Culinary Afropreneurs Meet Laine's Bake Shop owner Rachel Bernier-Green at the Lunch and Learn panel at Take the Plunge Business Growth Panel

Find out some of the secrets of success - and growing pains - for Rachel Bernier-Green, co-owner and head baker at ‘Laine’s Bake Shop during the Lunch and Learn session of the Take the Plunge 

 ‘Laine’s is a family operated artisan baking company with a social mission.
‘Laine’s mission is to become a catalyst for revitalization of urban communities, beginning with the south side of Chicago. Rachel owns the company with her husband, Jaryd Bernier-Green. Rachel’s professional background is in the field of accounting and finance. She holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Accounting and a Master of Science degree in Taxation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While at the University of Illinois, Rachel spent a term in the Social Enterprise Summer Institute which piqued her interest in business as a tool for social change. Rachel is also an alumni of the prestigious Good Food Business Accelerator.

 Rachel grew up creating delicious treats in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother and always dreamed of turning her passion into a business. She was a serial teenpreneur but one of her first businesses was selling her baked goods at a stand in her grandmother’s yard. Over the years, Rachel continued to hone her craft even as she pursued a career in the intense field of public accounting. In April, 2013 Rachel decided to finally bring her dream to life by creating ‘Laine’s Bake Shop, an online bakery catering company. ‘Laine’s Bake Shop was founded to create delicious, scratch made treats with a focus on creativity, honest ingredients, and unparalleled customer service. Jaryd and Rachel began to work on ‘Laine’s Bake Shop full time in July of 2015. In July of 2016 the first ‘Laine’s Bake Shop store was opened . ‘Laine’s treats can also be found in Chicagoland Whole Foods stores, Starbucks, on Amazon Fresh, and at several local restaurants and retailers.

Tix for Take the Plunge Business Success Conference



About the Host

Project Forward is a business management consultancy specializing in economic development strategies and tactics for organizations that revitalize commercial corridors.  We partner with small businesses, chambers of commerce, real estate developers, business improvement districts or municipalities.

Take the Plunge Business Growth Conference Pros

Here are several of the featured hosts of Nov 9th's Take the Plunge business growth conference. 

Jason William Johnson - CEO and Co-Founder of Konveau™

 Jason is a subject matter expert in personality psychology and the CEO and Co-Founder of Konveau™, an app that uses personality type and personal interests to help people connect at social gatherings. He is also the Entrepreneurship Program Manager at the Chicago Urban League's Entrepreneurship Center. In his role at Chicago Urban League, he utilizes his knowledge of organizational leadership principles and branding to help clients launch new ventures through one on one coaching and training programs. Jason is a doctoral candidate in Organizational Leadership and holds a Masters in Industrial Organizational Psychology. His dissertation will explore how personality type influences the professional networking styles of managers and executives. He also has over 5 years of experience as a web developer and graphic designer. Jason has served as Educational Advisory Board Secretary for IAEOU, an online entrepreneurship incubator and training program for small business owners in Chicago and Amman, Jordan. He is also the current Central Region Vice President for National Urban League Young Professionals and a Past President of the Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League, a chapter of the National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP). Jason has also previously served as the Metropolitan Board’s Vice President and Personal & Professional Development Chair.


  Jim Harbin - Program Director at Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation

 Jim Harbin originally served as a board member for the Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation (CDC) from November 2013. Jim’s background spans over two decades in building contracting and construction management. He is now charged assisting with the client intake process, workshops, trainings and the overall strategic planning for CDC operations. As a resident of Englewood, Jim joined the CDC because of his desire to make a difference and help create a new story for the community. He believes that the mission of the CDC can bring about needed change, revitalization and inspiration to Englewood businesses and to the local residents they serve.






 Dionne Baux - Director of Programs at National Main Street Center Inc.,

As Director of Urban Programs, Dionne leads the initiative to broaden the Center’s offerings and engagement in urban neighborhood commercial districts. Dionne has over a decade of experience in project coordination in the fields of urban economic development and commercial district revitalization. She has extensive expertise engaging community stakeholders, identifying and implementing projects in conjunction with community based organizations, government institutions, and real estate development, as well as supporting capacity building opportunities. Before joining the Center in 2016, Dionne served as Senior Program Officer for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago where she managed economic development initiatives for the Chicago office, developed and led the award winning Business District Leadership program and the nationally recognized Smart Communities demonstration. Previous to LISC Chicago, Dionne served as a Financial Planning Analyst for the City of Chicago’s Department of Community Development where she administered rehabilitation grant programs to eligible Chicagoan residents and small business owners. Dionne holds a master’s degree in public administration from Roosevelt University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Click here for tickets to Take the Plunge 

About the host  : Project Forward is a specialty business management consultancy specializing  in economic development strategies and tactics for organizations that revitalize commercial corridors.  We partner with small businesses, chambers of commerce, real estate developers, business improvement districts or municipalities.

