The 14th Annual Illinois Leadership Conference

The 14th Annual Illinois Leadership Conference is brought to you by University of Illinois Extension and is an interactive workshop bringing together community leaders, elected officials, and volunteers to assist in planning efforts by focusing on assets and opportunities.  It will be held at the Keller Convention Center in Effingham on Wednesday, June 6 from 9am - 4pm.  For more information click here. 

What is the #1 Manufacturing Activity in Illinois?

Thanks to its vast fertile farmland, both the agriculture and food processing industries are strong and well developed in Illinois.  Agriculture generates more than $8 billion annually mainly in the production of corn, soybeans, and pigs.  The food processing industry is the #1 manufacturing activity in the State with a value of $14 billion per year.

Also, Illinois is the location of some of the largest food trade fairs in the country such as the annual Food Marketing Institute and National Restaurant Association shows held at the McCormick Place in Chicago.  Linked with the food processing industry is a thriving food processing equipment industry.  In fact, Illinois the top state in the country for sales of food processing equipment. 

• Number of employees: 120,000
• Number of food manufacturing companies: 1,300
• Value of the food processing industry: $14 billion
• Value of the processing equipment industry: $2.7 billion

Don't Miss the Final Two Biz Ed Seminars

Our "Back to (Business) School" Seminar series has two remaining. On Tuesday August 23 the topic will be "Fast Financials". The seminar will be led by Roger Corrigan of FREESTAR Bank and Mike Cohlman of Champion Fitness. They will share their insights on various financial matters related to small business including, business loans, financial reporting, Quickbooks, and the signs of a growing business.

On Tuesday August 30, the topic will be related to protecting your work with patents. Norm Rittenhouse and Greg Benoit of EVT Global will share their insights as to how to protect your invention or product with a government patent. This can seem to be an enormous obstacle for small business owners, but Norm and Greg will offer some practical steps to make the process more manageable for small business owners.

Both seminars will take place from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at the Farm Bureau Office in Pontiac. Please rsvp by sending a quick email to colleen@glcedc.org.

Free Business Advising with SCORE

The GLCEDC will be hosting office hours with SCORE on Wednesday, June 23 from 9am - noon. Central Illinois SCORE is part of SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business," a national nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth and success of the nation's small businesses.

Central Illinois SCORE provides free and confidential business advice and counseling tailored to meet the needs of your small business and your personal objectives. SCORE volunteers are real-world professionals with time-tested knowledge who donate thousands of hours to help small businesses succeed. Counselors are experts in such areas as accounting, finance, marketing, management and business plan preparation.

If you are a small business owner or thinking about starting a business in Livingston County and are interested in SCORE advising, please call our office 815-842-2900 or email amy@glcedc.org to set up an appointment for June 23. If you cannot make the June 23 date please let us know that you are interested and we'll work out additional dates. Also, please review the information entitled "Planning Your Session" on the SCORE website before your advising appointment.

Small Business Tax News and Training Opportunities

The Illinois legislature recently passed and signed into law the Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit. This tax credit applies to businesses that employ 50 or less full-time employees as of June 30, 2010. If your business meets that qualification and creates a new, full-time position after July 1, 2010, which pays at least $25,000 annually, you business can receive a $2500 tax credit against withholding taxes beginning July 1, 2011. The credit is available on a first-come, first-serve basis through an online application that will launch July 1. Please follow this link for more information.


Also, the Illinois Department of Employment Security is offering workshops throughout the state in June, and August regarding Unemployment Insurance and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Please take advantage of these workshops if they apply to you.

Biz Ed Workshop Reminder

This is a reminder that the GLCEDC and Digital Network Support are sponsoring an Online Marketing workshop THIS Thursday, April 29 from 4:30 - 6pm at the Farm Bureau Building in Pontiac. The presenters will have helpful information on establishing a website, maintaining and monitoring a website, online advertisement, and social media. Presenters are representatives from Diaz Sign Art, Champion Fitness, Digital Network Support, and Pontiac RV. This workshop is FREE to all Livingston County residents.

Please RSVP to office@glcedc.org.

In case you need convincing, the business website Small Business Trends reports that 90% of Internet users search online for business in their area and 97% observe online media. There are several easy (and cheap!) ways to create more of an online presence. Many of these topics will be covered at our online marketing workshop. In the mean time, here are links to articles that you may find helpful:

Thinking of Starting a Blog? Tips to Help You Start, Maintain & Grow a Small Business Blog
Start an Online Business
Tips for Taking Your Business Online - Build It, Optimize It, Spread the Word
How Can Small Business Owners Learn Social Media?

Please feel free to leave comments about how you create more of an online presence for your business.

Info for the wanna-be entrepreneur

The University of Nebraska Extension has established a series of video podcasts for entrepreneurs and small business owners. The series is videoed and can be viewed here. Some of the videos are specific to the business environment in Nebraska, but many apply anywhere. Topics include:

• Attracting venture capital
• Making your small company appear big
• Tips for hiring your first employee
• Networking basics
• Ag entrepreneurship

The following video is entitled "How to Become an Entrepreneur" and gives advice for those thinking about starting their own business. Follow the links for more video podcasts.


