K i n z i e K l i p s |
|||||||||||||
|
ICNC Industrial Council of
Nearwest Chicago 2010 W. Fulton St., Suite F280, Chicago, IL 60612 312-421-3941 FAX 312-421-1871 www.industrialcouncil.com
|
August 2004
|
||||||||||||
ICNC pushes 2004
business agenda at annual luncheon
|
|
||||||||||||
City officials pledge continued cooperationKeeping Lake Street a viable trucking route, ensuring Grand Avenue remains an effective buffer between residential development to the north and manufacturing uses to the south, and more city resources targeted to small business development were among the goals put forward at ICNC’s annual business luncheon on June 23rd. Nearly 300 people, including business owners and government officials, came to Galleria Marchetti to participate in the event. In addition to citing accomplishments and challenges to progress on the current business agenda, the program featured keynote speaker Denise Casalino, the new commissioner of the City’s Department of Planning and Development. Casalino praised the work of ICNC and other community
development organizations throughout the city, and credited much of the
success of the Kinzie Corridor to member business committed to the area. see LUNCHEON page 4 New anti-theft police team patrolling corridor at nightThe Kinzie Corridor is a lonely place in the evening,
but a few people seem to find their way into the quiet streets after
dark. In fact, they sometimes leave
the streets and get into companies’ lots and buildings. For too many unlucky business owners in
the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, morning reveals theft or vandalism on their
properties. see POLICE page 7
Kerry and Obama visit Fulton-Carroll Center-Page 3
|
|
||||||||||||
Denise Casalino-new DPD Commissioner, Helen Squires-CMC,
Sean Harden-MOWD, Christy Webber and Joyce Shanahan-ICNC |
|||||||||||||
CDOT nixes plan to narrow Lake StreetCommissioner d’Escoto responds to business’ concerns by widening street insteadChicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Commissioner Miguel d’Escoto has responded to Lake Street area businesses’ concerns over a CDOT plan to narrow the street by unveiling a plan that widens the street and enhances its ability to accommodate truck traffic. The Lake Street Reconstruction Project, already underway just west of the Loop, would have crippled businesses in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor by bringing curbs inside the CTA Green Line support columns between Ashland and Damen Avenues as work moves westward. Narrowing the street would have disrupted the truck traffic and staging that regularly takes place on that part of Lake Street and created traffic bottlenecks. The possibility of making Lake Street a one-way east of Ogden was also being considered by CDOT due to the street narrowing. ICNC businesses requested that planners rework the original design, and prepared for a long battle. But instead they got a pleasant surprise. “The City came back with exactly what we asked for,” said Joyce Shanahan, ICNC executive director. “It’s a model of how to create a good plan by listening to the people that will be affected by it.” The new plan actually widens the drivable area of the street between Ashland and Damen by narrowing sidewalks and pushing parking outwards a few feet on each side. The portion of Lake Street between Damen and Western will remain essentially the same, but with new lighting and trees. see LAKE STREET page 6 |
|||||||||||||
PPage 2Page 2 |
|||||||||||||
|
|
C3-1.5 on the south side of Grand {C-3 serves as a buffer between
manufacturing & residential and includes no residential} B2-1.5 on most of the north side of Grand {B-2 allows small scale retail and
service uses with residential on or above ground floor} C1-1.5 for 25 parcels on the north side of Grand (large commercial operations) {C-1 allows for a broad range of small-scale business, service & commercial uses; and residential above ground floor} These zoning designations will reinforce a healthy Grand
Avenue that serves as a buffer between the Planned Manufacturing District
south of Grand Avenue and the largely residential neighborhoods to the north.
