Holidays were made bright for over 3,000 local children
In the past month, the holidays were made bright for over 3,000 local children who participated in our two Holiday Toy Drive events; this would not have been possible without your continued generosity and support!
No words can express the impact your kindness had on these children, the joy that radiated from their faces as they met Santa Claus and walked away with their presents. For some of the children, the gift they received at our events may be the only gift they receive this year.
On behalf of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, thank you, and Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!
Thank you to all our supporters!
14th Ward
47th Street Liquor Mart, Inc.
Accurate Perforating
Buster Services
Cafeteria Yesenia
Carpet Corner Inc.
Cary J. Hall & Associates, LLC
Cavero Medical Group LTD
Comprehensive Health
Crown Imports
Dale Conrad
Dr. Santiago
Dr. Thillai Natarajan
El Milagro Inc.
Emerald Machine, Inc.
Envios Latinos
Farmacia Latina
Fibre Drum Sales Inc.
First Merit Bank
Fitzgerald Marketing
Frank Diaz
Harmony Health
Howard Wedren
Hayes Beer Dist. Co.
Hydro Incorporated
Jalloways Glass Co.
James Matanky
Jerry & Florence Mazzei
Jesus Perez & Associates
Joseph Vruno
Karen Daley
Kiddy Kare Pre-School
Kopico, Inc.
Las Esperanzas Restaurant
Law Offices of Thomas Battista
Laz Parking Chicago, LLC Mgt.
Maragos & Maragos, Ltd.
Marcus & Amy Nuñes
Mary M. Demke
Matchless Metal Polish Co.
Matt Rogatz
Matthew Miniat
Maureen W. Lewus
McDonald’s
Michael & Linda Corcoran
Nuestra Clinica de Chicago
Oralia’s Unisex
Oswaldo
Prasad Karuppuswamy
Paleteria Lindo Michoacan
Rey Gonzalez
Richard Gentile
Robert F. Hirsch
Roma III LLC (Value Mart)
Romo Dental
Source 4
SSA #10
SSA #13
SSA #39
Stacy Koumbis
Suarez Electric Company
Summit Design & Build
Swap-O-Rama Flea Market
Szkowny Funeral Home
Tacos Don Cuco
Testa Produce, Inc.
Tim Corcoran
Tyson Foods
Walmart
Weisgerber Consulting LLC
Witz Rentals
WM Display Group
SSA 13 Stamp-EAT!
At the end of September, join us for a summer ending event and enjoy a hot Allen Brothers steak sandwich and cold drinks as we celebrate another year of community success and achievement.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Engineered Glass Products
929 W. Exchange
4:00 p.m.
Right near the Historic Stockyard Gate!
“Stamp-Eat!” is a great opportunity to network with other businesses in the Stockyards and meet the BYNC staff, SSA #13 commissioners and local aldermen.
We’ll keep you posted on location and date.
Don’t forget to follow us in facebook.
Quality-of-Life Plan hosts job fair
Attendees filling out applications.
By Mike McMullin
“I need to get a job. I have two girls that are going to go to college,” explains Belda Maraz, a struggling forty-year-old parent. Sadly, Maraz’s situation is shared by millions of people in the United States; as of July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment is at 8.3%; however, the unemployment rate in Chicago is at 9.3%, significantly higher than the national average.
These stifling numbers leave people like Maraz with just one question: where are the jobs?
The answer to that question is a primary concern of the Back of the Yards Quality-of-Life Plan, a ground-breaking initiative that partners all major community organizations to pinpoint key neighborhood issues and address them with specific projects; completion of the projects will have a direct, positive impact on the neighborhood.
The first major project of the plan was a job fair, which was held on Aug. 2nd at Chicago Indoor Sports on Pershing & Ashland. Over 500 job seekers attended the event, searching for opportunities at over 25 participating companies. Approximately 50 eager residents began lining up at the door as early as 7:30 a.m., although the event did not start until 9 a.m.
The Quality-of-Life Plan differs from strategies of the past because it is more action-oriented than philosophical in essence.
“We aren’t talking about what the problems are anymore. We know what the problems are. Now is the time to act and actually bring something to the table for the people in this community,” said Craig Chico, President & CEO of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council.
