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USDA GRANT AWARDED– SMALL BUSINESS CENTER

Jo-Carroll Energy has been awarded a $50,000 grant that will help establish a sustainable small business support center in the Tri-County Economic Development Alliance (TCEDA) region.

The funding comes from USDA Rural Development through the Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) program, which supports regional planning activities to improve economic conditions in rural areas. The center will provide training, consulting and other tools and resources to help small businesses in northwestern Illinois with the ultimate goal of creating and retaining jobs to build the regional economy.

Jo-Carroll Energy wrote the grant in support of the Tri-County Economic Development Alliance (TCEDA), according to Russ Simpson, Jo-Carroll Energy senior vice president and chief administrative officer. The RBOG grant will provide less than 20 percent of the estimated two-year cost of operating the center, with other funding coming from Jo-Carroll Energy and TCEDA.

“Jo-Carroll Energy considers economic development a major strategic priority and is fully engaged with TCEDA and other organizations to bring about job creation in northwest Illinois,” Simpson said. He stressed the need for tools and other support for a successful economic development initiative, referring to U.S. Census data that show 30-year declining trends in population, employment and median income for the area.

“These trends can be reversed with additional good-paying jobs as a result of current businesses expanding and new businesses opening,” Simpson said. “Grants that the USDA and other governmental agencies provide are very important for providing these desperately needed tools and support.”
The center will offer training and counseling in the areas of marketing, finance, business planning, customer service, human resources, leadership, governance and strategic planning. Plans include regularly scheduled classes as well as counselors and mentors for one-on-one assistance. Classrooms will be equipped with video capability for remote participation to minimize or eliminate travel time. Also envisioned is a business incubator to assist entrepreneurs in getting their new businesses off to a successful start.

The grant will allow the center to offer these services at no or minimal cost for 24 months, Simpson noted. “Some very reasonable fees will be required for some services, and the grant commitment is to have a self-sustained support center after 24 months,” Simpson said. “TCEDA intends to develop a center of quality that businesses will support through fees for services on into the future. Businesses will be asked to play a major role in determining and designing center offerings they believe will be beneficial.”

TCEDA executive director Cindy Lenz will manage and oversee the business support center. Lenz is Jo-Carroll Energy’s manager of economic development; her services are contracted to TCEDA as executive director.

“TCEDA’s focus is retention and expansion of local businesses because, according to conventional economic development statistics, at least 80 percent of job creation comes from the growth of businesses that are already here,” Simpson said. “TCEDA and other organizations continue to promote northwest Illinois in an effort to increase local threshold traffic.

“Businesses have asked for training and counseling to prepare them for additional traffic, growth and expansion,” he continued. “This grant was available to cooperatives that could prove commitment and strong economic development relationships.”

Preliminary plans call for locating the center at The Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies, situated on the former Shimer College campus in Mt. Carroll. Simpson noted The Campbell Center is centrally positioned in the TCEDA region and “has available facilities ready-made for education and training.” The center would rent space for classrooms, the incubator and offices. The option for satellite training via video technology for the convenience of businesses is also being reviewed. Details for the center will be finalized after written confirmation of the grant is received.

Announcement of the center’s opening, initial schedule of classes and available counselors is expected later this year.

“Jo-Carroll Energy’s mission is to enhance the quality of life of our members,” Simpson added. “We will continue to be as involved as is necessary to accomplish this mission; to that end, economic development success is an absolute requirement.”