Calendar of Events
Check out these two great May Events!!!!! Free Small Business Workshop to Focus on Business Plan Writing TMCF Session is May 19 at the YMCA Monroe County HTC Center Whether you are thinking about opening a new business or expanding your existing business, a good business plan is one of the keys to building a successful enterprise. On May 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the YMCA Monroe County HTC Center, Monroe County businesses can gain some useful insights into “How to Write a Professional Business Plan,” at the Monroe County Economic Development Council’s (MCEDC) Think Monroe County First (TMCF) free quarterly educational workshop. This event is sponsored by First National Bank of Waterloo, Mokka Kaffeehaus in Columbia and George Obernagel of Waterloo. The program will be presented by Kristine Jarden, director, Southwestern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center. Jarden meets with clients in Monroe County the first Thursday of every month in conjunction with Nora Feuquay, U of I Extension Monroe County Economic and Community Development Educator. The Center helps businesses connect with resources and funding, patents and products, money and markets. It also provides customized marketing strategies that drive product growth. In addition, the Center utilizes students to assist entrepreneurs in developing their business. The Center also helps individual entrepreneurs and small businesses obtain professional services for comprehensive business planning assistance, the evaluation of a proposed start up or expansion, or other accelerated support purposes. The Center has up to $5,000 matching challenge awards available to high-growth innovative businesses for these services. For more information go to http://www.siue.edu/business/ec/ All businesses with a physical location within Monroe County are invited to attend. Participation is limited to 2 individuals per business. There is no cost to attend and light refreshments will be served. Seating is limited so please RSVP by May 14 at 618-939-3434 or online at monroe.extension.uiuc.edu. Other topics we hope to cover at future workshops include: “Learn What You Need to Know About Licenses, Insurance, and Taxes”, “How to Develop a Winning Marketing Plan”, “Learn How Technology Can Make Your Business More Profitable”, “Interpreting the Census Data”, and “Business Succession and Exit Strategies.” _______________________________________________ State Seeks Input from Local Businesses Monroe County Businesses Invited to May 12 meeting Waterloo- On May 12, Monroe County businesses will have a chance to provide input to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (ILDCEO) on how the State of Illinois can help small businesses create sustainable jobs over the next few years. The meeting, sponsored by the Southwest Region ILDCEO Office of Outreach in partnership with Monroe County Economic Development Council (MCEDC) and Community & Economic Development Department, City of Columbia (CEDD) will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 12 in the old courtroom on the second floor of the Monroe County Courthouse in Waterloo. ILDCEO is working with the University of Illinois on an extensive research and data gathering process to determine whether developing a program to assist locally owned businesses is a good strategy to spur economic prosperity for Illinois. There are 500,000 businesses with less than 50 employees in Illinois--if every small business added just one job, the unemployment rate would be lowered five points. To lower the state's unemployment rate by one percent, 100,000 jobs will have to be created. At the May 12 meeting, business can: § Help identify obstacles or share keys to success of small, local, independent businesses and potential entrepreneurs; Seating is limited, so advanced registration is required. RSVP by May 10. To reserve a seat for this meeting, send contact information to U of I Extension Community and Economic Development Educator Nora Feuquay , nfeuquay@illinois.edu or 618-939-8681 ext. 309 or Paul Ellis, Director of Community and Economic Development City of Columbia at, pellis@columbiaillinois.com.
The Entrepreneurship Center, located on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, serves as a regional hub for coordinating entrepreneurship development activity.
Nora Feuquay, U of I Extension-Monroe County Community and Economic Development Educator at 618-939-8681, extension 309 or nfeuquay@illinois.edu.
The Monroe County Economic Development Council meets every other month on the second Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the top floor of the County Courthouse. Meetings are open to the public.
