To be a catalyst for creating and maintaining a vital Southwest Chicago community by empowering, building and sustaining development that raises the quality of life for our neighborhood residents, businesses and industries.
| Website | https://greatersouthwest.org |
| Address | 2601 W. 63rd St., Chicago, IL 60629 |
| Phone | (773) 436-1000 |
| financialservices@greatersouthwest.org | |
| Languages | English; Spanish |
| Service area | Chicago |
| Serves | Small businesses / entrepreneurs |
Every service below comes with a passage taken word for word from the organisation's own website, and the link to the page that carries it. That is the directory's guarantee: nothing is published without its source.
GSDC business advisors provide one-on-one guidance to business owners and entrepreneurs across access to capital, business/marketing plan assistance, international trade, procurement, certifications, and licensing.
GSDC provides guidance and support to business owners and entrepreneurs to start, grow or transition their business.
GSDC operates a City-designated Neighborhood Business Development Center providing hyper-local business development assistance including licensing/permits, business plan development, marketing assistance, and access to training and resources.
provides NBDC standard business development assistance, which include but not limited to helping business owners and entrepreneurs apply for business license(s) and public way use permit(s)
GSDC provides industry-specific NBDC support for Arts/Entertainment/Media, Construction, Food & Beverage, and Transportation/Logistics businesses, guiding startup and scaling and connecting clients to new markets.
provides industry-specific support for start-up and mature businesses in key foundational and growth industries
GSDC's own Business Academy delivers multi-week training programs led by subject matter experts to local business owners and entrepreneurs, with networking and partner access built in.
Business owners who participate in our training programs will improve their business by developing strategies that will positively impact their profits.
A Business Academy module covering cost of labor, inventory/cost of goods, operational expenses, profit and loss statements, credit improvement, and access to capital.
participants will learn how to manage and understand the percentage of the cost of labor in proportion to their sales
A Business Academy module covering recruitment, onboarding, employee development, and offboarding for small business owners.
participants will learn how to attract and recruit the best employees for their business, how to onboard these new employees to reduce turnover
GSDC builds capacity in the Southwest Side commercial corridors by facilitating relationships between residents, business owners, and government at the state, city, and neighborhood levels.
GSDC focuses on capacity building by developing and sustaining healthy and productive relationships with local residents, business owners, elected officials, local community members, and leaders.
GSDC acquires, rehabs and repurposes property for community and commercial good, including business incubator space such as Bridgewater Studios, using tools like NOF and SBIF.
This includes identifying properties for redevelopment, completing feasibility studies, and securing financing, construction management, marketing, and rental or sale, either directly or with a development partner.
GSDC administers Special Service Area #3 and #59 funds, supporting commercial corridor beautification and small rebates for local property and business owners.
Additionally, we manage over $2M in Special Service Area funds for two different SSAs in our area.
GSDC directly assisted local businesses in applying for and receiving pandemic-related emergency response loans and grants.
During the COVID-19 crisis we assisted local businesses apply for and receive nearly $5M in emergency response loans and grants.
GSDC is the designated sole service provider for the SSA #3 tax district, running special events, beautification, marketing, rebate programs, and training for property and business owners within its boundaries.
The Greater Southwest Development Corporation is the sole service provider for Special Service Area (SSA) #3.
GSDC connects local businesses with elected officials such as Aldermen and state representatives, and links them to various city departments.
Conexión con los funcionarios locales electos tales como Alderman y representantes estatales
GSDC helps small businesses with applications for loans and grants/subsidies.
Ayuda con las aplicaciones para préstamos y subvenciones o becas para pequeños negocios