Mayor Emanuel holds Roundtable Discussion at the QBG Foundation in Chatham

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Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Jamie Rhee, Chief Procurement Officer, City of Chicago engage in conversation with Chatham business owners during a roundtable discussion at the QBG Foundation on Jan. 19 (Photo Credit: Brooke Collins, City of Chicago).
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Jamie Rhee, Chief Procurement Officer, City of Chicago engage in conversation with Chatham business owners during a roundtable discussion at the QBG Foundation on Jan. 19 (Photo Credit: Brooke Collins, City of Chicago).

Chatham business owners convened Thursday for a roundtable discussion with Mayor Rahm Emanuel at the QBG Foundation (QBG), 806 E. 78th St.

The mayor visited the Chatham community several times while on the campaign trail including a stop at Izolas Restaurant during a neighborhood listening tour to learn what Chicagoans wanted in a mayor. He explained that his visit last week carries the same momentum.

I came to Chatham during the campaign, and Im here again, because I want Chatham, and places like Chatham, to have the same type of growth, investment, and opportunity as we see downtown, said Emanuel.

Larissa M. Tyler, QBGs executive director said of the meeting, that the Mayors outreach to Chatham was inspiring and hopefully a boost for the entire South side.

Its was certainly an honor for the QBG Foundation to host the Mayors visit especially since his goal was to listen to and help resolve the common issues of small business owners in Chatham, Tyler said. My hope is that whatever positive results come out of his visit to Chatham will benefit other Southside communities as well.

During the roundtable, entrepreneurs, many of them members of the Chatham Business Association (CBA) voiced their concerns on several issues that their establishments are facing including healthcare and security.

John Griffin, Jr. CBA board member and president/CEO of AGB Investigative Services Inc., discussed with the Mayor, his companys issues with healthcare.

Griffin told the Chicago Citizen that the roundtable was absolutely beneficial and hes inspired to see the great things that will come as a result from the meeting.

Joseph Caldwell, Sr., CBA vice chairman and president/CEO of Tailorite Cleaners said he was pleased to hear that Emanuel is working to see insure growth throughout the entire city.

I was certainly glad to hear him say that while theyre putting emphasis on downtown they are also putting emphasis on the community, Caldwell told the Chicago Citizen. Thats important to all of us.

Small business is an engine that creates jobs throughout America, Caldwell added and said he appreciates the mayor is interested in addressing concerns of small business owners.

Emanuel also announced a new program aimed at helping minority and women-owned businesses successfully transition from the citys Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) program into self-sustaining enterprises.

Our goal is to help minority- and women-owned businesses grow to the point they can compete in the marketplace, said Emanuel. Todays announcement is a great step forward in this goal and will help us ensure that these companies have a smooth transition from the program into the open market. Its a win-win for everyone involved and will create important jobs and opportunities in our neighborhood.

After the MWBE businesses exceed certain size standards, they graduate from program with the objective of continued growth and success, whether it is in government contracting or the private sector marketplace, according to a release from the Mayors press office.

One of our top goals is making sure that minority- and women-owned businesses can grow and find a consistent, stable place in the market. This announcement will allow us to ensure that our companies are able to smoothly transition out of the program and into the marketplace, where they can continue their growth and expansion, said Jamie Rhee, the citys Chief Procurement Officer who was present at the roundtable.

Rhee also thanked Melinda Kelly, CBAs executive director for being a community liaison. Melinda is always there when we are coming up with new innovative ideas which the mayor is constantly challenging us to do. To create more jobs, to assist in businesses growing and Chatham is right there with us to say, This is how it impacts folks and really thats what we need to hear from the business leaders [and] how are programs will impact what they do every day, she said.

Rhee continued that the citys procurement department sees business owners as its customers and want to ensure they have resources and tools needed to supply services to the City of Chicago.

The new MWBE initiative will be introduced to the city council next month.

By Thelma Sardin

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