MALTA — Kishwaukee College and the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Waubonsee Community College created a formal partnership to service small businesses within the Kishwaukee College district. Services to support small business development in and around the City of Rochelle are currently available and more are planned for the future. Various local organizations have invested in the partnership. 

“Kishwaukee College is committed to supporting local businesses,” said college president Dr. Laurie Borowicz. “Thank you to the Illinois SBDC at Waubonsee for partnering with us to make it possible for businesses in our district to continue to develop and grow.”

The City of Rochelle approached Kishwaukee College to explore ways to support businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs in and around the surrounding area. Kishwaukee, in collaboration with the SBDC at Waubonsee, formed a new partnership to help fulfill the City of Rochelle’s needs. 

“The SBDC is excited to be working closely with Kishwaukee College to serve entrepreneurs and small businesses,” comments Harriet Parker, manager of the SBDC at Waubonsee. “The SBDC offers a mix of one-on-one assistance and workshops to help business owners start, run and grow a successful business.”

Initially, the partnership was designed to help people learn how to write business plans, understand financing options and learn other business development strategies. More recently, the partnership has been facilitating webinars to help the Rochelle business community navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The partnership has done a tremendous job of getting valuable information to our business owners and helping them navigate the pandemic and apply for resources available to them,” says Jeff Fiegenschuh, city manager of Rochelle. Because of the recent webinars, some Rochelle businesses have seen success with the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. “We want to make sure our businesses are ready to open when the state reopens,” adds Fiegenschuh. 

Local organizations have already invested funds in support of the new Kish and SBDC partnership. Central Bank Illinois in Rochelle, City of Rochelle and the Greater Rochelle Economic Development Corporation have all contributed. The Rochelle Chamber of Commerce has also been supportive. In total, the partnership has raised over $11,000. 

Rochelle businesses who are interested in supporting the partnership, please contact Peggy Friday, commercial & retail development Coordinator at City of Rochelle, at pfriday@rochelleil.us. 

For more information about the Kish and SBDC at Waubonsee partnership, contact LaCretia Konan, Kish’s director of business & training partnerships, at Lkonan1@kish.edu.