Chicago Politics

Small Business Week Press Conference 5.4.26

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Small Business Week Press Conference.

Transcript

1:22 Good morning. Good morning. My name is Lamont Robinson. I'm the alderman of the Fourth Ward, and it is an honor to welcome you all to the historic Bronzeville this morning to celebrate National Business Week. It is also great to be in this beautiful establishment this morning. When we think about life and some important benchmarks in folks' life, it's a wedding.

1:55 And to be able to come to Bronzeville and pick a beautiful wedding gown, to be able to grab a great bite to eat, we can do that in this community. Bronzeville is a community that has wonderful businesses that is the backbone of this great community. And so I am thankful for our business owner who brought this great establishment to the Bronzeville community.

2:32 National attention, folks. People Magazine, as well as Project Runway, Lori Underwood and her husband, Damon Russell, Also, we appreciate you and this great business you have brought to our business corridor. Also, as a business owner, I understand the struggles that small businesses partake in communities like Bronzeville.

3:03 And that's why it's important that we have partners like QCDC that has helped bring businesses to this ward. I would like to also give a little pause and thank you for Nicole Doss of CBQ, the business next door. QCDC, and we'll hear a little bit about QCDC a little later in today's program, is really the organization that has allowed us to revitalize Bronzeville.

3:35 For 23 years, this great organization has supported small businesses like CBQ and Laurel Bridal. And so again, I want to thank you all for being here today. I want to bring up this great business owner that has not only some exciting news today, but some exciting news that is coming up, Lori Underwood.

4:05 Thank you, thank you. Well, good morning and welcome to Lori Bride. Good morning. As you all know, I am Lori Underwood, the founder and designer of Lori Bride and Living, which is a luxury bridal and lifestyle brand rooted right here in the heart of Bronzeville. When my husband Damon and I opened this shop, the plan wasn't just to open a bridal shop. The plan was to make a statement that Bronzeville deserved a luxury, bridal, and lifestyle experience.

4:39 Standing here today is deeply meaningful to me, not just as a business owner, but as a woman who had a vision to create a space where modern brides could experience luxury in a way that feels personal, intentional, and truly reflective of who they are. Being the first designer bridal shop, In Bronzeville is something I do not take lightly. It represents possibility, it represents expansion, and it represents what happens when vision meets opportunity in our communities.

5:12 And I see that impact every day. When we first opened the store, students from King High School and Carter G. Woodson Elementary would walk past the storefront. Many of them had never seen a bridal shop before in their lives. They would stop, look through the windows, and take it all in. And in those moments, something powerful happens. Because when you plant those seeds of visuals, when young people can see beauty, ownership, and possibility in their own neighborhood, it shifts what feels accessible to them.

5:51 It expands what they believe they can come to create and step into. And that, to me, is just as important as gowns being designed for brides. Along my journey, as you all heard, I have been honored with having my work featured in People Magazine, I was a designer on Project Runway, and I am a graduate of the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women in Business program, all of which have strengthened my foundation as an entrepreneur.

6:23 But the truth is, no milestone happens alone. This business was built on the support of my clients, my family, my community, and organizations like QCDC and the Women's Business Development Center, who continue to pour into small businesses like ours. That is why National Small Business Week is so important. It reminds us that when you support a small business, you are not just making a purchase.

6:53 You are investing in dreams, a family, and a community. You are helping to build something that creates opportunity for others. But more importantly, this support cannot be seasonal. It cannot just be one week. Small businesses need consistent investment, visibility, and resources all year long. And I am encouraged to see that commitment reflected in the city's continued efforts to support entrepreneurs under Mayor Johnson's leadership.

7:25 So today, as our first year anniversary of opening the store, May 4th, I want to say thank you. Thank you to Mayor Brandon Johnson, Alderman Lamont Robinson, QCDC, and BACP, and to every customer who walks through these doors. and to everyone who chooses to shop small, not just this week, but every day. Because when small businesses thrive, our communities thrive. Thank you, and now I turn it over to our next speaker.

