Members of the city’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) have taken the biggest step yet in establishing a program to honor legacy businesses. Committee members voted to allocate up to $100,000 in funding for the project at their meeting on Wednesday, July 27.
City Councilman Claire Kelly (No. 1) said the program she hopes authorities will use to preserve Evanston’s long-standing business, which has long been considered a key component of the city’s economic development strategy. proposed the creation of
credit: Bob Seidenberg
Under this program, the City will establish a Legacy Business Registry to formally recognize the contributions of such companies to the City.
A proposed program could include a dedicated website containing business guides, featured businesses, city awareness (such as plaques, branding, window decals, announcements from the mayor, or a combination of these) to help businesses can draw attention to
Grants could be up to $25,000 per business or up to $10,000 per property owner, officials suggest.
heOvercoming “good times and hard times”
At the July 27 meeting, several longtime business owners voted in favor of the program, including Cheryl Judith, owner of Hecky’s Barbecue at 1902 Green Bay Road. “When Hecky passed away in May 2020, I was tasked with carrying out our plans to renovate the restaurant,” Judith told committee members.
“Hecky’s opened October 13, 1982,” she said. “So it was a long time ago to renew. It was a very costly venture.”
Judith said she was grateful for the support the city has shown to long-established businesses that play an important role.
“We are merchants who stay. We have weathered good times and hard times. We recognize the need to continually introduce new businesses to grow our economic base. However, this initiative to recognize and support legacy businesses is a vote of trust and recognition of our role and will help strengthen our spirit as we strive to recover from the economic challenges of the pandemic.”
She added a saying from her husband, Hecky, who was one of the most popular figures in the community at the time of his death. “I belong to the ‘B club,'” he said. “‘I will be here when they come, and I will be here when they leave.'”
Also participating are Dave Glatt, owner of Dave’s Italian Kitchen at 815 Noyes St., celebrating its 50th anniversary in Evanston, and John Cahill, Sr., of the family-run John Cahill Inc., 1515 Church St. did. His plumbing business dates back to the 1890s.
In a letter read at a committee meeting, Cahill said:
“Many of our businesses haven’t been around as long as our company,” he added.
The commission’s initial allocation of up to $100,000 will be used to support a number of activities, said Paul Zalmezak, the city’s economic development manager, in a memo.
These include commissioning a local artist to design the award plate and a local vendor to produce it. Create a branding identity and logo tied to your design and establish a website domain.
Future funding for the program will depend on the city council increasing the budget of the economic development department to accommodate the new program, Zalmezak said.
Meanwhile, Kelly, whose ward includes part of the downtown business district, said it has already hosted meetings with interested community members and a small group of economic development staff to make recommendations on how to implement the program. , including determining selection criteria (eg, years in business, cultural significance, etc.).
San Francisco, the first city to establish a Legacy Program, offers annual grants to companies (up to 300) that make up the Legacy Registry. The program provides grants of up to $500 per employee and $4.50 per square foot of her to property owners who extend their 10-year lease to tenants. Staff report that it is possible.
Grants are up to $50,000 per company and up to $22,500 for property owners, according to a staff memo on the San Francisco program.
Since its inception, the program has helped more than 230 businesses and nonprofits.