ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING
MENTORING
NETWORKING
About NextLevel Exchange
NextLevel Exchange is a 12-month, cohort-based small business development program designed to help business owners build the capacity of their enterprise. The purpose of the program is to support the growth of owner-operated businesses and create economic opportunities in underserved communities.
Program components include:
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Monthly one on one mentorship with an experienced business owner or professional.
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Educational workshops in core knowledge areas such as marketing, finance, HR, and business strategy.
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Fireside chats with highly successful entrepreneurs.
Leadership Team
Bruce Taylor
Taylor Investment Partners
Bruce is a managing partner of Taylor Investment Partners, former Chairman and CEO of Cole Taylor Bank
Angela Stewart
The Women’s Business
Development Center (WBDC)
Angela is the director of ScaleUp – Program Innovations of The Women’s Business Development Center. Angela has extensive experience in the areas of business development and educational programming and holds an MBA in Marketing & Entrepreneurship.
Email: astewart@wbdc.org
Quandra Speights
Sunshine Enterprises
Quandra is the Business Acceleration Service (BAS) Senior Manager at Sunshine Enterprises. Her role includes BAS services such as the 90-day Coaching program, Next Level Exchange and PERC activities, workshops and events. In addition, she assists the program team with their workshops and events and operations team with providing human resources advice and consulting services. Quandra’s vision for Sunshine Enterprises’ clients is to support and advocate for more black-owned businesses in disadvantaged communities.
Kevin P. Davenport
Chicago Urban League
Kevin is the Established Business Program Manager for the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center at Chicago Urban League. He is also the founder of The Ideal Candidate, a non profit organization and training academy that focuses on corporate integration, personal development, and etiquette training for ages 16-24 year old.
Email: kdavenport@chiul.org
Laura Lane
Sunshine Enterprises
Laura Lane is the Managing Director of Programs for Sunshine Enterprises, whose mission is to empower high-potential entrepreneurs living in under-resourced neighborhoods to grow their businesses and transform their communities. Laura’s role at Sunshine includes recruiting and training instructors and coaches who implement the Community Business Academy, Business Acceleration Services and Credit to Capital coaching for entrepreneurs in our six markets – South, West and North sides of Chicago; Construction Trades, Property Management and Arts & Makers cohorts.
Participating Organizations
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Founding Partners
We are an extremely ambitious high-end general contractor headquartered in Chicago. We come from a long line of craftsmen, engineers & designers, starting with our great-grandfather. We are dedicated to unrivaled professionalism, unwavering excellence and exacting & transparent estimating. We bring decades of knowledge & experienced-based homebuilding precision to our clients.
The Jewish-Black Business Alliance (“JBBA”) is composed of business and civic
leaders who come together for the purpose of fostering sustainable business
relationships between the Jewish and Black communities through meetings, commerce,
and travel.
Key Dates
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January 8, 2020 - Winter 2020 Cohort Launch
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January 31, 2020 - Winter 2020 Applications Close
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April 1, 2020 - Summer 2020 Applications Open
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May 31, 2020 - Summer 2020 Applications Close
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July 16, 2020 - Fall 2020 Applications Open
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October 07, 2020 - Fall 2020 Applications Close