Nedra Sims Fears, Executive Director, is the perfect bridge between your lending and construction team, is an expert on Greater Chatham, and manages GCI’s team.

Nedra Sims Fears provides economic development expertise, having financed $1 billion in housing and commercial storefronts throughout the Midwest. She is also a resident expert on all things in Greater Chatham, from demographic data to buildings’ appraised values, to which lenders are the best fit for you. Fears also has an undergraduate degree from Cornell University in interior architecture, so she is great understanding of design, is skilled at reading construction drawings, specifications, and costs estimates. She can act as the perfect bridge between you and your construction team. Fears, was reared and still lives in Chatham, is a Harvard Loeb Fellow, has an MBA in finance from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University and has a BS from Cornell University in interior architecture. Nedra manages the GCI team. Contact Nedra at Nedra@GreaterChathamInitiative.org or at 773.644.1451, x 1.

John Handler, Industrial Cluster Manager, is a foodservice industry expert, plus twenty years working with private equity investors and other funding sources.

John has worked with DeGroot Logistics, Bombastic Coffee, Pickwick Coffee, Tempo Beverage, AdTrek Media, Spice foods, Cultured Love Foods, Verzenay Patisserie on business planning and fundraising. In 2018 John was the financing consultant to 16 startups at Chicago’s 1871 incubator. John Handler is also a restauranteur. For the past 24 years he has owned and operated his family-owned farm-to-table restaurant Grassroots Grill (3747 N. Southport Ave. John has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSME  University of Tennessee. Contact John at JHandler@GreaterChathamInitiative.org or 773.644.1451 x 4.

Ethan Lassiter, Project Manager, has excellent financial analysis and technical skills. Rely on him to develop your proformas and narrative that explains your vision so lenders understand.

Ethan previously worked for SB Friedman Development Advisors, an economic development consulting firm based in Chicago. Ethan’s work has included securing New Market Tax Credit financing for qualified businesses and developers, along with modeling public-private funding partnerships using Historic Tax Credits, TIF, SSA funds, foundation/philanthropic funds, and conventional bank lending. These funds were used to build affordable housing and introduce new stores and services to communities lacking such amenities.  Ethan has a Harvard University Master of Urban Planning and a Bachelor’s degree. His grandparents are from Greater Chatham. Contact Ethan at Ethan@GreaterChathamInitiative.org or 773.644.1451, x 6.

Fees

The City has come to realize the need for technical assistance and lending coaches so will pay 95% of the coaching fees, grantees are responsible for only 5%.  Our fees are consistent with the City of Chicago benchmarks for Lending Consultants. We charge $60 per hour. Maximum technical assistance support reimbursed by the City of Chicago for loans less than $50,000 is capped at 20% of the loan value.  Loans greater than $50,000 are capped at 15% of the loan amount or $15,000, whichever is less.