How To Become An Entrepreneur from NxBizSuccess on Vimeo.

Updates to the GLCEDC Business Assistance Page

I've recently added quite a bit of information to the Business Assistance page of the GLCEDC website. The information on this page is intended to help with the practical side of starting and running your business. Some of the information includes:

• A handbook for starting your business in Illinois
• Links to management guides from the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network and Small Business Development Centers
• Business Planning Assistance
• Information and templates from SCORE
• Links to free Google programs for small businesses

Information regarding financing, training, and additional resources are available on the For Entrepreneurs page of the GLCEDC website.

Educational Opportunities This Winter

The following classes are available for all those running a small business or thinking of starting a small business. Many of these classes are free or charge a small fee.

ISU Small Business Development Center Seminar: Starting Your Business in Illinois

SCORE seminar: Mastering QuickBooks

Bradley University Turner Center for Entrepreneurship: variety of seminars for small
business owners or those thinking of starting a small business

Free Business Tax Seminars through the Illinois Department of Revenue

Please go to the GLCEDC Calendar page for more information and links to registration.

IRS Virtual Workshop: Small Businesses and Self Employed

The IRS has developed a virtual workshop for small business owners and self employed individuals. The virtual workshop includes 9 lessons that will help you navigate your complicated tax forms. Because it is a an virtual workshop, you can skip to the lessons that apply to you.

Follow the link to begin: www.tax.gov/virtualworkshop

Opportunities in Education

Several companies in Livingston County offer educational assistance programs. Basically these companies offer financial assistance in certain courses of study and in return the student commits to return to that company to work for a specified amount of time after completion of his or her degree.

In this area OSF St. James Hospital, Evenglow Continuing Life Community, and Doc's Drugs offer educational assistance programs. If you or someone you know is interested in getting a degree in the health industry, information about the company's educational assistance programs is available on their websites.

Also, Heartland Community College is now offering a program in radiology. If you are interested in that program please go to the HCC website for more information.

Academic Earth

AcademicEarth.org is a great website for viewing lectures given by professors at some of America's top universities. The website includes a wonderful section on Entrepreneurship. The following video is an example of a lecture available on this site. Please go to AcademicEarth.org and view the "Subjects" tab for more lectures on a variety of different subjects that can be viewed for free.

Watch it on Academic Earth

Wind Energy 101 for Landowners

The forum series "Wind Energy 101; From a Landowners Perspective" continues with workshops scheduled for the fall and winter: Dec 9. The workshops are designed to help landowners make informed decisions about wind energy developments and leases. Over the past year, the Illinois Wind Working Group (IWWG) and of, with assistance from other groups, have coordinated eight of the forums across the state.

The workshop will begin with onsite check-in at 1:00, the program will be from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. University educators and industry professionals will present a background overview of wind (economics, why wind, etc), timeline for a wind development, agricultural issues related to wind development, and lease and contract issues.

The December 9 forum will be held at the Livingston County Extension Office in Pontiac at 1412 South Locust Street. The early-registration deadline is December 4 for the discount registration fee of $20. Late registration and at the door will be $25 based on available space. Online registration for the Pontiac meeting can be found at the Livingston County Extension website web.extension.uiuc.edu/Livingston. Or contact the University Illinois Livingston County Extension office at 815-844-3622.

To read the full article, click here.

(Source: U of I extension - Livingston County)

Training Opportunities for October and November

The Chicago Farmers: Landowner's Forum - Wind Energy 101 October 7
This program will feature university educators and industry professionals presenting on how wind energy developments affect landowners, what landowners should expect, and best practices for landowners to follow when working with developers. Cost to attend: $25 Early Bird Registration by October 1, 2009. $30 as of October 2, 2009. Click here for more information.

"Solutions for Small Business" Webcasts October 7 and November 17
Mediacom Communications is collaborating with BLOOMBERG TELEVISION® to deliver expertise to small business executives through free, video Webcasts in a new series, Solutions for Small Business. The Webcasts offer direct access to leading experts who will provide advice on topics critical to helping small businesses thrive, such as maximizing marketing dollars and accessing capital markets. Register at solutionsforsmallbusiness.com.

Economic Development 101 - October 24
The Economic Development 101 course hosted by the Economic Development Council of the Bloomington-Normal Area will be held Saturday, October 24. This course is FREE for elected officials and $35 for all others.


Find out more information at http://www.glcedc.org/calendar.html.

Joliet Jr. College: Business for Success Seminars

JJC has listed the fall schedule for their Business for Success Seminars. The fee is $60 and workshops include; business planning, marketing strategies, recordkeeping, using local resources, and information on small business taxes.

For more information follow this link: http://www.jjc.edu/continuing-education/small-business-development-center/Pages/success-seminars.aspx?c=1