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WASHINGTON PARK — South Side leaders will share knowledge and resources with the public at a free community event this weekend as they push to develop their neighborhoods’ business corridors.
The Southeast Chicago Commission’s fifth annual small business symposium starts Saturday morning at the DuSable Black History Museum, 740 E. 56th Place in Washington Park. To register for the event, click here.
Doors open at 8 a.m., and the event starts with a networking session and light breakfast at 8:30 a.m.
The commission serves businesses in Hyde Park, Kenwood, Washington Park, Woodlawn and Oakland, and this weekend’s event is tailored to businesses in those communities, said board president Jourdan Sorrell.
The symposium features “perspectives from both private institutions, organizations that work on the ground to support businesses and city officials,” Sorrell said.
They’ll provide a “holistic viewpoint on helping businesses succeed and thrive as we are seeking to grow and strengthen our regional and local economies,” he said.
About 300 entrepreneurs, economic development professionals and other neighbors are expected to attend, Sorrell said.
CurlMix founder Kimberly Lewis and Hyde Park Hospitality CEO Marc Brooks will speak on the keynote panel, “Pathways to a Multi-Million Dollar Business,” at 9 a.m. NBC 5 reporter Evrod Cassimy will moderate.
An executive leadership panel on how entrepreneurs can access funds and other resources needed to grow their company follows the keynote.
The “Fundamentals Needed to Scale Your Business” panel will be helpful as local entrepreneurs struggle with inflation and try to secure funding from major institutions, Sorrell said.
The executive leadership discussion features Daryl Newell of PNC Bank, Terrand Smith of 37 Oaks and C. Adam Callery of Sagasse Lumier. The panel is moderated by Kenya Merritt, Chicago’s deputy mayor for business and neighborhood development.
Community members who don’t own a business or work in development roles can leave the symposium with the tools to promote their local shops and services, Sorrell said.
“If that individual in the community sees how they can be a part of the process, it not only helps the success of the business, but it helps the vitality of their neighborhoods,” he said.
The Southeast Chicago Commission serves as one of the city’s neighborhood business development centers, providing entrepreneurs with hyperlocal assistance and connections to resources and funding opportunities.
“We are creating new pathways that reinforce the importance of small business growth to sustain our neighborhoods, business corridors and communities,” executive director Diane Burnham said in a statement.
The group also operates an Arts and Cultural Capital Lab, which supports artists interested in using art as an economic development tool.
Symposium attendees can stay connected with business leaders once the event is over through the arts lab, development center and numerous other resources, Sorrell said.
“We want to make sure these businesses can take the information [from the symposium] and utilize that, so if they need technical assistance or support, they’re connected to the organizations and entities … to do so,” he said.
To see last year’s symposium, click here.
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