october 2015 | rockfordnetwork.org renaissance of …...downtown with my dog champ. i relished my...
TRANSCRIPT
Kim Millhorn2015-2016
RNPW President
Renaissance of Downtown Rockford
The October 19th Rockford Network program focuses on the Renaissance of Downtown Rockford. A few years ago I experienced my own renaissance, my own rebirth, and it began in downtown Rockford. I had worked but not lived in Rockford for twenty years and my understanding of the community was based on hearsay, news stories and contacts I made as an advertising rep. Married, raising a family and commuting from DeKalb I hadn’t the time to investigate or learn more about Rockford. It was easy to pigeonhole it as a gritty, blue collar, ‘once upon a time’ dynamic manufacturing town that had seen better days.
In 2011, on my own for the first time in twenty-eight years, I moved into an apartment downtown with my dog Champ. I relished my
new urban lifestyle and the short 5.2 mile commute to the office, however colleagues questioned my choice of downtown and warned me about the crime. I soon became aware of the occasional homeless person and yet, found them to be harmless people. Living so close to the Metro Centre there was the occasional ruckus from events letting out and the bars closing, but, in truth, I never had a
close call or a life-threatening experience. Living on Main Street and looking out across
the mostly vacant buildings gave me a sense of history, knowing they had been bustling department stores, theatres, and manufacturing
plants. There was nostalgia and a sense of the downtown and what it must have been in its heyday. I was living in close proximity to land marks like the Rockford Library, Burpee Museum, Coronado Theatre and the Rockford Art Museum. I walked Champ, rode my bike and began to have an appreciation for what Rockford was and what it had the potential to become once again.
Fast forward two more years and downtown Rockford is going through a renewal and transformation. Many of the buildings that had been abandoned are being revitalized with a promise for new business, new living spaces, beautification and social and recreational activity. I too have gone through a renewal and transformation. I’m enjoying my life now, independent and a home owner in a historic neighborhood not too far from downtown. I’m proud of my home and all I have learned about this wonderful community. I have a great circle of friends and together we have enjoyed the restaurants and annual events that take place in and around the community. I have developed an appreciation for all the natural assets of the Rockford region which includes the Rock and Kishwaukee Rivers as well as Rock Cut State Park.
In the past four years I have learned a lot about myself and the community where I now make my home.
I invite you to join me in welcoming Tana Vettore, Director of Destination Development, Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau on Monday, October 19th at Forest Hills Country Club as she helps us explore the Renaissance of Downtown Rockford.
October 2015 | rockfordnetwork.org
Champs window seat.
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Rockford Network of Professional Women Board of Directors 2015-2016President Kim Millhorn - [email protected]
Vice President Karen Keller - [email protected]
Secretary Tiffany Staman - [email protected]
Treasurer Jocelyn Hare - [email protected]
Appointments Kay King - [email protected]
Awards Co-Chairs Tonya Thayer - [email protected] Janet Nordquist - [email protected]
Communications Kathy Velasco - [email protected]
History Robin Mann - [email protected]
Events Greta Spencer - [email protected]
Membership Co-Chairs Dolores Ford - [email protected] Holly Friel - [email protected]
Policy Barb Giolitto - [email protected]
Program Co-Chairs Diane James - [email protected] Deanna Watts - [email protected]
Public Relations Lindsey Gregg - [email protected]
Reservations Co-Chairs Cheryl Schmidt - [email protected] Mariah Anast - [email protected]
Scholarship Nicole Potter - [email protected]
Past President Jan Bowman - [email protected]
In MemoryRemembering long time member
Shirley DeBenedetto, 76, who passed away Monday, August 31, 2015, in her home. Shirley was a life-long resident of Rockford who was part owner of Sunray Fixture until 1980, and then became the Director of the Small Business Department at Rock Valley College until retirement. Shirley was a member of St. Bernadette Catholic Church. She was very involved in
the community with the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, the Epilepsy Foundation, the Ethnic Heritage Museum and Rockford Network of Professional Women.
Shirley joined RNPW in 1987, making her a 28-year member! She served on the board and many committees, but most notably, served as the organization’s President from 2006-2007. She continued to participate as a member even after her retirement and will be missed.
And the winner is!
Gail Stoeckel’s name was selected from the basket at our Opening Reception in September. She gathered all the requested networking names and wins a free lunch in October. Gail wrote that the most interesting thing she learned about a member at the reception was...someone turns out to be a neighbor!
Carol Raso, Community Resource Consultant at Elderwerks will be the Member Minute in October.
Professional Development Workshop for Women – in the Works!
