Mi Costeñita’s Gets a Makeover!
Greater Southwest
Development Corporation’s
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Local spice packager, Mi Costeñita, has begun work on the
improvement of their façade with the assistance of the City of
Chicago’s Façade Rebate Program for Commercial and Industrial
Businesses. While participating in this program, Mi Costeñita is
having work done on their docks and is installing a new storefront
complete with new windows and masonry. Once the work is completed, the City will rebate the company a portion
of the total costs. The improvement project is slated to be finished by June of this year. The Greater Southwest
Industrial Staff would like to congratulate Mi Costeñita, the first industrial company in the Greater Southwest
Industrial Corridor to participate in the City’s Façade Rebate program!
U P C O MIN G E V E N TS
President
Thomas Bamford
Vice President
Marquette Bank
Vice President
Gintaras Cepenas
Attorney-at-Law
Vice President
Mark DiValerio
Manager
People’s Energy
Mark your calendars!
Industrial Business Owners
GSDC’s Security Meeting for West Englewood and 59th Street Businesses with local CAPS representatives: April 27 at the
West Englewood Library.
GSDC’s Security Meeting for Ford City Businesses with local CAPS representatives: May 12 at Daley College.
Secretary
Timothy Herwig
Vice President
TCF National Bank
GSDC is a non-profit community development
corporation that has contributed significantly to the residential,
commercial and industrial revitalization in Southwest Chicago since 1974.
A discussion of safety in the workplace with William Coulehan from OSHA: May 19 at Daley College.
Manufacturing Workshop with the City of Chicago’s Deputy Commissioner Bill Trumbull of the Industrial Division and a
representative from the Chicago Manufacturing Center will be held on June 17 at Sweetheart Cup Company. Helen Squires,
Chicago Manufacturing Center, will speak on services provided by the Center.
In the works...
Treasurer
Juan C. Hernandez
Branch Manager
LaSalle Bank
Dr. Sylvia Ramos
President
Richard J. Daley College
A seminar with NORBIC’s NAFTA assistance representative.
Commercial Business Owners
The Growth Commission Meeting with the 8th District Police will be held on third Wednesdays of alternate months. The
next one is scheduled for July 21. The May meeting has been cancelled in lieu of a special workshop.
The How to Succeed in Business Workshop featuring Mayor Daley’s Business Express and a panel of Chicago Lawn
business owners will be held on May 19 from 10 am until 2 pm. Don’t miss this exciting workshop!
Homeowners
Neighborhood Housing Services offers free classes in Spanish in Chicago Lawn at Maria High School on Mondays beginning
October 6, 2003. The certificate program consists of four classes. For classes offered in English at other locations, please
contact Ms. Lourdes Simms at 773-329-4113.
Marquette Bank offers a free two-class certificate program on Saturdays. Next sessions: June 5 and June 12. For more
information, please contact Ben Liddell at 773-918-4568.
The Storehouse offers free “I Know How” workshops with industry experts who demonstrate how to install windows or tubs,
how to place tile, or how to beautify your home with new paint techniques. For more information, please call Kim at 773-9213900, ext. 317.
CAPS Beat meetings: Beat 825 will meet at Churchview Apartments at 2644 West 63rd Street at 7 p.m. on April 8 and May
13. Beat 823 will meet at St. Nicholas Church at 3743 W. 62nd Street at 7 p.m. on April 22.
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Todd Banks
Comm. Affairs Manager
ComEd
James Capraro
Executive Director
Greater Southwest
Development Corp.
Joaquin Varela
Deacon
St. Nicholas of Tolentine
Rev. Paul & Judy Anderson
New Hope Ministries
2601 West 63rd Street
Chicago, IL 60629
773-436-1000
ReVitalize
The source for Commercial, Industrial and Housing News
H Spring 2004 J
In this Issue
Turrret Steel Expands
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Foreclosure Prevention
3
New Business Liaison
4
Greater Southwest
Development Corporation
James Capraro
Executive Director
Donna S. Stites
First Deputy Director
Harry Meyer
Deputy Director
of Development
Betty Gutierrez
Deputy Director
of Services
Karen Wilkosz
Comptroller
Carla Land
Business Liaison
Lenora Dailey
Industrial Director
Sarah McKinley
Industrial Assistant
Jeff Harris
Housing Project Manager
Hablamos Español
Churchview
Supportive Living
Facility:
Opens in
July
Greater
Southwest is pleased to announce the opening of Churchview
Manor’s Supportive Living Facility in the summer of 2004. This apartment building is
joined with the existing Churchview Manor Apartments, an independent living facility,
at 2626 W. 63rd St. An additional 86 units of affordable apartments will become
available for seniors who need extra help in maintaining their lives with dignity and
respect.
