Fall Newsletter 2009
News & Events
Thank You to CCV Co-President Susan Alnaqib for 5 Years of Service
Anita Hollins, CCV President, Receives Public Service Award
Congratulations to Macondo Columbian Coffee & Empanadas, My Secret Place and Nana Organic Restaurant for Opening Their Doors
CCV Client Dust Em Clean Maintenance Secures $125,000 Contract and Creates 40 Jobs
Cross-Cultural Interpreting Services and Inspiration Corporation Graduate from CCV’s Market and Customer Development Training
City Treasurer’s Business Plan Competition Winners Announced
Highlights From Our Blog
CCV's Market Mondays
Bronzeville Coffee & Tea Opens 2nd Location: Regents Cup
Santiago's Summer Experience at CCV
Self-employed? Learn How You Can Use Your Workspace to Collaborate With Other Entrepreneurs
CCV Welcomes New AmeriCorps*VISTA Volunteer - Seth Harrop
News & Events
Thank You to CCV Co-President Susan Alnaqib for 5 Years of Service
Please join us as we thank Susan Alnaqib for her hard work and dedication to CCV. Since February 2004, Susan has served as Assistant Director of the Chicago West Side Entrepreneurship Center (CWSEC), CWSEC Director, VP of Development and Co-President. During her tenure, Susan created and launched INNOVATE Illinois, a competition engaging over 100 stakeholders to identify the most innovative small businesses across the State of Illinois, and created a fundraising and marketing strategy for the organization.
Going forward under the leadership of Anita Hollins, CCV will continue to build businesses through the adage of “guidance, access and growth.” CCV is in its 10th year and plans to serve the small business development community for many years to come. We celebrate the many successes of CCV since it's inception, including assisting our small business clients to:
- Create and retain over 5,350 jobs,
- Secure over $424 million in contracts,
- Access $57.9 million in loans packaged,
- Receive $2.88 million in direct loans, and
- Access $80.9 million in alternative financial resources.
Join CCV in supporting Chicago's small businesses and communities by donating or volunteering today.
Anita Hollins, CCV President, Receives Public Service Award
This article was originally posted on CCV's blog, check there for frequent updates on small business news and events.
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CCV is pleased to announce that our very own Anita Hollins, President of CCV, was named the 2009 Bernice V. Lane Public Service Award recipient at the Chicago Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Gala on August 14th. She was chosen from hundreds of very qualified nominees and was honored along with a select group of firms/individuals from the Midwest region. Please join us in congratulating Anita on the receipt of this prestigious award commemorating her career of public service! |
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Congratulations to Macondo Columbian Coffee & Empanadas, My Secret Place and Nana Organic Restaurant for Opening Their Doors
Congratulations to the following clients who have celebrated their grand openings since July.
Macondo Columbian Coffee & Empanadas
Macondo is a fair-trade Colombian coffee and (gluten-free) empanada shop founded with the intention of educating the city of Chicago about Colombian culture. Macondo's mission is to act as a point of reference where Chicagoans can experience and enjoy Colombian culture through food, music, and of course, the richest coffee in the world.
www.macondochicago.com | 2965 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL
773 698 6867 | info@lastablas.com
My Secret Place
An urban retreat for the mind, body and spirit, My Secret Place offers facial waxing, facials, acupressure, and massages. In addition, My Secret Place offers nutrition and wellness consultations. Owner, Shelby J Evans Thomas, has prior experience at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa on Michigan Ave.
4317 S Cottage Grove, Suite 2S, Chicago, IL | 773 655 5037
Nana Organic Restaurant
Nana is a family-owned, organic restaurant offering choices for those who are not only passionate about great tasting food, but who are also passionate about where their food comes from. We source the finest of organic ingredients from farmers, producers and vendors who meet and maintain USDA National Organic Program standards. The products we use are free of synthetic preservatives, growth hormones, genetically modified ingredients, antibiotics, artificial colors and flavors and other additives and chemicals, including pesticides. We support the ethical treatment of animals, promote sustainability and buy local whenever possible.
www.nanaorganic.com | 3267 S. Halsted St, Chicago, IL
312 929 2486 | info@nanaorganic.com
CCV Client Dust Em Clean Maintenance Secures $125,000 Contract and Creates 40 Jobs
Dust Em Clean Maintenance, Inc. is a minority-owned janitorial services company located in Chicago, IL. Successfully providing the Chicago area quality maintenance work for over 13 years, President Cheryl Gill came to CCV's Chicago Minority Business Enterprise Center (MBEC) looking for assistance in several areas including management, procurement, strategic planning, and marketing to help take the business to the next level. Over the last year, the Chicago MBEC has worked with Dust Em Clean on financial and pricing analysis as well as marketing consulting. In addition, the Chicago MBEC helped Dust Em Clean secure a contract for over $125,000 that led to the creation of 40 jobs.