South Shore business owners SSA#49 wants to give you $5000 !!!!

South Shore biz owners- SSA 49 wants to give you $5,000!
Message:"If you or someone you know owns a business in SSA 49, please let us know! We are giving $5000 grants to 8 business owners who want to beautify or fix their storefronts. Applications due June 30th!"
Download applications at: http://www.ssa49.org/

Not sure if you live in SSA49?
SSA #49 as indicated in dark blue on the map:
+ Exchange Ave. from 71st to 79th Streets
+ 75th from Paxton to South Shore drive
+ 79th from Paxton to South Shore Drive

For more direct questions and inquiries please email:
Allyson Scrutchens: Allyson@farsouthcdc.org.

‪#‎blackmarketchi‬
‪#‎blackbizchicago‬

Chicago TECH & STEM star and Blue 1647 founder Emile Cambry answers #4QUICKQUESTIONS #iamchicago

"...jobs today require skills. 1 in 5 jobs in Chicago can't be filled if you don't have #STEM training." @Forbes

 We asked Emile #4QUICKQUESTIONS regarding Blacks in tech, his firm's role in the community and what he sees for himself in the future.

1. Why should Blacks be excited about tech?

Blacks should be excited about tech, because it's where the future jobs and opportunity lie. By the year 2020, there will be 1.4 million new tech jobs, and at the current university rate, 70% of those jobs will go unfilled. Illinois has over 100,000 open jobs in tech. The average income of an IT professional is greater than the average black and latino family combined, with an unemployment rate at a third of the rate of black families in Chicago. We've always been innovators and creators, and I truly believe the next Mark Zuckerburg will probably be a black woman.

2. Tell us about BLUE 1647 and why it's so important to the community

BLUE1647 is a technology and entrepreneurship center, focused on enlarging the technology community. Underserved areas deserve to be a part of the innovation economy, and there needed to be intentional space where folks build, collaborate, and learn. We're part digital vocational school, part coworking space, and part business accelerator. It's important that we are located in the community, and our subsequent locations are located in the community, because "trickle down innovation" will not work to increase jobs and opportunities in our communities. In Chicago, over a billion dollars was invested institutionally in the downtown, River North areas, and it's amoral and immoral to think they have all of the answers. I believe technology is an opportunity to solve problems at scale, and I want to ensure our communities are solving problems for our communities, and adding the much-needed diversity to the innovation pool.

3. How did you fall in love with Tech?

I fell in love with tech when I saw how in 18 months, an entrepreneur can go from one user to hundreds of millions. With my community-first background, I wanted to create the AAU of diverse tech talent. I want to see what the Derrick Rose of tech can do, and how catalytic it can be for our communities when that sort of wealth is generated, and hopefully reinvested back in our communities through job growth and investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs. The folks that started Paypal became wealthy, then they invested in friends who created YouTube. We all use tech, we are all creative, and we can change the game.

4. Whats next for Emile Cambry?

Scale, scale, and more scale. I want us to be in as many markets as possible, creating the model for rebuilding communities in the 21st century. I want to extend that to other countries, where they have a diverse population I want to continue to fight for economic and social justice, and see where that takes me. I want a million people a day to interact with programs we've created, and if that happens, we can change the narrative of what our communities are, and can achieve. Twitter wouldn't be what it is if it weren't for blacks. Neither would Instagram. We have a knack for making things cool and relevant, and we need to start making some money from it!

#Bronzeville Glory Days #tbt

Circa early 1940's
Inside the Palm Tavern at 446 East 47th Street , a favorite hangout of popular Black entertainers, especially those who had performed at the nearby Regal Theater












Opened in 1933 by James "Genial Jim" Knight, the first Mayor of Bronzeville. In 1956, upon his retirement, James Knight transfered ownership to Geraldine "Mama Gerri" Oliver, who proudly operated the Palm Tavern until July 3, 2001.

Is Chicago's best candidate for mayor fully known?

Have you heard of Amara Enyia? Maybe you ought to take close look at this 2015 Mayoral candidate!