On November 2, USPAACC Midwest welcomed entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and community partners to Wells Fargo Connection Place in Chicago for Small Business Collaboration 2026.

Midwest Chapter President Mark Allen opened with USPAACC's mission: turning business capacity into direct contract revenue by putting ready small businesses in front of corporate and government partners. Illinois State Senator Ram Villivalam, USPAACC CEO and National President Susan Au Allen, Trina Shepherd of Wells Fargo, Vasanthi Ilangovan of VIVA USA, and Sonny Gupta of Maintec Technologies followed with opening remarks of support.

AI's Impact on Business Owners
Jason Starr, Director of Venture Development at the University of Chicago's Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, gave a practical introduction to AI. He covered the basics, then explained agentic AI: assistants that can carry out tasks for you rather than just answer questions. He also shared how these tools can help small teams save time and focus on growth.

Connecting with Resources
Marc Nunn of LISC shared the free learning resources and $10,000 grant available through Verizon Small Business Digital Ready. By attending this event, one of the requirements to be eligible $10,000 grant was completed by some attendees.

Michelle Lura White of Illinois DCEO moderated a panel with Ashley Hoppe (Cast21), Dori Isufi (Molly's Cupcakes), Jeremiah Stephens (J&I Stephens, LLC), and Wanake Schaeffer (Chicago Flavas). The conversation kept coming back to community. Wanake shared that business was hard to navigate until she found people who supported her, and once she did, they always showed up for her. Chicago Flavas and Molly's Cupcakes often team up on community projects, a real example of small businesses growing together. The panel's advice: take advantage of the resources available, and lean on the people around you.

The afternoon ended at the Connection Place, with 20 exhibitor tables, and a networking reception featuring entrees from local small business Saigon Sisters.

Thank you to our sponsors Wells Fargo, Chicago Community Trust, VIVA USA, Maintec Technologies, and to our partners Illinois DCEO, Verizon, and LISC.

If you attended, please take a moment to complete our survey:

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