Creating a 1st Class Economy Together Today…

How the METRO Chamber of Commerce Will Facilitate a 30 Billion Dollar Economy in the Metro East Region over the next 10 Years…

In order to grow the size of the local commercial loan portfolio we have to grow businesses! Accordingly, we have to achieve several objectives:

Engage businesses in bottom line friendly ways;
Inform businesses about opportunities to grow;
Organize businesses in to sectors to better leverage their financial and human resources;
Create incentives for doing business that eliminate or reduce their sense of investment risk
Utilize the financial tools available to low-in-come communities such as; NMTC,
Opportunity Zones, Investment Tax Credits, Energy Tax Credits.
Implement and Promote the East St. Louis Renovation,
Innovation, Transportation and Energy Plan (R.I.T.E.)

Approximately $100 Million in Equalized Assessed Property Values
No riverfront development other than Casino Queen; Thousands of vacant lots,
hundreds of abandoned homes and businesses
Highest property taxes in the State of Illinois and Metro East Region;
Most and highest regulatory fees in the area
Public education system is under State oversight for third time in last 20 years;
City Hall is under State
oversight since 1991;

Goal of creating $1.5 Billion or 1,500 Million Economy (1st Class)
In this economy, a $50M bank has a chance to become a $750M bank;
Conservatively speaking, the riverfront alone will generate at least $500M of the $1.4B in growth potential
Implement and promote the East St. Louis R.I.T.E. Plan
Metro Chamber will complete campaign for 7 City Merger (East St. Louis, Cahokia, Centreville-Alortan, Washington Park, Brooklyn,
Fairmont City.

Notes: Annual Dues for Board Members has been set at $5,000.00 per year.

Filed as a nonprofit on April 4, 2013 with the State of Illinois
Federal filing with IRS (501©6) completed in December 2019;
Certified as CDE with the Dept. of Treasury April 2014
Applied to U.S. Chamber of Commerce at their Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.

From the IRS’s Publication 17, Chapter 28: Miscellaneous

“Dues to Chambers of Commerce and Professional Societies

You may be able to deduct dues paid to professional organizations (such as bar
associations and medical associations) and to chambers of commerce and similar
organizations, if membership helps you carry out the duties of your job. Similar
organizations include:

Deductions Subject to the 2% Limit

You can deduct certain expenses as miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A (Form
1040). You can claim the amount of expenses that is more than 2% of your adjusted gross
income. You figure your deduction on Schedule A by subtracting 2% of your adjusted gross income
from the total amount of these expenses. Your adjusted gross income is the amount on Form
1040, line 38.
Generally, you apply the 2% limit after you apply any other deduction limit. For example, you
apply the 50% (or 80%) limit on business-related meals and entertainment (discussed in chapter
26) before you apply the 2% limit.”

effective reports about new and old member businesses in the region;

Website Advertising: we have created a website that is still under construction where businesses

can advertise and communicate with each other and customers;

Business Referral System: members in good standing will get referrals and invitations to bid;

Co-Marketing: members will also be able to place inserts into various mailers to include the

monthly newsletter;

Micro-Loan Program: partner with local banks and community finance development agencies

(CFDA) to provide underwriting services, assistance and advocacy to member businesses;

Monthly Meetings: we will produce breakfast, lunch, and an annual awards banquet to allow

businesses to share their updated projects or plans with other member businesses;

Business Plan Assistance: we will assist small and startups with developing a competent and

competitive business plan in conjunction with the Small Business Administration (SBA);

Grant and/or Bid Writing Assistance: the Chamber will assist businesses by providing timely

notices about upcoming opportunities to bid on state, federal, and local projects and/or contracts

$5B R.IT.E. Plan of East St. Louis, Il. Program initiative;

This will allow us to establish and fund our Opportunity Zone Fund.
Begin the predevelopment phase of the R.I.T.E
Plan
Initiative, and operating capital
Create a plan for branch location purchase or expansion with new location within the city of East St. Louis, IL.