Chicago Community Ventures Blog

Grants for Rehabilitating Your Small Business

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Are you a small business owner in the Chicago area? Is your small business in need of improvements however you cannot afford all the expenses? If the answer to these questions is yes, then join the LACC for the informative August workshop that will discuss how to benefit from the Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF).

Program participants are eligible for:

• Reimbursements up to 75% of the remodeling work
• A maximum grant of $150,000, which does not need to be repaid.

LOCATION: Latin American Chamber of Commerce // 3512 W. Fullerton Ave // Chicago, IL 60647

TIME: 9:30 AM

COST: Free Admission (Meter Parking)

PRESENTED BY: Derek Walvoord, Director of SBIF Program

Tax Credits Available from ShoreBank for Green Collar Jobs

News from ShoreBank

ShoreBank will use $35 million of Tax Credits to Promote Green Collar Jobs

ShoreBank was awarded $35 million in New Markets Tax Credits by the U.S. Treasury Department in June and is hard at work identifying energy-efficiency, alternative energy and green building projects in Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit that can benefit from the funds.

Of special interest:

• Grocery stores and retailers who want to reduce utility expenses or develop new green buildings
• Community organizations that would like to complete energy-efficiency retrofits or other green improvements to reduce operating costs
• Schools, affordable housing developers, and hospitals looking at installing alternative energy systems that will reduce costs

This allocation is the result of a competitive process, open to certified organizations investing in low- and moderate-income communities. To learn about this program, see www.cdfifund.gov.

Illinois Entrepreneurship Network Connection

Resources and workshops of interest from the IEN Weekly Connection.

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ELEVATE ILLINOIS - A STATE OF ILLINOIS AND MICROSOFT PARTNERSHIP

Introduction: The Illinois-Microsoft Elevate America program is a public-private partnership between the State of Illinois and Microsoft. The purpose of the program is to provide a no-cost opportunity for individuals to increase their technology skills. This is a national program and, for our state, Microsoft is providing 51,000 vouchers to be redeemed by individuals to complete Microsoft online courses and Microsoft business certification exams.

Timeline: The distribution of vouchers takes place between July 31 - October 31, 2009. Individuals who are assigned online learning vouchers during that period must “redeem” their vouchers online before October 31st, but have 12 months to complete the online learning courses. Individuals who are assigned certification exam vouchers during the distribution period must complete their exam by October 31, 2009.

Courses and Exams: Individuals will choose specific voucher types to either complete select Microsoft online courses in two categories or to take Microsoft business certification exams. In each category there are many courses to pick from.

A voucher is good for one set of courses, called a course collection, for a selected Microsoft product. Individuals may wish to complete more than one course collection and, if so, will need a voucher for each collection. The estimated time to complete a course varies from a few hours to about five hours.

Accessing Elevate America: To access information about the program, online courses, and to find certification exam sites, go to: www.illinoisworknet.com and click on Individuals. You will find Elevate Illinois by scrolling down and looking in the left hand column on the page.

THE BUSINESS LEDGER - ENTREPRENEURIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The Business Ledger Newspaper is accepting applications for the 10th Annual Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards Program. Award categories include: Early Stage, Growth, Innovation, Lifetime Achievement, Minority Entrepreneur, Outstanding Service, Regional Spirit and Young Entrepreneur (Under 40). Award recipients will be honored at an evening reception to be held on September 24th. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, July 31st. The Illinois SBDC is listed as a Marketing Partner for this program. To learn more about this awards program and to access the nomination form, please click on this link.

FAMEE FOUNDATION MARKETING TOOLS

The Foundation for the Advancement of Marketing Excellence in Entrepreneurs (FAMEE) Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable non-profit organization engaged in economic development through marketing education and consultation leading to sustainable, long-term customer revenue streams. They help entrepreneurs through partnership with economic development organizations like your SBDC.

You can give your clients an inexpensive yet powerful way to collect outstanding information about their customers: One of the strongest marketing strategies is "post purchase follow up"--touching base with customers after the purchase. Learn more about this winning strategy in their book, CUSTOMER PILLARS (see Pillar #7). You can download the full electronic copy at no cost.

Do you work with start-ups? Need an idea for your next Entrepreneur / Start-Up workshop? Help your clients move into "urgent revenue generation" the minute they open their doors - look into our e-course Marketing Advice for Starting a Business - A Marketing Primer for Start-Ups.

FAMEE Entrepreneur & Consultant Programs - You will find numerous consulting tools and e-courses for your clients and you at www.FAMEE.org

FAMEE e-courses:
- were developed by a former SBDC center director
- use a self-study format that is very flexible for busy entrepreneurs
- are designed to be used in conjunction with your consulting
- are available right now and at no cost!

Chicago 2009 MED Week - August 13th & 14th

Chicago MED Week will be here in a few short weeks! The event consists of two days of workshops for minority owned businesses as well as celebrating the achievements of MBEs. Check out the flier below to learn more about the highlights of the event.

Please note that the below flier is just an image. To register click here. To download the electronic brochure, click here.

Market Mondays: IMMCS & Ukietech

CCV Market Mondays is a new initiative to feature two to three clients every Monday. If you are a client interested in being featured, please e-mail Lauren Foukes.

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Illinois Medical Management and Consulting Services (IMMCS) is a medical billing service, management, and consulting company that gives medical providers the opportunity to outsource their administrative and management burdens to save time and money while increasing efficiency. Our business solutions fill the gap between the practice of medicine and the necessary paperwork of running a business.

We provide our business expertise to allow you to focus on your primary purpose, treating your patients. Our accommodating services include the following: Medical Billing (Physician, Diagnostic, and Facility Billing), Insurance Credentialing, Consulting and Management, Staff Training, and Office Set-up.

For more information, please visit our website at or send us an email at inquiries@immcs-llc.com.

Ukietech is the innovative industry leader providing the business community with the latest technology in Web Development: Web design, SEO, Programming, Rendering, 3D-2D graphic & modeling, Animation, Branding, Print design.

As businesses are growing so is the demand for a unique and memorable advertisement. It is our job to sit down with the client and develop the best approach to sell his business. Specialists in animation, 3D graphics, and branding on our team makes Ukietech art studio a powerful toolbox for any business.

Having an online website that provides all the necessary information, navigates the customer through simple and multifunctional options, and educates important aspects of the business, is not just necessary but is a token of quality and value that Ukietech provides.

Our web designers truly have an artist's mind, just read a few testimonials of our clients (eproperties, state farm, unico, ect.) at www.ukietech.com.

Ukietech corp.
f:773.968.1681
mail@ukietech.com
1900 west Chicago ave.
Chicago IL 60622
USA