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Berwyn Mayor Robert J. Lovero
City of Berwyn Mayor Robert J. Lovero touches on the developing COVID-19 pandemic, the reopening of the Berwyn community, and the resources the BDC pushed out to the Business community. In 2021, more than $6 million were brought in to 130 Berwyn businesses through the Illinois Back 2 Business Grant, the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, the Child Care Restoration Grant, and second round of Illinois Business Interruption Grants. We also saw Paycheck Protection Program loans converted to grants this year, with more than $41 million forgiven for over 1,000 Berwyn businesses. In 2021, the BDC was recognized as a Community Navigator through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. As a Community Navigator, BDC staff provide one-on-one business counseling on topics from marketing to financing – completely free of charge.
On a local level, the City of Berwyn in partnership with the Berwyn Development Corporation are excited to announce two new programs to support local businesses in 2022. The Berwyn Shops on Roosevelt Road
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Andy Sortipolous | Past Board President
Berwyn Development Corporation’s Board Past President, Andy Sotiropoulos, touches on the local, state, and federal resources the BDC pushed out to the business community in 2021. These include the Commercial and Microloan programs in conjunction with the City of Berwyn and the BDC’s seven banking partners, who make up our Loan Commission, and $2 million plus dollars from the United State Economic Development Administration and the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity’s Advantage Program.
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Brett Michaelson | Division Director of Economic Development
Berwyn Development Corporation’s Director of Economic Development and Planning Services, Brett Michaelson, recaps the accomplishments in 2021. This includes outreach to the business community from our team more than 2,500 times. The BDC committed more than $212,000 to 21 projects which may not have happened or would have been much smaller without the BDC’s support.
The BDC is excited to announce that the Finish Line Grant will be extended into 2022. If you’re located in one of our TIF districts and have a project in mind, give the BDC a call to chat.
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Paola Garibay | Chamber Manger
Berwyn Development Corporation’s Manager of Chamber Services, Paola Garibay, touches on the transition in leadership in the Berwyn Chamber in 2021. A team effort was made to connect with as many businesses as possible in Berwyn through visits, phone calls, and emails. The goal was to connect businesses with local, state, federal, and chamber resources.
In 2022, the Chamber will continue to connect with the business community to help identify any challenges or opportunities for improvement. The Chamber will focus on helping businesses adapt to the new norms and trends that have resulted from the ongoing pandemic to help businesses be as successful as possible.
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Patrick Greenacre | Marketing Manager
Berwyn Development Corporation’s Marketing Manager, Patrick Greenacre, touches on the efforts made to help businesses adapt their marketing strategies to the ever-changing business environment. This included traditional marketing such as printed ads in Chicago Magazine and Negocios Now, reaching over 1 million readers.
Efforts were made to increase reach within the Berwyn community. 2021 was the first year all 3 publications of the Berwyn Magazine were translated in Spanish. A plugin was also installed into the whyberwyn.com website, giving visitors the opportunity to view the site in English or Spanish
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David Hulseberg | Executive Director
Berwyn Development Corporation’s Executive Director, David Hulseberg, touches on the safe return of the BDC’s headlining community events in 2021 such as the Taste of Cermak, Depot District Pub Crawl, Oktoberfest, and the Community Car Parade. Business after-hours, business roundtables, and an abbreviated events schedule for our business community were also brought back.
David expresses excitement for the launch of the Berwyn Shops on Roosevelt Road, the Morton Internship Program for Small Businesses, and the redevelopment of 6509 Cermak Road for the new Realty of Chicago headquarters. Stay tuned for more exciting Depot District redevelopment sometime in mid-2022.
