The Technograph

While the new M2 building in downtown Champaign isn’t home to that many businesses yet, it does hold one community-driven enterprise: the Illinois Green Business Association (IGBA), started by University of Illinois alumni in 2008. Cassie Carroll, Mara Eisenstein, and Anthony Santarelli know the ins and outs of entrepreneurship, from great ideas to growing ventures. The IGBA offers consulting to businesses on how to reduce their ecological footprint as well as spread the word about their green practices through a certification process. As of publication time, twelve area businesses are on their way to becoming certified.

Starting an organization from scratch may seem unfathomable to you—and it is by no means a simple task—but Carroll and Eisenstein provide some insight into the process. Carroll’s experience with starting C.O.R.E. on-campus certainly set some groundwork for starting the IGBA, but she cites networking and “finding a leader in the community who also cared about what we wanted to achieve” as key to finding the resources and partnerships essential to their entrepreneurial success. “Finding the people that the IGBA would touch” is what Carroll says ensured the realization of the IGBA.

Self-teaching and teamwork are also integral for the IGBA. While grant-writing and non-profit management aren’t part of the Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences curriculum, Carroll, Eisenstein, and Santarelli weren’t afraid to tap into the many resources available to teach themselves. In fact, the University touts numerous resources for students with an entrepreneurial spirit (see page __ for more information).

Carroll and Eisenstein are enthusiastic about their experiences starting the IGBA from the ground up, but are quick to warn that there are obstacles for those who pursue a similar path. “No one else can do your vision,” Carroll advises, “so you must take a step back and think the various avenues out before you act on them.” Eisenstein warns to not “lose your enthusiasm when you have to write a business plan,” which is “one of the best but time-consuming activities” an entrepreneur must complete. But integrating their interests and knowing that what they are accomplishing is important are what carries them through these impediments.

Carroll, Eisenstein, and Santarelli keep themselves busy with a number of ongoing projects. By the end of the summer, the number of industries served by the IGBA will be expanded, self-certification will be available on the IGBA Web site, and there will be two satellite chapters elsewhere in the state.

More information about the Illinois Green Business Association can be found at GreenCU.com.

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