8:00am | Registration

8:30am | Networking

9:00am | Welcome and Opening Remarks
Michael Behnam, Dean, Quinlan School of Business

9:15am | Keynote
Fireside Chat with Teresa Ging, CEO and Founder, Sugar Bliss
Moderated by Jonathan McGee, Senior Advisor, Quinlan School of Business Social Impact InitiativeS

9:30am | Morning Breakouts

SESSION A:
Connected Ecosystems: Aligning Data, Services & Pathways for Small Business Support
This session will bring together Business Support Organizations (BSOs) across the Chicago ecosystem to explore how we currently serve entrepreneurs, collect and report data, and navigate referrals. Through a facilitated discussion, participants will reflect on shared challenges—particularly around data silos, reporting requirements, and fragmented entry points for entrepreneurs—and begin identifying opportunities for greater alignment, coordination, and collective impact.

Adrienne McFarland, Center Director, Illinois SBDC, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Domini Brewton-Gamble, Director of Programs, New Covenant Community Dev. Corp.
Sherree Moratto, Sustainability Director, Rogers Park Business Alliance

SESSION B:
Building Better Successes with CDFIs
Focused on strengthening connections between BSOs and CDFIs, this discussion centers on aligning support services with financial product design and risk perspectives to create clearer pathways from technical assistance to capital access.

         Douglas Craven (moderator), Director of CDFI Programs
         Matthew Revere, Vice President of Pursuit
         Kirstin Jones, Vice President, First Women's Bank
         Laura Garcia, Senior Loan Officer, Greenwood Archer Capital
         Marcus Yancey, Director of Credit Capital, Sunshine Enterprises

10:45am | Break

11:00am | Pre-Lunch Breakouts

SESSION C:
Inclusive Procurement: Expanding Opportunities for Small and Diverse Business within Public and Private Procurement Systems
As public and private sectors reassess their diversity commitments, small and minority-owned businesses face mounting challenges to access and sustain participation in procurement systems. This session will unpack today’s most pressing barriers—from certification complexity and contract financing to shifting policy landscapes and exclusion from powerful networks. Designed for business support organizations, procurement leaders, and equity advocates, the discussion explores how to navigate procurement end-to-end, compete for contracts effectively, and build strategies that move beyond legacy gatekeeping.

J. Vincent Williams (moderator), Executive Director, Entrepreneurial Development and Leadership Institute
David W. Zaccagnini, US Chief Procurement Officer, BMO Financial Group 
Ash Ryman, Deputy Director of Business Enterprise Development, Cook County
Ian Quan, Apex Center Director, Chinese Mutual Aid Association
Nadia Torrence,  Deputy Procurement Officer, City of Chicago

SESSION H:
Resilience and the Business Ecosystem
This session looks to highlight the efforts of BSOs and governmental bodies o support neighborhoods across Chicago that have faced weakened commercial corridors due to destabilizing forces. The session will explore the rapid response work, advocacy, collaboration and fundrasing efforts that made the work possible.

Diana Perez (moderator), Engagement Director, Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, City of Chicago
Jaime di Paulo, President and CEO, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Alexia Guzman, Economic Empowerment Center Director, Rogers Park Business Alliance
Kelly Evans, VP, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, Chicago Urban League

11:45am | Lunch

12:30pm | Keynote
Abigail Ingram, Executive Director, Polsky Exchange  

12:45pm | Early Afternoon Sessions

Executive Visions Panel
This session invites visionary BSO executives to share the next frontier of their strategic and ecosystem-building work—from experimental models to transformative partnerships that redefine what’s possible. Together, we’ll unpack how funders can not only align with but anticipate these shifts, catalyzing innovation rather than reacting to it. Participants will explore how to articulate the ecosystem problems they’re solving, bridge priorities between funders and practitioners, and connect workforce, business, and community strategies across multiple funding streams.

Dan Seals (moderator), President and CEO, Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council 
Jaime di Paulo, President and CEO, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 
Rodney Brown, Executive Director and CEO, New Covenant CDC
Manny Flores, President and CEO, SomerCor
Rhea Yap, Executive Director, Chinese Mutual Aid Association

Chicago Inclusive Growth Coalition
This session is led by Chicago Inclusive Growth Coalition (CIGC) a citywide collaboration of more than 50 business support organizations working together to strengthen Chicago’s small business ecosystem. Led by Allies for Community Business (A4CB), the coalition focuses on improving coordination across service providers so entrepreneurs can more easily access the right mix of capital, coaching, and connections needed to grow resilient businesses. This session will be a participatory conversation on current and future efforts.

