Once considered a “city within a city” during the days of restrictive covenants, the forces of disinvestment and middle class abandonment devastated the physical space of the community and

the psyche of some of its residents during the latter half of the 20th century. As young professionals and businesses now set their gaze upon Bronzeville, “Community” is the framework under which the myriad of activities and plans currently underway must be organized. Area surveys by select participants have long expressed a desire for a chamber of commerce.

Today, we have organized that missing element to fulfill the Unifying voice of community for the endogenous businesses, community Leaders, institutions and other interested parties. We welcome all supporters in the Chicago community to join us. More information is available on our web site at www.bronzevillechamber.com and while you are there, sign up to receive our monthly news letter.

As an institution, the Bronzeville Chamber of Commerce (BVCC) is a community builder. In a sense, BVCC is engaged in community organizing with the goal of developing and maintaining a sense of consistency and progressiveness, through high tech and low tech means. Our goal is value creation. With 5,300 new housing units scheduled to come online within the next 10 years, we know that new businesses will follow. We do not want to see any business or anyone left behind as the forces of gentrification envelop this community. To that end our service strategy focuses on activities that:

• Build human capital to strengthen existing businesses, attract newones and increase entrepreneurship,
• Build community capacity to ensure stability and authenticity and
• Build bridges to empower all community voices.

We have identified a need to use technology to empower small business owners and individuals from Bronzeville and are currently working with a software company to create a training initiative that will be customized to meet a range of needs and include a “train the trainer” module so that entrepreneurs who are more tech-savvy can work with existing business owners to upgrade their technology skills and awareness. We will also offer certification programs as a method for creating jobs and increasing opportunities for entrepreneurship.

Providing concrete methods for area businesses and residents to circulate their dollars within Bronzeville, is of prime importance. We are offering a high tech method for doing this through our website. We are in the process of creating a virtual marketplace by means of a portal to websites of other Bronzeville businesses and products. Not only will this initiative aid in keeping dollars in our community, it will also serve as an opportunity for local businesses to extend their market reach. This service will also include website design and maintenance by area businesses.

We know that the human touch is still important and are also engaging in the service of creating community through low-tech forms. We will offer business development services and counseling. BVCC will have information sharing and networking events, including special events that highlight a member of the week. We are also providing a monthly newsletter to keep members apprised of business information, community events, and policy issues.

Finally, the BVCC provides a forum by which its members can influence the direction that development takes in this community. Developers, major corporations and decision makers routinely look to chambers to understand community dynamics and potential.

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