Rantoul Business Incubator to Celebrate Grand Opening June 28
The Rantoul Business Incubator, a new resource for local entrepreneurs offering a suite of support services, will celebrate its public grand opening on Thursday, June 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The Rantoul Business Incubator is located within the Rantoul Business Center. It is a service of the East Central Illinois University Center, a partnership among local educational institutions and business development resources to promote and foster entrepreneurship in the region.
The Grand Opening event will feature tours, demonstrations, networking, and complimentary refreshments. The Grand Opening is in conjunction with TechMix, a monthly event connecting people in the local technology community sponsored by the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation.
Located at the former Chanute Air Force Base, the Rantoul Business Incubator is a new resource for local entrepreneurs offering:
· free office space for entrepreneurs
· free onsite business consulting from the Small Business Development Center
· access to a team of Parkland/University of Illinois students providing a variety of free business and marketing services
· Entrepreneur education opportunities such as the FastTrac course
“This community incubator will leverage resources that we have developed at EnterpriseWorks to nurture startups and grow existing businesses,” said Laura Frerichs, Director of Research Park. “We are excited to offer these services in Rantoul and continue to build on entrepreneurship in that area.”
Applications will be available on June 28 for those wanting space at the Rantoul Business Incubator. The application will also be available online.
The East Central Illinois University Center is a partnership between EnterpriseWorks (the incubator at the Research Park), the University of Illinois College of Business, Parkland College, the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, Village of Rantoul and Rantoul Business Center, and Champaign County Regional Planning Commission. It serves an area of 2,900 square miles that includes all or portions of 12 counties in central Illinois. This area includes rural areas seeking to diversify their economies due to declining key economic drivers in their communities. The University Center will benefit these communities and organizations by providing resources that can spur economic growth and entrepreneurship.