CARLINVILLE – In his continuing commitment to help small businesses grow, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced $150,000 for a new entrepreneurship center in Carlinville, which will build on the efforts of the existing e-center at Millikin University in Decatur, to help local entrepreneurs and small business owners develop their promising ventures into marketplace successes. Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Jack Lavin and State Senator Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville) announced the funding today for the new center at the Lewis and Clark Community College Macoupin County Community Education Center, along with local, community and education leaders in Carlinville.
“By bringing in new companies, making strategic investments to help small businesses grow and taking creative steps to open new markets, we are offering more people better jobs across Central Illinois. One of the most important ways we have been expanding our economy over the last several years is by encouraging entrepreneurship. We’re excited about continuing our great work with Millikin University to help us turn even more promising ideas into promising companies and put even more people to work,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
The Carlinville Entrepreneurship Center will serve as an extension of Millikin University’s Regional Center for Entrepreneurship and have access to all of the resources and expertise from the university. E-centers act as regional hubs that coordinate all small business development, entrepreneurship and technology training activity providing entrepreneurs with the tools they need to make their ventures successful. The Carlinville e-center is the 19th entrepreneurship center that Gov. Blagojevich has opened statewide.
“In order to realize the great potential of this region, we must provide our young firms with high-growth potential with the resources they need to develop into successful companies that will grow and create jobs in the community. This investment will allow us to continue investing in the talent, hard work and ingenuity of our promising small companies in Carlinville and throughout Central Illinois,” State Senator Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville) said.
“Entrepreneurship centers have been a proven resource to help small businesses get ahead, and I am thrilled to be a part of the extension of this network into Carlinville and across the region. This funding allows us to continue investing in our local small businesses and budding entrepreneurs, both of which are tremendously important to growing our local economy. I thank Gov. Blagojevich for his support in this important area,” State Rep. Gary Hannig (D-Gillespie) said.
“At Millikin, we recognize the importance of entrepreneurship to economic health and are committed to developing a future generation of entrepreneurs and those who can work successfully in dynamic entrepreneurial settings. We understand our pivotal economic development responsibilities in an economy in which talent is the primary asset. Our commitment, however, extends beyond the classroom into the larger region of which we are and must be an active part. We view it is as our responsibility to reach out to the broader community, offering our assets in an effort to help create a more vital region. We are excited about the opportunity of reaching out to the regional community via the partnership with Carlinville regional leaders,” Millikin University President Doug Zemke said.
The entrepreneurship centers make up one vital component of the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (IEN), a comprehensive network of resources designed to strengthen the state’s capacity to develop small businesses into market successes and help entrepreneurship act as a more dynamic engine of growth. Gov. Blagojevich has launched the IEN Web site, www.ienconnect.com, which features a free business needs assessment and a referral within 24 hours for personalized, face-to-face assistance. Entrepreneurs can also call toll-free 1-800-252-2923.
The funding provided for the Carlinville Entrepreneurship Center will cover operational expenses at the e-center, as well funding awards. The new center will offer a number of specialized resources for its clients, including consulting services and $5,000 challenge grant awards to assist entrepreneurs or small businesses with obtaining professional services to reach milestones in their business development. The Carlinville E-Center will build upon the groundwork laid at Millikin University’s Regional Center for Entrepreneurship and will focus on helping companies throughout Central and Southeast Illinois. The Millikin E-Center has already provided assistance to 370 clients since 2005 and 11 challenge grants totaling $51,000.
“Gov. Blagojevich and I understand that small businesses and local entrepreneurs need critical access to capital, markets, networks and technology in order to develop into profitable companies that will create better jobs. This new Carlinville e-center will work on a number of levels to stimulate growth in Central Illinois, providing this key region with increased opportunities to grow their businesses and to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
Gov. Blagojevich recently announced that Illinois added 31,100 new jobs in July, which was the best in the nation that month. This is the second time this year Illinois has created more new jobs than any other state, which has never happened before in recorded history. Illinois also led the nation in job growth in April. The total number of new jobs created this year is 75,200, which is the best start to a year since 1998 and more new jobs than any Midwest state. Since January 2004, Illinois has gained more than 150,000 new jobs, which is also best in the Midwest. The unemployment rate in Macoupin County has declined from 7.8 percent in January 2003 to 5.3 percent in August 2006. The Illinois unemployment rate has been below or the same as the U.S. unemployment rate since May 2006, the first time this has happened in seven years. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security compiled these statistics