According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 99.9% of U.S. businesses qualify as small businesses. They serve as the bedrock in our economy, persist in innovation, and like those on Chicago’s South Side, they bolster local communities through workforce development while fostering a sense of pride and resilience. This underscores the importance of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory contributions to strengthen local economies by providing contracting opportunities for small businesses.

To further Argonne’s commitment to small business, the Lab’s Office of Community Engagement (OCE) and its Small Business Office recently hosted a listening session at Argonne in Chicago, the Lab’s location in Chicago’s South Side. Leaders of community-based chambers of commerce and economic development organizations learned how small businesses can work with Argonne and shared feedback on ways Argonne can expand procurement opportunities to those in underserved communities. The attendees’ interest and exchange of ideas demonstrated a strong desire by local business leaders to engage with Argonne.

“One of the objectives of the OCE is to establish relationships that contribute to the equitable growth of the regional economy. Each one of you joining us today represents part of this ecosystem that we want to engage with and contribute to,” said Robyn Wheeler Grange, director of Argonne’s Office of Community Engagement, speaking during the event.

“I appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the great assets of the federal labs, and I’m really excited about our relationship with Argonne that continues to expand.” — Bruce Montgomery, small business and entrepreneur consultant

Joining the Argonne team were leaders from Build Bronzeville, Women in Trade, the Woodlawn Chamber of Commerce, the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, the South East Chicago Commission, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Quad Communities Development Corporation. Among discussion topics was collaboration opportunities with grant proposals related to the clean-energy transition and economic development.

“The Lab’s Small Business Program meets and exceeds our federal targets for procurement with small business, but we don’t rest on our laurels. We continue to look for ways to connect with innovative companies that can provide quality products and services on time and within budget,” said Alex Alcantar, small business liaison at Argonne.

The Small Business Program will begin in-person individual meetings to help small business owners understand the requirements needed to be an Argonne vendor and share training resources available if they need additional assistance.

“I appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the great assets of the federal labs, and I’m really excited about our relationship with Argonne, which continues to expand,” said Bruce Montgomery, a small business and entrepreneur consultant.

Building on its efforts to foster collaboration with community and business, the OCE hosted at Argonne in Chicago the most recent meeting of ComEd’s Community of the Future: Bronzeville Advisory Council. Community of the Future establishes partnerships to identify opportunities to collaborate on energy-focused initiatives. The advisory council, of which Argonne is a member, was formed specifically to engage Bronzeville community members in that process.

With more than 30 virtual and in-person attendees, the meeting on Feb. 15 featured as a guest speaker Joann Zhou, a principal transportation systems analyst and group leader for vehicle and energy technology and mobility analysis at Argonne. Zhou’s work on energy and emission impacts of electric vehicles (EV) and her analysis of market and technology trends for transportation electrification was of particular interest to the attendees. EV adoption and infrastructure is a focus area for the council.