The recommendations are focused on: ·
Preserving
the commercial character of Grand Avenue; ·
Lowering
the number of non-conforming uses (from 53 currently to 35); and ·
Ensuring
the economic viability of Grand Avenue and the jobs located there. Implementing ICNC’s zoning recommendations is important because new residential development encroaching from the north threatens to spill onto Grand Avenue. The potential dangers include high density, traffic, congestion and job loss due to the inherent conflicts between residents and industry in close proximity. (See page 5 for more on
Grand Ave. zoning) ICNC president featured in Inc. MagazineInc. Magazine, a national publication targeting business owners and CEOs, chose ICNC board President Christy Webber as one of its “Inner City 100,” a group of entrepreneurs the magazine credits with “leading the revival of America’s urban neighborhoods.”
The May 2004 issue of Inc. Magazine ranked Christy Webber Landscapes number 54. Companies were ranked by the percentage increase in sales over the previous four years, and Webber’s 378% growth and $5,033,102 in 2002 revenue placed her firmly in the middle of that list. The article, Her Kind of Town, details Webber’s high-profile client list and gives her a chance to recount some of the anecdotes she’s racked up in her 14 years in the business. While praising these firms’ contributions to the economic vitality of urban communities, Inc. Magazine made it clear that it was the businesses’ stellar performance that has earned them a special section for six years running. This year’s top performer, the Baltimore-based performance-wear manufacturer 180s, posted a 9,669% sales growth between 1999 and 2003. |
|
|||||||||||
Page 3
|
|
||||||||||||
ICNC tenant hosts Kerry campaign stopKerry and Obama together at FCC– four months before BostonDemocratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D, Mass) used a portion of his time in Chicago in April to tour the Fulton-Carroll Center and make a campaign speech at the Greater West Town Development Project. At his side was Illinois State Senator Barack Obama (D, 13). Four months later, Obama would give the keynote speech at the National Democratic Convention in Boston. But in April, at the FCC, it was Kerry who was trying to drum up support for Obama, introducing him as “the next United States Senator from Illinois.” The two toured tenant businesses, including Fulton Street Baking Company, and met with students of the woodworking training center at the Greater West Town Development Project. Later in the morning they held a press conference to stump for votes and lay out their economic visions for Illinois’ manufacturing sector, as well as to take a few jabs at the president. "We know that we can do better than the last few years," Kerry said. "George Bush sees a place like Greater West Town and he thinks more about photo opportunities than he does about job opportunities. He talks about his $120 million proposal for job training, but he won't tell you he's proposed $2 billion in cuts from job training over the last four years." Kerry’s campaign figures that Illinois has lost 142,000 manufacturing jobs under the Bush administration, and the senator said that if elected his “Jobs First” program would create 10 million new manufacturing jobs in the United States, 450,000 of them in Illinois.
|
Local business foils thieves
When thieves stole copper from the air conditioning units on the roof of Prevue Pet Products this spring, they did nearly $15,000 in damage in the process of ripping out the metal, which they most likely sold to nearby recyclers for about $100. Owner Rick Savitt knew that the copper on any new units he installed would also likely become a target for thieves. So he had some of his workers – a crew whose trade is making metal cages for pets – go to work on building a security system to protect the new air conditioning units. It worked. Last month – while on his neighbor’s roof inspecting damage inflicted in the theft of copper from air conditioning units – Savitt noticed that his new units had been tampered with. When he went across to his own roof to look at the machinery, he found that the new steel bars his workers had installed had prevented any damage.
The cages, really a system of bars welded to the base of the air conditioning units but held together by heavy-duty padlocks to allow crews to remove them to perform maintenance on the machinery, were heavy enough to prevent the intruders from gaining access to the copper and compressors. “You could probably break into anything if you had the right tools,” said Savitt, “but the people that are after $100 worth of copper aren’t equipped like that.” Savitt said he is willing to produce the cages for other business owners who want to protect their rooftop units from theft and damage. Cages would have to be custom made, he said, and the cost would depend upon specifications of design and installation.
|
||||||||||||
Page 4age age 4 |
|
||||||||||||||||
ICNC’s Business of the YearLast Minute Gourmet wins Kinzie Corridor Business of the Year awardLisa Johnson and her husband Farzad Shahsavarani’s Last Minute Gourmet received ICNC’s 2004 “Company of the Year” award at the annual luncheon on June 23. The company has been at its current location at Lake and Artesian only since the beginning of this year, but is a long-time near West Side concern.
