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Entrepreneurs
throughout the state are
encouraged to learn how
the IEN can provide the expertise
and tools needed to make their ventures
successful, while developing them into fundable
investment opportunities to stimulate growth in
Illinois. With locations across the state,
the Network is helping to
diversify local economies, commercialize
technologies, create jobs and build wealth
statewide through a strong and highly structured
public-private
partnership.
To
find out more about how IEN can serve your
business needs, we invite you to visit us
online at www.ienconnect.com
or call
1-800-252-2923. | |
Following
are proposed rules of possible interest to small
businesses. During the 45-day comment
period, individuals have an opportunity to express
their support or opposition to the
rule.
The
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional
Regulation proposed an amendment which
will impact architects and firms employing
architects, by implementing changes
that have been adopted nationally,
including statutory changes regarding the
requirement of a professional/non-professional
degree. To read more, click here.
The
Department of Children and Family
Service proposed amendments which will impact
day care center owners and
operators. To learn more, click here.
To
submit comments or to learn more
about proposed rules, contact Katy Khayyat at
the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network
Business Information Center via e-mail at Katy.Khayyat@Illinois.gov, or
call (800) 252-2923 or (217)
785-8020.
Illinois
Secretary of State Issues Warning
The
Illinois Secretary of State's office warns
that a non-governmental firm called "Illinois
Corporate Compliance" is contacting Illinois
businesses in an attempt to collect a $150 fee to
file corporate meeting minutes. Please be
aware that corporations are NOT required by law to
file minutes with any government or private
entity. It is recommended that corporations
do not reply to the solicitation.
On
April 3, 2009, Governor Quinn issued Executive Order 9 (2009), which
rescinded Executive Order 3 (2008), dealing with
certain political contributions to officeholders
other than the officeholder responsible for the
contract and certain registration requirements. As
a result of this rescission, all language
contained in solicitation documents, contracts and
notifications which was added to give effect to
Executive Order 3 (2008) was deleted.
PUBLIC ACT 095-0971, also
addressing campaign contributions and
registration, which was passed by the Illinois
legislature on September 25, 2008 and contains the
registration and reporting requirements for
certain State vendors and bidders, as well as
limitations on campaign contributions by these
entities and the affiliates, is still in effect.
Vendors must continue to comply with this Act.
If
your company has not reviewed Public Act 095-0971
we strongly recommend you do so immediately.
Failure to comply with requirements of the Act
will impact your ability to continue to do
business with the State of
Illinois.
For
registration information, including interpretive
emergency rules, visit the State Board of Elections website
or call Chicago Office at (312) 814-6440;
Springfield Office at (217)
782-4141.
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National
Small Business Week--May 17th Through May
23rd
The
nation's top entrepreneurs will be hailed at the
U.S. Small Business Administration's National
Small Business Week events May 17-19, in
Washington, D.C., marking the 56th anniversary of
the agency, and the 46th annual proclamation of
National Small Business Week.
More than 100 small business owners
from across the country will gather for three days
of events at the city's Mandarin Oriental Hotel to
be honored for their accomplishments as the
nation's leading small businesses. The
highlight of events will be the announcement of
the National Small Business Person of the
Year.
Men and women also
will be recognized their involvement in disaster
recovery, government contracting, and their
support for small businesses. Awards also will be
presented to SBA partners in financial and
entrepreneurial development, including SCORE
Chapter, Small Business Development Center and
Women's Business Center of the
year.
Small Business Week award
winners will meet with top agency officials,
congressional representatives and national
business leaders. The State Small Business
Award Winners and recipients of the Champion and
other Entrepreneurial awards are nominated by
local trade associations, chambers of commerce and
business organizations and government
agencies.
Media outlets are
encouraged to cover National Small Business Week
events, and can register online. Additional
information on the Small Business Week 2008 events
is available at www.sba.gov/sbw.
To
learn more about SBA's programs and services to
help your business start, grow and succeed,
go to
www.sba.gov.
