CHICAGO, May 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Northeastern Illinois University is excited to announce the opening of its first physical location Center for Business Innovation & Development (BIG). in the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS), 700 E. Oakwood Blvd. in Chicago.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and invitation-only reception will take place at 6 p.m Thursday, May 7, 2023in room 103. Interested members of the media should contact us Jessica Mueller in the [email protected] to reserve a seat. Following the ceremony, entrepreneurs from the BIG Center's 'Become Your Own Boss' business planning team will participate in 'The BIG Pitch', an evening of pitching new business plans, starting at 7 p.m in CCICS's Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall. The presentations are free and open to the public.
Starting a business is a risky venture, but less so with community support. Located on the first floor of the historic CCICS building (formerly known as the Abraham Lincoln Center), this brand new space is ready to make business dreams come true.
“The BIG Center has a history at Northeastern as a business incubator program and serves our diverse population of students and entrepreneurs,” Northeastern President Gloria J. Gibson he said. “Through the BIG Center, we can impact not only student learning outcomes, but also guide them on a path to their future careers and help shape the future of the wider multicultural business community.”
Decades of research have shown that entrepreneurs of color face serious barriers in the three fundamental areas critical to business success: business management education, access to finance, and access to markets. All three address the BIG Center.
With the support of the Department of Commerce and the Office of Minority Economic Empowerment (OMEE), space renovation funds were made available to meet the demand for BIG Center services and provide adequate facilities for the incubator. The renovations provided meeting, collaboration and training space, as well as two offices for one-on-one coaching and technical assistance. Additionally, an all-gender, Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, energy and water efficient restroom was remodeled. Technology infrastructure upgrades include wireless Internet access, web conferencing and a touchscreen media center for entrepreneurs working, learning and building their businesses at CCICS.
“This program has been a win-win for our students and the community,” he said Michael BedellDean of Northeastern's College of Business and Technology (CBT). “The College of Business and Technology has had the opportunity to help entrepreneurs and family businesses in the communities we serve by providing student interns and faculty from an AACSB-accredited institution to help these entrepreneurs formulate plans for high-growth businesses.”
The BIG Center at CCICS will create public benefits for the surrounding Bronzeville community.
“The launch of the BIG Center at CCICS is very important as it will continue to provide opportunities in a physical space to engage, learn and build community,” said CCICS Interim Director Akua Cason. “We are excited to be a support hub for the sustainability of entrepreneurs in the area and the various Black Businesses growing in Bronzeville.”
Entrepreneurs and their businesses will help create jobs for residents, which can benefit the local business ecosystem by feeding the associated businesses that support the new venture. This virtuous cycle of business creation and business stimulation has the potential to create more jobs in communities Chicago and beyond.
“I am excited to lead the future of business development through the community-focused Center for Business Innovation and Development,” said Mueller, executive director of Adult Education, Advocacy and Business Innovation at Northeastern's CBT. “It has been nothing short of amazing to build this Center as well as mentor aspiring founders in their new business ventures!”
ABOUT BUSINESS INNOVATION & DEVELOPMENT CENTER (LARGE).
Northeastern Illinois University established the Center for Business Innovation & Development (BIG) in fall 2018 to address the needs of underserved and underrepresented populations of current and future entrepreneurs. Since its inception, the BIG Center has served entrepreneurs with and without business management training with business planning curriculum, one-on-one coaching and technical assistance. The Center supports businesses from pre-startup to exit, creating a critical pipeline from the early stages of business development into and out of the regional innovation ecosystem.
about NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Northeastern Illinois University offers more than 40 undergraduate degree and certificate programs and more than 50 graduate programs, certificates, licenses and endorsement programs. The Main Campus is situated on 67 acres in an attractive residential area on its northwest side Chicago. The University has additional locations in the metropolitan area, including the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies, El Centro, and the University Center of Lake County.
SOURCE Northeastern Illinois University
