About Us
Our Mission
The Urbana Business Association is a membership driven, not-for-profit organization who’s mission is to promote Urbana as a dynamic place in which to live, work and do business.
Membership
As members of the UBA, you get access to networking opportunities, marketing support, access to events, and support working with government to start or grow your business. The Urbana Business Association’s website offers a full range of pertinent information to our business members as well as a Membership Directory and links to Member websites. If your business is not currently a member of the Urbana Business Association, please take a few minutes to look through the membership application.
Our annual membership dues are reasonable to ensure that cost is not a deterrent for potential members joining the Urbana Business Association. We will gladly come and visit with you to discuss the benefits of Urbana Business Association membership and to identify specific ways in which we can support your business goals. View our list of current members.
Volunteer Opportunities
Internships
Contact Information
Executive Director – Cynthia Johnson
ed@urbanabusiness.com
Marketing and Events Assistant – Cody Stunkard
marketing@urbanabusiness.com / admin@urbanabusiness.com
Accountant – Chris Bandemier
accounting@urbanabusiness.com
Urbana Business Association
111 West Main Street Urbana, IL 61801
Tel: (217) 344-3872 Fax: (217) 344-8224
Still Curious? Check out our Q & A session below!
Around Town with the Urbana Business Association (UBA) Q & A session
Questions by Lisa Bralts, an Economic Development Specialist for the City of Urbana
Tell us what the UBA does for the business community and the community at large.
The UBA wears a lot of different hats throughout the year. The best way to describe our group is a marketing and events organization for Urbana and it’s various businesses.
When you talk about events, what types of events do you hold?
The lead event that we are most known for is the Annual Urbana Sweetcorn Festival in downtown Urbana. About 50,000 people come through and we have several hundred volunteers and a couple hundred vendors. We also do the Holiday Market which starts as the Urbana’s Market at the Square ends and the weather becomes inclement we move inside Lincoln Square. Just to make clear, The Market at the Square is run by the City of Urbana and the Holiday Market is run by the UBA. We still have the produce element along with arts crafts and Holiday specific vendors. Then there are a couple other things we do throughout the year: Cherry Jam for example at the Urbana Free Library, Celebrate Summer at the Pines and Fall Into the Pines both along Philo Road and Windsor.
Describe some of the efforts the organization is doing to sort of tie things together to make the transition from Market at the Square to Holiday Market more seamless.
We are going to share booth spaces at those events, and that will be a great start. Our Facebook accounts are linked, and anyone can go to the UBA website to get more information about the Market at the Square and likewise with the City’s website to find information about the Holiday Market.
One of your roles is to help attract businesses to Urbana, how do you do that, and what does that mean?
When we get somebody who is looking to call Urbana home from a business perspective, we’ll bring them in as we have various demographic and statistical information that’s available for them to use in their decision. We can help them navigate various programs whether it be something through the city, a loan program through a bank and just help direct them through the process because it can be pretty complex.
What’s one thing you want to tell people about business in Urbana?
It’s a very diverse and special business community, whether you are talking about industries or geographic areas, there is a lot out there. And just try to support it as best you can because that’s the important part in making sure those businesses thrive here in town.
If people wanted to get a hold of you guys how could they do that?
Our website is www.urbanabusiness.com we post as much information as we can there. Our office number is 217-344-3872 and you can get a hold of any of our employees that way, and if you want to stop by our office we are right in downtown Urbana at 111 West Main Street.