Manufacturing and distributing food in six states, Last Minute Gourmet’s product line includes ready-to-eat meals and deli trays. The retail component of their business – they sell to large-volume Chicago food stores – has outgrown the original catering aspect, but Johnson says they’d like to ratchet up the catering side so that both business activities account for about half their activities. The company moved to its new location with the goal of continuing the rapid growth it has enjoyed since Johnson, Shahsavarani and five others set up shop at Grand and Ogden 14 years ago. Now employing 160 people and running two shifts, Johnson says the company plans to grow into its roomy, state-of-the-art facilities. “Right now,” says Johnson, “we’re operating at about 10 percent capacity. When we’re at 100 percent, we should have up to 500 people and be working three shifts.” And she says they hope to be at that point within two to three years. Johnson said she was proud that her company was recognized for the award. “We’ve grown in the community and grown with ICNC” since Ken Govas first recruited them as members at their former location. |
ICNC seeking additional changes to landscapingrequirements
A top ICNC priority the past year has been working
with City officials to adapt the new landscaping and
fencing ordinance to the needs of industry. The good news
is that the following changes will be incorporated into
the landscape and fencing guidelines: §
Allowed heights for ornamental fences increased 10 feet for security
purposes §
Required green space reduced by removing loading and truck storage
areas from current “vehicular use” calculation: no landscaped islands
required for these areas §
No landscaping requirements tied to interior or exterior alterations to
an existing building §
The bad news is that further adaptations of the
ordinance are needed. With the support of Alderman Burnett and others
throughout the city, ICNC will continue to work for additional revisions
which ease the landscape burden for business, including: §
Eliminating islands for industrial parking lots §
Reducing parking lot set-back requirement (currently seven feet) §
Easing requirements for fencing (type of fence, timing, etc.) §
Assisting companies in funding the new requirements §
Allowing custom-made, “common sense” approaches for beautification For more info see www.cityofchicago.org/mayor/zoning
Luncheoncontinued from page 1While business owners spoke of concerns over city regulations, crime and difficult economic conditions, they also called attention to recent success stories. Many area businesses have seen significant expansion this past year, and ICNC has waged successful campaigns vital to area business interests – from preventing the narrowing of Lake Street to helping businesses benefit from increased police patrols recently instituted in the Kinzie Corridor. |
||||||||||||||||
ICNC’s 2004 Award Winners |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Kinzie
Industrial Corridor Business of the Year – Last
Minute Gourmet Fulton
Carroll Center Tenant of the Year – Carlton
Technologies ICNC
President’s Award – Regina Marquez Outstanding Community Partner – West Town Chamber of Commerce |
|||||||||||||||||
Page 5 |
|
||||||||||||||||
Neighborhood hammers out “Grand Avenue Plan”ICNC’s subcommittee of the Grand Avenue Task force focused on Grand Avenue between Ashland and Western Avenues, but its work is part of a larger process of creating recommendations for rezoning a much larger stretch of the street. Spurred by the impending City rewrite of Chicago’s Zoning Code and the fact that much of the land use on Grand Avenue no longer reflects its current zoning – much of it is zoned M1, or manufacturing – recommendations were developed over many months to implement an effective and appropriate land-use plan. Commissioned by ICNC, the Metropolitan Planning and Information Center facilitated a four-month planning process with the following community organizations to develop a long-term, collaborative “Plan for Grand Avenue” Participants in Grand Avenue Taskforce
The group agreed that: § Density should be controlled to ensure traffic flow, parking and industrial compatibility; § A buffer should be created to protect conflicts between residents and industry on the south; § Transit-oriented development should be supported. The planning group studied three sub-areas 1) DesPlaines to Ashland; 2) Ashland to Western; and 3) Western to Kedzie. Sub-groups held ongoing meetings to coordinate land-uses so that each sub-district would enjoy the right feel, blend and scale. Subgroups one and two, east and west of ICNC’s area of focus, are also completing their recommendations after extensive surveys and planning sessions. |
