Roosevelt University formally launched its RISE program this Tuesday with a symposium and conference held at Roosevelt University Schaumburg. The festivities began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony overseen by Schaumburg mayor Tom Dailly (whose office donated $10,000 to the program) and remarks from RISE director Brian Margulis.
The RISE program (which is short for Roosevelt Incubator for Schaumburg Enterprises) partners with new small business owners in Chicago’s northwest suburbs and provides them with the resources to effectively launch their enterprises. Participants can access the Schaumburg campuses’ office space, makerspace and podcast studio to promote their new business, and they are paired with current Roosevelt students who serve as interns to assist with market research and promotion.
“Students gain real-world consulting experience, entrepreneurs gain fresh perspectives and our communities gain stronger businesses,” said Margulis in his opening remarks. “Since we began RISE last year, we’ve already supported 12 small businesses across several industries while giving six Roosevelt students internship opportunities. This year, that number has grown to 22 active startups and 15 student internships. And we hope to only grow larger.”
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony and breakfast provided by RISE startup Bida Baking Co., the symposium included several sessions from local economic development leaders to discuss small business strategies in the local marketplace. The conference received positive feedback from participants that included local entrepreneurs, tourism board members and University faculty, and Roosevelt will continue to showcase its Schaumburg location with a 30th anniversary celebration later this fall.