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Recycle
Your Phone -- It's an Easy Call 
Plug-In
To eCycling has teamed up with leading cell phone
manufacturers, service providers, and retailers to
encourage Americans to recycle their cell phones
and accessories.
EPA
has targeted cell phone recycling because only 10
percent of cell phones are recycled each year and
most people do not know where to recycle them.
Recycling cell phones results in significant
environmental savings and can benefit those in
need. Cell phones and accessories are made from
valuable resources such as precious metals,
copper, and plastics - all of which require energy
to extract and manufacture. Recycling cell phones
reduces greenhouse gas emissions, keeps valuable
material out of landfills and incinerators, and
conserves natural resources. Recycling just a
million cell phones reduces greenhouse gas
emissions equal to taking 33 cars off the road for
a year.
Plug-In
To eCycling partners involved in this year-long
campaign include AT&T, Best Buy, LG
Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office Depot,
Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, T-Mobile,
and Verizon Wireless. Partners have pledged
to: Increase capacity and outreach about
existing recycling programs; Educate the public
about the benefits of cell phone recycling,
including how and where the phones can be
recycled; and Work with communities to hold
special cell phone collection drives and
events. For more information about
recycling cell phones, go to www.epa.gov/cellphones. For
more small business environmental assistance,
visit our website at www.ienconnect.com/enviro, or
call (800) 252-3998.
2009
GOVERNOR'S SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS - APPLICATIONS
DUE MAY 29TH
The
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC)
(formerly the Illinois Waste Management &
Research Center (WMRC)) is now accepting
applications for the 2009 Governor's Sustainable
Technology Awards.
ISTC has
changed the name of the award from the Governor's
Pollution Prevention Award to the Sustainable
Technology Award. The new name better fits
the mission and goals of the agency (ISTC) and of
the State. In addition, the award
criteria has been updated to better coincide with
the variety of sustainable activities and projects
that improve our environment that applicants may
have implemented.
Companies who have developed a
sustainable technology or product are encouraged
to apply for this award. The deadline
for application submittal will be May 29th.
The award ceremony will be held in
Champaign. A final date has not yet been
set, however the target date is in the second half
of October 2009. Additional information
about the 2009 Governor's Sustainable Technology
Awards can also be found at: http://www.istc.illinois.edu/info/govs_awards.cfm.
If
you have questions, please direct them to Deb
Jacobson at: djacobson@istc.illinois.edu or
by calling Deb at:
630/472-5019. |
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 Upcoming
Events
Business
and Industry Conference -- May 7th from 7:00 a.m.
to 1:30 p.m. at Elgin Community
College
This
conference is designed for those companies who
have decided "not to participate" in the current
recession and are focused on growing and expanding
their businesses. The information
provided will include resources and strategies to
help firms reach their goals, despite the
challenges facing our economy. It will
be held at Elgin Community College on Thursday,
May 7th from 7am to 1:30pm. Some of
the topics presented include a bankers forum where
a panel of bankers will discuss current credit
markets and how to solidify financial
relationships. DCEO will present
incentive opportunities for energy
efficiency. Workforce and human
resources issues will be discussed, including the
Department of Immigration discussing E-verify and
their other programs for business. To
learn more about this conference, the topics that
will be presented and how to register, please
visit their website at: www.elgin.edu/corporatetraining.
Green
Business Strategies -- Free Workshops at Kendall
County
The
Kendall College School of Business invites you to
its Spring Workshop series, It Is Easy Being
Green: Earth-Friendly Strategies for
Businesses Small and Large. How can you
better market and serve customers
electronically? How can you shift your
services to online delivery? What are
some earth-friendly workforce strategies?
How
can you take a more environmental approach to
materials and workplace design? All
workshops are FREE to the public with
pre-registration. Join us for one session or for
all four! A light lunch will be
provided.
For more information
about events at Kendall College, click here.
