Jesiel Business Summit Brings Together Wealth of Information for Local Businesses

This week, State Representatives Sheri Jesiel (R-Winthrop Harbor) and Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) co-hosted a free Small Business Summit to provide local businesses with helpful advice on workforce development, tax credits and other economic development programs. The summit was held at the College of Lake County in Grayslake.

"Small business is the engine that drives our economy, which is why it is so important to have a strong small business climate in Lake County and Illinois," said Jesiel. "Lake County has some very useful resources to support our small businesses, but we need to make sure our businesses know about them."

The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the College of Lake County is one of the resources that presented at the summit. The SBDC promotes the creation, expansion and employment growth of small businesses in Lake County by offering free one-on-one advising, low-cost workshops, networking and development expertise, all provided by experienced business professionals. Their services range to everything from the development of start-up business plans and marketing, to expansion into international markets.

The summit also featured Lake County Partners, which focuses on facilitating collaboration, aligning workforce supply with industry demands, and promoting Lake County to attract, retain and expand businesses. Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Sean McCarthy also presented on the wealth of recourses DCEO provides through their First Stop Business Information Center.

"We have a lot of work to do in Springfield to cut the red tape holding our small businesses back," said Jesiel. "However, resources like the SBDC, Lake County Partners and the First Stop Business Information Center offer extensive information to support our job creators and I hope any business who hasn't utilized these resources before will look into them."

For more information about the services SBDC, Lake County Partners and DCEO offer to help small businesses succeed in Illinois, visit: www.SheriJesiel.com.