We had the opportunity to sit down with Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce CEO Theresa Mintle to talk about a top priority on her policy agenda—creating more jobs in the Chicago area. According to Mintle, technology is the key to small business growth, and leveraging local education institutions is a key means of disseminating this message.
Empowering Workers and SMBs
The Chamber’s approach to educating the public is twofold—it starts with giving students the tools they need to contribute to Chicago’s growing and increasingly tech-savvy economy. Working with the College to Careers (C2C) program, it aims to better align the curricula of City Colleges with the demand in growing fields, such as technology.
The Chamber knows, however, that a prepared workforce is just the first step toward creating jobs. That’s why the second part of its approach is dedicated to educating small and medium businesses (SMBs) on how technology can contribute to their growth.
Mintle, in her short time as CEO, has challenged her staff to develop a tighter SMB curriculum—from how to write a business plan to connecting SMBs with large corporations and member partnerships. According to Mintle, exposure is the greatest teaching tool and, in an economy as diverse as the Midwest, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” tech solution. That’s why the idea is to equip companies with the tools needed to help themselves.
Using Technology to Unlock Sales
For many businesses it could be as simple as showing employees how to unlock the mobile capabilities they already have but aren’t using. These opportunities may range from Foursquare to mobile point-of-sale to devices and services such as Square. Often companies don’t realize the long-term cost savings that technology can bring them, and the only way to change their minds is to show, not tell, how they can get there without a huge investment.
When asked what companies might consider doing right now (if they’re not already doing it), Mintle suggested cloud computing. For a number of businesses, moving to the cloud is a tangible next step that could be hugely rewarding. The Chamber shows companies why technology (such as cloud technology) is specifically important to their business by connecting them with similar companies that have been successful.
Beyond the here and now, Mintle foresees big data driving the future of business growth. “Right now it seems scary, but it doesn't have to be,” said Mintle. Businesses need the resources to show them how to make that data accessible, easily searchable, and simple to analyze. It’s going to be the success stories that serve as the best teachers, and it’s up to Mintle and the Chamber to build a library of those resources for its members.
The Tools to Help Themselves
The Chamber’s mission to educate SMBs and students is a synergistic effort that, once it’s gained momentum, can power itself to create job growth. For example, through the Chamber, SMBs can hire tech students for summer jobs and internships. For students, the work experience is invaluable. For companies, it’s a relatively inexpensive but hugely beneficial way to expand their new tech efforts.
As Mintle put it, “business owners work extremely hard and have their heads down focused on growth; so at times they don’t know what they don’t know in a rapidly evolving business climate.” It’s the Chamber’s job to help educate them on what’s out there and provide them with the resources they need to grow and succeed. For Mintle (and for the Midwest), the right tech solutions are the ones that create jobs.