By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our newsletter
ROCKFORD — A new venture aimed at helping women and minority entrepreneurs launch or strengthen their businesses will fill the former Jerome Interiors building on North Main Street after gaining City Council approval.
Think Big plans to open a small business development center in the property at 1311 N. Main St. in January after the building undergoes extensive renovations. The nonprofit works to remove the barriers that prevent minorities and women from business growth and development.
“I think it’s going to be a game-changer,” said Sheila Hill, the co-founder of Think Big along with Duntai Mathews. “Not just for the west side of Rockford, but for the entire city of Rockford, the minorities and the women are just going to experience some crazy growth — some life-changing stuff.”
City Council members voted 8-3 to approve a $3.1 million redevelopment deal to transform the underutilized building. That deal includes about $1.2 million for construction to renovate the space and $1.25 million paid over five years to Think Big to staff and operate the center. It will be staffed by three paid employees — an office manager, operations manager and coordinator for various events in the space — along with support from Hill and Mathews.
Background: Rockford small business development center aims to ‘make history for our minority businesses’
Some aldermen expressed concerns about the cost and scope of the project, available parking and why the North Main location was chosen. That property, owned by Joseph James Partners, is being donated to the city at an estimated value of $350,000.
“I have no problem with the program. I have no problem with the building,” said Alderman Kevin Frost, a Republican who represents the city’s 4th Ward. “I just wish we had a way of taking the scope of it and knocking it down a little bit because we’re talking about $3.1 million here, not $300,000.”
Frost said some of the money could go toward a litany of other valuable issues that have been brought to the City Council’s attention, particularly surrounding curtailing youth crime.
“We’re in the business of taking taxpayers’ dollars and spending it wisely,” Frost said. “It’s a nice thing to have a dream about, but we’re not in the business of dreams.”
City news: ‘We’re absolutely not done’: McNamara delivers State of the City address
Frost along with Alderman Tim Durkee, a 1st Ward Republican, and Alderwoman Linda McNeely, a 13th Ward Democrat, voted against the measure.
“I think we can take $3 million and put somewhere in the 13th, 5th or 7th (wards) and build a building just as comparable if not more comparable and do the same activities,” McNeely said. “That’s a big reason why I can’t support this.”
City development staff said the building was chosen because of its visibility along North Main, its accessibility along a bus route and its location on the west side near a conjunction of four different city wards.
“The government gives these programs money all the time. What you get in return is huge amounts of extra tax money generated by those small businesses. So it’s not really a giveaway, it’s an investment,” said Alderman Bill Rose, a 9th Ward Democrat. “The sales tax they generate, the employee taxes they generate, the bond-purchasing power they generate, those things add up.”
The building has been used as storage space for Rocktown Adventures and property management offices for Joseph James Partners. Historically it was home to Jerome Interiors. It was later Fight College boxing and fitness gym and an indoor skatepark, but owners say it has been largely underutilized.
“That Jerome Interiors building has been sitting since I was in middle school,” said Rose, who then noted the gray in his hair to illustrate how much time has passed since then.
Hill, who is president and CEO of the property management company Hill & Hill Enterprises, and Mathews, the president of DLM Manufacturing, have largely volunteered their time to help other entrepreneurs succeed, Hill said. She said they did that in order to pass on the knowledge they gained from building their own companies.
“We’re very grateful to be able to help other minorities and other women,” Hill said.
Cost breakdown
- Architectural services | $67,900
- Construction | $1,200,000
- Property acquisition | $350,000 (donation)
- Construction administration | $17,424
- Think Big funding agreement | $1,250,000
- Contingency funds | $250,000
- Total | $3,135,324
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.