A
Prescription for Radon: A Medical Forum May 7,
2009-- (Six Continuing Medical Education Credits
are offered for this
event)
Radon
is the number one cause of lung cancer among
patients that do not smoke and the second leading
cause of lung cancer overall. For the first
time, a seminar for physicians, nurses, and other
medical professionals is being planned to educate
them on the dangers radon gas poses to their
patients. Healthcare professionals who
attend this unique event
will:
- Understand
the latest epidemiologic studies regarding radon
as a cause of lung cancer
- Learn
Effective strategies to communicate risk of
radon exposure
- Empower
patients through communication of both
preventative and corrective measures to
eliminate radon exposure pathways
- Gain
valuable resources to assist them with patient
education.
The
event is being presented by: The Illinois
Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Small
Business Environmental Assistance Program,
American Lung Association, Illinois Thoracic
Society, Midwest Universities Radon Consortium,
and United States Environmental Protection
Agency. For more information or to register
on-line for this event go to www.ienconnect.com/enviro. Questions
may also be directed to the Illinois Small
Business Environmental Assistance Program at
800/252-3998.
If
you are interested in Safety and Health
Achievement Recognition or VPP, if you want to
know how to maximize your resources in these
uncertain economic times, if you need to develop
your people into safety leaders, if you want to
decrease the cost of your workers compensation
claims, if you want to cut your list workday
incident rates, then this seminar is for you
!
Training
will be held on May 14, 2009 from 8:00 am to 3:30
pm at the EIGERlab at 605 Fulton Avenue in
Rockford. Cost is $50. For
conference information, contact John McGillvray at
(815) 675-4293 or email jmcgillivray@scotforge.com.
Powered
Industrial Vehicle Incident Prevention -- A Small
Business Outreach
Calling
all powered industrial vehicles users: Over
50 employees in Illinois have been killed by
powered industrial vehicles (PIV) and this trend
continues. PIV incidents occur daily and are
preventable. OSHA and DCEO provide no cost
controls for PIV Hazards. Attend one of
these seminars and learn to combat PIV Hazards,
ensure you have protected employees, and protect
your company from costly injuries and OSHA
enforcement.
SCORE
Workshops -- Chicago Area
SCORE
is different from other organizations because
they offer executives with a wealth of
expertise and experience in many industry
segments. Workshop presenters are SCORE counselors
who have achieved success in their field and now,
as volunteers, want to help you do the
same. Workshops are grouped
Basic (Business Certificate), Special Topic
and Custom.
Some
of the workshops include "Going Into
Business"', "Marketing and Selling",
"Financials", "Accounting, Insurance and Taxes",
"Business Plans" and "Get Financing". They
also have Special Topic Workshops including
"Franchising", "Global Trade", "Internet/Web",
"Quickbooks and Accounting",
and "Startup". They can also create
inexpensive, custom workshops for your
association, trade group or industry gathering on
general topics like marketing, sales, accounting,
business plans and growing your business.
For more information, go to the SCORE website at
www.scorechicago.org.
Surviving
2009: Labor and Employment Law Update--Lake
County
The
Illinois Department of Employment Security will be
hosting a workshop titled "Surviving 2009:
Labor and Employment Law Update" on Thursday, May
7, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The
workshop will be held at College of Lake County,
James Lumber Center, 19351 W. Washington St.,
Grayslake IL 60030. Please register
with Kathleen McCain at IDES, 847-543-7475.
The workshop is sponsored by Job Center of Lake
County and College of Lake County.
IDES
Employer
Workshop--Springfield
IDES
is also hosting an employer workshop that
will help inform employers of programs and
services offered by IDES including employment
services, veteran services, WOTC, bonding, RESP,
unemployment claims, appeals, unemployment rates
processes involved with unemployment claims and
job orders. This workshop will be held on
Thursday, May 21, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to
noon. The workshop will be held at the IDES
Office, 1300 South 9th St., Springfield IL
62794-9493. Please register by May 18th with
John Richmiller to attend this workshop.
John Richmiller can be reached at 217-782-3846
x251.
