JJC Program Could Reach More Entrepreneurs – Shaw Local

The $353,400 federal grant should help the updated Joliet Junior College program reach out to more small businesses and startups, university officials said.

The funds fund entrepreneurs and business centers relocating from the main campus on Woobolt Road to the City Center campus in downtown Joliet.

JJC President Klein Namuo said the university is looking to expand the program.

The additional funding will “help the entrepreneurs and business center fulfill its mission of serving as many entrepreneurs and small businesses as possible in and around the Joliet area.”

Namuo, one of several academics and economic development experts who joined Rep. Lauren Underwood on Thursday, handed out a mock check to show appreciation for the funding and discuss its potential impact. I attended the presentation ceremony.

The program currently has 25 clients, according to Brian Kincaid, interim coordinator of the Entrepreneur and Business Center.

“They range from people in the idea stage who have never started a business to people who are ready to sell,” said Kincaid.

The program, which also serves established companies, was previously known by a different name when it operated off the main campus. Kincaid said the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed activity.

“We want to be a little bit bigger,” he said. “We will add staff in the second quarter of this year.”

Plans are being made to hold seminars on topics of interest to the small business community, with the first tentatively scheduled for March at the City Center Campus at 235 N. Chicago St.

Services offered to start-ups include education, assistance in finding resources, and business planning assistance.

For established companies, the center provides assistance with management and growth strategies, marketing and sales planning, and employee training.

The JJC program is one of 10 programs in the 14th Congressional District that Underwood secured funding for last year through the Federal Community Projects Fund Grant.

Underwood said the appeal of the JJC program includes moving it downtown, which she believes will make it more accessible to those who need it.

She also said it serves a growing segment of the economy: those who choose to start their own businesses.

“I know there’s a lot of movement in the workforce in our economy, but there’s a fair amount of interest in entrepreneurship,” Underwood said.