1650.1 EXPL c • 3 ILLINOIS DOCUMENTS Office of the Secretary of State Women in business: vital to our economy Women-owned businesses play an increas¬ ingly important role in the economy of the '90s. In fact, women-owned businesses are the fastest- growing, most vital segment of our economy to¬ day. In the past decade, more than 20 million new jobs were created, and more than half of these positions have been filled by women. I commend Illinois' women entrepreneurs and business own¬ ers for their vital contribution to this tremendous accomplishment. As Secretary of State, it is my privilege to work with Illinois' women business owners and to ex¬ tend to you information on the variety of services provided by the Secretary of State's office. These services include: the registration and incorpora¬ tion of businesses, workplace literacy assistance, and purchasing opportunities for women business owners to participate in government procurement as primary and subcontractors. As Illinois' State Librarian, I invite you to also take advantage of the more than five million items in our state library collection ranging from patent and trademark information and government publi¬ cations to 1990 census demographics and busi¬ ness indexes and periodicals. Resources such as these can empower business owners with leading- edge information that is vital in a competitive economy. I encourage you to explore the many opportuni¬ ties and services offered by the Secretary of State's office. The hard work, dedication and enterprising spirit of today's women entrepreneurs have brought you many rewards. I lookforward to serving you as you work to achieve ever-hiaher aoals in business. GEORGE H. RYAN Secretary of State PURCHASING OPPORTUNITIES It is the public policy of the State of Illinois to promote and encourage the continuing economic development of female-owned and operated busi¬ nesses. The Office of the Secretary of State actively supports this policy and enthusiastically encour¬ ages female-owned, as well as minority-owned businesses to participate in its procurement pro¬ cess as both primary and subcontractors. Under the leadership of Secretary of State George Ryan, more than $1.3 million was spent in FY91 with female-owned businesses in Illinois. This expenditure reflects more than 11.5 percent of the total of all discretionary purchasing/con¬ tracting by this office, and an increase of more than 40 percent over FY90's 8 percent figure. What does the office bid on? The Secretary of State's office routinely purchases a broad range of services and materials. The following are examples of com¬ petitively bid contracts: Purchase of equipment Purchase of supplies Purchase of printing Lease of equipment Contractual services (includes trash haul¬ ing, janitor service, elevator maintenance, and fire alarm maintenance and repair) For information regarding opportunities for fe¬ male-owned businesses and to learn how to be added to the list of qualified vendors, contact: Secretary of State Purchasing Department Room 148, Centennial Building Springfield, IL 62756 (217) 782-4984 LITERACY ASSISTANCE The Secretary of State's office provides literacy assistance to Illinois businesses through Secre¬ tary of State and State Librarian George Ryan's Literacy Office. Workplace literacy improvement opportunities include basic skills upgrade pro¬ grams and consultant services. ■ . i Basic Skills Upgrades Women in business may refer employees to community literacy programs, which: • conduct classes in the basic skills of reading, mathematics and writing • offer one-on-one tutoring • assist in building upon and upgrading employ¬ ees' existing skills Another component of the basic skills effort is the Workplace Grant Program, through which: • businesses may apply for grants up to $10,000 to conduct on-site, job-specific basic skills programs for employees • grant dollars are matched with private monies from the applicant company • businesses in turn contract with experienced educational providers to secure basic skills programs and training iii Consultant Services The Secretary of State Literacy Office can also provide a workplace literacy consultant to assist with grant programs, as well as work with businesses in identifying other grant assistance and services to bolster workplace effectiveness. “How to Get Started: A Guide for Illinois Busi¬ nesses” highlights the procedure for implement¬ ing a workplace literacy program and profiles the success stories of companies that have partici¬ pated in the program. Further information on literacy programs is available through: Secretary of State Literacy Office Springfield, IL (217) 785-6926 LIBRARY ASSISTANCE With more than 5 million items in its collec¬ tion, the Illinois State Library includes an exten¬ sive cross section of state and federal documents and is a designated Patent and Trademark Deposi¬ tory. Women in business may find it helpful to access the patent and trademark services, which include: • a complete collection of U.S. patents dating back to 1790 • information on registered and pending federal trademarks • an automated search system for further patent and trademark information The State Library also has: • demographic materials, including 1990 census figures • business indexes, directories, clipping filesand bibliographies • statistical services, including CD-ROM prod¬ ucts, microfiche and government publications • public databases, e.g. Congressional Informa¬ tion Services and ILLINET Online BUSINESS SERVICES Illinois is one of the leading states in the nation in new business incorporations. In 1991,35,463 new businesses and not-for-profit organizations were incorporated. The approval and recordkeeping office for cor¬ porations is housed in the Secretary of State's Department of Business Services. Business enti¬ ties wishing to operate as limited partnerships, not-for-profit and business corporations must be authorized to conduct business transactions in Illinois by registering with the Secretary of State. By law the Department of Business Services cannot provide legal, financial, or business advice. However, information on corporate filings is avail¬ able by telephone, letter or over-the-counter through offices in Springfield and Chicago. Stan¬ dard forms are also available without charge. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 3 0112 122550939 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Illinois Secretary of State Executive Office Springfield (217) 782-2201 Chicago (312) 814-2262 Personnel (217) 782-4783 Business Services (217) 782-7880 Securities (217) 785-4940 Purchasing (217) 782-4984 Index (217) 782-7017 Illinois State Library Main Line (217) 782-2994 Patent Information (217) 782-5659 Literacy Office (217) 785-6921 Reference Services (217) 782-7596 Illinois Department (800) 732-8866 of Revenue Illinois Department (217) 782-8556 of Professional Regulation Illinois Department (312)793-4880 of Employment Security Illinois Department (217)782-6366 of Insurance Illinois Department (312)814-6649 of Commerce and Community Affairs Illinois Commissioner (312)782-7966 of Banks and Trusts Illinois Industrial (312)814-6611 Commission Illinois Attorney (217) 782-1090 General Printed by authority of the State of Illinois September 1992 - 1M - GA -328