Wirth Business Credit - Equipment Leasing and Small Business Financing » Economy

Earth Day 2010 Breakfast with Dr. Bruce Piasecki – Naperville Chamber

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:57:49 +0000

Earth Day 2010 Breakfast with Dr. Bruce Piasecki

http://www.naperville.net/cwt/External/WCPages/WCEvents/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=3280

The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Green Leadership Council is delighted to announce that Dr. Bruce Piasecki, a leading expert on the triple bottom line; people, planet and profit will be speaking during a breakfast event on Earth Day, April 22, 2010. The cost is $35 and spaces are limited. The event will be held at the CityGate Grill in Naperville. All attendees will receive a copy of his latest book. All attendees must pre-register. No walk-ins will be taken. For more information, contact Tami Andrew at tandrew@naperville.net or call (630) 544-3356.

Ed Jones on healthcare reform impact on taxpayers

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:48:56 +0000

It’s estimated that the new investment income tax would affect some 4 million couples and 1 million individual filers in the following ways:

www.edwardjones.com/healthcare

New Monitor Institute Report on Impact Investing Released

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:48:38 +0000

Although investments are always made with a financial gain in mind, these days investors are also looking at the impact of their investments. This report was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, with support from the Casey Foundation, Kellogg Foundation and JP Morgan Chase Foundation.

http://www.monitorinstitute.com/impactinvesting/index.html

City of Naperville: Deadline Extended for Greener Business Program Applications

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:20:54 +0000

From a press release issued 3/2/2010:

The deadline for the City of Naperville’s Greener Business Program has
been extended. The city will continue to accept applications while
funding for the program is still available. Naperville business owners
and operators are encouraged to apply for financial assistance in
completing energy efficient retrofit projects for their businesses
through the program.

Funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Greener Business
Program was created to help businesses reduce their energy consumption
and emissions and increase their overall energy efficiency.

The Greener Business Program contains two components: a Matching Grant
Fund and a Revolving Loan Fund. Through the Matching Grant Fund,
qualifying and accepted applicants will receive matching funds at a rate
of $.50 for every $1 spent towards energy efficiency improvements, up to
$10,000 per business. Through the Revolving Loan Fund, qualified
businesses may apply to receive an interest free loan of up to $25,000
for energy efficiency improvements. Qualifying businesses may apply for
one or both of these components through the Greener Business Program.

Applications for the Matching Grant and Revolving Loan Funds are
available online at www.naperville.il.us/greenerbusiness.aspx

FVNP – Networking Breakfast

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:52:13 +0000

The Fox Valley Networking Professionals monthly breakfast is turning into a must attend event for business professionals in the Fox Valley area. The first meeting of the year on January 25 was so well attended that the February meeting will be moving to a bigger room at the Pomegranate Cafe. See you at 8AM on February 25th!

Small business statistics from SBA

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:37:18 +0000

Small businesses now

• Number almost 30 million

• Employ more than half of all workers

• Constitute 99.7% of all employers

• Constitute 97% of all exporters

• Create the majority of business innovations

(Source: U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, 2009.)

Naperville Chamber – Green Leadership Council

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:35:09 +0000

I attended the kick-off meeting for the Green Leadership Council at the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce this morning. There was a wide range of organizations represented including local businesses, the park district, school district and nonprofits. Naperville Chamber CEO John Schmitt, Naperville Mayor George Pradel and Councilmen Bob Fiesler and Grant Wehrli were also in attendance.

In addition to general planning, the group was addressed by Kay McKeen, Executive Director of SCARCE, a Dupage County funded nonprofit organization dedicated to education and local efforts towards conservation an sustainability.

The general mission of the Green Leadership Council seems clear, but it will be interesting to see what they do in practice. A Green Business Expo is in the planning stages.

IFA: Access to Credit Remains ‘Hurdle’ for Franchisees in 2010

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:06:01 +0000

The International Franchise Association released its “2010 Business Franchise Business Outlook” last week and reported that financing for new franchises is still a huge problem. They expect demand of $10.1 billion with the financial markets only forecast to lend $6.7 billion. The $3.4 billion shortfall will result in 134,000 jobs not created and $13.9 billion in economic output lost.