For questions, please call John Quail at (312) 939-0490, ext 20.

“More than ever corporations and developers are recognizing that river-friendly riverfronts are good for business,” said Margaret Frisbie, Friends’ executive director. “Senior executives, civic leaders, and the general public are more aware of the pressure we place on the environment and the benefits of addressing it. They are seeking solutions that include living and working in healthy environments. The Blue Ribbon Awards recognize those leaders and the ecological precedents they set.”

The Blue Ribbon Awards are a part of the Friends’ new initiative called Chicago River Blue. Intended to educate, encourage, and reward developments and redevelopments that take people, wildlife, and clean water into account, the web-based Chicago River Blue resource will provide guiding principles, ideas, ideals, professional resources and supporters, and a best practices wiki to make sensitive river-edge development accessible to everyone. The annual Blue Ribbon Awards celebrate those who apply Chicago River Blue Principles to their projects.

In 2010, the program’s inaugural year, award recipients will be celebrated at Friends’ Big Fish Ball on June 9 with honorary chairs Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Merchandise Mart Properties President Christopher G. Kennedy. Award-winning projects will be displayed at this event as well as promoted by Friends throughout the year including a feature in Friends’ newsletter, the River Reporter and on Friends’ website.

“Having a tool like the Chicago River Blue will help developers and designers attain a new level of integration between their sites, the river, and the community,” said Stephen Prassas, president of Prassas Landscape Studio. “And despite an abundance of environmental resources, green technologies specific to site development along urban riparian corridors are lacking. Friends’ Chicago River Blue will provide a resource that is specific enough for the Chicago River that its impact will be substantial, yet it will be easy to extrapolate the ideas to other urban watersheds.”

The mission of Friends of the Chicago River is to foster the vitality of the Chicago River for the human, plant, and animal communities within its watershed. Friends’ priorities are to provide public access to the Chicago River and to show that the Chicago River can be both ecologically healthy and a catalyst for community revitalization. Friends of the Chicago River was founded in 1979 and has 2,000 members and 4,000 volunteers and on-line advocates who support its work.

Advertising opportunities in Discover Lincoln Park 2010 are now available.  For more information, and the form to secure your space, please click here.

Email Kurt Kuras at the Pioneer Press for more information and questions.
 

The Plastic Bag Recycling Ordinance requires these establishments to implement a plastic bag recycling program and submit an annual report to the Department of Environment (DOE). As part of DOE’s reporting outreach efforts, which also includes posting information on our website and sending letters out to businesses, we are contacting organizations such as yours and asking that you forward the information below to your members.

Plastic Bag Recycling Ordinance Reporting Information

The 2009 annual report must be submitted to the Department of Environment (DOE) by February 28th of each year describing their plastic bag recycling activities from the previous year.  Businesses with multiple store locations can submit one report for all locations.  The annual report for 2009 is due February 28th, 2010; however, DOE will be accepting reports through March 15, 2010. 

DOE has created an online survey that businesses can take.  All appropriate information, as well as the online survey and additional plastic bag recycling information are available on DOE's website, www.cityofchicago.org/environment (under Alerts).
 
Please note that as per the ordinance, businesses subject to the reporting requirements must provide a sworn affidavit. The attached form includes space for the notary public; however, businesses that elect to take the online survey must print out an affidavit and send it in separately to DOE (also attached).  In addition, businesses that take the online survey and are reporting for more than five locations must separately send DOE a list of all individual locations included in their report.
 
If you have any questions, please contact DOE at 312.744.7606 or environment@cityofchicago.org.
 

About this Crime

The Chicago Police Department is currently investigating the Forcible Entry Burglaries of Restaurants in the 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, 23rd, and 25th Districts. These burglaries occur at all times of the day. The phonelines are cut and the security system circumvented. There are varying points of entry. Offenders arebreaking into or removing safes from the businesses. The offenders are also breaking into ATM machines within the businesses that they are burglarizing. Money and electronics are also taken. Offender and vehicle information is unknown at this time. These burglaries have occurred between August 2009 and February 2010.

What you can do

Secure your business and ensure that security systems are working properly.
Make sure exterior lighting at all points of entrance and exits are working.
If you observe any suspicious activity, call the police.
Record all serial numbers of electronic property in your place of business.

If you have Information

Contact the Chicago Police Department at the below listed telephone numbers if you have any information that might help advance this investigation.

