Meet your fellow Inverness neighbors, the Hinshaw Family! Will and Traci Hinshaw have lived in the Inverness community since 2019 with their three children: Anna, Ellen, and Owen. Will was raised in Macon, GA, attending Georgia State University in Atlanta where he earned a degree in accounting. Traci, on the other hand, was raised in Ann Arbor, MI. She stayed in Ann Arbor after high school and attended the University of Michigan where she earned her degree in economics. She bleeds blue and maize! Go, Wolverines! Traci also went on to earn her MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. 

All three of Will and Traci’s children are unique in their own right. Anna, who is 12 years old and attends Sundling Junior High as a seventh-grader, swims competitively with the Palatine Tiger Sharks, enjoys competing in cross-country and track, and has studied ballet at McDonald Dance Academy in Arlington Heights for eight years! Her sister, Ellen, who is 10 years old and attends Marion Jordan as a fifth-grade student, also swims as a member of the Palatine Tiger sharks. In contrast to her sister Anna, Ellen currently plays basketball for the Fremd Feeder team as her chosen athletic activity. Finally, Owen, who is 8 years old and attends Marion Jordan as a third-grader, participates in gymnastics through the Palatine Park District. In addition, he enjoys trying new sports activities, and this summer he is taking a diving class, also through the Palatine Park District. Of course, no family would be complete without a furry companion, and the Hinshaws have a Bernedoodle named Bandit. Bernedoodles, as their breed name suggests, are mix between a Bernese mountain dog and a poodle. Bandit is a year and a half old, coming to live with the Hinshaws early in the year of 2019.

When it comes to their professional lives, Will is the controller at Deublin Company, a global manufacturer of rotating unions, whereas Traci is a project manager at Alight Solutions where she consults Fortune 500 companies on their employee wellness benefit programs. 

The Hinshaw family enjoys trying new restaurants, but they frequently return to their favorites, including Cocina Bonita (formerly named Artistic Cuisine) in Palatine, Farmhouse on North in Barrington, and 1776 in Crystal Lake. When it comes to relaxing and taking a break from the hectic schedules of day-to-day life, Will and Traci enjoy spending time with their children and neighbors at the Valley Swim Club in Inverness. Shortly after moving to Inverness, they joined the Club and found it to be a great way to meet and get to know other local families in the community. 

An interesting bit of family history that the Hinsaws would like to share is that in 2007, while Will was living and working in Nashville, TN, a colleague was celebrating his birthday by hosting his brother and sister, along with a couple of college friends, for the weekend. The colleague invited Will to join them for their Saturday evening out in downtown Nashville. Will didn’t know anyone and almost didn’t accept the invitation to go. Luckily, he decided to join the group and that’s how he met Traci, his colleague’s sister. Traci was living in Chicago at the time and also almost didn’t go because her cousin had backed out on the weekend trip. As a result of a chance meeting, Will and Traci dated long-distance for nine months before Will relocated to Chicago. The rest, as they say, is history. 

With regards to their favorite vacation or travel destinations, the Hinshaws love a good national park. Most recently, they spent spring break at Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park. They’ve visited eight of America’s 63 national parks and are now on a mission to visit as many as they can! What a fantastic goal!

Prior to moving to Inverness, Will and Traci were both actively involved in the Palatine Jaycees, volunteering their time and commitment to their community. Both have served as president of the organization, and Will also served a four-year term on the Board of Education for Township High School District 211. Currently, Will is the president of the Valley Swim Club, and Traci is active on the PTA board at Marion Jordan. According to Will and Traci, their love for the community of Inverness is the result of kind neighbors, spacious yards with beautiful landscapes, and the myriad of activities that they, as well as their children, are fortunate enough to be able to participate in. Inverness truly is the place to be when it comes to raising a family, and the Hinshaws would have it no other way.