Resources for Reopening
City of Highland Park Meetings for Business Owners
Business Town Hall Meeting (February 24, 2021)
On February 24, 2021, Mayor Rotering, Councilman Knobel, City Manager Neukirch, and City staff met with small business owners to discuss the impact of the pandemic, present the findings of a recent survey of business owners, and review the City's business assistance initiatives. As business owners begin to plan for the post-pandemic climate, the City appreciated the chance to hear feedback and identify opportunities to further collaborate with business owners to promote Highland Park's shops, restaurants, fitness and service businesses.
Meeting Notes
Business Survey Results
At the Monday, March 15 City Council Meeting, Assistant City Manager Rob Sabo presented a comprehensive summary of the City's business development activities during 2020, including an overview of financial assistance, expanded permits, and marketing support, as well as the results of a survey of business owners.
The City will continue to communicate updates with business owners through the weekly Business Development eNewsletter. Feedback from residents and business owners is always welcome, and may be directed to Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch at chersch@cityhpil.com.
2020 Meetings
City of Highland Park Restaurant Meeting
On Wednesday, September 16, the City of Highland Park hosted a virtual meeting for restaurants. City officials included Mayor Nancy Rotering, City Councilman Alyssa Knobel, City Manager Ghida Neukirch, Assistant City Manager Rob Sabo, and Community Development Director Joel Fontane, Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch, Business Development Assistant Melissa Rosen, and Deputy City Clerk Ashley Palbitska. Jim Lederer, the owner of Bluegrass restaurant, co-chaired the meeting, focusing on the business operations segment of the meeting. READ MORE...
Business Town Hall Resources:
The City of Highland Park hosted a virtual Town Hall for businesses on Friday, May 22, at 8:00 AM. Access details are available on the agenda. The recording and Q&A are now available. Please download the following materials referenced during the meeting:
City of Highland Park Financial Aid for Restaurants and Retailers
Financial Aid for Retailers and Restaurants Grant Program
The City of Highland Park has announced a new matching grant program to assist small businesses in weathering the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in light of challenges posed by winter weather and a resurgence of COVID-19. The Financial Assistance for Retailers and Restaurants (FARR) Grant Program designates $255,000 in funding to support COVID-19-related operational costs incurred by restaurants and retail establishments to provide for a safe environment for customers and staff in compliance with state and federal public health guidelines. The new program will accept applications beginning today, Tuesday, October 27, from qualifying small businesses located and operating within a commercial building in Highland Park with a net worth of less than $2 million and generating less than an average of $200,000 in profit per year for two years after taxes. More information is available here.
FARR Grant Program Application
City Waives Defers 2021 Business Registration & Certain License Fees
City Waives and Defers 2021 Business Registration & Certain License Fees (Announced Nov. 23 , 2020)
The City of Highland Park (City) will eliminate and defer certain business fees in an effort to provide relief to small businesses that have sustained significant economic impact from the coronavirus pandemic. To provide direct financial assistance to businesses, the following measures will be implemented:
- Waiver of 2021 business registration fees for qualifying businesses occupying 7,000 square feet or less, valued at approximately $30,000
- Waiver of 2021 restaurant licenses, valued at approximately $11,000
- Waiver of 50% of 2021 liquor license fees for Highland Park restaurants and hotels, and deferred payment of the balance until June 30, 2021 valued at approximately $69,000
City staff will contact business owners who have already submitted payment for the above fees to coordinate reimbursement.
Click here to learn more.
