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Editor 's note: submit events,
meetings, workshops and conferences at least one month in advance to cibm@news-gazette.com for
inclusion in Mark Your Calendar.
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August 6
Government Council Meeting, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room, 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201, Champaign. Make the most of your membership by joining in the work of this Chamber standing committee. This council advocates the business interests of the membership in matters involving government at all levels - federal, state, county and local. The council monitors legislative matters, presents policy recommendations to the Board of Directors and initiates appropriate action. For more information on how to become involved, contact Andrew Flach at
andrewf@champaigncounty.org.
August 10
Community Open House, 2-4 p.m.
1701 W. Curtis Road, Champaign and 1818 E. Windsor Road, Urbana. Carle Clinic's new physician offices in Southwest Champaign and Southwest Urbana are having a free community open house at their new locations, Champaign's Carle Clinic on Curtis and Urbana's Carle Clinic on Windsor. If you have any questions, call (217) 383-8352 or visit
www.carle-clinic.com.
August 11
Planning and Infrastructure Council, 4-5 p.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room, 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201, Champaign. It is important to encourage responsible, efficient growth in our communities, and the Planning & Infrastructure Council does this through the monitoring and evaluation of municipal planning and infrastructure development. This work includes review of regional planning and improvements to air, rail, transit and other forms of surface transportation, roadways, sewer and utilities. To get involved with the council, contact Andrew Flach, public policy manager, at
andrewf@champaigncounty.org.
August 14
Starting Your Own Business in Illinois, 8:30-9 a.m., sign-in.; 9 a.m.-noon, program.
U of I Extension Small Business Development Center, 1817 S. Neil St., Champaign. Small Business Management Extension Educator, William J. Wilkinson, discusses reasons for starting your own business, sources of funding, understanding your market, types of ownership and naming and registering your business. The $20 fee can be made payable to U of I Extension. To register, call (217) 875-4004 or e-mail
uic-sbdc@extension.uiuc.edu.
August 19
Power of E-mail Marketing (Part I), Constant Contact Basics (Part II), 9:30-10 a.m., sign-in; 10 a.m.-noon, Part I; noon-1:15 p.m., lunch, 1:30-3 p.m., Part II (optional).
Constant Contact Regional Development Director Steve Robinson teaches you how e-mail marketing works and useful e-mail marketing tips. Robinson will discuss why and how e-mail communication works, components of an effective marketing campaign, creating professional looking e-mails to wow your customers and developing mailing lists and subject lines to get your e-mails opened.
August 21
Agribusiness Council, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
A.G. Edwards & Sons, 2237 S. Neil St., Champaign. The Agribusiness Council meets monthly to address agriculture-related issues and develop ways to bridge the gap between the urban and rural business sectors. Contact Andrew Flach, public policy manager, at
andrewf@champaigncounty.org or call
(217) 359-1791 if interested.
August 21
Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m.
One Main Development, 1 E. Main St., Suite 200, Champaign. Join fellow chamber members and their guests in a great networking opportunity hosted by One Main Development. Proceeds from the $5 per person donation will help fund Chamber programs. The donation for non-members and guests is $8. Call (217) 359-1791 for more information.
August 21
Selling Your Way Out Of A Slump! 12:30-1 p.m., sign-in; 1-4 p.m., program.
U of I Extension Small Business Development Center, 1817 S. Neil St., Champaign. Owner & President of Performance Development Network, Mark Sturgell, encourages business owners to improve their economic outlook. Sturgell teaches the six essential steps in selling, how to understand why people buy, the difference between the successful "assistant buyer" vs. dreaded salesperson and how to attract new business. The $20 fee can be made payable to the University of Illinois Extension. Call (217) 875-4004 or e-mail
uic-sbdc@extension.uiuc.edu.
August 22
Small Business Tax Basics, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
U of I Extension Small Business Development Center, 2525 Federal Drive, Suite 1105, Decatur. Experts speak on subjects regarding basic IRS requirements, employment security, state sales tax and federal employment taxes. The $35 fee is payable to the U of I Extension. Call (217) 875-4004 or e-mail
uic-sbdc@extension.uiuc.edu to register.
August 26
3rd Annual Illinois Fire Service Institute Industrial Forum, all day
Development Center, 2525 Federal Drive, Suite 1105, Decatur. Experts speak on subjects regarding basic IRS requirements, employment security, state sales tax and federal employment taxes. The $35 fee is payable to the U of I Extension. Call (217) 875-4004 or e-mail
uic-sbdc@extension.uiuc.edu to register.
COVER STORY August 2008
M2 starts to fill up
By Greta Weiderman
CIBM Editor
Developers Jon "Cody" Sokolski and Mike Royse have already leased out 80 percent of the retail space in M2, although the 233,000-square foot building won't officially open until around November.
The nine-story building at the northwest corner of Neil and Church streets in downtown Champaign will include retail on the ground floor, four floors of offices and condos on the top four floors.
Bank Champaign, a 12,000-square-foot salon/spa/boutique and Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works will be some of the first floor's tenants. The restaurant's owner is based in Normal, where it has another location.
The restaurant and brewery offers an extensive menu of handcrafted food and beer, according to its Web site.
As of the end of July, 13 of M2's 51 condos had been sold, and 50 percent of office space had been leased.
Sokolski, the chief executive officer of One Main Development, said that at the same point during the development of One Main, the company had no signed contracts, so M2 is moving ahead at a faster pace than One Main did.
The pair is excited about the economic impact M2 will have on downtown Champaign.
"Economically, just as One Main brought something over 1,000 visitors to downtown a day, M2 is likely to be almost double that economic impact," said Royse, the president of One Main Development.
The one- and two-bedroom condos range from 800 to 2,400 square feet and sell for $180,000 to $450,000. The first condo sold was unit 810, which is in the Southeast corner of the building overlooking the intersection of Neil and Main, said Emily Schmit, marketing communications director at One Main Development. All of the condos will have balconies, and some units have larger open terraces.
The condominiums will have an Urban look and feel, and One Main Development is building M2 with an eye toward environmental sustainability, Royse said.
"It's smart business wise as well as the right thing to do," Sokolski said.
Sokolski and Royse said they are working toward receiving LEED, or the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design Green Building Rating System certification, which is granted by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work, according go the U.S. Green Building Council's Web site.
"As a company, we're dedicated to learning much about sustainability and incorporating it into each project we do now and into the future," Schmit said.
M2 is being built using materials that are low in VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, in order to decrease negative environmental impact. M2 will also include high efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units, Sokolski said.
Sokolski said purchasing a condo that is sensitive to future environmental standards is a way to protect your investment because updates won't be necessary in the future if standards become more stringent.
Although M2 is nearing completion, One Main Development's leaders already have another project in mind for downtown Champaign. One Main Development has been working in earnest with the City of Champaign to find a site to build a proposed hotel. The company has secured a management group and a brand. Sokolski and Royse said they feel a sense of eagerness and vigor to find a site and are planning a boutique-sized hotel with 100 to 120 rooms, or possibly larger, depending on the site.
"It's another opportunity to sell the quality of life in Champaign," Sokolski said.
One Main Development hopes to announce the hotel's brand sometime within the next six months, he said.
"I just think it's exciting that downtown Champaign is growing, and it's growing exponentially," Sokolski said.
Royse said the economic stability of the Midwest is truly remarkable. Sokolski said he's pleased to be doing business in a town that has a university and isn't harmed by the downshift in the economy in the way that other areas are.
- Greta Weiderman is editor of Central Illinois Business Magazine. She can be reached at (217) 351-5695 or
gweiderman@news-gazette.com.
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