CHICAGO - Gov. Bruce Rauner took time Cyber Monday morning to tour the BopBiz Center on 79th Street and to recognize the forward-thinking approach of websites like TheBlackMall.com.
“Americans will spend billions of dollars online today,” Rauner said. “Sites like TheBlackMall.com and institutions like the BopBiz Center take commerce to another level — advancing prosperity for entrepreneurs who may exist in economically depressed areas. These are ideals especially worthy of consumer support.”
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Rauner said he was impressed by the BopBiz Center, a business incubator for the Black community that offers everything from trade and contractor workforce development to investment, financial literacy and home and business property ownership programs.
The governor met with BopBiz Center board member Revin Fellows and Business Manager Mary Evans as well as the co-founder and owner of TheBlackMall.com, Cassiopeia Sledge.
Supporters of TheBlackMall.com (TBM) hope the vendors featured in its directory of more than 1,500 black-owned businesses will share in the record online shopping predicted for today and throughout the holiday shopping season. The site is dedicated to awareness, growth and success of Black-owned businesses.
Sledge said dollars spent at TheBlackMall.com support the sort of community-based manufacturers who help rebuild areas where opportunities might otherwise be lacking.
“Join us on Cyber Monday,” she said of the site. “Purchase products you want and need and know that you are uplifting and building the local economy.”
Adobe Analytics predicts a record $6.6 billion in online sales nationally today, pushing toward an anticipated $107 billion for the overall holiday shopping season, up 14 percent over last year. Rauner encouraged shoppers to select Illinois businesses as they point and click on their computers, tablets and phones.
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy said the predicted spending rise can only spell good news for any business conducting e-commerce.
“The modern economy has made shopping as easy as one click,” McCarthy said. “This Cyber Monday, I urge all Illinoisans to begin checking off their holiday gift list while supporting Illinois businesses.”
