The mission of the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago is to facilitate economic and community development by strengthening individuals, organizations and companies in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor. This mission is fulfilled through:
A commitment to foster an equitable and inclusive environment for its team, the businesses it supports, and the community
Advocating on behalf of companies on Chicago’s West Side
Providing business services to these companies
Providing career opportunities and training for residents of the West Side
Make City and The Hatchery, two incubators providing space, assistance, and an entrepreneurial ecosystem to growing companies
The Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago's Make City incubator is one of the largest and oldest incubators in the country. Built in the 1890s, at 416,000 square feet, the incubator is unique in its manufacturing focus. ICNC provides growing companies in a wide variety of industries affordable space, business assistance, and an entrepreneurial community that they can both benefit from and contribute to. ICNC created The Hatchery, a non-profit food and beverage incubator dedicated to helping local entrepreneurs build and grow successful businesses, through a joint venture with Allies for Community Business.
The Illinois Small Business Development Center, housed within ICNC, provides both our incubator clients and those from the community we serve the opportunity to access a “one-stop shopping” approach to business advising.
The Workforce Development Department supports small businesses throughout the continuum of building a sustainable team via comprehensive human resources consulting and hands on management of the hiring process. The department manages Impact Culinary Training, a 12-week, no-cost training program for young adults on Chicago's West Side to complete training to become a prep cook.
ICNC’s Make City incubator, as well as most of the businesses ICNC works with, are in one of the City’s Planned Manufacturing Districts and the Kinzie Industrial Corridor. The City of Chicago’s policy decisions on zoning, land use, incentives, and infrastructure have immediate and significant impacts on these businesses and advocacy on their behalf is at the core of ICNC’s mission.
