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TO: Mayor Thomas J. Weisner
FROM: Jeff McLaughlin, Neighborhood Redevelopment Manager
DATE: March 3, 2015
SUBJECT:
A Resolution Awarding a Request for Proposal (RFP) 15-02 to the Quad County African American Chamber of Commerce (QCAACC) to Provide Entrepreneur/Small Business Outreach Services in the City of Aurora's Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA).
PURPOSE:
Staff seeks approval for the award of RFP 15-02 to the QCAACC in the amount of $30,000 to provide on-line marketing, social media training, and government vendor training to NRSA small businesses in order to assist in attracting new customers and streamlining business operations.
BACKGROUND:
In 2013/2014, the City utilized the Community Development Block Grant to fund the Waubonsee Community College Small Business Development Center and the QCAACC to survey small businesses in the NRSA and Downtown to assess of their needs. This survey encompassed over 200 businesses, with 80 specific respondents. This survey was finalized in December of 2014 and is presented as Attachment "A". The City has budgeted $15,000 in the 2015 fiscal year and $15,000 in the 2016 fiscal year ($30,000 total) to produce a program that is a follow-up to the survey results. This budget led to the development of RFP 15-02 which sought an economic development partner who could plan and implement a specific small business outreach and support program specific to the NRSA area. The QCAACC was the winning responsible bidder for this RFP process (Proposal as Attachment C").
DISCUSSION:
The QCAACC has proposed the use of seminars, webinars, small group sessions, and one-on-one coaching to work with NRSA small businesses on the creation and use of social media sites (Facebook, Twitter), the creation of business webpages, and email marketing with the goal of assisting businesses to retain old clients and attract new business. Additional training will be offered in basic business software such as Q...
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