Prairie State Pride: Made in Illinois Catalogue to be Available By GEORGE H. RYAN Lieutenant Governor

As an advocate for small business, I'm pleased that in September several of the smaller enterprises across the State will be showcasing their goods through the 1989 Made in Illinois gift guide, a publication due out then.

The unique booklet will enable consumers to find everything from wine and cheese to bubblegum and chili, hand crafted tapestries, pottery, even teddy bears. This year's catalogue features hundreds of products perfect for every occasion. But one of the best aspects of the gift guide is that each product is made with Illinois materials and labor.

This is the second year that my office has worked with the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and the Department of Agriculture to publish the Guide. Until last year's edition came out, very few people knew where to find these unique Illinois products because small businesses rarely have enough money for flashy catalogues or expensive advertising campaigns. What we did — the Small Business Assistance Bureau at the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, these small businesses, and my office — was to share the cost of a first-rate, full color catalogue promoting Illinois products. This cooperation made it possible to keep costs low enough so small businesses with limited advertising funds could afford to be included.

It's an idea employed in other states, too. My wife Lura Lynn, who organized both this and last year's gift guide, found that not only Michigan produced such a guide, but also Kansas and Missouri. That just shows the demand; there is a definite market for in-state products. A lot of consumers want to buy products manufactured in state, but they may not be aware of where to find them.

Last year the first printing of 30,000 went quickly, so we had to do another 10,000 catalogues. By mid-December, we were almost out again. For 1989, we're going ahead with a 50,000 printing to begin with.

We made a few improvements in this year's Made in Illinois. There's a special food section with nearly half of the guide devoted to foods produced in Illinois. We added order forms, too, making it easier for people to use the guide.

But with respect to whom is eligible to advertise in the guide, our criteria hasn't changed. All of the businesses included must:

• Qualify as small businesses under the Illinois Small Business Purchasing Act and meet all state licensing and tax requirements.

• Offer quality products consisting of at least 50 percent Illinois materials and labor.

• Be capable of responding to all requests generated by the catalogue and fill all orders within four to six weeks.

Do you know of a business that would be interested in being in next year's Made in Illinois guide? They should contact my Springfield Office at 217/782-3734 or write. Made in Illinois, Office of the Lt. Governor, Room 214 State Capitol, Springfield, Illinois 62706.

For information on where to get a free copy of the 1989 Made in Illinois catalogue, call DCCA's Illinois Small Business toll-free hotline at 1-800-252-2923. •

September 1989 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 7