Several residents were hired on the spot by participating companies, which included McDonald’s, Comcast, AT &T and Walmart.
The Plan is comprised of four committees: Economic Development, Education & Youth, Housing and Civic Engagement.
For more information contact Mike McMullin at (773) 523-4416 ext. 112 or email mmcmullin@bync.org.
5 tips for getting the most out of a job fair
Planning to attend this week’s job fair? Here are 5 useful tips that will help you land employment in this very competitive job market.
- Bring a résumé! Employers are not just going to take your word for it when you tell them about your skills and experience. Bring a detailed resume with references.
- Dress appropriately and look presentable. First impressions do matter to potential employers, so dress to impress!
- Polish your social media profile. Many employers use social media sites like facebook, twitter, etc. to conduct unofficial background checks.
- Follow-up. Do not just fill out an application and hope for a miracle. Every week or so, call the employer to check in on the status of your application.
- Be patient, stay positive. While the hiring process may take some time, don’t lose your cool and keep a positive attitude as you wait for an answer.
Just a reminder that the job fair is being held this Thursday, August 2nd from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Chicago Indoor Sports (3900 S. Ashland).
Employers Include:
Chicago Meat Authority
Citibank
Coyne College
East-West University
Hinckley Springs
Instituto Del Progreso Latino
Jane Addams Resource Corporation
Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
ManufacturingWorks
Marsco Glass Products
McDonald’s
Schulze & Burch
Securitas
Testa Produce
The Cara Program
United Building Maintenance
Walmart
For any question contact Mike McMullin at mmcmullin@bync.org or call (773) 523-4416 ext. 112.
Back of the Yards Quality of Life Plan Job Fair
Looking for employment?
Then you don’t want to miss the Back of the Yards Quality of Life Plan job fair on August 2, 2012 from 9am-1pm hosted by Special Service Area 13.
SSA 13 Commission Meeting
Just a reminder!
Commission meeting will be on April 18 at the BYNC office located at 1751 W. 47th Street at 9:00 a.m.
Click HERE to view meeting minutes and agendas.
Do note on your agenda the following dates as these are 2012 Commission meetings.
April 18, 2012
8:30 am
August 15, 2012
8:30 am
October 17, 2012
8:30 am
December 12, 2012
8:30 am
Back of the Yards business Testa Produce recognized for national leadership in green building
Back of the Yards business Testa Produce celebrated two milestones this February – its recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council for LEED® platinum certification, and a prestigious Chicago Neighborhood Development Award for bringing new jobs and a cutting-edge commitment to environmental sustainability to its new distribution facility.
Testa Produce built its facility on the former grounds of Chicago’s iconic and long-shuttered stockyards. The project has set a new standard for green commercial design and brought hundreds of construction jobs and 120 permanent new jobs to the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
The first food service distribution facility in the nation to receive LEED Platinum certification – the highest available — is powered by a 238-foot, 750 kilowatt wind turbine, a 45,650-square-foot sloping vegetated roof, solar water heaters, and LED lighting – plus plug-in charging stations for electric vehicles and a high-tech forest of pole-mounted solar panel “trees.” The facility was funded in part through Recovery Zone Bonds and New Market Tax Credits at a time when the down economy was forestalling many new projects.
City dignitaries, partner organizations and proud employees joined Testa Produce officials on February 22nd to put the crowning touch on the company’s sustainable distribution center – a special plaque from U.S. Green Building Council recognizing LEED® platinum certification.
And a week later, on February 28, Testa was recognized as one of only ten winners of this year’s Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. The event – the largest community development awards effort of its kind nationally – was hosted by LISC Chicago, one of the biggest regional arms of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and a source of millions of dollars of support each year for community improvement efforts in Chicago – including in Back of the Yards.
“LEED Platinum certification is among our proudest accomplishments, and the CNDA award affirms that achievement,” said Peter Testa, President of Testa Produce. “Along with our partners in constructing this unique facility, we’ve raised the bar and we hope others will follow our lead toward more sustainable, environmentally friendly ways of doing business. This recognition is a testament to the commitment on the part of everyone involved in this project to get it right, to cut no corners and to insist on innovation every step of the way. We hang both very proudly.”
