Kinzie Corridor News 

  312-421-3941      March 2012

www.industrialcouncil.com 

ICNC has joined over a dozen other business organizations in backing Illinois General Assembly Bills HB3976 and SB2885, which would allow small and medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, and employees to come together to form health insurance cooperatives. These cooperatives would allow small businesses to stabilize the cost of their health insurance, and provide a competitive alternative to large insurance companies. The bills' cosponsors are hoping to have them voted out of committee by March 9^th, the last day a bill can be voted onto the floor this legislative session. To learn more and find out how you can support these bills, visit the Illinois Small Business Advocacy Council.

Read HB3976 here.  Read SB2885 here.

Chicago is ready to begin discussing plans for the site of the former 13^th Police District station at 937 N. Wood Street. The station, which was closed amid much controversy as part of the City's 2012 budget, served communities on the south end of Alderman Proco Joe Moreno's 1st Ward, among others. Part of the Alderman's rationale for voting for the budget involved a promise from the Mayor that something "innovative, impressive, and appropriate" would take the place of the old building. A council of community members has been selected to join administrative and police officials in going over possibilities for the site. No dates have been given for the group's meetings at this time.

On April 1^st, Cook County will roll out a new website detailing information on 1.7 million commercial and residential properties. In addition to displaying five years' worth of official records currently kept by separate offices, the site will also allow for online bill-pay and assessment appeals. The project was conceived to cut down on the amount of paperwork needed to perform basic tasks related to property governance, and to consolidate information pertinent to home or business owners into one resource.

Sales Lead Lists in Latin American Markets from ICNC's International Trade Center

Looking for buyers in Latin America?  The International Trade Center at ICNC can put together a sales lead list of the top buyers of products like yours so your sales department can get to work finding new customers!  U.S.-Latin America merchandise trade has grown almost 85% in the last 15 years (faster than Asia and the E.U.), and a number of emerging markets have made the region a top priority for exporters. Thanks to new electronic resources in our toolkit, the ITC can now identify the top importing companies of products like yours in Chile, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.  Trade information is also available for Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina and more.  And as always, trade research and other export assistance is free.  To find out how ICNC can help your business increase its exports, contact ITC Director Steve DeBretto.

Chicago will see several changes to its taxicab industry after the City Council voted to approve a number of incremental reforms over the coming months and years. The legislation includes incentives to modernize cabs and improve fuel efficiency, mandates to increase accessibility, the creation of an online moving violation database, and some new license categories, among other items. Complete information on the reforms can be found here.

You can get a 10' x 10' booth at the May 1-3 Food Marketing Show in Dallas for only $2560 -- 25% lower than the regular price -- thanks to subsidies by The Illinois Department of Agriculture. Your food company may also be eligible for another subsidy that would bring the cost down to $1,280 and help pay for samples and rental fees. This show draws 25,000 retailers, distributors, and buyers from more than 130 countries. For information contact Kim Hamilton at 217-782-5809 or kim.hamilton@illinois.gov. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, acting in his role as chair of World Business Chicago, released the first draft of his Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs Wednesday. The Plan, a five-month collaborative effort of business and civic leaders, calls for Chicago to increase its exports, invest in next-generation infrastructure, enhance its position as a logistics hub, and encourage advanced manufacturing.  

Read the plan here.

ICNC member and tenant Unison Home will open its new studio + store this Friday, March 2^nd. Discover first-hand the intersection of elegance and craftsmanship in Unison's bedding, table, and housewares designs. Unison's storefront (2000 W Fulton St, Ste. F-109) will be open each Friday from 12-6pm, and ICNC members will receive a 20% discount on all in-person purchases throughout the month of March!

Closures of Chicago's two coal-fired power plants will come earlier than expected. The Fisk plant in Pilsen will be closed by December of this year, with the Crawford plant in Little Village following by the end of 2014. Midwest Generation, who owns both plants, originally agreed to close them by 2018 if they were unable to meet emissions reduction benchmarks, according to a deal struck with state regulators in 2006. Increased pressure from environmental groups and City Council's threat of a new emissions ordinance, however, have led the company to voluntarily close the plants. Long a concern in the Pilsen and Little Village communities, pollution from the plants has caused more than $1 billion in health damages since 2002, according to a report by the nonprofit Environmental Policy & Law Center.

A new report from the Tax Foundation says Chicago's downtown restaurant tax (a combination of sales tax, the city's meals tax, and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority's 1% tax) is the highest of America's ten largest cities and second highest among the largest fifty. Chicago's 10.75% total tax on downtown restaurants ranks second only behind Minneapolis's 10.775% among the big fifty, and surpasses peers New York City (8.875%) and Los Angeles (8.75%).

