After losing Hauberg, catering company reaches deal on Stern Center

A deal gone awry has new life in a different location.

The company that wanted to buy the historic Hauberg Center in Rock Island reached a deal to expand its operations in the downtown district.

Bridges Catering now plans to buy the Stern Center.

It’s a move that would still require an investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the city.

“That is the chandelier from the Looney Mansion,” said Bridges Catering Owner Bill Healy as he takes stock of the building he hopes soon will be his.

“This is where we’re going to have to build our commercial kitchen,” Healy said. “It is a great venue, beautiful venue. We’re also going to need some area for our coolers, for our walkins, our freezers and things like that.”

Healy has big dreams for the Stern Center. He wants it to still be a place for special events. And, to avoid confusion, Healy says there’s no reason to change the marquee.

“It’s a known name,” Healy said. “There’s no reason to rock the boat.”

It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for Bridges Catering to get here. The family business lost out in February when Healy wanted to buy Rock Island’s historic Hauberg Center.

“That would have been an absolute monster to take care of or to make beautiful,” Healy said.

Healy says losing the Hauberg Center was certainly a disappointment, but he never took the city’s decision personally.

“It wasn’t that they didn’t want us in Rock Island,” Healy said. “You know, they wanted our business here and we hope that they can get behind this.”

And, he does need the city’s endorsement once again. While Healy says he has a seven-figure deal to buy the Stern Center, the city also has to pony up some cash. City Council has to vote on whether to provide $600,000 to finance some of the renovations necessary for the kitchen.

That investment from Rock Island would come in two installments. Half of it up front. The other half after the work is done and it passes inspection. City Council is expected to vote on whether to provide the money on Monday.

If approved, Bridges Catering would take ownership of the stern center on May second.

Mayor Dennis Pauley doesn’t expect the same opposition the Hauberg deal saw.

“I certainly hope not because this is an excellent deal for everybody involved,” said Rock Island Mayor Dennis Pauley. “We will recoup everything that we spend within 7 or 8 years. So, it’s really not, it should not be an issue. It’s just a great project.”

It’s a project that would bring more than a hundred jobs from the current operation in Princeton, Iowa. Healy also plans to hire about a dozen new employees to run the expanded business.

More than that for Healy and his family, it’s a chance to come home to their Rock Island roots.

“That feels amazing,” Healy said.

Opportunity lost, became opportunity found.