Noëllie Inard
It was announced that on December 1st, 2022, the Joliet African American Business Association (AABA) will become its separate organization. Since its creation in 2017, AABA was only a subcommittee of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry. However, according to chamber representatives, after several months of planning between the chamber staff and the AABA representatives, it is "with pride" that they announced this opportunity to the community. According to their website, the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry serves as the collective voice to benefit and better the community through initiative actions. It was initiated in 1914 and had the same goal since then, supporting the interests of businesses in the Joliet region and responding to the needs of the community.
AABA chairman, Christopher Parker, stated “We plan to [...] focus[ing] on collective impact, identifying new pathways for business success, and developing a framework to measure our success toward elevating and educating African American Business Owners.” According to Joliet Chamber of Commerce’s website, the main goal of the African American Association Business is to “open new doors, develop future entrepreneurs, strengthen skills, and expand networks.” Moreover, AABA will continue to provide its actual resources such as business and economic development, job readiness, professional development, and networking/special events. The development of AABA into its own organization represents adequate et equitable support for all Black-owned businesses in Joliet and it means taking the next step “in realizing the potential of African American Businesses” added AABA chairman, Christopher Parker.
More details will be shared in the upcoming months regarding the transition of the chamber. The representatives stated that they want the whole process to be as clear as possible for the community.
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