Over 30 potential new businesses attend Mt. Prospect meeting

Over 30 people attended a meeting for potential new businesses in Mount Prospect on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Organizers were pleasantly surprised with the turnout.

“We seem to have struck a real nerve in the community,” said Clare O'Shea, Senior Planner for the Village of Mount Prospect and one of the organizers of the event. “There was a palpable sense of excitement in the room and we got a lot of positive feedback from the people who attended,” she said.

The Entrepreneur's Café was held at Canta Napoli Restaurant in Mount Prospect. The event was sponsored by the Village of Mount Prospect, Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, Mount Prospect Downtown Merchants Association, Mount Prospect Public Library and the Illinois Small Business Development Center.

“We want to provide businesses with a strong support network so they have everything they need to flourish and succeed here,” said Dawn Fletcher Collins, Executive Director of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce.

Katie Dolan Dix, owner of Capannari Ice Cream shared some of her personal experiences with the group. “Mount Prospect is the right place to open a business – you can count on loyal customers and a strong network of other business owners and agencies,” Dix told them, emphasizing the importance of being involved in the community.

The meeting served as the kick-off to a new initiative by the sponsoring groups to encourage and support small business start-ups in the community. Through the new Incubator Program, a range of tools will be available to participants including educational seminars, site location, assistance with navigating building and licensing process, business mentors, referrals, assistance with lease negotiations and more. Businesses that choose to locate in the Downtown TIF District will also be eligible for grant funding for build-out and façade improvements. Up to $10,000 is available for retail uses and $25,000 for restaurants. Improvements must meet the program guidelines and it must be a sales tax generating business.

Anyone interested in starting a business can participate in the ongoing “Entrepreneur's Café” program, which will include educational workshops and events as well as networking opportunities.

More information about these programs can be found at mountprospect.org/biz, or by calling Clare O'Shea at 847/818-5312.