June 2020
ICNC's Statement on the Black Lives Matter Movement
We want you to know that ICNC intends to be an active participant in the conversation and subsequent actions to make real, positive changes come out of the anger and frustration that we’re seeing in our own neighborhood on the West Side and in our larger community of Chicago and beyond. 

Read ICNC's entire statement here and The Hatchery Chicago's statement here .
The Illinois Small Business Development Center at ICNC
Entrepreneurship Education Virtual Workshops
Join the Illinois SBDC at ICNC for upcoming webinars! Learn more about the Illinois SBDC at ICNC  here and the IL SBDC International Trade Center here .
Navigating Funding Resources and Avoiding Predatory Financing
Thursday, June 11th at 1:00 PM
Join the Illinois Small Business Development Center at ICNC for a webinar about navigating the various funding resources that are now available. Attendees will learn about the new breed of online lenders that are innovating small business lending and expanding new options for entrepreneurs with Geri Sanchez Aglipay.
Recover, Reinvent, and Reset Your Business with Cultivate Advisors
Tuesday, June 30th at 11:30 AM
A 90-minute workshop to recover your financials, reinvent your sales process, and reset your business plan for the second half of 2020. Presented by Cultivate Advisors, you will learn nimble tools for your business in the post-COVID economy and gain the confidence you need for the comeback you deserve.
Make City Mentions + Hatchery Headlines
Supporting Others Through Community + Collaboration
The entrepreneurial atmosphere in our Make City incubator is always apparent. During the COVID-19 crisis, the community of collaboration and innovation is more evident than ever before. Some of the small businesses working out of Make City and The Hatchery, whose businesses are struggling due to the current environment, have changed operations and thought of innovative ways to support their business, their employees, and their communities.
J.Spice Cuisine + CTRL Kitchen
Justice of the Pies
J.Spice Cuisine by CTRL Kitchen , housed in The Hatchery, has continued to provide meals for the local community. Their focus is on feeding frontline workers at smaller local clinics and nursing homes.
Justice of the Pies , housed in The Hatchery, has prepared and delivered more than 1,000 meals to frontline workers. Recently the company has donated meals to minority- and women-owned small businesses who have experienced property damage or loss.
Sunstarr Apparel
Meliora + All Set + Rhine Hall
Sunstarr Apparel , a local business that produces Made In Chicago uniforms and work apparel, and Unah Choi, ICNC's Board President, created more than 800 reusable cloth masks to give out to Make City tenants and Hatchery residents for free. Below is Make City tenant Shannon of Green Diaper Babies wearing the Sunstarr mask while continuing to run her essential cloth diaper service.
Meliora Cleaning Products , AllSet Turnover , and Rhine Hall , all housed in ICNC's Make City incubator, supplied hand sanitizer and materials for hand sanitizer stations in Make City. The stations were created by ICNC's maintenance team and are located near building entrances and in high-traffic areas.
Potluck Creative
Potluck Creative created a video series entitled When Life Hands You Lemons where they follow people who are turning lemons into lemonade, using their resources to help others in the face of COVID-19. The weekly series recently covered Rhine Hall who has pivoted from making fruit brandy to creating hand sanitizer. Through an online fundraiser, Rhine Hall has been able to donate sanitizer to frontline workers, as well as offering sanitizer to be purchased.
The above spotlights are just a few ways that small businesses in Make City and The Hatchery are working to support their communities. If your business is housed in ICNC's Make City incubator or The Hatchery and you have changed your operations to support others, please let us know !
Upcoming Virtual Food Workshops with The Hatchery Chicago
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.

COVID-19 Resources + Funding Opportunities
Our mission to support Chicago's small businesses and the West Side community that we are a part of is and always will be our top priority. We've created a COVID-19 Resources webpage that is updated daily and includes funding opportunities, employment support, food access, small business resources, online training opportunities, how manufacturing businesses can support first responders, and more.
Accion, our partner in The Hatchery, has created an  emergency capital webpage  with the most up-to-date information on small business grant and loan opportunities.
ICNC's HR Corner
Are you ready to hire staff but lack the time to screen resumes? Our workforce development department can assist you!  Learn more .

  • The Workforce Development Team at ICNC works every day to provide quality and streamlined services that connect a skilled and qualified workforce with employment, as well as a variety of labor market services to meet the needs of local businesses.​To discuss your HR needs, please contact Nancy or Priscilla in our Workforce Development Department!
Grow Your Business @ Make City & The Hatchery
Make City - 320 N. Damen Ave.
The Hatchery - 135 N. Kedzie Ave.
ICNC's Make City incubator offers a thriving entrepreneurial community and immediate access to ICNC's advising, export, and advocacy services alongside 100 other small, modern urban manufacturing businesses. ICNC supports small businesses and the West Side community through incubation, advocacy, and advising.
The Hatchery is a non-profit food and beverage incubator dedicated to helping local entrepreneurs build and grow successful businesses through cutting-edge kitchen facilities, entrepreneurship curriculum, partnerships with generous corporate sponsors and foundations to create local job opportunities and accelerate local economic growth.
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.