News & Events

To support small employers through the COVID-19 national health emergency, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has announced the availability of new U.S. Department of Labor WIOA grant funding for layoff aversion, planning and rapid response.

In a flash poll of Kankakee County lenders on Monday, the Economic Alliance learned that in the federal Paycheck Protection Program’s initial $350 billion round of emergency funding, more than 1,500 regional businesses were served, with approved loans totaling more than $260 million. According to those polled, the majority of businesses had already received a disbursement. In this initial round, businesses served employ more than 30,000 individuals.

Experts from the world’s leading plasma companies have come together to create a new alliance aimed at treating the new coronavirus. Partners include CSL Behring, the third largest biotech company globally, currently underway with a 1.8 million SF expansion of its Kankakee, Illinois, production site.

If you’re anything like most businesses, you have become comfortable in your processes. Most businesses, however, are seeing dramatic shifts in their sales funnels right now. While many are holding on to the hope of normalcy, I propose that nothing will ever be “normal” again. What does this current sea change mean for you and your marketing strategy?

The Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce, Manteno Chamber of Commerce and the Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau are joining chambers and small businesses across the state of Illinois to launch the ‘IL’ove Local campaign to encourage people to support local businesses during the week of April 11 – 18, 2020, led by the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (IACCE).

The Kankakee and Iroquois Counties COVID-19 Community Response Fund announced today it has distributed more than $250,000 to 16 organizations serving Kankakee and Iroquois counties.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s new programs to help businesses stabilize during the COVID-19 pandemic have brought a number of new issues, questions and frustrations to business owners around the country. The programs were being revised almost hourly prior to their recent launch. We break down some of the frequently asked questions about the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) here.

Change is the universe’s default. Progress, at its best, is positive change. As we together weather the unprecedented global reverberations presented by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, subsequent shelter-in-place precautions, and tremendous personal and business losses, it is tempting to abandon the notion of progress. But that would be a tragic mistake.

The United Way of Kankakee and Iroquois Counties and the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley jointly launched the Kankakee & Iroquois Counties COVID-19 Community Response Fund to support organizations providing vital basic needs, services and resources to disproportionately impacted individuals, families and vulnerable populations in Kankakee and Iroquois counties.

The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed by Congress are intended to assist business owners with whatever needs they have right now. When implemented, there will be many new resources available for small businesses, self-employed and independent contractors, franchise owners, as well as certain non- profits and other employers.