8:02 Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Bronzeville again. Greater Bronzeville represents five of the city's 77 community areas, And we believe the richest of history, the richest of entrepreneurship spirit, and culture that is sought worldwide. Bronzeville is where culture lives. I'm Rhonda McFarland, Executive Director for Quad Community Development Corporation, and I'm so pleased to have all of you here today.

8:35 For 23 years, QCDC has supported economic development, small business, promoted tourism, advocated for investment, public and private, as well as quality of life issues. We are rooted in our community. QCDC has done much work with the City of Chicago as a delegate agency through the Neighborhood Business Development Program with BACP and Special Service Areas 47 and 56 and multiple corridor investment programs across the last four administrations.

9:17 We have utilized these city programs in partnership with our city workers and teams to promote licensing, permitting, one-on-one consultations, professional education and training, and access to capital, all things that are vital to a small business survival. And most satisfying to us, working with local partners to own real estate and start businesses

9:49 and complete capital projects here in our footprint. We believe that increasing local business ownership and local ownership of commercial Real estate makes our community stronger and thrives longer. National Small Business Week is a reminder of the importance of small businesses in our community. Chicago is built on commercial corridors, and small businesses make our corridors vibrant, alive, and drive the ecosystem in neighborhoods across the city.

10:29 My thanks to Alderman Robinson, who, as he mentioned, is a small business owner, for providing local leadership and having an unconditional support for small businesses. My thanks to Mayor Johnson, who, under his leadership, has continued to be creative in bringing resources to our communities, especially our south and west sides, and products and services that support small businesses.

10:59 As I turn it over to our next speaker, I can't be more thrilled that we are acknowledging the importance of Small Business Week, but more importantly, small business support always and every day. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. My name is Ivan Capifali. I am the commissioner for the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.

11:32 You know it as BACP. On this Monday morning, it is exciting to be here in Bronzeville, a community that shows everything we love about Chicago, rich culture, deep history, shops, and restaurants that attract people all over the city. I want to give a special thank you to the Small Business Administration for sponsoring National Small Business Week and our longtime partner, Willette LeGrant, not here today because she has other business to attend, but she's probably serving as Illinois District Director.

12:05 We recognize her leadership in putting this together. We also want to recognize Lori Underwood for hosting us at her wonderful business. Congratulations, Lori, you've done an amazing job. Makes me want to get married all over again. Rhonda McFarland, of course, for her partnership at Quad Community Development Center. Erica Coleman, Roxanne Ward from the Women Development Center, Thank you for your leadership in promoting small businesses in Chicago. Alderman Robinson for your strong support, always promoting small businesses in the fourth ward.

12:37 And to Chicago's business biggest small business advocate, Mayor Johnson, for your steady commitment to support the small business community and building a stronger Chicago every day. So we appreciate you for that. Today we kick off National Small Business Week, a time to celebrate the entrepreneurs and business owners who are the foundation of our local economy. These are our friends, family, and neighbors who take chances, create jobs, and bring energy to our neighborhoods every single day. This week, our message is very clear.

13:08 Shop local, Chicago. Come out and shop local. When Chicagoans choose to shop and eat locally, the impact is real and is powerful. Every dollar that is spent on a local business stays in our community, paying workers, supporting families, and keeping our business areas full of life. That is the cycle of local business in action, and it is how we build neighborhoods where people want to live, work, and grow. None of this happens by chance.

13:39 Under this administration, under Mayor Johnson's administration, Chicago's strong small business community is the result of planned investment by city government, community organizations, and leaders who believe businesses are essential to a healthy city. We don't do it alone. Organizations like Quad Communities, Women's Business Development Center, deliver local, no-cost support that makes a real difference. And I strongly encourage all businesses to always connect with your local business service organization.

