Small business expo set for Saturday
By DANA HERRA dherra@daily-chronicle.comBy ELENA GRIMM egrimm@daily-chronicle.com
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, firms with fewer than 500 employees employ about half of all private sector workers and have generated 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs in each of the last 10 years.
In an effort to help local entrepreneurs start or grow their small businesses, the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation and the DeKalb County Board Economic Development Committee will host a small business development expo Saturday. Small business experts from Northern Illinois University, Elgin and Waubonsee community colleges and Kishwaukee College will be on hand, as will representatives of local financial institutions, DCEDC Executive Director Paul Borek said.
"The expo is designed to be a one-stop resource for small businesses or entrepreneurs contemplating starting a business," he said.
County board member Julia Fauci, a graphic designer who will be working with attendees on creating their own company logo, said the expo is relevant even in today's rough economy. Many successful businesses got their start in depressions, she said.
More than half of the companies in the Fortune 500 started during a recession, Borek said, and nearly half of the firms on the 2008 Inc. 5000 list started during a recession or bear market.
"Entrepreneurship often thrives during a recession," he said. "Need is often the mother of invention and individuals separated from employment often engage in self employment. We wanted to make the resources from a variety of organizations available to individuals at a single location."
In addition to encouraging fledgling business owners, the expo will offer owners of existing businesses a chance to connect with local resources to help them grow, Borek said. Topics planned to be addressed include retooling an existing business, going green and planning for business development.
"We'll have some discussion on data sets by the Center for Governmental Studies to help entrepreneurs or store people try to figure out what the markets are like in the region," said Norm Walzer of the Center for Governmental Studies at NIU. "We can match (regional demographics) up with the kinds of things that are sold in DeKalb and can decide, are there some opportunities for businesses to expand or start new?"
If You Go
What: Small Business Development Expo
When: Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-noon
Where: Gathertorium, DeKalb County Legislative Center, 200 N. Main St., Sycamore
Details: 815-895-7189 to register. $10 fee includes coffee and rolls. Introductory presentation including entrepreneurship, starting a business, retooling an existing business and small business financing, followed by one-on-one consultations with small business development professionals.
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