This will be the third senior apartment building that Greater Southwest has
developed in Chicago Lawn; truly a “labor of love” and a gift to the community. In
1992, Churchview Manor Apartments was opened with sixty units for low to moderate
income seniors. Greater Southwest developed this property to address the need for
affordable apartments for seniors in Chicago Lawn and across the city.
In 1997, GSDC opened Lawn Terrace Apartments, providing another 102
units of affordable senior housing at 63rd Street and Kedzie Avenue. This time a
commercial plaza was added to the apartment building to develop business
opportunities for the neighborhood. At present, Holy Cross Hospital Clinic,
Metropolitan Children’s Center, State Farm Insurance and Subway Sandwich Shop are
in residence and providing services to the community.
Churchview Manor’s assisted living services will include three meals a day, an
emergency response system, ongoing nursing assessments, medication reminders, free
laundry and weekly housekeeping, and assistance with daily living activities such as
dressing, bathing, walking, personal grooming and toileting.
For more information about our senior communities, please call:
Churchview Manor Apartments & Supportive Service Community
Lawn Terrace Apartments
773-925-0815
773-925-0730
Turret Steel Expands into Southwest Chicago
With three new distribution centers, business is looking up!
In June of 2002, Turret Steel Industries
Inc. moved from their smaller distribution
center in Gary, IN to a 64,000 square foot
facility in the Ford City Industrial Park at 74th
and Pulaski Avenue on Chicago’s southwest
side. Founded in 1970 outside of New York
City, Turret later moved its headquarters to the
Pittsburg area to be closer to suppliers. Since
1996, the company has expanded into and now
has a strong presence in the Midwest with new
distribution centers in Warren, OH and
Chicago. After acquiring Sunbelt Steel in 1998,
Turret opened a facility in Charlotte, NC and
are in the process of moving to an even larger
warehouse in that area.
The following is a list of available
industrial real estate in the area. If
you would like more information
about any of these or know of any
properties that should be added to
this list please call 773-436-1000
ext. 109.
Homeownership:
Four more opportunities to make your dream a reality!
Building for Sale
7400 S. Rockwell
368,787 SF
4100 W. 76th St.
29,000835,000 SF
5832 S. Maplewood
At the moment, Turret’s industrial production is balanced despite
the difficulties facing steel industries in the United States. With finished
products coming out of China, Korea and Russia at lower costs than that
of parts in the United States, competition in the steel business is severe.
The challenges of low-cost imports stems from an excess in global
steelmaking capacity coupled with aggressive trade practices.
Furthermore, changes in protective tariffs create uncertainties in the
market, making it more difficult for companies to compete. However, the
U.S. steel industry still accounts for 13% of the global raw steel market
and the state of Illinois is one of five states composing 80% of the
country’s steelmaking capacity.
Through all of this, Fred Olmsted, Turret’s Vice President and
General Manager of Region 5, remains optimistic. The purchase of the
new distribution centers and the company’s stable production rate despite
market challenges speak positively for the future. A new addition to the
Greater Southwest Industrial Corridor, Turret Steel has already exhibited a
commitment to the community, with careful attention to their facility and
to their neighbors. Greater Southwest looks forward to further assisting
Turret in the future!
6351 S. Fairfield
6349 S. Fairfield
professionally renovating four houses in the neighborhoods of Chicago Lawn and Gage Park. If you decide you want to
purchase one of these homes before the construction is finished, you’ll have the option to select some of the décor, such as
the light fixtures, kitchen cabinets, and tile. The homes will have central air and heat, new windows, new kitchens and
bathrooms, two-car garages, hardwood floors and more. Once rehabbed, these beautiful homes will range in price from
$157,000 to $180,000 and have a one-year warranty on all construction completed by Greater Southwest. Certain income
requirements apply.
2800 W. Columbus Ave. 200,000 SF
5701 S. Claremont
5958 S. Maplewood
Here’s an opportunity to buy a beautiful home! Greater Southwest Development Corporation is in the process of
Buildings for Lease
Louis Otano of Turret Steel
Turret Steel Industries is a distributor of special bar quality
products. Each location is fully stocked with bars of various shapes and
sizes from round to hexagonal. Locations offer special services including
bar turning and polishing, saw cutting and heat treatment. With ten full
time employees working at the company’s Chicago location, Turret is
equipped with saws, bar shears and bar bays to outfit bars as needed.
These bars are used by Turret’s customers for forging of steel products
such as engine parts. The company’s customers, located throughout
North America, including Mexico and Canada, include manufacturers of
automobile parts, bolts and screws, machine and hand tool parts.
