Rep. Sente to host business roundtable Feb. 7
State Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) announced that she will sponsor a Small Business Roundtable Discussion on reforming state government to improve the business climate in Illinois. Lake County Partners and the Small Business Advisory Council will co-host the forum from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7, at the Buffalo Grove Community Center, 50½ Raupp Blvd., behind the Buffalo Grove Village Hall.
"I know how difficult this recession has been for employers, and I think the best way to move our economy forward is to have an open dialogue and find out what solutions we can come up with together,” Sente said. “We need to look at the entire picture to restore the economy, and that means we have to work with our small businesses so they can again begin hiring people and stimulate their local economies.”
Unemployment in the Chicagoland region dropped more than one point last year to 9.0 percent, into the single-digits for the first time since April of 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While more people are re-entering the workforce, wages and the Employment Cost Index has increased 3.4 percent during the past year. To relieve the added costs employers now face, Sente sponsored legislation to provide tax credits to small businesses who hire new full-time employees after hearing feedback from local employers. This spring, she plans to sponsor legislation aimed to keep jobs in Illinois, by revoking incentives from employers who ship jobs out of state. In an effort to continue improving the business climate in the region, Sente is continuing to seek input from local businesses and developers.
“Carol knows that small businesses are struggling because she is listening to the concerns of the business community and working with us to turn things around,” said Steven J. Anderson, President & CEO of Lake County Partners, an economic development corporation working with government and businesses to improve the local economy during the recession. “In Lake County, we have a real threat that businesses will move just a couple miles north to Wisconsin because it looks more profitable, but we need to change that perception and compete to keep businesses here to employ local residents and fuel Lake County's economy.”
The event is free of charge and open to the public.
To RSVP, or for more information, please contact Sente at her full-time constituent service office at (847) 478-9909, or e-mail her at RepSente@gmail.com.
Sente represents the 59th District, which includes portions of 22 communities in Central Lake and Northern Cook Counties, including Buffalo Grove, Great Lakes, Green Oaks, Gurnee, Indian Creek, Knollwood, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Mettawa, Mundelein, North Chicago, Northbrook, Park City, Prairie View, Riverwoods, unincorporated Deerfield, Vernon Hills, Waukegan and Wheeling.