# BACP Entrepreneur Certificate Program Presser 9.23.25 - Date: September 23, 2025 - Type: Video - Length: 19:46 - Topic: Press conferences - Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPe5sZ5HSFc) - Transcript: Machine transcription, 2,657 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/jPe5sZ5HSFc.txt)) - Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor) ## Chapters - [0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=0) Welcome to Olive-Harvey - [2:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=174) Small business investment - [5:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=316) BACP program announcement - [8:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=523) Educational collaboration - [11:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=701) Entrepreneur testimonials ## Description Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Business Affairs & Consumer Protection Entrepreneur Certificate Program press conference ## Transcript [0:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=30) Mic check. Testing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 5, 4, 3, 2. Let me check my watch. Well, good afternoon. Good afternoon. [1:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=60) Welcome to Olive Harvey College. My name is Dr. Kimberly Hollingsworth, and I have the distinct pleasure of serving as the president here at Olive Harvey College. I am thrilled to welcome Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chancellor Juan Salgado, and Commissioner Ivan Cappofalli to Olive Harvey College. and on this momentous occasion in partnership with the City of Chicago's Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department. As many of you already know, Olive Harvey College is dedicated to transportation and it serves as a TDL Center of Excellence for the City Colleges of Chicago. [1:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=96) We offer specialized programs and training such as automotive and diesel technology, aviation, commercial driving, and supply chain management. Preparing students for careers in these rapidly growing regional industries. We are also the proud home of the Olive Harvey Middle College, an alternative high school, and offer everything from cyber tech courses and degrees to being the first community college in the state of Illinois to offer an accredited cannabis studies program. [2:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=127) So when I learned more about BACP's idea to recognize the skills and knowledge of aspiring business owners and students and give them college credit for this knowledge, I embrace the idea with open arms. I am thrilled that we can support this program, allowing students to earn college credit for what they know. In closing, I'd like to thank my team, all of them around here, and to the city of Chicago for their support and hard work every single day. We couldn't do what we do here on the southeast side of Chicago without that support. [2:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=162) And without further ado, it is my sincere pleasure to introduce the mayor of this wonderful city, Mayor Brandon Johnson. Thank you so much, Dr. Hollingsworth, and good afternoon, everyone. I am truly honored to be here with you all today for this exciting announcement. I do want to thank again Dr. Hollingsworth for your leadership in Olive Harvey, this entire campus. Of course, Chancellor Juan Salgado, thank you for your leadership. [3:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=192) Thank you, Mr. Capofaglia, Commissioner for BACP, and all who played a part in this effort. Chicago is certainly a world-class city, and that's why today is so incredibly important. We are world-class because we're innovative, we're talented, we're hard-working entrepreneurs, and we're business owners in this city. And small businesses are the heart and soul of our 77 vibrant and unique community neighborhoods. [3:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=226) And that is why, from the beginning of my administration, we have worked to give small business owners the resources, support, and all of the services that they need to be successful, while also creating a more collaborative government. This partnership between BACP and the city colleges not only shows how we are working hard together, but it demonstrates how we are working to build a better Chicago for everyone. But it also taps into the wealth of resources from our city colleges, and particularly our students here at our city colleges. [4:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=258) This additional benefit of the Entrepreneur's Certificate Program will provide more opportunities and educational resources for our current and aspiring business owners. You know, I think about the courageousness of individuals that wish to go into business themselves and how bold and audacious you have to be. But it's that spirit that defines us as a city. And that's why I believe that this opportunity is going to go a long way in supporting, growing, and strengthening the vital small business ecosystem in our beloved city. [4:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=292) I look forward to all of the amazing work and new and exciting small businesses and small business owners that will benefit from this program. Finally, let's make sure that we continue to do the great work to uplift, empower, and support our small businesses right here in the greatest city in the world, the city of Chicago. Thank you very much. And so with that, please welcome, with a round of applause, our BAC Commissioner, Mr. Ivan Capifali. [5:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=328) Good afternoon. Thank you, Mayor. I am Ivan Capifali, Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, also known as BACP. And before I begin, I want to thank Mayor Johnson for his leadership and support of our small business community. His vision for a thriving, inclusive local economy continues to drive change across our amazing city. I also want to thank Chancellor Salgado and Olive Harvey, President