Rock Island Today

Minority entrepreneurs will have the chance to strengthen the state’s start-up and small business community by applying for the 2018 Advancing the Development of Minority Entrepreneurship (ADME) program. 

Chosen applicants will have access to services such as business plan assistance, one-on-one sessions with attorneys, loan pre-qualification assessments, and the opportunity to pitch their business ideas with banks, investors and microlenders.

The ADME program, which is in its second year, is administered through the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) with the help of The Women’s Business Development Center and the Illinois Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) network.

While the 2017 ADME program was held in Chicago, Peoria and Rockford, it will be held in the Champaign, Quad Cities and South Chicago regions this year.

“A main focus of the Rauner administration has been expanding our support for talented individuals and entrepreneurs in every community within Illinois,” Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy said in a news release. “We have made a lot of improvements to the program this second time around to better equip the participants with real-world knowledge and give them a leg up as they embark on the next phase of their business.”

ADME program applications are available online and are due by May 31.