Elk Grove Village, IL, May 4, 2015 – Victor Miceli, a principal at Des Plaines Office Equipment (www.dpoe.com), and a resident of Palatine, IL, recently met with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner at the State House in Springfield. He along with other members of the Small Business Advocacy Council discussed and advocated for a stronger business climate in the state.
Miceli, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Small Business Advocacy Council (www.smallbusinessadvocacycouncil.org), met Governor Rauner in Springfield along with other members of the Council and business owners to discuss concerns about improving the business climate in Illinois. During the half hour meeting, they discussed a number of the Council’s proposed initiatives.
One initiative he and the Council advocated for during their meeting with the Governor is a crowd-funding bill which would allow small businesses to sell equity in their companies to non-accredited investors. Under this bill, businesses could raise up to a million dollars of equity without needing audited financials, and with audited financials the amount would increase to $5 million. He explained, “This is net neutral to the state, and is advantageous to the business owners in that banks are “tight lending” money to small businesses right now.”
Miceli said that the group is urging the new Governor to help make Illinois a more business-friendly place. He said, “In our state, the fees to register an LLC, Limited Liability Corporation, is $500, for example, compared with neighboring Wisconsin where the fee is $25. We have one of the highest sales taxes in the nation, along with high corporate and property taxes and unemployment insurance.”
He said, “We were encouraged by our meeting, and we believe Governor Rauner hears our concerns and wants to do what he can.” He added, “We’re in the service business. Our families were brought up here in Illinois, as are many of our customers. There are many reasons why our small business owner members love working and living in Illinois, and we believe that our state needs to be more competitive in order to keep businesses here.”
Miceli said that many of Governor Rauner’s objectives coincide with those of the Small Business Advocacy Council. He said that Workers’ Compensation reform is also a top priority for the Council. “We support a better environment for our businesses,” he said.
The Council was started in Chicago and there are chapters throughout the state. The organization has 1100 business members, and the organization has joined with other coalitions to represent 60,000 people in the state.
Miceli and his brother, Chip, are second generation owners of the three-location Des Plaines Office Equipment, headquartered in Elk Grove Village with additional locations in Chicago and Rockford. Their company is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
About Des Plaines Office Equipment
Des Plaines Office Equipment (DPOE, www.dpoe.com), is a leader in the field of print management, and document generation equipment and solutions, serving the greater Chicago area since 1955. Today, DPOE operates three locations: its headquarters in Elk Grove Village, and a location in Chicago (211 West Wacker Drive) and Rockford (Loves Park, IL). Des Plaines Office Equipment (DPOE) is a leading provider of Sharp office equipment, Oki Data, HP, Kyocera and Toshiba (telephone systems). The company has additionally added the Sharp WhiteBoard and VideoBoard. DPOE provides products and services to a diverse client base that includes schools, hospitals, law offices, accounting firms, and financial institutions, among others. DPOE provides products and services to a diverse client base that includes municipalities, schools, hospitals, law offices, accounting firms, and financial institutions, among others. The firm is a consistent winner of Sharp Document’s Hyakuman Kai award for sales excellence, and was named a 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Elite Dealer by The Week in Imaging. DPOE maintains corporate headquarters at 1020 Bonaventure Drive, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. The firm is active in a number of area civic organizations, including the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce, the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Advisory Council and the GOA Regional Business Association. For additional information, please visit www.dpoe.com or call (847) 879-6400.
