pictures instead of textheavy lists.
“It’s designed to replicate how you’d walk through a dealer’s lot,” Bravy said.
Much of revenue is generated by partnerships with auto dealers who use the site to advertise. Their closest competitors are such sites as and
They say they have been profitable from Day 1, but the idea of helping Highland Park and the North Shore become a hub for tech startups is just as exciting.
“We definitely wanted to be in downtown Highland Park,” Wal- lach said. “It’s been very easy for us to attract good talent to come up here even though they live in the city.”
Crestwood man dies in fire despite son’s rescue effort
A kitchen fire turned fatal Saturday afternoon in southwest suburban Crestwood.
Salvatore Runcio, 56, apparently was overcome by smoke and did not survive the fire in his condominium despite his son’s effort to save him, Crestwood Fire Chief Jon Bruce said.
Bruce said the son, whose name was not available, pulled Runcio out of the second-floor condominium in the 12800 block of Hill Drive, to ground level in an attempt to get him away from the smoke.
“His 18-year-old son pulled him all the way down, even though he had smoke inhalation himself,” Bruce said. The son was hospitalized.
Runcio apparently tried to put out the fire himself and was overcome by the smoke, Bruce said. The fire occurred around 3:30 p.m. and was contained to Runcio’s condominium in the 12-unit building.
Driver killed by his truck at rest stop
Troopers in Ohio say a truck driver from Lake Geneva, Wis., is dead after his rig started rolling at a rest stop and pinned him against another truck.
The State Highway Patrol says the accident happened Saturday afternoon at a rest area along Interstate 76.
Troopers say that 57-year-old Frank Shackelford got out of his truck but didn’t put on the emergency brakes.
The truck rolled forward as he was walking between the cab and the back of another truck.