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GENNA ORD | DAILY EGYPTIAN
Matt Buck, 135 pounds, cranks a leg lock on Kyle Williams at Fight Factory VII Saturday at the Williamson County Pavilion in Marion. Buck tapped out in the third
round against Williams and lost the bout. For the full story, please see page 16. For more photos from the event, see WWW.DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM.
Operation Bootstrap boosts business development BRANDON COLEMAN Daily Egyptian A local business owner said he owes the successful relocation of his bakery to a 12-week entrepreneur assistance program offered by SIUC and the Delta Regional Authority. Nicholas Stewart, co-owner and manager of Cristaudo’s Bakery, said Operation Bootstrap, a businessdevelopment program where entrepreneurs get help from legal and banking representatives and Illinois Department of Revenue experts, helped him plan the reopening of Cristaudo’s Cafe and Bakery at Illinois Avenue and Main Street. Cristaudo's left its old location in the Murdale Shopping Center in 2009, the same year Operation Bootstrap debuted for the Illinois Small Business Development Center. Robyn Russell, director of business development and international trade at SIUC, said a participant in the bootstrap program has to sign up as a client with the center, which works with 400 to 500 clients annu-
ally who want to start a business or already run one as a hobby. Since March 2009, Operation Bootstrap has had 133 participants in four, 12week training courses, Russell said. Fifty-five of those graduates were awarded a total of $177,000 in seed capital for their business ventures, she said. All participants are part of a continued three-year survey to track business expansion, employment growth and annual sales, she said. “Some of the people we deal with are already in business professionally and need some type of expansion, and we'll help them with either a marketing plan or (seeking) additional financing with an expansion loan,� she said. Stewart, a native of Kansas City, Kan., said he spoke with eight regional banks, but SIU Credit Union was the quickest to give him a loan to help finance the restoration of the Kaleidoscope Building, where the new Cristaudo’s will open in March. The bakery will have a gift shop and lounge area, serve wine and beer in addition to its pastries and also cater
to weddings, he said. “Rachel (Cristaudo’s) family is from Italy and you don’t ever sit down to a meal without wine,â€? Stewart said. Although Cristaudo’s, under Stewart's leadership, earned 20 percent growth quarterly until the store closed in May 2009, the addition of wine and beer sold with signature pastries should net a 200 to 400 percent profit margin, Stewart said. Liquor sales should alleviate worry about whether the store will make enough money from its food alone, he said. “The joke bakers make is you don’t make a lot of dough making dough,â€? Stewart said. During its 26 years of operation, the Small Business Development Center has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs start or expand, though not all businesses can permanently sustain themselves, said Emily Carter, director of business entrepreneurship and business development. “Just like with large businesses ‌ some of them sustain and thrive, other businesses fail for a variety of
reasons,â€? she said. “Sometimes opportunities come up where entrepreneurs decide that closing the businesses and ‌ moving into a lucrative position is the best route to go.â€? Charlie Campbell, co-owner and director of SI Tours in Carterville, said the Small Business Development Center was helpful because he met with business experts who helped him develop a line of credit with a local bank, which allowed him to start his business in August 2009. Campbell said he and his wife, Jan, operate their touring business on a full-time basis, but they have three part-time employees who drive for them as well. He said he's experienced some growth but that’s to be expected of a startup company. “We’ll do scenic tours, casino tours, dinner parties. ‌ We’re open to most anything within the amount of time that’s allotted,â€? Campbell said. Carterville resident Tom Harness said his business, Harness TechEd, was successful after networking with
Man-Tra-Con, Carbondale School District 95 and Walker’s Bluff Winery, where he now works as the chief information officer. Harness said he put his business aside to become part of the winery. Harness said the center is one of southern Illinois’ best-kept secrets. Small business generated 64 percent of the jobs in the last 15 years in southern Illinois, Carter said. Her department invests in small businesses because they create the majority of jobs in the region, she said. “We don’t track revenue, but we track the amount of financing they’re getting on an annual basis to run the company,� Carter said. In some years, the amount of financing has exceeded $15 million, Carter said. Operation Bootstrap exhausted its funds for fiscal year 2010, but it plans to search for revenue to operate future programs, Russell said.
Brandon Coleman can be reached at bcoleman@dailyegptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 259.