The Aurora Chamber of Commerce building at 43 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora

The Chicago-based Women’s Business Development Center has expanded its entrepreneurship programs and services to startup and emerging women business owners in DuPage, Kane, Will and Kendall counties.

An office in the Aurora Chamber of Commerce building at 43 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora houses the second center in the state, joining a facility in downtown Chicago.

Supported by U.S. Small Business Administration funding, the WBC office offers programs and services in Spanish and English with a focus on:

* Access to Information. Comprehensive counseling and training are offered on a range of topics (in person as well as online/on demand, in both English and Spanish).

* Access to Contacts. The WBDC’s annual Early Childhood Education Entrepreneurship

Expo, an annual Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference, is among many networking events.

* Access to Contracts. The center offers procurement technical assistance and supplier diversity panels.

* Access to Capital. Financial counseling, assistance with debt and equity placement, referrals to alternative sources of funding, and direct lending are available.

The WBDC was already active in Aurora as one of eight members of the inaugural class of ScaleUp America contractors selected to assist SBA to assist high-potential small businesses primed for growth.

With its new Aurora program, WBDC can now serve a broader range of entrepreneurs and small businesses, adding early stage businesses to the client mix.

“The foundational purpose of the WBC Aurora is to advance the economic independence of women, with special attention given to the socially and economically disadvantaged,” said Emilia DiMenco, WBDC president and CEO. “Through their complementary relationship, the WBC Chicago and WBC Aurora will be able to provide services, including business counseling, entrepreneurial training, financing assistance, loan packaging, and Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) certification and procurement technical assistance for contracts.”

The WBDC is a 30-year-old non-profit that is nationally recognized in the field of economic development, providing programs and services to support and accelerate small business ownership, create jobs, fuel economic growth, and build strong communities.

WBDC hosts a Small Business Development Center, a Women’s Business Center Chicago, a Women’s Business Center Aurora, a Procurement Technical Assistance Center, a Veterans Business Outreach Center, a ScaleUp program in Aurora, and a Direct Lending Program.

“Businesses play a vital role in fueling the economy so assisting their growth and expansion is a significant way to buttress our economic foundation,” said Robert Steiner, SBA Illinois District Director. “Supporting and strengthening small businesses through this program being implemented by the WBDC is also a powerful way to help the socially and economically disadvantaged, particularly women and minorities, who have been and remain a vulnerable population.”

To learn more about the WBDC, call (312) 853-3477 or visit www.WBDC.org. More information about the WBDC in Aurora is available on the website or by calling (630) 896-3735.

— New Aurora center offers programs for women entrepreneurs —