The EEC Program was created in 2023 by The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Office of Economic Equity & Empowerment (OE3). EEC’s are intended to address the need for tailored support at a local, community and cultural level for socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI)-owned businesses and Very Small Businesses (VSBs). Through this new program, an EEC will create an inclusive business ecosystem for marginalized communities that have traditionally faced systemic barriers to entry and growth through dynamic partnerships, targeted outreach, and customized training programs and initiatives.

For several years, graduates of GROW/PROGRESANDO who were or became business owners, have requested that we develop an advanced level of the program. It has become common for our graduates to repeat our program more than once in their quest for deepened knowledge and understanding of the principles and practices of entrepreneurship. This call for advanced business development and management education inspired RPBA to request funding to launch and operate an EEC.

RPBA believes that an EEC devoted to eligible existing business owners with demographics like those in our service area will be a critically needed resource. Many existing business owners have been unable to pivot their business models and adapt to new realities effectively as they are facing financial and other hardships. RPBA’s EEC considers structural, systemic, language, technology access and other barriers that exclude them from accessing capital, resources and information. The EEC is an opportunity for RPBA to provide an impactful resource, much needed advanced entrepreneurial training curriculum to existing business owners, an often-underserved segment of the business service ecosystem.