NEWSLETTER
u SUMMER 2024 u
Business & Industry United For A Better Community
Mark your calendar for community events in 2024
Village and county projects
Businesses host ribbon cuttings
In 2022 the Oswegoland Senior and Community Center found a home, but the time has come to make some renovations to the building that will enable better usage for all.
The clock has started on a capital campaign to raise money for building improvements and securing the financial future of the Oswegoland Senior and Community Center, located at 3525 Walter Payton Memorial Hwy. in Oswego. The goal is to raise $2.2 million in the next two years, explained Michele Bergeron, executive director of the Oswegoland Senior and Community Center.
Today the center offers programming that includes exercise classes including gentle yoga and pickleball classes as well as caregiver and grief support, social fun with
bunco and bingo. The center hosts lunches and lectures and in the summer months there are outings from catching a minor league baseball game at the Kane County Cougars in Geneva to day trips to LaSalle.
Every week Bergeron meets with visitors to provide a tour and overview of the center and its programming and she is excited to see area residents discovering the activities and events available at the center.
While the focus of the center’s programming is for adults, the vision for the future is to provide a space that can be used by multigenerations, Bergeron said. Intergenerational Programs are slated to start in 2024, providing opportunities for teens and seniors to spend time together and enrich each other’s lives.
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June 19 Oswego Chamber Car Show
July 17 Oswego Chamber Car Show
Aug. 21 Oswego Chamber Car Show
Sept. 18 Oswego Chamber Car Show
Sept. 26 New Member Event
Oct. 6 Fox Fall Fest
Oct. 26 Trick or Treat in downtown
Oct. 27 Endeavor Health Fraidycat Races
Nov. 9 Coffee/Cocoa Crawl
Nov. 30 Shop Small
Dec. 6 Christmas Walk
Dec. 7 Cookie Walk
Dec. 14 Jingle Bell Jog
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Programming for the Oswegoland Seniors started in 2007, under the Village of Oswego as an Oswego Senior Committee and from the start there was a strong interest from the community. In just two years the committee transitioned to a nonprofit.
The group found itself moving to three spaces in a short time before the opportunity to buy the old Oswego Police Station and set up a permanent address in the community. While the space is large, it needs renovations to create ADA accessible spaces and better use other areas of the building.
“There’s no elevator and we still have jail cells which are unusable rooms,” Bergeron
said. “It’s a great space and we have great visibility.”
She added that an elevator would help accessibility in the two-story building. The goal is to use about $1.3 million for building renovations including the addition of an elevator and the remaining dollars would be used to pay off the building loan to alleviate the organization’s financial debt.
To learn more about how to support the Oswegoland Senior and Community Center or check out activities on the calendar, visit the website, oswegoseniorcenter.org.
The center is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
25 E. Jackson St. Oswego, IL 60543
Phone: (630) 554-3505
Fax: (630) 554-0050
Email: info@oswegochamber.org
Check us out online at www.OswegoChamber.org
WANGIE HIBBEN President/CEO Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce
elcome to the summer newsletter for the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce. Use this newsletter to learn more about the Oswego Chamber and the Oswego area. We are an active and thriving chamber that supports our businesses through promotion of their products and services, offering them opportunities to network with the community and with other like-minded businesses.
Please support your local businesses. Shop local, use local. Keep your business in Oswego and Kendall County. These are the businesses that support your kids’ sports programs, the schools, nonprofits and other community events. Their support ranges from financial support, volunteering, attending events and donations of their products and services.
We have many amazing businesses in our chamber, from the smallest nonprofit to large businesses such as hospitals, the school district and more. Oswego is a great place to live, work and play. I encourage you to go to our website and check it out when looking for products and services. Visit our beautiful and historic downtown and check out the restaurants and stores.
RICK WARNER CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Attorney at Law
KELLEY RICE
PAST CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Imagination Print & Design
RICK JACOBSEN
VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Restoration 1 of Fox Valley
KEN HOLMSTROM
TREASURER Byline Bank
KAREN KULZER
Fox River Academy of Music & Art
CAROL GUIST Baird & Warner Real Estate
WENDY GREENSLADE Locked in Photography
DAN DISANTO Village of Oswego Adminstrator
JIM BAILEY Bailey Accounting Inc
ANDY CLEMENTS Waubonsee Community College
LESLIE HILDERBRANT Hudson Design House
Warm weather is finally here. The flowers are in bloom, the days are sunny and the outlook is bright for Oswego! There are so many wonderful things going on in Oswego that it’s hard to know where to begin. It seems like our wonderful Chamber is having a ribbon cutting every week! Business is booming in Oswego, and we at the Village are doing everything we can to set the environment for economic growth – starting off with the 5.1% property tax rate cut that the Village Board recently approved. This is the largest rate cut since 2015 and means the Village’s portion of the property tax is the lowest since 2008. We are constantly seeking ways to be more efficient with your tax dollars, while simultaneously striving to serve you better.
Lake Michigan update: Recently three communities met to come to an agreement on the cost distribution of the project. The formula we negotiated considers two major factors:
1. The proportion of water consumed.
2. The proximity to the current endpoint (in Naperville) that we will be tapping into.
The proposed cost distribution breaks out to Yorkville paying the largest portion at 40.22%, then Oswego at 35.36%, and Montgomery at 24.42%. The next step is to formally join the DuPage Water Commission and establish a construction funding mechanism. Much more information will come on this.
