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Date	Source	Title	Synopsis
12/14/2011		Mentors Give Business Owners a Boost	SYCAMORE – If it weren’t for a group of business-minded volunteers, Ursula Dargis doubts she’d be in business today. She said her startup business isn’t just surviving in one of the toughest economies in decades – it’s thriving. Dargis – a senior recruiter for her business, Sycamore Technical Recruiters – credits a lot of her success to the help of SCORE Fox Valley mentors who have been at her side since late 2009, shortly after she started running her business out of her home. . . (Click article title for full article with photo.) .
08/17/2011	Naperville Sun	Retired BP Executive Uses Knowledge to Help Small Businesses	By David Sharos For The Sun Naperville resident Wayne Barcheski might be a retired executive from BP where he worked as an accountant and finance executive. But his expertise in helping others launch their businesses or the vital role he plays in his wife’s Internet-based home business suggests that Barcheski continues to be more like a CEO who prefers to operate under the radar. Barcheski, 67, possesses an extensive financial background, including work as a CPA as well as a volunteer counselor with SCORE, a national, nonprofit association composed of retired and semi-retired executives and business owners. Helping others, he said, is part and parcel of what people with his background often do. “A lot of what I’ve become in my life is due to the training my wife gave me, and in that way, I’m sort of like Abraham Lincoln whose wife did the same for him,” the first vice chairman of the Fox Valley Chapter of SCORE said. “Another thing I think is true about people like me who are CPAs is that we’re in the business of serving people — if they’re happy, we’re happy.” Getting here Barcheski served in the military from 1965 through 1967, including a year in Vietnam, and went to work with the Amoco Corporation in 1968 where he stayed until 1999. He enrolled at Loyola University while working and earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting in 1976. In 1993, he and his wife created a home-based based business that manufactures and retails personalized pet products known as K9 Design. “In the beginning, our marketing was solely at pet and arts and craft shows, but is now primarily through our Internet site,” he said. “I handle the accounting and technology work. Our annual sales are about $70,000, and we have one part-time employee.” These days, Barcheski shares time between helping out with his wife’s business and working with would-be entrepreneurs and business people who Barcheski says he finds “fascinating.” “I like to service clients, which I think is just part of my make up, and I like to analyze business opportunities and talk with people,” he said. “I specialize in work as a financial analyst and technology, and find that being around people in business and entrepreneurs is fun.” Successful advising John Benton, who serves as the chairman of the Fox Valley chapter of SCORE, says Barcheski is “a very committed and caring individual who is committed to helping small businesses succeed.” “I’ve known Wayne for four years, and he puts a huge amount of hours into volunteering to help others succeed, and he’s had a great record of success,” Benton said. “He brings the background and experience from a large corporation and applies that to small businesses, allowing them to grow and be successful.” Barcheski said that, since 2005, he has worked with more than 100 clients who want to start or grow businesses. Mari Luangrath, owner of Foiled, a local company that delivers freshly baked cupcakes, is one of them. “Wayne is one of my SCORE business advisers, and I can’t speak highly enough of him,” Luangrath said. “Not only is he one of the brightest people in the industry, but he’s also personable, great with follow-up, and incredibly supportive. Wayne offers real-life experience perspective, and many of the critical key points of our business plan have been a result of his insight and responsiveness. “We will continue to work with Wayne as long as he’ll allow.” Advice from home Barcheski and his wife, Betty, moved to Naperville in 1985 and enjoy living just outside the downtown area where they often walk to take in the restaurants or the Riverwalk. The couple have three children, a son and two daughters, who are all grown and living on their own. “The kids sometimes provide valuable advice to use to help my clients,” Barcheski said. “In these economic times, things are certainly different. For one thing, you have to have your financing plan in order these days or you won’t get a loan. “But the other thing I know is that there are still opportunities out there to start up a well thought-out business plan. The world is always ready for a great product or service, or even an average product delivered in an outstanding way.”
08/24/2010		Businesses can SCORE with help from nonprofit	By Kay Rial Bates, President, McHenry Chamber of Commerce Chambers of commerce enjoy being incubators of business growth. We encourage dreams to come to fruition, watch shy people develop into leaders and have seen businesses started in garages, grow and franchise. It’s exciting to be part of businesses success. Although we chamber folk are well-known to be networking experts, we are also thought of as great connectors. We are organizations with knowledge of whom others need to know. One such organization to know is SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives. SCORE is a nationwide, nonprofit group dedicated to helping the owners of existing and start up businesses, assuring that their business grow and prosper. SCORE offers free counseling for new and existing businesses. Recently, I met with Tom Costello from SCORE Fox Valley. My excitement grew as I heard about SCORE’s commitment toward helping the growth of 1 million new businesses in five years. That’s the best news since the invention of peanut butter. This is true economic stimulus – business leaders who have been successful in their field and are committed toward the development and growth of 1 million businesses by sharing acquired principles of business success. SCORE does this through roundtables, workshops and one-on-one counseling. For a free counseling appointment, be sure to sign up at scorefoxvalley.org. The McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce thanks Mary Margaret Maule and Catherine Jones of the Shah Center for bringing SCORE to McHenry County. Mary Margaret and Catherine always have been committed counselors of the business community, and this is another example of their dedication. No business need stand alone. There is a team ready to help. © Northwest Herald
08/17/2010		Local SCORE Volunteer Awarded Highest National Honor	Susan A. Dressler has received the highest national award that can be given to a volunteer by the SCORE Association in recognition of her outstanding leadership and meritorious service to small businesses throughout the Fox River Valley.
06/25/2010	Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry	SCORE Opens Elmhurst Office	Small businesses and start-ups in Elmhurst and surrounding communities can receive free counseling from SCORE volunteers via the Fox Valley Chapter’s new partnership with Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
03/07/2009	The Midweek News	Volunteers SCORE for Local Businesses	What does SCORE bring to DeKalb? This article tells the story.
02/25/2009		Group Offers Recession Tips to Businesses	When times are tough, SCORE helps business owners redevelop their business plans.
05/15/2008		Scoring the Perfect Business	Local Score Chapter offers free counseling service.
05/09/2008		Volunteer counselors help entrepreneurs perfect dreams	SCORE helps entrepreneur provide dessert