Chicago, IL -- The U.S. Small Business
Administration, along with SBA's Resource Partners, Local Banks and Community
Leaders will conduct an aggressive outreach and economic development effort
to make contact with minority and women-owned businesses in three historically
under-served Chicago neighborhoods. SBA will lead a door-to-door tour of
small business enterprises to provide information on available small business
programs and services.
The tour begins at 8:30a.m. with an open
house in Lawndale at the Chicago Business Information Center located at
3333 W. Arthington and continues to Englewood, Chatham and Roseland.
The innovative outreach initiative is designed
to sharply increase the amount of financing,technical assistance and government
contracting opportunities available to America's new markets - particularly
minority and women entrepreneurs. Judith Roussel, SBA's Illinois District
Director said "with our wide variety of flexible and responsive economic
development tools. SBA is positioned to promote business creation and expansion
in African-American and other minority communities. By helping one business
at a time, SBA's programs have a profound and empowering effect on local
economics and the lives of individual citizens."