Local Initiatives Support Coalition and Morgan Stanley have developed a pilot program to offer low-interest, long-term loans to businesses in preferred industrial cities like Chicago. The Small Business Loan Fund uses the advantages of the SBA 504 Program to provide loans of $250K - $2.5M with below-market interest rates, lower down payments, and longer repayment terms than conventional loans. Qualifying small businesses must be located within a New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) census tract and must demonstrate need for an NMTC subsidy, among other criteria. For eligibility requirements, see this term sheet. For additional details on the program, download this presentation by Morgan Stanley.

ICNC Tenant Michael Grucza in
Link Magazine!

Check out ICNC tenant Michael Grucza in the Winter 2012 issue of Link, from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Mr. Grucza, a CIA alum, recently had his massive steel sculpture "BOING!" installed in Cleveland's David E. Davis sculpture park. Read the piece here, and see more work at gruczasculpture.com. Visit gruczastudios.com for art restoration and installation services.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn concluded his leadership of the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) this month. The MGA is a nonprofit, bipartisan organization bringing together the governors of Midwestern states to work cooperatively on agriculture, economic development, energy, and other issues of common interest. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad will serve as MGA's 2012 Chair.

Have you checked out ICNC's free computer classes? Sign up today for one-time classes in Digital Media, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and more, all right here at ICNC at no cost! Click through or see the listing below under "ICNC Events" for class dates.

Need help managing or planning your employee benefits plan? The Department of Labor has free resources to answer your questions. Visit their website for answers to frequently asked questions on  health and retirement benefits, or to get information on an upcoming seminar or workshop.

 What did ICNC do for its members last year?:

• Facilitated more than $1M in grants and loans.

• Provided direct access to political leaders from Alderman Burnett to Congressman Danny Davis & Senator Dick Durbin.

• Advocated for business friendly issues on behalf of members by serving on both city and state advisory bodies.

• Assisted companies with city regulatory issues. 

• Upgraded job skills with FREE training in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, QuickBooks, etc.

• Provided business development assistance to new and expanding companies.

• Increased sales through international trade assistance, marketing seminars and a business reference database.

• Assisted more than 100 small business tenants in the world's largest incubator.

• Presented a host of free seminars from SEO to HR Law.

• Hosted a number of networking events.

• Promoted member companies on NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, WCPT & WLFM.

• Shared conference room and computer room space at no-cost to members.

• Gave out A LOT of FREE FOOD AND BEER!

Not a member yet? Well what are you waiting for? You can join online here, or for more information, contact Andrew at ICNC.

In order to provide the most up to date information on health care reform and employer benefits, The Taylor Group Insurance Agency will be presenting to the members and guests of The Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago.  From this event, attendees will have a better understanding of:

• Status of health care reform
• Grandfathered plans
• Small business tax credit
• Plan coverage and administration changes
• Employer reporting and disclosure rules
• Uniform Summary of Benefits and Coverage
• How health care reform (PPACA) will affect their company's benefits
• Concepts to maximize employee benefits while minimizing employee and employer costs
• Utilizing tax deferred savings to increase their business' bottom line
• Containing the risk of compliance issues from COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA, FMLA, and more

Wednesday, March 21st

10:00am-11:00am  

ICNC 

320 N. Damen Ave. 

The session will include a presentation by Devlin O'Connor.  Please contact Taylor Group Insurance Agency at 312-867-1100 or by email at devlin@taylorgia.com.  

HandsOn Tech Chicago seeks to transform how nonprofits use technology in the Chicago area, and to build resources for low-income communities and families. They have crafted a number of free seminars and online tutorials geared towards our city's nonprofit community, on topics like Search Engine Optimization, CRM Software, Dropbox, social media, Google applications, and more. To find out how HandsOn Tech can improve your organization's digital toolkit, visit their website. To browse a list of upcoming trainings, check out their events calendar.  

Upcoming free seminars:   

Wednesday, March 14th

Social Media 101  

9:00am - 10:00am

at United Way of Metropolitan Chicago

560 W. Lake St.                   

Click here to register  

This City of Chicago BACP monthly informational series will allow business owners to speak directly with City inspectors and permit specialists. Get all your questions about zoning, licensing, health or fire code and more answered in one place. This workshop is ideal for all owners and prospective owners of businesses requiring inspections, so sign up today! Call 312-744-2086 or email oebacp@cityofchicago.org.

3:00pm - 4:30pm

City Hall-121 N. LaSalle St., Room 805 

For more info call 312-421-3941 or email info@industrialcouncil.com

320 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL. 60612

www.industrialcouncil.com