City of Highland Park Applications for Temporary Outdoor Expansion Permits
Business Development eNews: Special COVID-19 Editions
Click HERE for Busines Development Enews Archives
June 10, 2020 SCORE Resources
June 5, 2020 PPP Loan Forgiveness
June 2, 2020 Public Safety Measures
May, 28, 2020 Temporary Outdoor Expansion Permits, Phase Three Toolkits
May 20, 2020 Restore Illinois Updates, Small Business Grants
May, 14, 2020 Town Hall for Business, COVID19 Updates
May 7, 2020: State of Illinois Updates, DECO Webinars
April 29, 2020: State of Illinois Updates; Face Coverings
April 15, 2020: New Businesses, Virtual Services
April 1, 2020: Small Busines Loan & Grant Opportunities
March 19, 2020: SBA Disaster Assistance Loans; Gov. Pritzker announces sales tax deferrals for bars and restaurants
March 19, 2020: Responding to COVID-19, Liquor delivery; Curbside Pick-up parking signs; Guidance for employers
March 13, 2020: City closes municipal buildings to the public/other closures; SBA Disaster Assistance Loans; Community resources list development
Meetings, Webinars & Archived Presentations
City of Highland Park Restaurant Meeting
On Wednesday, September 16, the City of Highland Park hosted a virtual meeting for restaurants. City officials included Mayor Nancy Rotering, City Councilman Alyssa Knobel, City Manager Ghida Neukirch, Assistant City Manager Rob Sabo, and Community Development Director Joel Fontane, Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch, Business Development Assistant Melissa Rosen, and Deputy City Clerk Ashley Palbitska. Jim Lederer, the owner of Bluegrass restaurant, co-chaired the meeting, focusing on the business operations segment of the meeting. READ MORE...
SBDC RECOVERY ASSISTANCE TRAINING
Register for all programming at tinyurl.com/y3bwaoo8
External Funding Options
Thursday, September 10
11AM - 12:30PM
Discover other funding sources beyond the obvious and how to leverage them for your advantage.
Cash Resiliency
Thursday, September 24 OR Thursday, October 8
9AM - 12PM
Discover tactics for identifying sources of cash in the next 90 days and solving immediate, short-term and long-term cash flow challenges.
Lake County Partners and the Illinois Small Business Development Center co-hosted three webinars to provide information on the new Small Business Assistance COVID-19 Grant Program and answer questions from participants.
Webinar Recording
The City of Highland Park hosted a virtual Town Hall for businesses on Friday, May 22, at 8:00 AM. Access details are available on the agenda. The recording and Q&A are now available. Please download the following materials referenced during the meeting:
City of Highland Park Webinar: Economic Injury Disaster LoansDownload the PresentationOn Monday, March 30, 2020, the City of Highland Park hosted a webinar on
Economic Injury Disaster Loans for Coronavirus Related Economic Disruptions to provide small local businesses with economic solutions for the impact of COVID -19 on their business, as they are making great sacrifices to support city and statewide measures to protect public health. The webinar presenter was Stephen Konkle, Economic Development Specialist with the Illinois District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Free assistance with reconstructing financial records, preparing financial statements and submitting the loan application is available from any of SBA’s partners: Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), SCORE, Women’s Business Centers (WBC), and Veteran’s Business Outreach Centers and local Chambers of Commerce. For the nearest office, visit:
https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance. The Illinois District is hosting two training sessions daily (11a and 3pm). Go to
www.sba.gov/il for more information.
Highland Park Chamber of Commerce "Ask The Experts" Video Series
State of Illinois Relief for Small Businesses
State of Illinois Announces New BIG Grant Program
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the launch of its first round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG), which will provide $60 million to businesses experiencing losses or business interruption as a result of COVID-19 related closures. The BIG Program is available for up to 3,500 Illinois businesses.DCEO will accept applications from June 26th until 5:00pm on July 7th, and funds will be distributed in early July. Learn more about BIG here.
Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund
DCEO and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) are establishing the Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund to offer small businesses low interest loans of up to $50,000.
For more information visit the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's website.
The Lake County Workforce Development Board recognizes that COVID-19 has put a difficult burden on our business and non-profit community. As a response, the Workforce Board is working with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to provide small businesses and nonprofits with reimbursement grants during this health crisis. These grant funds can help you equip your business with strategies that assist in mitigating layoffs and adhering to “social distancing” provisions established by state and federal health entities. Allowable Strategies and Costs include the following:
- Payment for special cleaning & sanitization services
- Purchase of software and hardware for remote working
- Cost of conversion to call center/remote work environments
- Cross functional or transitional training
- Production of essential goods and services needed to support COVID-19 response
Federal Relief for Small Businesses
Paycheck Protection Program
New Round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) December 30, 2020: Click Here for More Information
Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance Loans:
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is providing disaster assistance loans of up to $2 Million to help businesses through any disruption that may be caused by the coronavirus. The following links bulleted below provide important information on how to apply for an SBA loan.
The SBA has made available recordings of live webinars providing essential information about the SBA Disaster Assistance Loan program.