RNPW is seeking individuals who are willing to serve on a committee to plan and execute our annual Professional Development Workshop next Spring. The workshop supports our mission and purpose and serves RNPW in at least three more ways: 1. Provides a value-added ingredient for our membership. 2. Provides RNPW exposure and outreach to other women in the area to potentially expand our membership base. 3. Proceeds of the event will benefit our educational scholarship program.
Would you like to use your organizational, creative and people skills to help out with this vital event? Current committee members include Carol Raso, Jennifer Whiteford, Sue Snyder, Karen Keller, Jan Bowman, Lindsey Gregg, Libby Simms and Greta Spencer, and they would like to work with you! Contact Greta Spencer at 815-489-1651 or [email protected] for more info.
Do You Know Someone Award Worthy?
Here is a lit of some of the upcoming Awards RNPW will be looking to nominate our members: November: Rockford Register Star Excalibur Award January: Rockford Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award Rockford YWCA Leader Luncheon Awards
If you know someone who could be nominated for one of these awards, please contact Tonya Thayer Meyer at [email protected] or Janet Nordquist at [email protected].
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Mark Your Calendars Now!October 19th Luncheon MeetingThe Renaissance Woman: Renaissance of Downtown Rockford
Join us on October 19, for a presentation on the Renaissance of Downtown Rockford. Presented by Tana Vettore, Tana will take us on a “stroll” of renewal and rebirth in downtown Rockford. Tana is the Director of Destination Development at the Rockford Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. If you’ve lost track of what all is going on downtown, this is the meeting for you!
Snapshot of the year ahead:
• October 19, 2015 – Renaissance of Downtown Rockford with Tana Vettore, VP of Rockford Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
• November 16, 2015 – Renaissance of Women in Leadership Roles with Michele Petrie, VP Business Banking at BMO Harris Bank
• December TBA – Holiday Party
• January 18, 2016 – Renaissance of our Bodies with Wendy Irwin of Healthy Wellness; Nancy Enke, Owner of N-spired Yoga
• February 15, 2016 – Renaissance of Balancing Relationships with Carol Fisher, LCSW of The Glenwood Center for Better Mental Health
• March 21, 2016 – Renaissance of Empowerment (book review of “Lean In”) facilitated by Zoe Norwood, Adult Services Librarian, Rockford Public Library
• April 18, 2016 – Renaissance of Creativity with Ann O’Keefe, President of Rockford Area Arts Council
• May 16, 2016 – Renaissance of a Life-Long Learner, Rock Valley College (Annual RNPW scholarship presentation will also take place)
• June 20, 2016 – Renaissance Across the Generations with Jessica Steinberg, Sr. Manager of Operations for the Rockford Park District
Renaissance of Downtown RockfordMonday | October 19, 2015 | 11:30 am
Forest Hills Country Club5135 Forest Hills Rd. | Rockford, IL
Cost is $18/person, $20 for walk-ins. Cash or check only, please.
To make your reservations: Call 977-7477
or go to rockfordnetwork.org
and click on “Make Reservation” button on the homepage.
Reservation deadline: 5:00 pm, Thursday, October 15
Please note: No-shows will be billed.
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Member NewsDianna Cole was recently selected as one of the “150 Influential
Women of 2015” as selected by The Whole Truth Magazine of the Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) Worldwide…picked from several Hundreds of Thousands of Nomination Essays. The official Celebration Ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 5th at the COGIC National Annual Holy Convocation in St. Louis, MO. The Criteria for the Award involved Commitment to Family, Church, Community and General Excellence in Image and Actions.
Lori Wallace invites you to join in the fun when The Rock River Valley Pantry hosts a Round Up for Hunger fundraiser on September 25, at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, starting at 5:30 p.m.! RUfH is presented by First Midwest Group, BMO Harris Bank and SwedishAmerican Foundation. Round Up for Hunger is sure to be a fun-filled, home cookin’, boot kickin’, beer samplin’, good time with all proceeds going to the Rock River Valley Pantry. So, get yer tickets now! www.rrvp.org
Pam Timmons invites you to Upper Iowa University for their Open House on October 15th from 4:00 until 7:00. Please stop by and learn how UIU can help you achieve your educational goals.
Rockford Company Celebrates With A Book - Kelly Epperson, ghostwriter and editor, is pleased to announce the release of a book she wrote with local entrepreneur and business owner Paul Beall, one of the pioneers and inventors of plastic-tipped darts and electronic scoring dartboards. Only steel tip darts existed 40 years ago! ARACHNID 360 is an entertaining read of how a Rockford company made millions and made history. For more info, contact [email protected].
Tiffany Staman and The Pregnancy Care Center of Rockford invites you to attend their annual banquet on Thursday, October 8 at 6 pm at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Center. It will be a beautiful evening of honoring community partners celebrating changed lives. Tickets are available online at www.thepregnancycarecenter.org.
