COVID-19 Pivot: Guidance for Small Business Survival and Restructuring

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm, impacting our daily lives, businesses and our future. Though we all wish circumstances were different, now is an ideal time for each of us to refine our vision and business strategy. Introducing the Economic Alliance’s six-part “COVID-19 Pivot” entrepreneurial support series.

The Economic Alliance of Kankakee County is available to coordinate with federal, state and local officials; our workforce, utility, finance and other core partners; our primary employers and small business owners; and prospective investors.

Following a year of record-setting industrial expansion, the Kankakee, Illinois, market saw some stabilization in 2019. Still, in its “Leading Metro Locations” Q4 2019 report, Area Development magazine ranked the Kankakee Metropolitan Statistical Area first in the Midwest and sixth among 399 MSAs nationwide for 5-year Economic Growth.

As society increasingly becomes dependent on technology, organizations must reciprocally learn about cyber attack risks and how to increase privacy controls. The goal of Olivet’s Cybersecurity lecture series is to help students and the greater community understand cyber risks.

Grant Park Village President Marty Roth and Village Trustees have commissioned a team
of planning, market economics and branding experts led by Hitchcock Design Group to
prepare a Regional Positioning Plan for the Village of Grant Park. Upon completion of the
3-phase, 8-month project, consultants expect to deliver a well-defined, multi-dimensional
strategy to help the community leverage its unique resources and market characteristics
to effectively compete for new residents, business and visitors.

The Economic Alliance of Kankakee County proudly supports Selling Happiness and The Lively One, twin PBS-slated documentaries by acclaimed filmmakers Tom Desch and Pat Wisniewski with Lakeshore Public Media that recount the thrilling story of how Kankakee’s Romy Hammes and his descendants developed new promotional, service and financing models that brought the automobile to the masses in its earliest days of production.

The Opportunity Zone Basics session attracted over 100 attendees where panel of finance, legal, real estate and economic development professionals shared at OZ Basics how the new federal tax incentive can provide gap equity financing support for projects within the boundaries of the Kankakee Riverfront Opportunity Zone.

A tremendous rise in U.S. co-working spaces reflects the increasing amount of remote workers in the workplace. This increase can be attributed to a variety of factors including the high cost of living in most cities.

As more advanced technology enters the workplace, many United States employees are seeking positions that allow them to work remotely. Companies and employers are starting to shift their recruitment methods in order to accommodate this new trend in the workplace.

Kankakee County sees opportunity in the growing economic trend of remote workers. Many Chicago-land employees are seeking a reduced cost of living and a more family-friendly area that can be found in Kankakee County by working remotely.