14:11 Together, we are making a direct investment in Chicago's neighborhoods, and the results show. So let this week be more than a celebration. Let it be a call to action to support your local businesses, invest in your neighborhoods, because when small businesses do well, we do very well. Now I'm going to pass it back to Alderman Robinson. Commissioner, thank you so very much for your partnership and working alongside of our small businesses. As I mentioned a little earlier in my remarks, small businesses are the backbone of all our communities.

14:47 And I know that our mayor understands that. We've had several conversations about this. And it's really, again, a great honor not only to be with you all this morning, but also welcome, excuse me, Mayor Brandon Johnson back to the 4th Ward. Mayor. Thank you, Alderman Robinson, and good morning, everyone. I do feel a little bit of pressure to hurry up and get through my remarks because I'm seeing Ms. Underwood on her feet and expecting, you okay?

15:20 I just feel, you know, having gone through this with my wife three times and for her husband's sake, I just, I'm not trying to cause any more issues in my own personal life. But first of all, congratulations, Ms. Underwood and to her entire family on your one-year anniversary. That's pretty dope. Thank you to Commissioner Capofalli for your leadership, sir, and the Quad Communities Development Corporation Executive Director. Ms. Rhonda, we're praying for your health to be fully restored.

15:51 I know it's that season. And, of course, again, Lori Bridleshop. This is just an amazing apparatus that's displaying the joy, the beauty, the creativity of what small businesses bring to our communities. This is an opportunity for us to not just celebrate small businesses, but to highlight the impact that they have on our communities as a whole. And as Lori said earlier, this is not just about a week of surge.

16:23 This is about developing a pattern of consistent support. But that support has to translate into real investments. And at the heart of our communities, our small businesses are truly the backbone. And our unique 77 community areas are vibrant because of the small businesses that define the character or, as I like to describe, the soul of Chicago. and from restaurants that bring us authentic cuisine from around the globe

16:54 to local retail owners and service providers who share their love and talent with our communities. Small businesses are also the key to safe, equitable, and thriving communities because they employ our residents, they fuel our economy, and they uplift our neighborhoods. As small business owners know, when you are part of the anchor and the establishment of a community, community concerns reach your front door. And you show up every day to not just meet the needs of those specific talents that are on display,

17:31 but the needs that exist in the broader community. My administration is committed to supporting and investing in small businesses as we work to drive equitable economic growth that benefits our incredible commercial corridors. Last year, I was very proud that we announced the Cut the Tape for small business. We know how arduous and difficult these processes can be. My administration is working to design a more streamlined as well as a simplified regulatory process

18:07 so that we can enhance transparency, but most importantly, increase access to small business education and resource. Additionally, through our Build Better Together initiative, we are transforming our city programs, the policies, as well as the process to spear more development and growth throughout our 77 community areas. And as a key investment to small business and commercial development, my administration released a $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond, which is the largest public investment in housing and commercial development in Chicago's history.

18:43 With this bond, we have already supported the development of mixed-use affordable housing complexes, primarily on the south and west side communities, that need housing and commercial opportunities the most. And finally, my administration continues to invest in our communities and businesses, and I trust that the people of Chicago would join us and show their support for the National Small Business Week. There are close to, check this out you all, 50,000 different businesses licensed in the city of Chicago.

19:14 So no excuse, plenty of opportunities for residents and visitors to shop local. And I hope that our city's local restaurants, grocery stores, retail shops, and service providers and others will feel Chicago's love and support throughout this week, throughout the summer, throughout the fall, and of course throughout this entire year. I look forward to continued partnership with, of course, BACP, our local business service organizations, as well as community partners to ensure that here in Chicago, that those who want to achieve their dreams by launching and running a small business, that they can actually do it and succeed.

19:54 So Chicago, let's get out there. Let's shop. Let's shop local. And, of course, it is Mother's Day. coming up this weekend so you have some really good convenient excuse but don't leave the brothers out father's day is a holiday to chicago so god bless you all happy national small business week and of course god bless the greatest city in the world the city of chicago thank you very much

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