History
In 1998 the center, located at Governors State University, contained a Small Business Development Center with 2 full time and 3 part time staff and a budget of $86,250.
Today, the Center has grown to include the Illinois Small Business Development Center, Global Trade Center, SBIR/STTR/Gov. Contracting Center, CenterPoint 504 nfp, and the Southland Community Development Corp with active plans for new developments and outreach activities. Our current staff consists of eight (8) full time and four (4) part time employees, with a budget $512,500.
It is estimated that more than 600 business owners a year access CenterPoint's resources and consulting services to help them achieve their business goals. Since 2000, we have counseled over 8,500 clients for more than 13,700 hours and helped create 65 new business starts while helping 45 businesses expand. Over 1,100 jobs have been retained and at least 119 new jobs were created. Nearly 272 loans have been approved and over $98,000,000 in loan dollars financed and $180,000 awarded in Challenge Grant dollars.