Area Three Detective Division
(312) 744-8263

Area Four Detective Division
(312) 746-8253

Area Five Detective Division
(312) 746-8362

• Learn from those who have “been there, done that” – current & former entrepreneurs
• Immediately improve your business through hands-on activities & homework
• Benefit from the experience of peer business owners

Spring 2010 Curriculum

Finance for the Non-Financial Business Owner: Becoming as Smart as Your Banker & CFO
Learn how to maximize cash flows, improve profitability, and manage your company's finances more
effectively. Wednesdays, April 7 - May 26 (8 sessions); 8:30a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Modern Marketing: Engaging New Customers with New Media & New Technologies
Learn how to solidify a strategy to attract and keep customers using the most cost-effective and engaging
tactics. Thursdays, April 15 – June 3 (8 sessions); 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Advisory Boards: Build Accountability, Leverage Connections, and Benefit from Experience
Learn how to create an effective board, select the right members, and manage them as individuals and as
a group. Every other Monday, April 12 - June 21 (6 sessions); 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Harvesting, Transitioning, and Moving On: The Five Steps to Life After Your Business
Learn how to achieve financial security, maintain harmony with family members, control how and when you transition, and minimize your tax burden. Tuesdays, April 20 - May 25 (6 sessions); 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

For more information and to register please contact Stephanie Furlan (312) 362-8676 or sfurlan@depaul.edu.

Tuition is $1,795 for 8-session courses and $1,595 for 6-session courses.
Class size is limited to 12 students.

NOTE: These courses are open only to business owners, and are most beneficial to companies with $1 million - $25 million in annual revenue.

_______________________________________________________
Attend “Business Owner Academy: A Sneek Peak Event”
Featuring free mini-workshops delivered by the instructors
Wednesday, March 10, 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson ., Rm. 8005
To RSVP email Stephanie Furlan at sfurlan@depaul.edu

A free business event for entrepreneurs!  Connect with agencies that assist small businesses.

Workshops:

• Starting a Business 101
• How to Finance Your Business
• Marketing Your Business

March 11
Olive Harvey College
10001 S. Woodlawn

June 17
Wright College
4300 N. Narragansett

August 19
West Side Technical Institute
2800 S. Western

November 18
Malcolm X College
1900 W. Van Buren

Attend a Business Works seminar near you! All seminars are offered from 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

For more information, visit www.cityofchicago.org/bacp or call 312-744-5344

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
DeVry University, Chicago Campus
3300 N. Campbell
Chicago, IL 60618

Schedule:

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Multi-Chamber Networking & Coffee
9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.Workshop "Social Media for Your Business"

Workshop is limited to the first 30 registrants.

Contact Amie Zander at the West Ridge Chamber by March 19 to register for the workshop portion of the event.  Remember, space is limited to the first 30 registrants.  Multi-Chamber networking and coffee is open to all.

Sponsored By:

West Ridge Chamber of Commerce
Rogers Park Business Alliance
Lincoln Bend Chamber of Commerce
Latin American Chamber of Commerce
Lincolnwood Chamber of Commerce
Portage Park Chamber of Commerce
Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce
 
For questions and to RSVP, please contact Amie Zander at the West Ridge Chamber of Commerce (773) 743-6022 or westridgechamber@sbcglobal.net.
 

Sign Amnesty

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8375.pdf

1. Create a 6-month amnesty on fees for sign permits, zoning review and public way use permits
2. Waive any open citations going through administrative hearings
3. Aamnesty begins 4/15/10 and ends 10/12/10

License Renewal and Fees

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8374.pdf

1. Extend the life of certain licenses to either two or four years depending on the type of license
2. If your total license fees are in excess of $1,000, then you cna pay the cost over a two-year time period
3. Effective 120 days after passage and publication, so will begin mid-June 2010

Public Way Use Permits

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8373.pdf

1. Bundles any three of the following permits and sets the fee for the bundle at $175 (signs less than 25 sq. feet, canopies, awnings and light fixtures)
2. Eliminates the fee for some permits, although if your fee has been eliminated, they will charge a $50 "application fee"
3. Eliminates the permit fees for things hanging over the public way on landmarked buildings as long as the structure is part of the landmark designation
4. Effective mid-February

Head Tax

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8382.pdf

1. Temporarily eliminates the head tax for new hires over the next two years
2. No increase in the head tax from your 2009 level for the next two years.

Updated: January 5, 2010

Explanations of the ordinances introduced at the December 2009 City Council meeting and a link to each ordinance relevant to the retail industry is found below.  These Ordinances will be voted on at the January 13, 2010 meeting of the City Council.

