At 12 years old, Chris Van Calster told his parents that he wanted his make his own jerky business. Who would have thought that a determined 12-year-old kid would bring his dreams to fruition in a place like Elgin.
Elgin is home to many small town businesses, and Van Calster now owns one of them.
Located in the heart of downtown Elgin, ATX Jerky’s CEO came from humble beginnings. Four years ago, Van Calster’s then-business partner Greg Brown was having a barbecue and invited Van Calster over. Van Calster brought some of his homemade jerky, and everyone loved it. Brown liked it ...