News Relevant to DeKalb County
DCEDC's Technology Focus Luncheon
Join us for our 2013 Technology Focus Luncheon. The topic this
year will focus on Broadband and Economic Development. Our panel
will discuss the broadband assets available in DeKalb County, in
addition to strategies to promote increased adoption, utilization
and economic development using broadband technology. This event
will be held at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center at Northern
Illinois University on Thursday, May 30th, 2013 from 11.00am to
1.00pm. Click Here for
further details, registration, and sponsorship information.
Industrial Workforce Development Follow-Up Summit
Building on the success of the first Industrial Workforce Summit
in March, a second Summit is being held at Kishwaukee College on
June 18th, 2013. The objective of this meeting is to present an
Action Plan for businesses and educators to develop a local workforce
that is better suited to the needs of local industry. There is no
cost to attend this event, though registration is required. Click
Here for further details and sign-up information.
Kish CareerLink
Be a part of this exciting project to connect students and job-seekers
with businesses in DeKalb and Ogle Counties using the Kish CareerLink
online tool. This program helps those about to enter the workforce
learn about their career options, while businesses are presented
with a large selection of potential employees from which to recruit.
Click Here for additional
information about Kish CareerLink.
DeKalb to Host Illinois High School Football Finals
Huskie Stadium at Northern Illinois University was selected Monday
as the venue for several Illinois high school football final games.
DeKalb will be hosting the event in odd number years through 2021.
The first event scheduled for Huskie Stadium will be November 29th
to 30th in 2013. This is expected to boost the local economy by
$800,000 to $1 million dollars and draw 32,000 visitors to the area
that weekend. Click
Here for IHSA coverage of this decision, or Here
for coverage by the Daily Chronicle. Please join in the fun and
volunteer or become a sponsor for this elite event. We need to help
make the playoffs a memorable experience for all our visitors. Click
Here for more information on how to become involved.
The Suter Company to Expand May Street Facility
The Suter Company is implementing a sizable expansion to their
May Street facility. Ground was broken for the project in April
and the project is set for substantial completion by October. The
$1.5 million expansion will add 12,500 square feet to the facility
and allow the company to expand its food processing operations and
increase its number of full time employees to 180. Click
Here for the full press release.
Illinois Small Business Development Center
The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Elgin Community
College is offering a new range of services to support existing
businesses. Counselors are ready to provide instruction on topics
such as Comprehensive Business Assessment, Financial Scorecard and
Break-Even Analysis, and Profit Mastery. There is no charge for
these services. Please call 847-214-7488 for details. Click
Here for additional information.
Illinois Tax Credit Programs
The Illinois Angel Investment Credit Program offers tax credits
for businesses and individuals who make an investment in one of
Illinois' innovative, qualified new business ventures. Investments
must encourage job growth and expand capital investment in the state.
Click Here
for full details on how to qualify for this tax credit program.
Click Here
for information on the The Small Business Jobs Creation Tax Credit
Program.
DC Business Connections
The December 2012 edition of DC Business Connections includes an
article by DCEDC directory Paul Borek. This issue also includes
pieces by other business and community leaders from DeKalb County.
Click
Here for the full issue of DC Business Connections.
2012 Illinois Clean Water Initiative
New legislation out of Springfield has made available more than
$1 billion in funding for improvements in municipal water infrastructure.
This funding will be distributed through the Illinois EPA over the
next two years. An information summary of this new program can be
found Here,
a fact sheet Here,
and the press release from the Governor's Office Here.
IESA State Wrestling Championship to be held at NIU through 2018
At a recent meeting in Bloomington, the Illinois Elementary School
Association (IESA) decided to continue holding the Boys Wrestling
State Final at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center.
The DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau noted that the
event "fills between 300 and 400 hotel room nights and brings
anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 visitors" for each event, in addition
to an estimated economic impact of $125,000 per year. Click
Here for the full story from NIU Today.
Kishwaukee College Earns Reaffirmation of Accreditation through Spring 2019
Kishwaukee College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools through
the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). As part of the
reaffirmation of accreditation process, an AQIP team visited the
College for three days this past April to conduct a "Quality
Check-up." At the Institutional Actions Council (IAC) meeting
on July 16, the IAC voted to continue the accreditation of Kishwaukee
College with the next reaffirmation of accreditation to be in 2018-19.