You are invited to attend the Rockford Chamber’s “Good Morning, Rockford!” event hosted by the Advantage Club Originals on Tuesday, October 27 from 7 - 9 am. Full, hot breakfast is provided by the Hilton Garden Inn (7675 Walton Street, Rockford) and fantastic door prizes will be given away every 15 minutes. Admission price is a wrapped package of toilet paper, diapers, wipes, or baby item to benefit The Pregnancy Care Center of Rockford. You won’t want to miss this great networking event!
Tiny Hands, Big Hearts volunteers wanted! Tonya Thayer Meyer, United Way of Rock River Valley, is seeking Super Heros and Tea Party guests. That’s right. We want volunteers who would like to play with a child for 30 minutes, once a week, at Dennis Early Childhood Center. Volunteers are needed to teach children from at-risk neighborhoods how to have healthy adult-child relationships, introduce them to new vocabulary and engage in conversation and story telling. Sound like fun? Email [email protected] for details.
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Member News continuedCarol Raso invites you to join Elderwerks and The Atrium
for Lunch, Networking and Tours. Pickup your 2016 Elderwerks Directories.
Location: The Atrium, 2885 McFarland Rd. Date: Thursday, Oct. 29th Time: 11:00AM - 1:30PM
Registration is requested and appreciated. [email protected] or (847) 462-0885
Thursday, October 1, 2015 from 5 - 7 pm, Deanna Watts invites you to bring co-workers and friends to Rockford Country Club for as they host their second annual Chamber Business After Hours. Oktoberfest theme. Enjoy our expanded Riverview Deck along the magnificent Rock River with live music from 3 Good Men, sampling of delectable hors d’oeuvres in our elegant ballroom, samplings of German beer in our Grill Room and Bar, networking, and door prizes. You are welcome to visit for a few minutes or the whole event – whichever your schedule allows, our doors are open.
Pam Vogel from Waterside Benefits/CBS ILH is proud to announce that she has completed certifications for 5 Senior medical and prescription drug plans. She has also completed testing and certifications to be a Navigator/Agent for individual and group medical plans sold on and off the Marketplace for the States of Illinois and Wisconsin.
The Rockford Chamber’s female-executive group, Lead 360, is hosting a women-only Board Readiness Training session that is designed to address/review board protocol, roles, expectations and female specific issues. The mission of Lead 360’s Action Team is to increase female representation on boards. The training is one step the group is taking to ensure any woman who would like to serve on a board is prepared and confident. The session is on Wednesday, October 28th from 7:30 am - 11:30 am at Rockford University. Go to: www.rockfordchamber.com for more details and registration.
Kathy Velasco invites you to Dance with the Rockford Stars! on Sat. Nov. 21st from 6:30-11:00 pm at Giovannis. The fundraiser features dance performances from local area “celebrities” who compete for the People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice Awards. The event benefits Family Counseling Services. Go to www.dancewithrockfordstars.com for more information or to support one of the eight dancers participating.
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Welcome New Members!Heidi Berardi, VP SalesRock Valley Credit UnionP: 815-282-7455E: [email protected]
Teresa Dade, OwnerInfinite VelocityP: 815-558-0822E: [email protected]
Irene Huba, Franchise ownerSenior Helpers of RockfordP: 815-395-8790E: [email protected]
Pamela Mahan, Community Relations CoordinatorSenior Helpers of RockfordP: 815-395-8790E: [email protected]
Are You a Part of the Fun?Have you renewed your membership yet for the 2015-2016
program year? It’s not too late! As our membership continues to grow, so do the many benefits of coming together through Rockford Network which include:
• Ongoingeducationthroughinformativepresentations
• Peersupportandrecognitionthroughcommunityaward nominations
• Mentor/menteeopportunities
• Continuingeducationscholarships
• Expandingbusinessandcommunitycontacts
• Assistanceinjoininglocalboardsandcommittees
•MonthlyupdatesandinterestingfeaturesinourNetwork News newsletter
• Optiontoadvertiseyourservicesinournewsletter
• AnnualMembershipDirectory
• Electronicfileofourmemberdatabaseforyourown communication
To renew your membership, go to www.rockfordnetwork.org/join-now
Do it now!
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11 Grants for Women-Owned Businesses You Need to Know About
Reprinted from Entrepreneur on July 21, 2015 By Victoria Treyger, CMO of Kabbage
In 2014, there were close to 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the United States, a 68 percent increase since 1997, according to The 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report from American Express. This percentage increase exceeded the national average of small business growth by 1.5 times.
It also illustrated what we already know: Women entrepreneurs are having a tremendous impact on the small business landscape nationwide.
