FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robert Blackwell, (312) 236-2002                                


EKI to help Illinois Department of Commerce transform its web presence


April 20, 2004
SPRINGFIELD –The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is in the process of implementing a multi-phase plan for achieving the technological transformation of the State agency.  EKI is pleased to announce that has been selected by DCEO to help them achieve such transformation.

EKI will work with the DCEO on implementing two major components of this technological transformation: the Management Portal and the Web Public presence.

Management Portal
One of the objectives of the transformation is to develop a well thought out, deliberative and rational Management Collaboration Portal, with appropriate standards, training and guidelines.  Use of this tool is expected to greatly increase the capabilities of the professional staff of DCEO to manage the increased Economic Development Project Portfolio pertaining to the Governor’s Opportunity Returns Initiative.  Additionally, utilization of the portal’s collaboration capabilities, combined with use of XML-based smart forms, will enhance the ability of DCEO staff to interact with business partners and customers, in a greatly shortened timeframe and more efficient manner.  As a result, DCEO will be able to further promote growth of the Illinois economy.

Web Presence
In order to improve the user experience with the purpose of attracting more customers and providing better services to existing customers, DCEO has decided to do a complete redesign of its current public Web site. DCEO would like to completely redesign its Web presence, enabling it to fulfill its mission with greater efficiency, broader scope, and deeper impact. In undertaking this project, the Department sought to enroll technology in the service of its broad vision to distribute Economic Development resources throughout the State, and to create an infrastructure that is not only supportive of the mission, but also state of the art.

Establishing the Web site as a critical backbone for service delivery and operational management would allow greater access to information, better control over content and wider collaboration across multiple environments within the DCEO. As part of its strategy to improve services for both their clients and internal staff, the DCEO contracted with Electronic Knowledge Interchange (EKI) to conduct an analysis of the current DCEO Web site then design, and implement a new enterprise Web site within the scope of the DCEO Web Site Redesign project.

Grant Process Review
To fulfill its mission with greater efficiency, broader scope, and deeper impact, DCEO is also reviewing its current Grant application and selection process as part of this project. EKI will work with DCEO to analyze the current process and will propose a new user centric optimized process flow.

About Electronic Knowledge Interchange
Founded in 1997 by Robert Blackwell Jr., EKI, a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) by the City of Chicago, had about $10 million in revenues in 2002. EKI has more than 70 employees. Blackwell Jr. and his partner, Diego Ferrer, have more than 35 years of technology and consulting expertise.