Kinzie environmental vision praised by Illinois EPAThe Illinois Environmental Protection Agency presented a joint award to ICNC and the City of Chicago for “leadership in creating a community-based environmental plan” – the new “Kinzie Corridor Environmental Vision”. The Vision was completed in June of this year after a series of meetings and workshops involving area businesses and neighborhood groups, with technical assistance by environmental consultants and the City. The goal was to determine how progress toward environmentally sound practices could strengthen the Kinzie Corridor. All Kinzie stakeholders were invited to participate in the development of the plan. ICNC Executive Director Joyce Shanahan and Board President Christy Webber accept Environmental Plan Leadership award from DPD Commissioner Denise Casalino and Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr. Participating businesses made clear that while they were in favor of “green” initiatives, their priorities lay in strengthening their businesses and minimizing the cost of City landscaping and fencing requirements. Where the two goals intersected, there was agreement: Improving public transportation by adding stations to the CTA’s Green Line, reducing packaging for products, re-using abandoned industrial buildings and structures and exploring possibilities for a bicycle path on Metra’s right-of-way. Options deemed too expensive included permeable surfaces for parking lots and “green roofs”. A document outlining the planning process and the group’s
recommendations is available on ICNC’s website at www.industrialcouncil.com |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Page 6 |
||||||||||
ICNC Board of Directors Christy Webber – President Christy Webber Landscapes Jim Greenwell – Vice President Reliable Plating Regina Marquez – Treasurer America United Bank
and Trust Co, Heather Egan – Secretary Rickard Circular Folding Edward Lewis – Asst. Secretary Cotton Goods Mfg.
Co. Helen Squires – Asst. Treasurer Chicago Manufacturing Center Burt Anderson W.H. Salisbury Rick Cappelletti Andrés Imaging Dennis Hack Standard Steel and Wire John Hall Goose Island Beer Company Bill Kritt Camins Tomasz Kritt Lynn Werner Illinois
Institute of Art |
Spotlight on: Business Employment Services
Chicago Drapery and Carpet – Like a Family
“ It was a perfect fit!” Karen Alcantar on her job at Chicago Drapery and Carpet. Behind a big desk in her private office, from under a flurry of job orders for Chicago Drapery and Carpet, Karen Alcantar smiles when asked what the difference is between her job today and when she first started three years ago. “I started answering phones right away because in my last job as a switchboard operator, I couldn’t stand the sound of ringing phones. Today I…” “She’s an integral part of what we do…” says her boss, Sam Lallas, smiling. He’s the owner of this commercial custom drapery and floor covering shop, and wants us to know that it’s Karen who commands the office as manager and often project manager, and is an important part of the company’s culture. |
The changing economy over the past four years has required many companies to streamline their approach to doing business, replacing top-heavy management with administrative generalists and a team-oriented approach where staff is prepared to perform whatever function is necessary. Through ICNC’s Business Employment Services (BES), which is funded by the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, Karen received training in Quickbooks software after being hired and also went through Chicago Drapery and Carpet’s on-the-job training. Now, owner Lallas is happy with his employee and Karen is satisfied by the way her career has progressed. She has even hired and trained two new people, including her 17-year old daughter Jackie. That hire helps the company feel like a family, according to Lallas. His mother, 71, agrees; she handles reception and data entry. Chicago Drapery and Carpet is only one example of many
Kinzie Corridor employers Business Employment Services provides with
top-notch employees, many of whom rise through the ranks as they learn their
businesses. By Indre Biskis |
||||||||
Lake StreetContinued from page 1The project started out as a good idea: To increase elevation under the Green Line elevated tracks by lowering Lake Street, and to increase turning radii by reconfiguring L support columns along Lake Street at Ogden and Damen Avenues. Later, though, the City announced its intention of widening sidewalks, relocating the curbs to one foot in front of the columns – thereby reducing available parking and narrowing the street – and including lighting and landscaping.