Hollingsworth, [6:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=360) and our partners at Olive Harvey for the collaboration, expertise, and shared commitment to lifting up small businesses in our wonderful city. One of BACP's goal is to educate and empower current and future business owners with information, resources, and connections. All of it available through the city and through BACP, and we are accomplishing this through the longstanding BACP Entrepreneur Certificate Program. This program is available for anyone that is interested in starting or growing a business and gaining knowledge across various essential business topics. [6:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=398) Interested entrepreneurs need to, number one, enroll in the BACP Entrepreneur Certificate Program online. Number two, register and attend six BACP online workshops in six categories within six months. And number three, complete and receive a digital certificate from BACP. I'm happy to announce a couple of things today, two things. This year, we've had over 350 entrepreneurs complete the program. That's something to celebrate. [7:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=431) And today, I'm proud to announce the exciting and historic new partnership between the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and the City Colleges of Chicago, a partnership that represents how we serve our small businesses and the small business community. Let's give a round of applause for that, too, please. After completing the BACP certificate program and receiving the certificate, participants can receive credit for prior learning by passing the Institutional Challenge exam taken digitally via Olive Harvey College. [7:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=468) What makes this partnership so impactful is that it recognizes something that we all know, and that small businesses do not grow in isolation. This partnership reflects that sentiment by connecting government, education, and business. Through this initiative, small business owners will gain access to business education, covering everything from marketing to finance, and much more. So surely you will hear from two entrepreneurs who completed the program and are excited to talk about the additional benefits that they receive through this training. [8:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=502) Thank you again to everyone who helped design and expand this program, And I thank you again, Mayor Johnson, for leveraging resources to build a strong small business ecosystem in Chicago. I now turn it over to our next speaker, Chancellor Salgado. Thank you. Thank you, Ivan, and thank you for your leadership and your really heart and soul that you bring to everything you do. I want to thank the mayor in particular because, you know, we need big business, [8:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=536) But you recognize that it's small business that is the engine of the economy, and particularly the engine of the economy in the neighborhoods where we serve our students, whether it's here in South Chicago or across our city. And so, Mayor, thank you for championing not just city colleges, but championing our students. and championing our stomach businesses. You know, Commissioner Capofalli, collaboration is really important. [9:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=567) Important to the mayor, important to you, and important to me. And to everyone who collaborated to make this a success, you know, thank you very much. In particular to you, President Honsworth, and your Vice President, Brandon Nichols. This is a team that's working. It's a team that's working together. And our students feel that, and they know it. And we get, you know, wonderful partnerships like this. You mentioned a few. I want to mention a few more, really, Mayor. This is important. The police program that we have, you know, one year and you're out, building the next generation of police officers. [10:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=600) But also, she opened up a forklift training program inside of Cook County Jail, okay, for folks that are in Cook County Jail. And, you know, this is the spirit of collaboration that is being created at this moment in time. by our leadership, but also by our mayor. So thank you. Look, this is really important, okay, because, you know, Commissioner Kapafali talked about credit for prior learning. That means people that already have the skills and experiences [10:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=633) don't have to take a class that's unnecessary for them because they already know the material, right? That increases belonging. learning that gives folks a leg up and a you know time that they don't need to waste if you will right but also it says you know come on in right be a part of this educational enterprise and so I'm just really pleased and I want to thank the team members here you know Brittany and Laura that do the work Provost Potter working with our faculty to get to this place that we're at right [11:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=668) now. Lifelong learning is the essence of what we're about at City Colleges of Chicago, and this also gives lifelong learning opportunities. But look, the people you really need to hear from are here today, and those are the actual BACP program leaders, if you will, business leaders. And I'm going to start with Justin Wallace, owner of Restore Read Bookshop, who's going to come share with us. Good afternoon. Thank you, Chancellor Salgado, for the introduction, [11:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=705) and thank you, Mr. Mayor, for the continued investment in the people of the city of Chicago. I did want to just start off introducing myself. My name is Justin Vallis. I'm the owner of Restoried Bookshop up in Albany Park here in Chicago. If you haven't been through, come visit but before that, before being an entrepreneur, I'm a dad. I've got two kids, and I had been talking about opening at this bookstore for 16 years with a friend, and I had changed course [12:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=736) in