City of Marion, Illinois

RSVP Alert! Ethos Workshop,?"Taking a Bite Out of Fraud: Protecting Your Business and Wallet Over Lunch,"?presented by Legence Bank. ???Date:?Tuesday, December 3rd ??Time:?12:00 to 1:00 PM?? ???Location:?EThOs Small Business Incubator, Coworking, Training & Development Center | 504 Tower Square Plaza Floor 2, Marion, IL 62959 Discover essential strategies to protect your finances in this engaging lunch-and-learn session. Topics include: ??The safety and security of mobile wallets—why they’re a smart choice. ??Benefits of debit card alerts and controls for real-time monitoring. ??How Positive Pay can prevent check fraud and secure business operations. This workshop is?free of charge, and **lunch is provided**, but seating is limited—don’t wait to reserve your spot! ???Reserve your seat today at?ethosmarion.org/events Protect your wallet and business with practical tips you can use immediately. Don’t miss out!

Attn: All Businesses Have you filed your Beneficial Ownership Information Report (BOI)? Deadline: 12/31/24 ? The Corporate Transparency Act was enacted in 2021 to combat illicit activity, including tax fraud, money laundering, and financing for terrorism, by capturing more ownership information for specific U.S. businesses operating in or accessing the country's market. As a result, some entities are required?to file a?Beneficial Ownership Information?(BOI) report, which consists of general information about the owner and some minor financials. Important Deadlines: ? If your entity was incorporated?before?January 1st, 2024 you have until?January 1st, 2025?to file. If incorporated?on or after?January 1st, 2024 you must file within?90 days?of entity incorporation.? ?There are fines of up to $10,000 if you fail to file so, please take care of this if you haven’t already! ?Click to file your BOI now! https://fincen.gov/boi

Tourism Attractions Grant and Tourism ? Private Sector Grant ? Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the Tourism Private Sector Grant Program ($600,000). Eligible entities can apply for grants to support and attract events and festivals through the Tourism Private Sector Grant Program in an effort to boost tourism across the state and welcome more visitors. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process. DCEO is allocating $600,000 through the Tourism Private Sector Grant Program which provides funding to entities to attract, host and develop new or enhanced events and festivals across Illinois. The grant opportunity is open to non-profits, government entities, ?for-profit institutions?, and local promotional groups and as defined in state statute, matching funds must be provided by private sector entities, which is the origin of the program's name. Grant funds can be used for a variety of purposes that support new, expanded, or enhanced events and festivals including advertising and marketing, transportation, building or equipment rental, receptions and banquets, registration, entertainment, and more. Eligible applicants for both tourism grants include counties, municipalities, not-for-profit organizations, local promotion groups, and ? for-profit entities ? , and Tourism Attraction grants are also open to units of local government. For the Tourism Attraction program, qualified entities can apply for grants between $15,000 to $200,000, with a 1:1 match required. Eligible entities can apply for Tourism Private Sector grants between $10,000 to $50,000, with a 1:1 match requirement. Applications will be accepted until December 20, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. To view the NOFO and apply for the grant, please visit the DCEO website. To help applicants prepare to apply for funding, DCEO will be holding a webinar focused on the Tourism Private Sector Grant Program at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 26. Interested parties are also encouraged to reach out to [email protected] for application assistance.

Do you own land along the Interstate? National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funds are available to complete the build out of public EV charging infrastructure, at minimum, every 50 miles along designated EV corridors in Illinois. The City of Marion, Illinois is located on a NEVI eligible corridor. ? Who can apply? a company including a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC that is incorporated under Illinois law ? Grant Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm CT on December 17th. ? Estimated Total Program Funding = Approximately $24M ? Award Range = No set minimum or maximum ?Anticipated Number of Awards = Up to 20 ? Applicants may apply for up to 80 percent of the eligible costs, with a minimum required match of 20 percent from non-federal sources. ? Info at https://lnkd.in/gWJBusxS #OasisOfOpportunity #MarionIllinois #SmallTownCool #CoolSmallTowns #RuralIsCool #IdeaFriendly #BuildingPossibility #EconDev #EconomicDevelopment #CommunityDevelopment #SouthernIllinoisNow

Don't Forget ?? Show a volunteer your gratitude by nominating them for the 2025 Governor's Volunteer Service Awards. ? The deadline is November 22, 2024, at 4:00 PM CST. To nominate someone, head to: https://lnkd.in/drDRxwrF

Industry Day at Rend Lake Project Office: Learn about upcoming contract opportunities with the USACE Rend Lake Project. ?? Connect with The Corps - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)! ?? Date: Thursday, November 14 ?? Time: 9 AM to no later than 11:30 AM ?? Location: USACE Rend Lake Project Office/Visitor Center | 11981 Rend City Rd. | Benton, IL. 62812 Professionals from the St. Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Illinois APEX Accelerator at SIU will be available to help you identify opportunities for your business! Register at https://lnkd.in/ghUDQSRz

?? ? ?? Attention Veterans ?? ? ??

Join HireLevel. on Wednesday, November 20th at 9:30 a.m. CST for expert insights from John Gilbert with Sandberg Phoenix, hosted by HR expert Summer Vanderbilt, SHRM-CP, CSP. Topics include: ?? EEOC's focus on AI and the Loper decision ??Illinois law changes: whistleblower protections, pay disclosure, and more ??Non-compete updates: FTC rules & NLRB views ??National Labor Relations Act developments https://lnkd.in/gk8EDCQf

Additional Info at: https://www.jalc.edu/cwd/ FOR MORE INFORMATION Please contact DUSTIN NEACE via email at: [email protected] Or, call 618-985-2828, Ext. 8034

Are you ready to explore new export markets and connect with reliable partners abroad? The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at SIUE?is here to help! —at NO or low cost to you. ?? Opportunity Highlight ?? Utilize the International Partner Search ?? This service identifies, profiles, and connects you with potential business matches overseas, delivering a detailed report with profiles and contact information of interested firms. In many cases, ITC funding may cover these costs. Thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce ??Act Fast—Funding is Limited! ??The ITC at SIUE is offering funding assistance to help small businesses in southern Illinois explore key global markets, conduct distributor research, and obtain industry reports. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more and find out how you can benefit, visit our website at https://www.siue.edu/itc ?? Additional Services: In addition to government-backed programs, ITC has trusted partnerships with private international consulting firms, especially in south America. Just last year, clients shared their success stories, showing how these resources and ITC funding made a lasting impact on their export growth. Don’t miss this chance to grow your exports!