The College received the maximum seven-year accreditation. Click
Here to read the rest of this press release.
Big Park 88 Deal in DeKalb
The largest industrial land trade in the Midwest since 2007 took
place recently in DeKalb. Venture One Real Estate, LLC and Clayco,
Inc. purchased the 350 available acres of Park 88, just west of
Peace Road. The buyers note the improving business environment and
future opportunities, including several companies that may break
ground as early as Spring 2012, as reasons for the acquisition.
Mark Goode of Venture One explains how the increase in American
manufacturing as companies move back from overseas locations in
Europe and China is driving this opportunity. Click
Here for the full article from Real Estate BISNOW, or Here
for the original press release. The Park 88 Master Plan can be seen
Here.
Illinois' Business Climate Outshines its Neighbors'
Despite Illinois' ongoing financial challenges, the state has a number of advantages over neighboring states that continue to attract business and investment. This recent article by John Pletz in Crain's Chicago Business examines a number of frequently-overlooked advantages the state has over its neighbors.
One of these is geography. Illinois, and Chicago in particular, is centrally located in the United States, and is a hub in the national railway, highway and air transport systems. In addition, the Illinois workforce has a higher education level than those of surrounding states, and is significantly larger, according to Pletz. Companies come to Illinois to capitalize on this labor pool, and the largest market in the Midwest. The state hosts over thirty Fortune 500 companies, more than triple the total for any of its neighbors. Illinois companies also raised more venture capital than any other Midwestern state from January through June of 2011.
While Illinois does impose the second highest corporate income
tax (after Iowa), the effective tax rate, after considering property,
local, and other taxes, is much lower on new investments. Pletz
grants that the costs of doing business in Chicago are significant,
and how the state will deal with its budget issues remains unforeseen,
but taxes are just one factor companies consider in selecting where
to locate. A talented population, transportation options, and access
to capital are factors as well: factors that place Illinois ahead
of its neighbors. The full article can be found Here.
Small Business and Entrepreneur Assistance
DeKalb County is a community that is well aware of the advantages
small business owners and entrepreneurs bring to the area. According
to the U.S. Small Business Administration website, independent firms
having less than 500 employees represent 99.7 percent of all employer
firms. They employ approximately half of all private sector employees
and have generated 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs annually during
the past 10 years. It is with this in mind that DeKalb County has
a number of resources available to these individuals and groups.
The DeKalb County organizations that are available to small business
owners and entrepreneurs include:
- Elgin Community College Small Business Development Center
- Kishwaukee College Center for Business Development and Continuing Education
- Waubonsee Community College Small Business Development Center
- Illinois Business Information Center
- DeKalb County Chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
- Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC)
- DeKalb County Small Business Initiative
They provide assistance with business planning, marketing, employee
training, process improvements, technology and financing. For more
information on all of these resources Click
Here.
Small Business Workshops
The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Waubonsee Community College provides management, marketing, and financial counseling to prospective and existing small business owners. For more information, call the IL SBDC office at (630) 906-4143, or visit the Waubonsee Seminar Details Page for class descriptions, locations, ticket numbers, prices, and registration information on the upcoming events. Click Here for a list of upcoming events.
Need to learn QuickBooks or Excel
or want to improve your skills on either program? Waubonsee offers
classes to help you out. Click
Here for the full list of upcoming Workforce Development Courses.
Illinois workNet Center Calendar and Events
The Illinois workNet Center aids the workforce by connecting job seekers and employers. It provides education, training and employment opportunities which are detailed in the monthly calendar. The Illinois workNet Center at DeKalb is located at 1701 East Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, Illinois 60115 and can be contacted at (815) 756-4893. For more information visit the Illinois workNet website http://www.illinoisworknet.com. Click here to find events taking place in DeKalb.
Illinois workNet Calendars
-For a copy of the May calendar, please Click
Here.
Workshops at the workNet Center
-Introduction
to Illinois workNet.com
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm
-Resumes
that Work
Thursday, May 30h, 2013 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Call (815) 756-4893 if you have any questions.
Archived News
Click Here for articles that are still relevant to DeKalb County but are now old news.