Dust Em Clean is located at 6833 S. Champlain, Chicago, IL and can be contacted at 773 407 0585.
Visit CCV’s website to learn more about procurement contract assistance.
Cross-Cultural Interpreting Services and Inspiration Corporation Graduate from CCV’s Market and Customer Development TrainingCCV’s Market and Customer Development Training is a four-month program that helps small business executives understand the basics of a marketing plan and learn how to create one for their business. During the program, participants learn strategies for expanding their customer base, tracking the performance of their marketing and sales programs, and implementing low-cost, high-return marketing techniques.
Cross-Cultural Interpreting Services (CCIS) was established in 1996 to improve access to services for the Limited-English-Proficiency (LEP) client. CCIS was the first program of its kind in Illinois to recruit, assess language skills, and train in the medical interpreting field. They have earned a well respected reputation throughout Metropolitan Chicago for providing outstanding health care interpreting and document translation services. CCIS specializes in medical interpreting, but is growing its customer base now to include law firms, mental health providers, schools, government programs, and other businesses.
As stated in their mission, in an atmosphere of dignity and respect, Inspiration Corporation helps people who are affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives and increase self-sufficiency through the provision of social service, employment training and placement, and housing. Inspiration Corporation inspires change and enriches their community by providing people who are affected by homelessness and poverty with essential social services that create choices and enable participants to lead happier and more fulfilling lives. Each year, Inspiration Corporation works with more than 2,500 of the most vulnerable Chicagoans to help them reach their fullest potential for self reliance.
Visit CCV's website to learn more about the Market and Customer Development Training.
City Treasurer’s Business Plan Competition Winners Announced 
The Chicago City Treasurer’s Office announced and showcased the winners of the fourth annual 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. 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.
Congratulations to the 10 Finalists who submitted their full business plans in June to determine the winners. Read more about the finalists on CCV’s website.
Highlights From Our Blog
CCV's Market Mondays
Since the May launch of Market Mondays on our blog, over 30 CCV clients have been featured, including Culture Studio, America's Dog, One Kiss Worldwide and Safety Power Systems most recently.
Market Mondays was created to not only drive more business for our clients, but to also provide our readers with an idea of the breadth of clients CCV is able to help in Chicago neighborhoods. As a growing resource for our clients, partners and friends, Market Mondays and CCV's blog are a great tool for clients to announce any special events taking place as well as to bring increased awareness to their businesses.
If you are a client interested in promoting your business please send a brief description of your business and whether you have a specific event you would like to promote to Seth Harrop. Clients with time-sensitive events to promote will be given priority.
Check our blog every Monday to see our featured Market Monday clients!
Bronzeville Coffee & Tea Opens 2nd Location: Regents CupOriginally posted September 1, 2009
Congratulations goes out to CCV clients Trez Pugh and Richard Chalmers, co-owners of Bronzeville Coffee & Tea, for opening their second location! The new coffee house is called Regents Cup, named after Regents Park apartments where the coffee house is located.
Regents Cup Gourmet Coffee House opened officially on Saturday, August 29th and is now open for business on a regular basis. Regents Cup is on the first floor of Regents Park (5050 S. Lake Shore Drive).
Please stop by and support these great entrepreneurs!
Santiago's Summer Experience at CCVOriginally posted September 4, 2009
Santiago Vazquez came to CCV for 10 weeks as a summer intern from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business as an MBA candidate. We are grateful for his contributions over the summer. Below he shares a few highlights.
I’ve been interning at CCV for 9 weeks now, and Friday September 11th will be my last day. During my time here I’ve had the privilege to work side by side with some of our business coaches advising clients in a broad variety of issues. Working on different projects has given me the chance to learn about the intricacies of new ventures, further rooting my passion for entrepreneurship.
