STORY BY: Oscar Perry Abello Can this collective commercial real estate model, created and led by Black businesses in Chicago, finally revitalize the South and West Side’s long-disinvested commercial corridors?

Entrepreneurs Live Here
Originally Published by Local Initiatives Support Corporation: The Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards Deon Lucas The life path of architect, activist and entrepreneur Deon Lucas might have been set in childhood. Growing up on Chicago’s West Side, he became fascinated with the city’s buildings—large and small—and the role they played in the fabric of the city … Continue reading LISC | CNDA: CIBC Norman Bobins Emerging Leader Awarded to Deon Lucas
Originally Published by Block Club Chicago: Team Behind Englewood Business Incubator Wants To Expand To South Shore To Help More People The E.G. Woode crew aims to add more South and West Side entrepreneurs to its team. ENGLEWOOD — Even before E.G. Woode breaks ground, the team behind the ambitious Englewood business incubator is eyeing … Continue reading Block Club Chicago: E.G. Woode Wants To Expand To South Shore To Help More People
Originally Published by JP Morgan Chase: Corporate Responsibility Report April 2019 Deon Lucas | E.G. Woode | Chicago, Illinois Chicago native Deon Lucas developed a passion for architecture in high school, and joined a large firm after college. But he’s always been an entrepreneur at heart. In 2016, Lucas saw an opportunity to start his … Continue reading JP Morgan Chase: Entrepreneurs of Color Fund
Originally Published by AIA/Chicago Architect Magazine: Building A New Way – One Emerging Professional’s Path to Community Development Growing up on Chicago’s West Side, Deon Lucas, AIA, and his mother would hop on the freeway, and from the back seat, he’d get a look at the enormity of Chicago’s building stock. He jokes that at … Continue reading AIA Chicago March/April 2019: Deon Lucas
Originally Published on Patch.com: Entrepreneurs Transform Vacant Englewood Space Business entrepreneurs have created ‘E.G. Woode,’ a multi-business space that will soon open at the corner of 63rd and May. CHICAGO — A long vacant space in the heart of the city’s Englewood neighborhood could soon be the site of thriving businesses and the birth of … Continue reading Patch: Entrepreneurs Transform Vacant Englewood Space
Originally Published by Block Club Chicago: Can E.G. Woode Transform Englewood? South Side Entrepreneurs Unite To Help Black-Owned Businesses Thrive An audacious new project in Englewood may be the key to revitalizing the community. ENGLEWOOD — It’s an unlikely spot for a transformation: a nondescript two-story building at the edge of a quiet Englewood street … Continue reading Block Club Chicago: Can E.G. Woode Transform Englewood?