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February 28, 2024

Oriental Massage Wellness offers specialized massage treatments based on Traditional Thai and Deep Tissue Massage. The owner, Saijai, has more than 10 years of massage service. Nurture your body and soothe your mind with a selection of services that include Swedish massage, hot stone massage, aroma massage, and back and shoulder massage.

1930 First Street, Ste. 9 / 224.551.1462 / Oriental Massage Wellness

During the City Council meeting on February 12th, a contract was approved to reconstruct the Second Street surface parking lot between Michael's and Terry's Toffee. The project includes complete pavement reconstruction, permeable brick pavers for parking stalls, a new curb, gutter, and drainage structures, lighting enhancements, and installation of new conduit for future electrical vehicle charging stations. The construction work is expected to begin in mid-March and continue through May, and during this time, the parking lot will not be accessible to customers or employees. The City has already discussed the project timing with the affected businesses and property owners along Second St. and First St. It will provide further details about the project timeline and parking for customers and employees before the start of the construction.

In addition to this, the City Council discussed the broader lighting and streetscape enhancement of Second Street during the Committee of the Whole meeting. The council supported re-situating a planned bump-out slightly north along Second St. (between Gearhead Outfitters and BYG) to facilitate outdoor dining and enhanced lighting. As planning continues for this project, City staff will explore additional lighting elements to enhance the ambiance of the Second Street corridor between Central Ave. and Elm Pl. Information will also be available on the city's interactive CIP map nearer to the start of construction. If you're interested in receiving updates about the project, you can sign up for the dedicated project email list by emailing cityhp@cityhpil.com.

From February 27 to March 1, the City will be conducting sewer cleaning and televising to inspect sewer conditions in Downtown Highland Park, beginning at 4:00 AM each day. Due to the locations of the manholes, this work cannot be completed during typical business hours. Work will be conducted within the following boundaries: Green Bay Road to the west, First St. to the east, Elm Pl. to the north, and Laurel Ave. to the south. Second St. between Elm and Laurel and Central Ave. between Green bay and First are both included within the boundary. A map of the work area is available.

Additionally, the City's contractor, Power Concrete Lifting,

will be performing mud jacking work for the City beginning Tuesday, February

27. Mudjacking is a method of leveling concrete. Work is anticipated to last

two weeks, along designated streets in Fort Sheridan and southwest Highland

Park. A map of the work area is available.

ComEd’s new EV programs are live! These new programs are geared toward removing barriers to EVs, charging availability, and furthering the goal of widespread transportation electrification, a key goal outlined in the state’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).

ComEd launched two new rebate programs for businesses and public sector customers.

• Electric Vehicle Rebates range from $5,000 to $180,000 for the purchase of electric light, medium, and heavy-duty fleet vehicles, as well as transit and school buses.
• “Make-Ready” Electrical Infrastructure Rebates of up to $8,000 per port for installing Level 2 EV chargers and up to $1,000 per kW for Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs).

To learn more about these programs, visit comed.com/clean.

The Exterior Improvement Grant Program offered by the City is designed to provide both assistance and encouragement to commercial property owners and sales-tax-generating local businesses citywide to improve their storefronts’ appearance and functionality. The program has the following key features:

• The cost of eligible improvements is shared equally between the applicant and the City.
• The maximum Grant amount is $20,000 per year for up to five consecutive years or a total of $100,000; however, a grant for the same improvement would not be considered within the same five-year period.
• The eligible improvements must be visible from the right-of-way.

The annual program budget is $100,000 and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The program is an excellent opportunity for local businesses and property owners to revamp their storefronts, enhance their appeal, and lessen the financial burden. Please visit Exterior Improvement Grant Program to learn more and download the Application.

If you have questions about the program, please contact Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch at 847.926.1027 or via e-mail at chersch@cityhpil.com.

Community Navigators is a support program to assist small businesses, particularly minority, women, rural, and veteran-owned businesses. They provide outreach to raise awareness on federal and state programs, and provide 1:1 technical assistance, etc. For more information, please click HERE.

Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center launched $1 million in funding for the Made in Illinois Grant Program. The Made in Illinois program provides up to $50,000 in matching grant funding to small and mid-sized Illinois manufacturers.

Applications are open through March 31, 2024, and manufacturers are encouraged to explore the benefits offered by the Made in Illinois Grant Program by visiting www.imec.org/madeinillinois. 

Discover small business grants for every stage of your small business adventure. Grant opportunities are recommended based on your unique profile and delivered to your inbox weekly. The search for free money doesn't get any easier! In partnership with the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) and with funding from Etsy and Progressive, Hello Alice is a free online platform that helps businesses launch and grow through every step of their entrepreneurial journey. The Small Business Growth Fund provides small business owners with knowledge, funding, networking opportunities, and peer-to-peer connections with more than one million small business owners. 

Learn about Hello Alice funding opportunities.

Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) are located throughout the state and provide information, confidential business guidance, training, and other free resources for start-ups and existing small businesses. If you need help with a business plan, marketing, financial bookkeeping, finding grants, starting and growing a business, click HERE. To find a Center near you, click HERE. Please note that many SBDCs do provide Spanish assistance. If you need help finding an SBDC that provides Spanish assistance, please contact Diana Alfaro at diana.alfaro@illinois.gov.

SCORE offers in-person or virtual sessions using phone, email, or video

All sessions are free and confidential. SCORE mentors are successful business professionals, some retired, some working, from all industries and experiences.

SCORE recently added a new YouTube channel where all previously recorded webinars can be accessed.

To schedule an in-person or virtual session, visit score.org/northchicago and register to “Find a Mentor”. You will be asked to provide the nature of your business interest. Please include whether you prefer in-person or virtual mentoring (phone, email, video) and note the Highland Park Public Library even if you prefer a virtual session.

Upcoming Free Webinar: February 29 6:00-7:00 PM Surge Ahead with AI. Five Strategies for Business Success.

Click to learn more.

Upcoming Free Webinar: March 6 6:30 PM Unlock the Power of AI for your Business.

Click to learn more.

On behalf of the 112 Education Foundation, the District 112 Art Teachers and the PTO President’s Council, your business is invited to participate in the first “Art in Bloom” Student Art Walk Experience. Spring forward with the talented emerging artists in District 112! By displaying students’ artwork in your windows, you can help harness senses of creativity and pride for our town’s youth. If you would like to participate in this community initiative, please email danajweiss@gmail.com by February 14.

Highland Park student volunteers with SaLT (Service and Learning Together) are working to collect donations for "Take Care" packages for newly-arrived migrants while they await transfer to the Chicago Processing Center. SaLT volunteers are partnering with the City of Highland Park and the Rotary Club of Highland Park/Highwood to collect donations that will be used to create these thoughtful "Take Care" packages. 

Donations may be dropped off at City Hall (1707 St. Johns Ave.) and other convenient locations throughout Highland Park, including First Bank of Highland Park and Highland Park Bank & Trust.

This newsletter is produced by the City of Highland Park's Office of Business Development. The City encourages business owners and managers to share information regarding upcoming events, promotions or news for possible inclusion in the City's marketing modalities, including The Weekender, Enjoy Highland Park, and social media. Please send these items to the City via email to: businessdevelopment@cityhpil.com. The City reserves the right to edit and/or filter submissions. 

For general business inquiries and assistance, contact Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch at chersch@cityhpil.com or 847.926.1027.