Save the date: Barnes and Noble will have a grand opening at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 12. I cannot wait, and I’ll see you there!
Construction work continues at NashVegas, which is going in at site of the former Oswego Brewing Company. This hot new restaurant concept combines the best of Nashville and Las Vegas and will feature delicious food, live music, dancing and a lot of fun. They plan to be open this summer.
The 2024 Venue 1012 Event Series kicks off June 6 with Sparks Fly: The Taylor Swift Experience. This free Thursday night concert is sure to entertain all the Swifties among us. You won’t want to miss the Oct. 12 Breast Cancer Benefit Concert, featuring Billy Elton doing a tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John, as well as Dancing Queen, covering ABBA. A full schedule and tickets available at www.Venue1012.com.
I’ll see you out and about this summer!
Sincerely,
Ryan Kauffman Oswego Village President
Planting the seeds for success, Oswego Economic Development Director Kevin Leighty continues to seek out new business opportunities in the community.
In April, Leighty led an initiative for the first Franchise Open House, inviting budding entrepreneurs to meet with franchise businesses in restaurant, entertainment and retail sectors.
“For those looking to start their own business, this is a good opportunity to provide information,” Leighty said.
A good business opportunity is just one part of the equation. Leighty said he seeks to help those interested in starting a business with connecting to available resources in the community, including the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Waubonsee Community College, which can help individuals with coaching to launch a
business, create budgets and more.
“It’s a pretty successful program,” Leighty said.
In another aspect of Leighty’s role, he and other leadership in the community reach out to local businesses for visits. In addition to learning more about the businesses, it creates an opportunity to check in and assist the company as well with concerns and issues now and in the future.
“The purpose of the visits is to hear about issues and also be a point of contact, like
a champion for the village,” Leighty said. “It’s an important part of local economic development.”
The new VASA Fitness on Route 34 opened this spring in the site of a former grocery store. In the former bank property at on Orchard Road has subdivided with two of the three tenants in place with the new Sherwin-Williams Paint Store now open and next to open is Bibibop Asian Grill a casual eatery.
Earlier this year Oswego Village officials gave the nod to Nash Vegas Saloon, a new business that will occupy the former Oswego Brewing Company site in downtown Oswego. The new business will feature a full bar, restaurant, music and dancing. Leighty said the new owners are working and hope to have the business late summer.
“This will be a really nice addition to the area,” Leighty said.
Bringing businesses and community leaders together has become a priority for Todd Volker since taking the role as Economic Development Coordinator for Kendall County in October.
The first months on the job have been a busy time as Volker works on outreach to build relationships with businesses in the county and to create networking opportunities for the leadership within Kendall County as they share successes in economic development.
Volker launched the Kendall Economic Development Alliance, bringing together economic development leaders from the municipalities in Kendall County. Last year the group hosted a successful job fair and another is on the horizon in the fall, Volker said.
Earlier this year, Volker brought members of the Kendall Economic Development Alliance, along with educators from the county on a factory tour, to become better acquainted with the manufacturing opportunities within Kendall County. Many of the educators, including high school guidance counselors, are looking to gain greater familiarity with work opportunities to help direct students to careers in the trades and beyond, as the county seeks to increase its skilled work force.
Another important networking opportunity is the Greater Chicago Economic Partnership, a newer organization comprised of the members of Chicago’s seven collar counties. Volker said the organization has been working to attract more international businesses to the region.
Through the continued strong housing market, several communities in Kendall County have experienced a strong economic development, with interest from retailers and restaurants, including larger franchise businesses and smaller independent businesses.
Kendall County also retains a strong agricultural community. With a background that includes agriculture, Volker said its
important for the county to continue to support its farming community.
One of the pressing issues across all sectors of the local economy is business succession, helping local businesses and farmers manage how their business will proceed once the current leadership elects to retire or step down. Whether a family business or family farm, these can be difficult decisions, but important to future of the operations, Volker said.
Another initiative has been bringing together leadership from the Chambers of Commerce located in Kendall County for quarterly meetings, discussing opportunities to work together on promotions, such as tourism and sharing what is working well.
“It’s an opportunity for great collaboration,” Volker said.
2677 Route 34 • Oswego, IL 60543 630-527-8877 • www.aspyrewellness.com
998 U.S. Route 30 • Montgomery, IL 60538 630-756-5400 • www.chwinery.com
2271 Orchard Road • Oswego, IL 60543 630-554-1080 • www.bristolvetclinic.com
THE MAKERS CAFE
1067 Station Dr. • Oswego, IL 60543 630-746-5929 • Follow on Facebook and Instagram
REDWOOD OSWEGO
317 Madrone Dr. • Oswego, IL 60543 www.byredwood.com/apartments/il/oswego/redwood-oswego
MODSTITCH
79 Main St. • Oswego, IL 60543 630-708-3140 • www.modstitchco.com
VASA FITNESS
3010 Route 34 • Oswego, IL 60543 630-987-4251 • www.vasafitness.com/locations/il/oswego
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