For additional assistance on SBA Disaster Assistance Loans or the application, please contact the SBA Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800.659.2955 or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
Federal Business Interruption Grants
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) launched its first round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG), which provided $60 million to businesses experiencing losses or business interruption as a result of COVID-19 related closures. The first round BIG Program was available to up to 3,500 Illinois businesses. DCEO accepted applications from June 26th to July 7th. Funds were distributed to qualifying businesses in early July. Learn more about BIG here.
Economic Injury Disaster Loans
July 6, 2020 -- The SBA is restoring eligibility for the EIDL Advance to those who did not check the box indicating the desire to be considered for the EIDL Advance of up to $10,000 and whose loan status is either withdrawn or declined. Beginning the week of July 13, 2020, the SBA will process EIDL Advances using the information provided on original EIDL applications. The amount of an Advance is based on $1,000 per employee, up to a maximum of $10,000. If the SBA can verify and validate the information provided on the application, the Advance will be automatically deposited into your bank account. If for some reason the SBA is unable to successfully process your Advance, you will receive an email notification with a link to update your business and bank account information. If you do not wish to receive the EIDL Advance, please contact the SBA by email within three (3) business days at EIDLAdvanceOptOut@sba.gov, and reference your 10-digit application number and "Stop EIDL Advance" in the subject line.
Payroll Protection Program (PPP)
Applications closed August 8, 2020
The Paycheck Protection Program resumed accepting applications July 6, 2020, at 9:00 AM EDT in response to the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. The new deadline to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan is August 8, 2020. To learn more and to apply, click here.
Other Opportunities for Small Business Relief
The Lake County Board has allocated $10 million to fund the Lake County Small Business Assistance COVID-19 Grant Program. The grant program was created to assist small businesses in Lake County that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.
Beginning Tuesday, July 7, 2020, businesses will be able to apply online for up to $30,000 to cover up to four months of occupancy costs (rent, mortgage, utilities) as well as expenses incurred due to COVID-19 (new equipment, plexiglass, masks, sanitization services/materials, employee training, etc.).
Small businesses in Lake County that meet the following criteria are eligible to apply for the program:
- For profit, incorporated business (e.g., LLC, S Corp, Partnership, Sole Proprietorship, etc.) - Independent contractors are currently not eligible
- In business prior to February 15, 2020
- Earn less than $2.5 million in annual revenue
- Must be able to document a significant negative business impact from COVID-19
- Preference will be given to businesses that have not received Federal Assistance (i.e., Paycheck Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan)
Lake County small businesses that meet the above requirements may apply online at lakecountyil.gov/forward beginning at 8 a.m. on July 7. The application period will be open for two weeks, with submissions accepted until July 20 at 11:59 p.m. Find answers to FAQs about this program HERE.
Business For All Hello Alice Grants
Resources & Toolkits
Essential Business FAQs - Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
COVID-19 Emergency Resources For Businesses - Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
Liquor Control Board COVID-19 Compliance FAQ
Emergency Small Business Grant & Loan Assistance - Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
email CEO.support@illinois.gov
The Illinois Small Business Development and International Trade Center at College of Lake County remains AVAILABLE for virtual appointments with a team of advisers ready to discuss emergency funding options for your business. Schedule an Appointment
COVID -19 Small Business Survival Guide - Illinois Small Business Development & International Trade Center
Illinois Department of Revenue Covid -19 Tax Relief
Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) to file an online complaint
Essential Business inquiries: 800.252.2923 or CEO.support@illinois.gov
Unemployment insurance eligibility and the application process:
Claimant Services 800.244.5631
Highland Park Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 Toolkit
SCORE Resources
Information for Employers
Information for Employers
Employers play a key role in promoting healthy communities. The CDC recommends that employers encourage sick employees to stay home, especially if they have had a fever of 100.4°F or higher. Employees should be symptom-free for at least 24 hours before returning to work. For additional best practices, the CDC offers guidance for an informed response from employers. The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has prepared a useful fact sheet for businesses and employers.
The CDC provides updates for business and leisure travelers as information becomes available. View CDC’s specific guidance for travelers at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/warning/novel-coronavirus-china.
Special guidance for healthcare professionals is also available.
State of Illinois COVID-19 Resurgence Mitigations
The State of Illinois is currently operating in the Bridge Phase. No COVID-19 resurgence mitigations are in effect. This information is for your reference.
Click here for detailed information about the tiered mitigations.