City of Chicago On-Premise Sign Amnesty Ordinance of 2009

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8375.pdf
 
Beginning April 15, 2010 and ending on October 15, 2010, the city will waive fees for building permit signs, zoning reviews and the first year of the public way use permit.  Any citations issued prior to the amnesty period will have both the amount due and prosecution waived.  Amnesty will not apply in circumstances where a person is a party to any criminal investigation or criminal or civil litigation going through any court in Illinois.  Amnesty will also not be granted to any person required to attend a hearing in the department of administrative hearings concerning fraudulent conduct concerning any debt or non-payment of debt owed to the city other than debt that would be waived by the amnesty provision.
 
If this ordinance passes, it will take effect on April 15, 2010.  The ordinance was heard in a joint committee of License and Transportation on Monday, January 4, 2010.

License Renewal and Fees Ordinance

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8374.pdf
 
This ordinance would allow a holders of certain licenses to elect to have the term of their license expire at the end of either two or four years if a term is not already provided for in the Code.  It also changes the renewal terms for the majority of current licenses.  Exception:  if a person holds a license under any of the following categories, those licenses will expire every two years: 
•    Liquor Dealers
•    Day Care Centers
•    Massage Establishments
•    Weapons
•    Hotels
•    Single-Room Occupancy
•    Rooftops in Wrigley Field Adjacent Area

If a person has a license that expires at the end of two years and their fee for that license or their combined licenses exceeds $1,000, then they can choose to make the payment in two equal installments.
 
If you currently hold any license pursuant to Chapter 4 of the Code, please read this ordinance carefully as the payment terms for that license will likely change with the passage of this ordinance.
 
The ordinance will be in effect 120 days after passage and publication.

Review of Landscape Ordinance - RESOLUTION

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/SCANNED%20DECEMBER%2016,%202009/30_PR2009-108.pdf
 
This resolution asks the License committee to hold a hearing to discuss current policies and practices of the city to hold licenses for businesses that have not complied with newest revisions to the Landscape Ordinance.

Changes to Public Way Use Permits

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8373.pdf
 
This proposed ordinance would clarify the circumstances in which a person would need to apply for a public way use permit.  It also clarifies definitions for items which require public way use permits.  It also details the circumstances in which an application for a permit will be denied.  Permits will last for 5 years and holders must furnish a certificate of insurance to the department with coverage in an amount not less than $1 million.  Fees are delineated in the ordinance as well as exemptions.  Also creates a "subsidewalk space use" permit.  Deletes the requirement for a permit for maintenance of wires, cables, etc.

Ordinance to Issue a Joint City and County Cigarette Stamp

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8385.pdf
 
A proposal to contract with Cook County to issue jointly a tax stamp for cigarettes.  The ordinance will be heard in the Finance committee on Monday, January 11, 2010 and would be effective upon passage and publication.

Ordinance granting temporary tax relief from the Employers Expense Tax

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8382.pdf
 
If an employer's business has been located in the city for at least 12 months prior to July 1 of the current tax year, the employer will not have to pay the Head Tax if that employer was not required to pay the tax in the tax year prior to that ending on June 30, 2010 or June 30, 2011.
If the employer was required to pay the tax, under the same set of facts, the employer will not have to pay any of the head tax owed over and above what the employer paid in the previous tax year.
 
If an employer merges/consolidates the business with another entity, and the tax owed in the current tax year exceeds what that employer would have paid if the merger/consolidation had occurred a year earlier, then the employer will only be required to pay what they would have owed the year prior.
 
The ordinance will be heard in the joint committees of Finance and Economic Development although a meeting has not yet been scheduled.  It would be effective upon passage and approval and repealed on August 16, 2011.

Updated: December 9, 2009

According to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Public Radio, on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Mayor Richard M. Daley announced plans to offer small business loans to promote business growth and a series of enforcement and policy changes to ease the burden on city staffing needs. 

Daley said he will work with aldermen and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to make the application process for new businesses shorter as well as offering two-year and four-year licenses and a potential payment plan for licenses.  The mayor also announced that fewer fines and code violations will have to be paid in person.

Money for the program, $3.2 million from the City's Skyway lease and $350,000 from the much-debated parking meter lease, will result in loans ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 through community lenders.

Stay tuned to the LPCC's website for more information on this exciting opportunity for Chicago's business community.