Nearwest News
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Impact Culinary
PMD Plans
SBDC Events
HR Corner
Make City Available Space
Hatchery Workshops
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The Illinois Small Business Development Center International Trade Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, and the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago (ICNC). Reasonable accomodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Please contact the center at (312)433-2373.

October 2019
Impact Culinary Training - 
New Video & Upcoming Application Deadline
Impact Culinary Training | How will you make an Impact?
Impact Culinary Training | How will you make an Impact?

The application for the second cohort of  Impact Culinary Training  is open! The program aims to provide young adults ages 16-24 with 8 weeks of culinary training in the kitchen, followed by 4 weeks of experience working in a restaurant during an internship. The application deadline is Friday, October 11th. The session will take place from November 4th to February 7th, including class breaks for holidays. 

You can help by sharing this  flyer  and referring any motivated young adults who are interested in launching their culinary career!
Kinzie Framework Plan Passes City Council!
ICNC is pleased to announce that the Kinzie Framework Plan was passed by City Council last month on September 18th,  upholding and modernizing the Kinzie Industrial Corridor's planned manufacturing district (PMD) zoning. We greatly appreciate the hard work of the City and neighborhood businesses for their support of preserving the Kinzie Industrial Corridor as an economic engine for Chicagoans of diverse backgrounds.  For questions regarding the new zoning regulations in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, contact Hannah
Entrepreneurship Education at ICNC

The Illinois Small Business Development Center International Trade Center at ICNC is hosting no-cost workshops!

Start Your Business in Illinois
October 18th
Understand the basic elements of starting a business in Illinois. Will also touch on elements of entrepreneurship.

ChiBizHub Info Session
October 24th
ChiBizHub is an innovative new web platform that connects expert service providers to Chicago's fast-growing business community. Come and learn how this tool can help you grow your business!


Scaling Up!! For Retail Growth
October 22nd
Growing your business through retail or eCommerce? Then you need to understand the important role manufacturing plays in this. Our panel of retail, distribution, manufacturing, supply chain experts & product entrepreneurs will help you get started the right way!

The HR Corner 
- Are you ready to hire staff but lack the time to screen resumes? Our workforce development department can assist you!  Learn more.

- On September 24th, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to make 1.3 million American workers newly eligible for overtime pay, effective January 1, 2020.  The final rule updates the earnings thresholds necessary to exempt executive, administrative and professional employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) minimum wage and overtime pay requirements. Learn more

- The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is launching an Apprenticeship Program, scheduled to begin in Winter 2019. The program will provide IT and other "white collar" apprenticeships to City Colleges of Chicago students. The Chamber is targeting middle market companies which often struggle to fill in-demand roles but lack the internal resources or HR infrastructure to take on an apprentice. Learn more

- West Side United is planning to distribute grants to West Side businesses and nonprofits that seek to strengthen their communities. The application is open from September 9 - October 31st and our partner in The Hatchery, Accion is the fiscal agent. Learn more.  

- Your business can receive money back for hiring full-time Chicago residents through the TIFWorks 50/50 Program! For more information, contact Hannah.
 
To discuss your HR needs, please contact Nancy or Priscilla in our Workforce Development Department!
Grow Your Business @ Make City!
Enjoy a thriving entrepreneurial community and immediate access to ICNC's advising, export, and advocacy services at ICNC's Make City incubator alongside 100 other small businesses.
  
Click here to view the available spaces.    
Upcoming Food Workshops
The Hatchery, a collaboration between ICNC and Accion Chicago to bring education, capital, and support to the Chicagoland food entrepreneur community, has upcoming food workshops.  

Hatchery Networking - October 24

*Certain workshops are free for members of the West Side communities (Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and West Humboldt).
For more information, call ( 312)421-3941 or email   info@industrialcouncil.com .