Letter from the Economic Development Manager
Thanks for stopping by the Economic Development Corner!
Thank you to all who joined us for the last Business Roundtable of the year. We had a successful year of roundtable events made possible thanks to the amazing businesses who hosted and donated food as well as the support of our knowledgeable partners.
If you’re interested in hosting, speaking, or attending one of our future events, feel free to contact me!
Sincerely,
Kendra Shaw
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BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE RECAP
ALL-BERWYN
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Thank you for attending our final Business Roundtable of the year! This year’s All Berwyn Business Roundtable was held on Wednesday, October 4th at Jardin Restaurant. We’d like to give a special thanks to the Jardin Staff for hosting us & providing the delicious & beautiful appetizers!
Meeting Highlights:
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Representatives from FEMA & the SBA joined us to share updates on how residents & business owners can apply for disaster relief assistance. Application Deadline is October 30th! Visit the in-person disaster relief centers located at:
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Berwyn Grove Ave Parking Garage (Berwyn): 3310 Grove Avenue Berwyn, Illinois 60402
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Morton College (Cicero): 3801 South Central Avenue Cicero, Illinois 60804
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2023 Economic Resiliency Community Survey – the BDC values your input and wants to hear from Berwyn residents about the strengths and needs of the Berwyn community and business community.
- Survey CLOSED 10/13.
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Representative from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) gave an overview of the Advantage Illinois program that provides low interest commercial loans.
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Learn more: dceo.illinois.gov/smallbizassistance/advantageillinois.html
Additional BDC Information & Resources:
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Upcoming Events: the BDC will be hosting several events & grand openings throughout the community in the coming weeks. Stay updated via our Events Calendar.
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Funding Sources: Periodically updated with funding sources provided by trusted partners including grants and loans.
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Project Homegrown: Check out our new landing page that provides insight into the Berwyn Shops, Berwyn Boutique & Berwyn Sprout!
Business Roundtables will resume in Spring of 2024!
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DEADLINE EXTENDED
FLOOD SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE
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Application Deadline for FEMA Assistance Extended to Oct. 30, 2023.
The extension applies to survivors living in Cook County. Survivors of the June 29 –July 2 severe storms and flooding.
FEMA assistance for individuals and families can include money for rental assistance, essential home repairs, personal property losses and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.
To apply:
- Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov.
- Use the FEMA mobile app.
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Call the disaster assistance helpline at 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available. If you use video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.
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Visit a disaster recovery center. The centers serve as one-stop shops for survivors who need one-on-one help. Survivors can visit any center for assistance. To find DRC locations and current hours, visit FEMA.gov/DRC.
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CELEBRATING THE ROUTE 66 CENTENNIAL |
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MICRO GRANTS FOR WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES |
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The Route 66 Extraordinary Women Initiative Micro-Grant program is part of the Road Ahead Partnership’s efforts to celebrate the upcoming Route 66 Centennial by helping the millions of people who live, work, and travel the Mother Road. Through private fund-raising efforts, including a major gift from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 Initiative, the Road Ahead Partnership will award up to $60,000 via the Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant program.
Businesses and attractions that are eligible to apply include those that:
- Purchase of equipment or furnishings.
- Materials and services such as printing, photographs, telephone, and supplies.
- For non-profit organizations, organizational capacity building activities such as hiring fundraising consultants, conducting board training, etc.
- Development of promotional materials (either physical or virtual).
- Updates to websites for better operations and communications.
- Mailing costs for distribution of materials or merchandise… AND MORE!
Grant Application must be submitted online by midnight [in the applicant’s time zone] on October 23, 2023.
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Stop by the Berwyn Shops this season for a spooky-good time! |
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Saturday, 10/28 | 10 am – 8 pm |
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The Berwyn Shops would like to formally invite all pop-up vendors to join us this holiday season for our 2023 Holiday Markets! We are looking for vendors that sell anything from beautiful holiday decor to prepackaged treats and everything else in between!
If you want to bring a little holiday cheer to Berwyn, please apply on our website! Operating from 10AM - 6PM on Saturday, November 11th and Saturday, December 9th.
The Holiday Market will be located indoors next to the Berwyn Shops inside of the American Legion. Festive activities will be held both inside and on-site at the Berwyn Shops throughout the day.
All applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to apply today!
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The BDC Chamber is now accepting nominations for the 2024 George W Ashby Business Excellence Award and 2024 George W. Piper Award Outstanding Colleague! Click HERE for a description of each award, last year's award recipients, and to vote today! Act Fast! Deadline to vote is 10/27/23!
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Berwyn Development Corporation
Berwyn.net
(708) 788-8100
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