Village Aims to Simplify Process For Opening New Business in Glen Ellyn

After hearing from business owners who said opening a new business in Glen Ellyn was a challenge, the village is taking steps to make its process easier for entrepreneurs to navigate.

The village has created a Process Improvement Team (PIT) that will convene to determine what can be done to streamline the process, while also ensuring business owners are educated about their responsibilities. 

The idea for the team was tossed around last year and the Village of Glen Ellyn’s Board of Trustees discussed temporarily creating the team to oversee the process. The members of the team were recruited earlier this year, but the village held off on putting it in place until the fall due to other projects that were underway, said Village President Mark Pfefferman. 

Some of the feedback the village received was due to the fact that it has high standards and some was because opening a business—in general—can be challenging, Pfefferman said. But, the other feedback made the village realize it might be able to take steps to facilitate the process for businesses interested in opening shop in town. 

“There have been many instances where processes could be streamlined or customer education/communication could have been improved,” he said. “We, the village want to execute in a manner which delivers predictably positive results for those who wish to invest in our community.” 

The outcome of the work should make the process more streamlined, he said. 

The team, comprised of Alex Demos, Dan Gardner and Tim Armstrong, will work very closely with Village Manager Mark Franz and Director of Planning and Development Staci Hulseberg and her staff, Pfefferman said. It may identify code revisions or process improvements to make it a more business-friendly experience. 

“We all need to bring about change that results in Glen Ellyn receiving high marks from those wishing to invest in our community,” he said. 

According to the village, the objectives of the team are:

• Identify the current process to opening new business/commercial development by steps and approximate timeline. 
• Identify steps in the process that are the root cause of the most difficulty, confusion, errors, omissions and delays. Recommend changes.
• Identify which steps in the process have to be repeated most often and why.
• Identify which steps in the process could be: Eliminated, if any or made easier with “up front” information or education, if any 

The team will also be responsible for reviewing recent planning and development customer surveys for input and suggestions for improving department processes, according to the village.

“The PIT team is looking for high impact changes that will make a big difference in the development process,” Pfefferman said. “The idea is for them to analyze major obstacles to efficient development (or perceptions of same) and to make recommendations to solve them.  They will also determine if professional help, in the form of a consultant, is needed to address issues beyond their scope, time or capability and make that recommendation to the Village Board.”