The LEED plaque unveiling was attended by Doug Widener, Executive Director of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Illinois Chapter, Andrew Mooney, Commissioner of Housing and Economic Development, Wendy Berger Shapiro of WBS Equities, Testa’s project consultant, the City’s Chief Sustainability Officer Karen Weigert, and Alderman James Balcer. Representatives from Summit Design + Build, the construction management firm for the Testa Produce project, architectural partner Epstein, and Robert Ebl, the landscape contractor that designed the facility’s barrel-shaped, partially vegetated roof, attended, as well.
Many of those luminaries were also in attendance on February 28 for the CNDA awards, along with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel; CNDA chair Wim Elfrink, executive vice president and chief globalization officer of Cisco; and more than 1,400 leaders of Chicago’s non-profit, corporate and philanthropic sectors.
“Testa was a cornerstone of the business community for much of the 20th century and is now leading the way in the 21st,” said Susana Vasquez, LISC Chicago’s executive director. “By building what’s probably the city’s greenest commercial structure – on the site of the old stock yards, no less – the company is defining what sustainability really means. That’s inspirational.”
Founded in 1912, Testa Produce, Inc. is Chicago’s premier independent produce distributor. In addition to a broad line of domestic, local, organic, sustainable, and imported fresh produce items, the company delivers frozen, canned, and specialty foods to fine restaurants, hotels, and institutions throughout Illinois and much of Wisconsin. Testa is a member of both PRO*ACT, the foodservice industry’s largest produce buying and marketing organization, and Legacy Foodservice Alliance. It opened its new green produce distribution facility at 4555 S. Racine Ave. in the Chicago Stockyards Industrial Park in May of 2011.
“We’re very proud to have Testa in the heart of our community,” says Craig Chico, Executive Director of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council. “They are the kind of good neighbor that sets a standard for what’s possible – and that is enormously heartening for all of our community residents and local businesses.”
Fairplay Foods added to senior shuttle bus route
BYNC senior shuttle bus riders will now be able to visit Fairplay Foods to take care of all their grocery shopping needs.
Fairplay, located at 4640 S. Halsted, is one of the only retail businesses in Special Service Area (SSA) #13. SSA #13, in conjunction with SSAs #10 and #39, makes it possible for local seniors to take the shuttle bus to stores, medical appointments and other activities free of charge.
Fairplay’s low prices and large selection of products makes it one of the most popular grocery stores in the area.
For more information about the senior shuttle bus program or SSA #13, please contact Mike McMullin at 773.523.4416 ext. 120 or mmcmullin@bync.org.
9th District Business Sub-Committee Meeting
EXCLUSIVELY FOR BUSINESSES
Meeting Dates for the Year 2012
This is your opportunity to address concerns regarding the security and safety of your business operations such:
- Traffic Safety
- Vandalism
- Fly Dumping
- Break-ins
- Prostitution
- Arson
- Illegal Parking
- Theft
- Property Neglect
- Abandoned Vehicles
- Gang Activity
- and more…
All meetings are held on the above dates, from 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at new 9th District Community Room, 3120 S. Halsted.
If you would like further notices of these upcoming meetings via mail, fax or email, please give the information to Officer Al Garza at (312) 747-3501, the South Loop Chamber of Commerce at (773) 254-7225 or Mike McMullin at (773) 523-4416 ext. 120 or mmcmullin@bync.org
Union Industrial Stockyards – Then and Now
Union Stockyards Gate - 19th century
Over the course of a century, the Stockyards has transformed from a blood, sweat and tears meatpacking district to an environmentally-conscious business region.
Businesses within a designated SSA are provided “special services” that are designed to retain businesses and attract new industrial tenants to the area.
Union Stockyards Gate - 2011
The primary special services that SSA #13 provides are private security patrols, landscaping and public way maintenance.
Check out the Program Overview and Services in SSA #13 provides.
For more information about SSA #13, please contact Mike McMullin at 773.523.4416 or mmcmullin@bync.org.