Spring 2004 Vol. 1 Issue 1
Industrial Real Estate
5,50013,500 SF
Buildings for Sale or Lease
2220 W. 56th St.
50,000 SF
7501 S. Pulaski Ave.
160,000 SF
If interested, please call our Housing Sales Coordinator, Molly Allscheid, at 877-846-6800.
Free Assistance to Prevent Foreclosure
Industrial Land for Sale/ Lease
7200 S. Kostner
4.5 acres
7540 S. Western
2.5 acres
77th & Kedzie
38 acres
John Marshall Law students partner with GSDC
For several years now Greater Southwest has been working on various initiatives to reduce home foreclosures in
southwest Chicago. The National Training and Information Center recently reported on a 74% spike in Chicago
foreclosures between 1993 and 2001. With that troubling trend continuing to affect Chicagoans city-wide, GSDC is
expanding its effort to combat foreclosures in our community.
This 200,00 Square foot building
located at 2800 West Columbus
Ave. has 30’ ceilings, 28 docs,
ample parking and has offices to
suit.
As part of that effort, GSDC’s Housing Resource launched a new initiative in 2003 to assist residents affected by
foreclosure. GSDC has partnered with Neighborhood Housing Services and the Southwest Organizing Project to host a
foreclosure prevention clinic with The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Clinic.
Seventeen third year law students from John Marshall are now available in the GSDC offices for daily appointments,
Monday through Saturday, with southwest Chicago residents who are currently in foreclosure, who are refinancing an
existing home loan, or who are considering financing a new home.
Experience shows that an educated home-owner is far more likely to avoid the pitfalls leading to foreclosure. The
foreclosure prevention clinic is an invaluable opportunity for residents to gain more information on their legal rights and
options to prevent foreclosure.
This free and confidential service will be available throughout the months of March and April. Residents should call
GSDC at (773) 436-1000 x. 119 to set up an appointment.
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~~ Ce le b rat ing 30 ye a rs in t he Communit y ~~
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The 63rd Street Growth Commission welcomes
Carla Land, our new Business Liaison
T
he Growth Commission is pleased to
welcome Carla Land as the new commercial Business
Liaison. Of course, we will miss Larissa Chavez, our
former liaison, who dedicated the past three years to
organizing the businesses and improving the retail
district.
The 63rd Street Growth Commission
is the commercial division of the Greater
Southwest Development Corporation.
In March 2003, Ms. Land joined GSDC as the sales and marketing
coordinator to sell newly rehabbed houses. She has also worked for the
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as an internal operations auditor.
Please contact Carla Land at 773-4361000, ext. 113 if you’re interested in any of
the following programs.
With a background in entrepreneurial management from the
Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Land will provide
additional services to business owners. Among them, she will assist
potential and current business owners in preparing business plans and
improving their marketing plans. Please contact Ms. Land at 773-436-1000,
ext. 113 for assistance.
Façade Rebate Program: This is
Security Business Meeting Business owners discuss safety
On January 20th and March 24th, business owners met for the bi-
monthly security meeting. At the most recent meeting, Seargeant Hennigan
and Judy Ollry, Community Organizer, listened to concerns of local
commercial businesses and shared their insights.
To combat vagrancy, they urged business owners to file complaints.
Businesses should post “No Loitering” and “No Soliciting” signs to warn
vagrants of impending arrest for trespassing. Also, businesses should
consider organizing to support one another on court dates, for vagrants,
vandals, and pilferers. The presence of other business owners may compel
the judge to deliver a harsher sentence. Homeless people can also be
referred to the Department of Human Services, call 311.
The Growth Commission encourages business managers to attend
these bi-monthly meetings on security. Businesses must work together to
ensure maximum efficiency and profitability. Please consider attending the
next meeting. Where there is unity, there is strength!
one of several programs provided by
the Department of Planning and
Development. The program includes
complete façade renovation, exterior
lighting, new signage and graphics,
windows and doors, certain types of
p a s s iv e s ec u ri t y a nd e ne r g y
conservation system.
Awning Rebate Program: Fifteen
commercial businesses can take
advantage of this great program to
receive reimbursement up to $1000
upon the installation of an awning that
meets the program guidelines.
Business Security Incentive
Program: Your commercial business
can receive up to $750 reimbursement
for surveillance equipment and
installation. New Program!
Important Phone Numbers
Business Express
City of Chicago’s business hotline
312-744-CITY
City of Chicago, call 311
For questions on any City services
Neighborhood Relations Office
Officers: Commander Rayl, Lt. Michael McGiuney and Sergeant Hennigan
2601 W. 63rd Street
Chicago, IL 60629
Ph 773-436-1000
8th District Police Station
312-747-3515
For any community questions or concerns
www .greatersouthw est.org
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