|
ICNC called on the Department of Transportation to move
forward with plans to increase clearance on Lake Street and to alleviate
turning problems at Ogden and Damen, but asked that Lake Street not be
narrowed, not its little used sidewalks widened in the industrial neighborhood, and that no work interfere with the possibility of future Green Line stops at major intersections. This last point is important because of the one-and-a-half mile gap between the Ashland and California stations. “CDOT listened to our concerns over that proposal and promised to come back with alternatives,” Shanahan said. “At a June 29 meeting, Commissioner d’Escoto showed us the new plans. He and Joseph Voldrich, the project manager, did a great job of incorporating what the businesses asked for.” |
|||||||||
Page 7 |
|
|||||||||
ES conducts ESL classes at local businesses
It’s five o’clock on a hot Wednesday afternoon, and the laughing of a dozen people fills Reliable Plating Corporation’s second floor room. The noise of the fan spinning the sticky air is drown out by the room’s energy. Beth Curtis, ICNC’s Business Employment Services English Instructor, tosses a colorful ball at Sheila, and asks “How do you spell your name?” “S-H-E-I-L-A,” she answers, and throws the ball back to Beth. Another question follows a pitch to Juan, who answers “I am a washer and a plater,” and the game goes on. After half an hour of review from last week and new words from today’s lesson, Beth divides the group into six pairs who make signs for streets and buildings. Within minutes, chairs are rearranged to create a city and the pairs are taking turns giving and taking directions. Practice in real-world skills like these helps involve students in ICNC’s English as a Second Language classes in the language learning process. Many working students have no time for homework because of second jobs, families and other commitments. The repetition involved in the twice-weekly classes helps them retain what they’ve learned. Despite
fatigue and after-work commitments, class attendance is high, and students
are hoping for a second semester of classes. One worker, though, at five
o’clock, said he couldn’t stay for classes because he had to leave for a
second job. For him, only classes during work hours, a technique some shops
have adopted, would work. By Indre Biskis The City of Chicago’s
Mayor’s Office for Workforce Development funds this TIFWORKS training. Call Indre,
with ICNC’s Business Employment Services, for more information about funding
for ESL or other training. |
Policecontinued from page 1These companies, and others who worry about area security, welcomed news that the 13th District Police have assigned an undercover unit to the Corridor to patrol between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. Their mission is to stamp out the break-ins and theft that add to the cost of doing business and undercut the area’s efforts to position itself as an attractive place for industrial and commercial firms. District Commander Robert Lopez and Sergeant John Healy of the Community Policing Office came to meet with ICNC staff members July 1st with the good news. Lopez indicated that it would be a long-term assignment and that he expected its success to stem from the officers’ ability to gather information and develop relationships in the area over the time they are working here. Lopez praised the two officers assigned to the patrol and said that they wanted to meet with area business people to learn as much as they can about the neighborhood and its potential trouble spots. Companies interested in meeting the officers can schedule
meetings through ICNC. Call Steve DeBretto at 312-421-3941. |
|||||||||
ICNC Staff
Joyce Shanahan
Executive Director
Indre Biskis
Director of Business Employment Services
Lori Crowder
Office Manager
Steve DeBretto
Director of Business Development
Violette DesChamps
Property Manager
Maximino Fuentes
Janitor
Darleen Garcia
LISC Intern
Ken Govas
Director of Industrial Development
Tania Morales
Placement
Coordinator
Fernando Ortiz
Maintenance
Ishmael Ortiz
Maintenance
Toribio Ortiz
Building Engineer
Paul Schoefernacker
VISTA Intern
Yolanda
Silva
Financial Manager