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The
Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization
(OSDBU) at the U.S. Department of Interior
provides outreach and assistance for procurement,
contracting opportunities, and guidance of the
Interior's contracting and management officials on
small businesses, small disadvantaged,
women-owned, service-disabled and veteran-owned
businesses and businesses located in Historically
Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone)
areas.
To
bid on federal contact opportunities, your firm
must be registered in the Central Contractor
Registration database at www.ccr.gov, or the Business
Partners Network at www.bpn.gov.
Since
federal contracting opportunities are posted on
fedbizopps (www.fbo.gov), to access, review,
and search for solicitations which your company
can perform or fulfill, your firm must be
registered in the CCR to gain access to
www.fedbizopps.gov.
Website
of the Month --www.aafd.org (American
Association of Franchisees and
Dealers)
This
organization represents the rights of both
franchisees and dealers. Here you can learn
about upcoming events, read some free publications
online, or order other publications from the
bookstore. You can get access to AAFD
publications, as well as publications
from within the World of Franchising.
You can access the Franchise Bookstore
which lists numerous resources specially tailored
to help understand all facets of the
franchising industry. Check out their website for more
information.
IEN
Success Story of the Month
This
month's success story had the knowledge
and the technology, but needed more help to get
his business started. Mr. Samuel Ko who
emigrated from Korea as a student, sought that
assistance from the Illinois SBDC at College of
DuPage. He has a Masters degree from
Vanderbilt University and left a doctoral program
at the University of Maryland to start the
business. Mr. Ko also had a patent for
a new surface treatment that would extend the life
of manufacturers molds and dies. When
he came to Illinois as an engineer, he admits that
he really didn't have any actual business
experience. "The SBDC recognized the
business potential I had and pretty much gave me
be a Business 101 course", Mr, Ko
said. Philos Technologies, Inc.
is headquartered in Wheeling and employs 40 people
in five states. They also hope to hire
15 more people if they can secure additional
capital. Congratulations to Mr.
Ko and Philos Technologies for their success and
also to the Illinois SBDC at College of DuPage for
their help in assisting this company to expand and
create jobs.
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Proper
Worker Classification
The
IRS Stakeholder Liaison presents the May 2009
National Phone Forum on Wednesday, May 20th.
This months' topic will be Proper Worker
Classification. There is no cost to
participate in this forum you can participate from
the convenience of your home or
office.
The IRS Phone Forum is
for tax professionals, small business employers,
small business organizations and industry
partners. You will learn about worker
classification categories, employee vs.
independent contractor, categories of evidence for
proper classification, worker classification
related forms, treatment of corporate officers,
and Section 530 relief requirements.
Enrolled agents receive one continuing
professional education credit for a minimum of
50-minute participation from the start of the
forum.
National
Phone Forum, Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 Sign up now
(and no later than May 15, 2009) · Select the time
that works best for you
ACCESS CODE
CENTRAL TIME
140711
9 a.m.
311314
Noon
719050
3 p.m.
· Register at
www.attevent.com by May 15th. Reservations are
limited, so register at the earliest date
possible.
· You will receive a Personal
Identification Number that you must use to join
the conference.
· If you have never registered
with AT&T for a prior phone forum, you will
first need to click on create a profile.
· If
you require special accommodations (for example,
Braille, large print or interpreter services)
please contact Brian Finn at
nationalphoneforum@irs.gov.
· We will e-mail
presentation materials on May 19th. If you do not
receive this email by 2pm on May 19, e-mail us at
nationalphoneforum@irs.gov to request the
materials.
Dial in on May 20,
2009 Toll free: 1-866-216-6835
Toll: 1-913-227-1220
· Dial in at
least 5 to 10 minutes before the scheduled
time.
· Enter your access code, then the pound
(#) sign.
· Enter your PIN, then the pound (#)
sign.
· Your line will be placed on hold until
the conference begins.
A question and
answer period will follow the presentation.
However, due to the public nature of the call, we
will not be able to address specific client
issues. Questions? E-mail nationalphoneforum@irs.gov. | |
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