Brad McConnel, CEO, Allies for Community Business

1:30pm | Afternoon Breakouts

SESSION D:
Capital Pathways: An Interactive Panel on Funding at Every Stage
A dynamic and engaging workshop where we explore the journey of small business clients along the capital pathway. In this interactive panel, funders representing banks, CDFIs, revenue-based lenders, equity firms, and crowdfunding platforms will respond to real-time scenarios based on business stage—from start-up to scale. Advisors and other attendees will gain practical insights into what funding options exist at each stage, what funders look for, and how to better guide clients through the capital landscape.

Kelly Gumbiner (moderator), Managing Director, Access to Capital Program and Services, Women’s Business Development Center
Terrence Johnson, Executive Director, Greenwood Archer Captial
Song Chae, Senior Regional Development Manager, Founders First Capital Partner
Jorge Reyes, VP Business Development Officer, Wintrust Bank
Emma Westfall, Director, Access to Capital Program and Services, Women’s Business Development Center
Taylor Williams, Investor, Cleveland Avenue

SESSION F:
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition: Building Business Value and Preserving Legacy
Across communities, thousands of established small businesses face uncertain futures as owners approach retirement without viable succession plans. This session explores how entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) can serve as a powerful tool for preserving jobs, community identity, and generational wealth. Attendees will gain a high-level understanding of market trends shaping small business transitions, practical steps for preparing a business for sale, and the keys to building transferable value. A dynamic “myth-busting” panel will illuminate common misconceptions about business ownership and exits, followed by a hands-on workshop demonstrating real-world strategies for turning a business into a valuable, sellable asset. Designed for entrepreneurs, advisors, and ecosystem leaders, this session reimagines acquisition not as an end—but as a transformational beginning for communities and families alike.

Jonathan McGee (moderator), Senior Advisor, Quinlan School of Business Social Impact Initiative
Erin Guthrie, Managing Director, Exit Factor Chicago Downtown
Rob Forslund, SBA Lender, Fidelity Bank
Lori Hernandez, Senior Vice President, Huntington Bank
Kristina Wynne, Broker, Transworld Advisors and CEO, The Wynners Club
Kris Schumacher, Managing Partner, New Majority Capital

2:15pm | Break

2:30pm | Afternoon Breakouts

SESSION G:
Rethinking the Relationship: How Funders and BSOs Chart the Future of the Funding Landscape Together
This session explores how BSOs and funders can better prepare each other for a rapidly shifting funding landscape, so strategies, expectations, and investments are aligned rather than at odds. The core challenge is closing the gap between what funders are looking for (e.g., outcomes, data, risk management, innovation) and what BSOs are doing on the ground to support entrepreneurs and communities. The session will also examine how existing data from previously funded organizations can be used more intentionally to inform funding strategy, and how BSOs can more clearly signal the practices and approaches funders should be backing.

Jourdan Sorrell (moderator), CEO, Jourdan Sorrell Enterprises
Grace Hong Duffin, SVP, Comcast
Earl Granberry, Director, Fund for Equitable Growth
Brian Fabes, Managing Director, Corporate Coalition
Nancy Bonges, Head of Community Engagement, William Blair

SESSION I:
Data and Dashboard: Data Tools and Dashboards for BSOs and Small Businesses
Many cities have launched digital platforms to better connect Business Support Organizations (BSOs) and small businesses, yet adoption remains uneven. In Chicago, leaders are actively working to close these gaps through innovative, locally grounded efforts. This session brings together representatives of Entrepreneurship and Development Learning Institute, Next Street, and Loyola University’s Quinlan School of Business to explore how ecosystem platforms can better serve entrepreneurs. Panelists will discuss strategies to increase platform utilization, strengthen connections between BSOs and small businesses, and address persistent gaps. The conversation will also examine how institutionally backed platforms can evolve, and interoperate—to build a more inclusive, coordinated, and effective small business ecosystem.

Michael Johnson (moderator), Project Manager, Social Impact Initiative, Quinlan School of Business, Instagram 随机IP 全新 使用2fa登录
Joelle Scilia, Senior Manager of Ecosystem Development and Marketing, Next Street
Leo Lillard, Director of Operations, Entrepreneurial Development and Leadership Institute
Peter Norlander, Faculty Lead, Social Impact Initiative, Quinlan School of Business, Instagram 随机IP 全新 使用2fa登录

3:30pm | Closing Remarks and Call to Action

4:30pm | Reception

5:30pm | Event Concludes