Businesses learn it’s all in the name – Picking what to call your company can be vital to its success

Daryl Bartelson knows he can’t take all the credit for the positive image surrounding his company’s name.

Petersen’s has been synonymous with ice cream in Oak Park since 1919, and Bartelson recognized the value of that heritage when he acquired the historic Petersen’s Restaurant, Ice Cream Parlour and Sweet Shoppe in 2002, becoming its fourth owner.

"We know how valuable the name Petersen’s is, the tradition and what a joy the place is," said Bartelson, who has lived in Oak Park for 30 years. "I had a dream of owning Petersen’s. That’s been my field of dreams and still is."

For Bartelson, the decision to keep the Petersen’s name was a no-brainer. But as the recent controversy surrounding Federated Department Stores Inc.’s decision to change Marshall Field’s to Macy’s suggests, whether to keep a name is not always clear-cut.

By Ann Meyer
Special to the Tribune

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