HCC to Offer Entrepreneur Essentials this Fall

Those who have toyed with the idea of opening their own business may find the motivation they need to get started with the help of Heartland Community College's Entrepreneur Essentials program.

Entrepreneur Essentials at Heartland Community College is a vocational training program that focuses on a person's dreams, interests and abilities. Through experiential classroom learning and the development of a targeted support structure, students in Entrepreneur Essentials will prepare for the expectations, issues and responsibilities associated with organizational management and business ownership. The program concentrates on market research and projections, money management and financial planning, business and tax structures, insurance, marketing and mentoring. Students who complete the course will have created a business plan that they are able to take to banks or loan institutions in order to make owning their own business a reality. In addition, students will benefit from small class sizes, individual attention, professional networking, laptop loans, and HCC and local support during and after program.

Entrepreneur Essentials meets from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays for 16 weeks beginning August 20. Classes will be held at Heartland's Normal campus, located at 1500 W. Raab Rd. The fee for the course is $425, and scholarships are available for eligible individuals.

Enrollment is limited, so interested individuals are encouraged to call (309) 268-8048 right away to apply.

For more information about Heartland Community College, visit www.heartland.edu.

Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency incentives Help Revitalize Communities through Building Upgrades

Improving energy efficiency reduces operating costs and enhances is comfort in existing buildings. Investing in energy efficiency should be an obvious choice when renovating a building, but many building owners face roadblocks that make the process challenging. They might need expert advice on which energy efficiency upgrades to implement, or they might have trouble financing the improvements. A new program through the Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program makes investing in energy efficiency easy and affordable for owners of commercial, industrial and multi-family buildings.

The Nicor Gas Economic Redevelopment Program focuses on serving communities that are in need of economic redevelopment, as well as businesses and organizations that create jobs, offer social services or provide affordable housing. The program offers financial incentives and extensive technical assistance, helping building owners with every step of the process, from evaluating energy efficiency needs to applying for rebates and finding qualified contractors.

“The Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program is a helping hand to our customers and communities,” says Jim Jerozal, Nicor Gas Director, Energy Efficiency. “This new Economic Redevelopment Program allows us to target resources to make sure building renovations in challenged areas are as cost-effective as possible. By leveraging energy efficiency to lower lifetime operating costs, entities in TIF districts and Enterprise Zones can spend less on their buildings and more on other improvement initiatives.”

Projects that complete the recommended energy efficiency upgrades can qualify to receive up to $100,000 in rebates. The exact amount of incentive is based on the energy efficiency features implemented and energy saved. The more the upgrades improve energy efficiency, the larger the incentive. In addition to receiving incentives, projects that complete energy efficiency improvements will benefit for years to come, enjoying lower energy costs and greater occupant comfort.

In addition to financial incentives, the program offers extensive technical assistance (valued at up to $20,000) to help building owners through every step of the process. Qualifying projects receive a complete evaluation of the building and a report detailing recommended energy efficiency upgrades, estimated savings, and incentives available from the Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Programand other programs. The program also assists customers in applying for incentives, provides design review, and offers construction oversight to ensure quality results.

Projects that qualify for this program include those that are located in, or promote economic development in Enterprise Zones, TIF districts or other economically challenged areas. Other projects that could qualify are those that create jobs, offer social services, rehabilitate brown fields or vacant buildings, or provide affordable housing. Qualifying facilities should be at least 10,000 square feet.

To apply for this program or for more information, please contact the Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Economic Redevelopment team at 773.328.7040 or ERP@cntenergy.org or visit NicorGasRebates.com/ economic.

Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program offers are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This offer is subject to change or termination without notice at the discretion of the Economic Redevelopment Program. The Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program is a multi-year program funded by Nicor Gas ratepayers in compliance with state law through a small charge identified on bills as “Energy Program.”

Enterprise U Application Deadline March 16

Register now for the Enterprise U program co-hosted by the GLCEDC and being held at Kankakee Community College.  The application deadline is March 16.  The application can be found at www.enterprise-u.com.  New entrepreneurs and small business owners will benefit from the small business "boot camp".  Even if you do not want to submit a business plan in the competition, you can register for the program.  These classes will benefit any small business.  Courses include:

• Pre-Business Workshop—April 5, 2012 6–8 p.m.
• Business Plan Writing Workshop—April 12, 2012 6–8 p.m.
• Business Recordkeeping—May 10, 2012 7–9 p.m.
• Legal Issues for Small Business Owners—March 22, 2012 6–8 p.m. 
  Room D124
• Business Marketing—April 26 2012 6–8 p.m.
• How to Apply for a Small Business Loan—May 3, 2012 6–8 p.m.
• Moving Your Business to the Next Level—April 11, 2012 6–9 p.m. Room D124
• Social Media Marketing for Small Business—April 18, 2012 1–5 p.m. Room D123, LECT9046.A

Planning and Funding your Business

Planning & Funding your Business 

SCORE sponsored workshop to be conducted at the Bloomington Library on March 15th

at 6:30 PM.  Free.

Planning and funding your business are intimately tied together. Luckily one document forms the basis for both - the Business Plan. Learn the components of the plan and how it influences your success in attracting investors - including loan institutions - and in launching the business.  Hear from a loan officer what goes into approaching the loan insti- tution and find out what infor- mation a bank will typically require and what they are look- ing for. This discussion will also touch on some of the various government programs such as Small Business Administration and how they can help you obtain bank financing.

For more information, please contact SCORE at 309-664-0549.

Get "Back to Business" School with GLCEDC

Get in the "back to school" spirit this August by participating in the Annual "Biz Ed" Series sponsored by the GLCEDC. Hosted every Tuesday in August at 4pm in the Farm Bureau offices (901 W. Howard Street, Pontiac), this seminar series covers all the business basics and more.

This year's line-up includes:

• Business Planning: Creating a Business Plan That Gets Financed (August 2nd)


• HR 101: Small Business Basics (August 9th)


• Building an Online Presence: Simple Website Development & Marketing (August 16th)


• Fast Financials: Finance Tools to Grow Your Business (August 23rd)


• Patent Pending: Protecting Your Work with a Patent (August 30th)

Available at No Charge to Livingston County residents, the "Biz Ed" Series features key speakers from the local business community and engaging learning opportunities for entrepreneurs and current business owners. Join the GLCEDC and other sponsoring members like SCORE, Caterpillar Inc, Creative Ag Solutions, Champion Fitness and EVT Global for free educational seminars focusing on the fundamentals of building a better business.

RSVP to attend by contacting Colleen O'Toole, Economic Development Specialist, at (815)842.2900 or email colleen@glcedc.org. Look for updates on the "Biz Ed" Series and other educational opportunities by visiting our Facebook page!