A new resource at Distillery Labs in downtown Peoria is bringing support to women and minority-owned businesses.
The new Women’s Business Center is an extension office of the Chicago-based nonprofit Women’s Business Development Center. Democratic Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth says she helped to earmark $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the center.
When the center is up and running it will help provide local businesses with technical assistance, government contracting opportunities, financial education and business advocacy.
“Women-owned businesses are critically important to our state, to Peoria, to the country, because they tend to hire other women,” Duckworth said. “They tend to have better policies when it comes to child care and they tend to be very entrepreneurial.”
In fact, the Women’s Business Development Center has its own set of support systems for women-owned childcare businesses. The nonprofit works hand-in-hand with the U.S. Small Business Administration [SBA] to find support and opportunities for them.
“Because we know that the care economy is important for the employees you hire,” said SBA Region 5 Administrator Geri Aglipay. “The care economy is important for the owners, whether they be fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, taking care of our children and sometimes even our parents. We know that women are two thirds of the working heads of households, or they’re coworking heads of household, so making sure that the women’s economy works is important to us.”
Local leaders are also anticipating the impact of the center. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali invoked the history of famous Peoria resident Annie Malone, the first black woman billionaire, founder of a cosmetic line and cosmetology school.
“What started as one campus eventually expanded to 32 schools across the country,” Ali said. “And her success started right here in Peoria.”
The Women’s Business Center at Distillery Labs does not yet have an opening date set.