City Treasurer's Business Plan Competition
Richard M. Daley Mayor |
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Stephanie D. Neely City Treasurer |
The Chicago City Treasurer’s Office announced and showcased the winners of the 2009 Business Plan Competition at their Small Business Expo on Friday, July 17. The winners represent the diverse industries of small businesses throughout the City of Chicago. To see a list of the finalists, please click here.
The City Treasurer's Business Plan Competition is open to start-up and existing small businesses throughout the city. To compete for a chance to win one of the cash prizes, current or soon-to-be business owners must complete a two-page executive summary (on the official template) detailing your business and what makes it unique.
Ten finalists will then be selected to submit a full business plan. Three winners will be selected based on their ability to clearly and concisely articulate their business idea, the creativity and practicability of their marketing and sales strategy, and the overall viability of their business. The winners will be announced on July 16 at the Chicago City Treasurer’s Small Business Expo. In addition, the winners present their winning business plans at the Expo.
First Place - $5,000 * Second Place - $3,500 * Third Place Winner - $1,500
Competition Rules
- Business can be a start-up venture or an existing business. Existing businesses should not be in business more than 3 years and should have revenues below $2 million.
- All businesses must be located or plan to be located in the City of Chicago.
- The following businesses are not considered eligible for the competition: Tobacco production, Hard liquor production, Casinos or other gamble ventures, Fur production, Currency speculation, Securities investment, Speculative industries, Adult entertainment related industries.
- All entrants must be 21 years or older.
Important 2010 Dates
- Wednesday, March 3, 6 – 8 p.m.: Business Planning Workshop, at Chicago Community Ventures, 105 W Adams St (entrance on Clark St), Suite 2300
- Wednesday, March 10, 6 – 8 p.m.: Business Planning Workshop, at Chatham Business Association, 8441 S. Cottage Drive
- Wednesday, March 17, 6 – 8 p.m.: Business Planning Workshop at Chicago Community Ventures, 105 W Adams St (entrance on Clark St), Suite 2300
- Wednesday, March 24, 6 – 8 p.m.: Business Planning Workshop, at Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, 300 N. Central Park
- Monday, April 5: Executive summaries submissions due (by 5 p.m.)
- Monday, May 10: 10 finalists announced
- Monday, May 31 : Finalists’ business plans due (by 5 p.m.)
- Friday, July 16: Winners announced at Small Business Expo at UIC Forum
To enter, submit your two-page executive summary on the Official Competition Template to businessplans@cityofchicago.org by April 5, 2010. For more information or with questions call Chicago Community Ventures at 312.960.0320.
For more information about the workshops, please download the Business Plan Workshops Flyer. Please RSVP for the workshops by sending an email to businessplans@cityofchicago.org.
2009 Winners
First Place, $5,000 & Mentoring
Macondo Columbian Empanadas and Organic Coffee will be a casual, quick-service ethnic food and coffee establishment offering a variety of Colombian empanadas and baked goods, certified “Fair Trade” organic Colombian Coffee, and imported handcrafts from Colombia such as purses, hats, and jewelry. It is being founded by Las Tablas Colombian Steakhouse.
Second Place, $3,500 & Mentoring
Assistive Medical Equipment Corporation is focused on designing, developing and commercializing assistive products to improve efficiency and safety for nurses, caregivers and patients. AMEC’s first product development is a low cost device that reduces injury risks and operating costs when manually transferring patients in hospitals and long term care facilities.
Third Place, $1,500 & Mentoring
Urban Enviroscapes was designed around the concept of a sustainable, environmentally-friendly resolution: an interlocking, vegetated green roofing module with a unique sub-irrigation unit. Urban Enviroscapes seeks to make green roofs of any type available to the mass market by having an affordable and efficient solution to the problem of current-day green roofing systems.
2009 Finalists
AS IS Dogs will be a new hot dog stand located in Southeast Chicago, profits from which will help sustain Knowledge Hook-Up, a local nonprofit. Knowledge Hook-Up’s mission is to improve computer literacy and offer internet access to the underserved, low-income community of Southeast Chicago, with the goal of bridging the digital divide, by offering free online and onsite instruction in a fun and safe environment.
Global Agiliti, LLC provides management consulting services to organizations challenged with operations and cost inefficiencies. Global Agiliti works with clients to inspire innovative and strategic decision making; to deliver quality program and project management; and to encourage dynamic organizational change.
RIMCO Foods Inc imports and distributes fish and seafood and specialty food products to the Chicagoland area. Currently, RIMCO uses a traditional business to business model distributing to retail stores and food service companies such as high-end restaurants. RIMCO plans to launch an ecommerce platform that will allow direct consumers to purchase from the current portfolio of products.
Roots & Shoots Organic Gardening LLC provides consumers with functional vegetable, herb, native, and butterfly gardens that are natural and free of commercial pesticides and harmful chemicals. They offer gardens of all sizes and shapes that can also be created indoors for apartments, small spaces and year round harvest. Roots & Shoots practices using all organic methods and offers customers an option to do so also in an affordable and attractive manner.
ROWDYDOW bbQ, LLC is a gourmet like, southern style pork bbQ made with all natural ingredients: unique seasonings and a sweet & tangy vinegar based sauce. The bbQ comes fully cooked and once heated, is ready to be served. Currently, ROWDY proudly serves hungry patrons at over 15 fine bar and restaurant establishments between Chicago and Virginia.
Sarah Toulouse Multimedia offers corporate, non-profit, social service and governmental agencies with new ways to reach the public through interactive multimedia storytelling. With over 15 years experience in broadcast media, Sarah Toulouse Multimedia is now offering audio, video, photography and interactive production skills not only to traditional media, but also to non-broadcast businesses so they may better communicate with their community through interactive multimedia components on their web sites.
Semiautomatic Semiotics, LLC develops software solutions that enable advanced visualization technologies to solve everyday problems. Their mission is to make 3-d (aka stereoscopic) visualization accessible to the largest number of users possible. The unique system uses a projector-based display along with upcoming interaction technology to enable users to experience virtual worlds in real time, such as cycling through the countryside on a rainy day.
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