The Wake Up Show Chicago

11/08/2025

📞 Call in live at (773) 591-1690 to share your thoughts:

Good morning, Chicago! On this week’s Wake Up Show Chicago, LaDonna Raeh and Dr. Larry Ivory dive into a critical conversation about economic fairness and opportunity.

On today’s episode of The Wake Up Show Chicago with Dr. Larry Ivory and LaDonna Raeh, we’re exposing a serious breakdown in the state’s Business Enterprise Program (BEP) — the very system designed to ensure Black, minority, and women-owned businesses have fair access to state contracts.

A company called Vivian USA was awarded the contract to rebuild the BEP certification system, even though the selection committee had requirements that were not met. Since this decision, the new platform has stopped integrating with other critical procurement systems like BidBuy and the Illinois Procurement Gateway.

The result?
Thousands of BEP-certified businesses are now invisible, delayed, or cut off from state contract opportunities.

We’ll break down:
• What went wrong in the implementation
• How this impacts Black-owned businesses and communities,
• Why this is an equity and accountability crisis, not just a tech issue, and
• What the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce (ILBCC) is doing to demand transparency and fix it.

Tune in as we unpack how state decisions like this affect real lives, real businesses, and real opportunity.

📍 The Wake Up Show Chicago — Saturdays at 9 AM on WVON 1690AM | The Talk of Chicago



Watch. Listen. Act.
Because the future of our community depends on who wins these contracts.

Follow us:
Website: https://ilbcc.org
Facebook: Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
Instagram:
LinkedIn: Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
YouTube:

Powered by the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
Sponsored by Wind Creek Casino Southland
Airs live every Saturday at 9 AM on WVON 1690 AM and iHeartRadio


📅 Tune in every Saturday at 9 AM on WVON 1690 AM or stream worldwide on iHeartRadio.
☎️ Call in live at (773) 591-1690 and join the conversation.
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: for exclusive content—it’s free!

11/01/2025

The BEP Breakdown: When Inclusion Systems Exclude Us

Today on The Wake Up Show Chicago with Dr. Larry Ivory and LaDonna Raeh, we’re exposing how the very system meant to create opportunity for Black-owned businesses may now be blocking it.

The state’s Business Enterprise Program (BEP) was designed to ensure equity in state contracting. But after a controversial contract awarded to Vivian USA, the BEP system no longer integrates with key procurement tools — leaving thousands of certified minority businesses invisible to the state.

We’re asking:
Who made this decision?
Why was the selection committee overruled?
And how much has our community lost as a result?

🎙️ Tune in to WVON 1690 AM or listen worldwide on iHeartRadio.
📺 Watch and subscribe:
📞 Call in live: (773) 591-1690
💼 Powered by the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
🎰 Sponsored by Wind Creek Casino Southland

10/25/2025

📞 Call in live at (773) 591-1690 to share your thoughts:

Good morning, Chicago! On this week’s Wake Up Show Chicago, LaDonna Raeh and Dr. Larry Ivory dive into a critical conversation about economic fairness and opportunity.

We begin with an update from Phoenix Strategies in Washington, D.C., covering national policy shifts that impact Black-owned businesses. Then we bring it home to Illinois — where Dr. Ivory, President & CEO of the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce, exposes how changes in the BEP recertification process have caused Black businesses to lose millions of dollars in contracting opportunities.

This episode breaks down what procurement really means for our community, why Black businesses are being isolated, and why we must hold the Black Caucus and local leaders accountable for establishing a sheltered market to ensure equitable access.

Stay tuned until the end as we share how you can get involved and join the movement by becoming a member of the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce.

Watch. Listen. Act.
Because the future of our community depends on who wins these contracts.

Follow us:
Website: https://ilbcc.org
Facebook: Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
Instagram:
LinkedIn: Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
YouTube:

Powered by the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
Sponsored by Wind Creek Casino Southland
Airs live every Saturday at 9 AM on WVON 1690 AM and iHeartRadio


📅 Tune in every Saturday at 9 AM on WVON 1690 AM or stream worldwide on iHeartRadio.
☎️ Call in live at (773) 591-1690 and join the conversation.
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: for exclusive content—it’s free!

09/19/2025

This week, we’re breaking down Marketing, Media, and Money—the three pillars every business owner needs to thrive. Joining us are two incredible women:

✨ Amber Payton – Marketing strategist bringing insights on how entrepreneurs can stretch their dollars, avoid pitfalls, and make their message stick.

✨ Dr. Erica Blakely, CPA – Founder of Black Zenith Hub and Your Select CPA, making financial strategies easy to understand while showing how business ownership can create generational wealth. She’s also a patented inventor and mentor to thousands of entrepreneurs nationwide.

Of course,LaDonna Raeh will be talking about media!

We’ll also take a moment to highlight the success of the recent Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce Conference, celebrating the panels, networking, and opportunities that came out of it.

📞 Call in live at (773) 591-1690 to share your thoughts: Which is harder in business—Marketing, Media, or Money?

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for exclusive content—it won’t cost you a thing!

📍 Powered by the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
🎰 Sponsored by Wind Creek Casino Southland
📻 Live every Saturday at 9:00 AM on WVON 1690 AM and streaming worldwide on iHeartRadio


oney, Q&A) so viewers can jump to what interests them most?

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