As an owner of a small restaurant in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, or other neighborhoods, you may not feel concerned about the Y2K bug. After all, your business depends on food, cooks and the proper operation of the refrigerators and stoves, not computers. But I suggest you think again. What about the availability of the raw materials that make your business move? When you walk through your restaurant doors on January 1, 2000, suppose you have no electrical power for lights and refrigeration because your power supplier was not Y2K ready. Or what if the food order you were expecting was not delivered because the food company’s delivery system is computerized on a noncompliant Y2K system. How long can your business survive without these crucial services? Do you have a contingency plan?

These concerns served as the impetus for my sponsoring Y2K Readiness Seminars for the small business owners in the 1st Congressional District. Joining forces with the Small Business Administration, we recently hosted our first two Y2K Readiness Seminars. I felt it was particularly important to bring the information and resources of the federal government to the 1st Congressional District because it consists of mostly small and minority-owned businesses. By sharing information and having experts available to answer questions, it is my hope that every business owner in attendance will leave the seminars equipped to become Y2K compliant as soon as possible.

Many computer systems in the United States and the world may not be able to store or process dates correctly beyond the year 2000 unless they are modified. Hence, the Y2K problem. Without rapid and effective correction, computer malfunctions could cause many costly problems in commerce. In this scenario, both large and small businesses are susceptible to expensive malfunctions. However, small businesses may find themselves even more vulnerable because the resources necessary for Y2K readiness are less accessible.

When taking a national pulse of the small business readiness, the National Federation of Independent Business uncovered some good news. They found that as of April 1999, 51 percent of small businesses have taken action toward Y2K preparedness. But that still leaves 49 percent that have yet to prepare. To these businesses, experts warn that time is no longer plentiful. If you wait, you risk the continued stability of your business. It can take up to three months for small businesses to completely update their systems and develop an effective contingency plan.

So, as you begin to prepare, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Examine your business to see what parts of the operation could be impacted by the millennium bug.
2. Gather information and become familiar with resources available to assist you with compliance.
3. Develop a business contingency plan.
4. Update your financial records.

Over the next few months, I will be hosting additional seminars, and will go to every nook and cranny in the district to make sure that my constituents are informed and prepared to face the new millennium Y2K challenges.