My second task at CCV was to help further develop our place based initiative. This initiative expands CCV’s reach and use of business consulting expertise in low to moderate income communities. By partnering with local agencies, we are able to attract businesses in the area that can benefit from our services. While CCV's pilot program has already been underway for a year on the Cottage Grove corridor, I was tasked with branding and expanding the offering.
Now named IMPACT, CCV’s place based initiative was developed as a direct response to the articulated need of some communities that are struggling to produce viable businesses. By partnering with local development agencies, CCV holds an application process in order to single out 3 to 5 businesses in the area to go through a complete business enhancement program in six weeks. The chosen companies are introduced to IMPACT during the kickoff event, where CCV gets a chance to explain the process, lay down guidelines and expectations and business owners get acquainted with the program and with each other.
Continue reading on CCV's blog.
Self-employed? Learn How You Can Use Your Workspace to Collaborate With Other EntrepreneursOriginally posted September 11, 2009
Originally from the Chicago Tribune, read this great article about an innovative new way for entrepreneurs to get started with their business operations. Coworking sites give entrepreneurs a combination of affordable office space and the opportunity to bounce ideas off of other self-employed individuals in an open environment.
'Coworking' sites give self-employed, others on their own a chance to connect, collaborateOfficePort Chicago, which opens Aug. 24, is latest to offer alternative to working alone
By Wailin Wong Tribune reporter
August 16, 2009
Call it a station. Call it a port. But don't use that dreaded word.
"It's so not a cubicle," said Shaul Jolles, standing in front of a row of 120-square-foot work spaces bordered by low white walls. Nearby he plans to set up a kitchen and a fake patio with a mini golf course.
For Jolles, cubicles are lifeless, anonymous and isolating. That's why the 34-year-old real estate broker from Kansas City, Mo., is transforming 15,000 square feet at State and Washington Streets into loft-like office space for entrepreneurs, freelancers and small-business owners.
"The idea is to put it in an urban, workable, fun, creative environment," Jolles said.
Continue reading on CCV's blog.
CCV Welcomes New AmeriCorps*VISTA Volunteer - Seth HarropOriginally posted September 23, 2009
CCV welcomes our newest AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer - Seth Harrop! Seth will be joining us as a Financial Analyst. We are excited for Seth to bring his expertise and knowledge to CCV's clients. Read on to learn more about Seth and what he'll be doing during his service year.
I recently joined CCV as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer. Throughout my college years at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, I worked in a community bank in rural Wisconsin where I first became interested in working with small businesses and helping them achieve their goals.Recently, during law school at Marquette University I volunteered at the Milwaukee County Courthouse in the Family Law Pro Se Clinic. Working at that clinic—which helped low-income individuals who could not afford attorneys, navigate the legal process—I was exposed to the startling realities of chronic poverty. That experience led me to pursue additional volunteer activities, including work at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, and ultimately to look into AmeriCorps*VISTA.
Continue reading on CCV's blog.
CCV Board of Directors & Staff
| Board of Directors | Staff | |
| President |
President | |
| Torrence Moore Kiwanja Redevelopment Fund | Anita Hollins | |
| Vice President | Hussain Bhanpuri | |
| Kenneth McGhee City of Chicago, Dept of Children and Youth | Hans Bonner | |
| Services | Manjima Bose | |
| Treasurer |
Doug Cannon | |
| Joseph Kennedy Harris Bank | Tom Cassell | |
| Christyn Freemon | ||
| Secretary | Joshua Gutstein | |
| Kimberly Richardson Westside Business Improvement Assoc. | Seth Harrop | |
| Mwikali Munyao | ||
| Derrick Collins J.L. Kellogg School of Management | Sean Newton | |
| Eric Dobyne US Dept of Commerce, Minority Business Dev Agency | Diane Rodak-Salinas | |
| Steve Hall Charter One | Duane Wadlington | |
| Vachon Harper-Young Harris Bank | ||
| Leon Jackson Bill's Shade & Blind Service | ||
| Jeffery Roberts JB Roberts Insurance/Allstate | ||
| Steven Weiss Berger, Newark & Fenchel P.C |
Funding Partners
| Minority Business Development Agency U.S. Dept of Commerce | CDFI Fund, U.S. Treasury Department |
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| Drinker Biddle Gardner Carton |  |
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Searle Funds at |
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| Mander Foundation |  |
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CNA Foundation |