Yet to continue to be competitive and grow, these entrepreneurs have to find funding for their ventures. And, alarmingly, women entrepreneurs are increasingly being turned away by banks for small business loans. Thankfully, they still have other options, given the rise of technology-driven financial lending sources -- such as online loans, peer-to-peer loans and crowdfunding.
Then there are government grants. While not widely known or used, these grants are another great option for women seeking extra funding for their business ventures. They just take a little more work.
Understanding grants Business owners often turn to grants because they are not
required to pay them back; essentially, you can look at grants as “free money,” but they come with stipulations. Also, understanding and navigating the grant process can be complex.
First, you have to research and find a grant for which you’re eligible. Then, you have to understand the strict application and compliance guidelines you must meet, to be eligible. Third, you have to compete with other businesses for the same pool of money. Fourth, if you’re awarded a grant, you must report on how you used it. Finally, you must devote time and energy to the lengthy application process, then wait for approval. In a nutshell, you need to have all of your ducks in a row, up-front and afterward.
Finding federal and state grants Many business owners think that federal grants are just a click
away. We have all seen the ads promoting free federal money to start businesses. But this is a huge misconception. While there are federal grants available in the areas of medical research, science, education and technology development, no such grants exist specifically for women-owned businesses. You may find grants that fund projects that empower women, but such funding is often set aside for nonprofit corporations, not for-profit businesses.
When researching grants specifically for a woman-owned business, start at the state level. Most states offer grants for women-owned businesses in some capacity. Each state website
has a business section where you can find grant and funding opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses. A good example of this is the business section for the state of New York, which lists incentives and programs for businesses. Check out your state’s site to find out what is available for your business.
Another great resource to use in your research is the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). The MBDA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that assists minorities and women in establishing and growing their businesses. On its site, you can research grants and access links to state agencies that work with women-owned businesses for funding opportunities. Click here to view all of the state agencies across the country.
Private grants for womenTo help in your search, we gathered information on these
private grants for women entrepreneurs started:
The Eileen Fisher Women-Owned Business Grant Program: Five grants are awarded annually. The businesses must be 100 percent women-owned and have founding principles of social consciousness, sustainability and innovation, plus be ready to move to the next phase of development. In 2014, the program awarded $125,000 in grants.
Huggies Brand – Mom Inspired Grants: The grant awards up to $15,000 to advance the development of innovative products inspired by the joys of motherhood. The awardees also receive resources to further develop their products and startup businesses.
FedEx Think Bigger – Small Business Grant Program: Applicants are encouraged to share their visions to receive a portion of the $75,000 awarded in grants. Part of the judging involves the general public voting for the finalists, so participants may promote their businesses while garnering votes.
Idea Café Small Business Grant: The Idea Café is a free gateway that hosts different grants on its site. Its current grant is the 16th Small Business Cash Grant, which awards one $1,000 grand prize to a business with the most innovative idea.
InnovateHER: 2015 Innovating for Women Business Challenge: This business challenge is sponsored by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Women’s Business Ownership. The challenge awards three winners $30,000 in prize money for businesses that have an impact on the lives of women. However, be aware of the recent fraud news around the SBA.
Chase Google – Mission Main Street Project: Chase and Google have partnered to award $3 million in grants. In 2014, recipients were awarded $150,000 to help take their businesses to the next level. Recipients also received a trip to Google headquarters, a Google Chromebook laptop and a $2,000 coupon toward a market research study with Google Consumer Surveys.
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Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR): Eleven different federal agencies participate in this awards-based program, which incentivizes and enables small businesses to explore their technological potential.
Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR): The STTR program reserves a specific percentage of federal research and development funding to provide funding opportunities in research and development.
Wal-Mart Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative (WEE): As part of a huge Wal-Mart initiative, sourcing opportunities for U.S. and international companies will increase to $40 billion over five years.
Applying for a grantOnce you find a funding opportunity, there are steps
required to apply. A few tips to assist you:
• Makesurethatyourbusinessiseligibleforthe grant: Read the grant synopsis guidelines and eligibility requirements.
• Createachecklistforallofthedocumentsrequired.
• Followtherules.Grantapplicationscanbevery technical. It wouldn’t hurt to have a second (or even third) set of eyes when reviewing the application to ensure that you have provided all accompanying documents.
• Startearly.Sincetheapplicationprocesscanbelongin some cases, it doesn’t hurt to get a jump on things.
If you find the grant application process too daunting or lengthy for your small business, Kabbage is committed to supporting small business loans for women business owners. Because our application process is fully automated and online, we can quickly provide small business loans of up to $100,000. We use simple, meaningful revenue data from your business to approve your business -- not elaborate documentation that takes extensive time to gather. To learn more, visit Kabbage.com.