my career, was a stay-at-home dad, and trying to figure out how do I go from this idea of wouldn't it be great if this bookstore existed that could do all these different things to actually learning how to put it together. And I really hope that this space that I'm working to build in community and with community can serve as not just an inspiration for my kids, but also a place of affirmation for my kids and our kids, because it's not just about doing things for us. It's about our neighborhoods. It's about our communities. As a graduate of the BACP entrepreneurship [12:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=772) program. I'm really excited to see this program expanding. It is a continued investment in small business owners who love their neighborhoods, who love their communities, and giving a space to continue professional development for folks who don't always get a chance. I can speak from experience as an entrepreneur with a toddler and a teenager. Time management is an art form. And that's one of the things I appreciated about the certificate program. Because the webinars were held regularly throughout the course of the week. I was able to navigate joining some with my toddler [13:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=807) on my lap, some after I'd put her down for a little nap. And getting through the course helped me learn things that I hadn't experienced before around how do I develop a business plan? What does marketing actually look like? How do I plan my finances? And most importantly, getting inspiration from other folks who have gone through this, who have opened their businesses and who are investing in their communities. And all of this all came through with a lot of support from our Neighborhood Business Development Center, the North River Commission up in Albany Park, [13:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=838) and the Chamber of Commerce up there. So thanks to Kay and the team up there. And really, the thing that I wanted to leave with was... I believe deeply that small business owners are investing in their neighborhoods, in their communities. We love our communities, and being able to be in a space where those small business owners who care so much about the communities are being invested back into means a lot, and it is an investment towards the future of the city [14:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=868) and the future of what I think we can build here together. So thank you so much for that, and I'd like to pass the word over to another friend, Devana. some of y'all might know her as dj lip gloss so good afternoon everyone thank you justin and thank you mayor brandon we really appreciate you guys having me here today so i would just like to talk [15:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=902) about who i am which i am dj lip gloss and imagine dj lip gloss owning her own business and running things, okay? But I am here because I want to talk about my experience with the Entrepreneurship Certificate Program. So being a first-time entrepreneur in my family, it is so overwhelming and exciting, but also it's encouraging. So to see my kids, my nieces and nephews look up to me, [15:37](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=937) It's so amazing, and it makes me feel so good and proud. So I graduated the BACP Entrepreneur Certificate Program after learning business skills that I could apply for my business. Because, of course, being an entrepreneur, you have so many questions. You're still learning on every level. And what's so amazing about the webinar is, just as Justin said, you can really plan it according to your schedule. So everyone knows life is going to life. You still have to run a business. [16:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=967) You have small children and things like that. So you still have to learn so you can grow. I stand here proudly to say that since graduating from the BACP certificate program, it has helped me tremendously, along with that marketing and that business plan. Because people think that because you're a DJ, that's not a real business. So people will say, but I'm here to show people, yes, it is. If you really invest in yourself, learn, take the time to grow. and the team at the BACP office know I've made many trips down there to know so I am just so [16:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=1002) excited that it really worked out for me and it could work out for anyone that is really interested but what I love about the partnership with the college students is because hopefully we have so many more inspiring entrepreneurs to say hey you know you're going to college to better yourself and you don't know quite what it is that you want to do but the entrepreneurship world is open it's open for creators djs um producers i mean whatever you feel your heart is in it it really could be a passion for your business so you can become an entrepreneur and you can [17:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=1036) still be an attorney so with that being said um the program was really as simple as one two three i mean you attend six webinars within six months to complete the program so if you feel like you You're planning this thing, right, and you can go ahead and add those webinars to your daily schedule. You can get it done. And then now that people can take a college exam for the college credit, this is just really bridging the business ownership with education. I'm proud to be a small business owner in Chicago. [17:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=1066) I'm proud to be in my neighborhood. I'm proud to be a part of the community. I love it so much. I give it so much joy. And I just want to thank everyone who's here today to support this, And I'm so happy I could be a part of it. Thank you guys so much for having me. [18:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/jPe5sZ5HSFc?t=1135) Everybody ready? All right, you're on three. One, two, three. All right, we got you next. Same thing right here. One, two, three. One, two, three. 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