THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

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Harper College To Open AH Office

The Village of Arlington Hts., Harper College, and the State of Illinois have teamed up to expand small business development efforts in the Northwest suburbs.

Administrators for the village and college have tentatively agreed on a plan for Harper to lease a small office in the new Arlington Hts. Village Hall.

If boards of both entities approve, the space will be a satellite location to the Harper Technical Center at the college's main campus in Palatine.

The satellite office will serve as a counseling center for small business owners.

"Owners can come there for free counseling on starting a business, writing a business plan, obtaining financing, and related aspects of operating a small business," said a college

The venture is a cooperative effort of the college's Small Business Development Department and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. According to Bonnie Richter, director of the Harper small business development center, the office will be open one day a week, tentatively starting on May 6.

"This is a small vacant office in our Planning Department which we didn't need when we moved in here recently," said Bill Dixon, Arlington Hts. village manager. "We see it as a great opportunity to aid in area small business development."

The new village hall opened earlier this year on the site of the former village hall at Sigwalt Street and Arlington Hts. Road.

The Harper board was scheduled to consider this lease agreement at its meeting on Tuesday, Apr. 22.

Dixon said the Arlington board would put the matter on its agenda on May 5.