School will soon be out. The lunch vendors have returned downtown to the courthouse square. The region's many beautiful golf courses are filled with life once again. Baby animals are arriving at the zoo and Wildlife Prairie State Park. The Illinois River flyway is alive with American white pelicans, mallard ducks, Canadian geese, hummingbirds, and thousands of other migratory birds headed north for the summer. Spring has definitely returned to central Illinois.
Aside from the usual changes that accompany the start of the spring season, the recent months have also been filled with other signs of renewed life and invigoration.
- New life in renewable fuels. EDC staff and the City of Pekin have been busy with development activities related to the $30 million biodiesel deal, which will bring new jobs and economic vitality to the central Illinois region.
- Incubator development is initiated. Phillips Swager & Associates has been selected as the architectural firm charged with the realization of the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center. The incubator is a major initiative of tech commercialization efforts being championed through Peoria NEXT and EDC strategic plans.
- New grant program to stimulate growth. EDC staff recently launched the Small Communities Grant Program in Woodford County, enabling the county board with an opportunity to fund vital economic development projects within the county's rural communities.
- Port District poised for action. All nine individuals have now been named to the Heart of Illinois Regional Port District Board of Directors, which will begin meeting this month to plan the development of this new economic generator for the region.
- New resources in place to fund growth. The Tri-County Venture Capital Fund is officially in place with its first regular investor meeting scheduled to take place this month. The fund represents a new source of equity for local start-up businesses.
- New dynamics drive adaptation. Advanced manufacturing steps into the spotlight this month at the 2004 Manufacturing Matters conference in Bloomington, sponsored by IMEC.
Integrate these projects with the progression of Vision 2020 initiatives, the restoration of Peoria Lakes, PACVB and Workforce Development programs, and the many other projects underway in central Illinois right now, and you have a lot of activity driving growth and change in the greater Peoria region.
As the EDC wraps up its annual strategic planning process, it's clear the initiatives underway right now can't be successful in a vacuum. Just as our programs and services effect and enhance the quality of life for businesses and families throughout the tri-county area, it's also true that they require broad support from the entire region.
What better way to take stock of all the momentum driving growth and prosperity in the Illinois Heartland than through the Heartland Partnership Annual Meeting. If you thought you "Had No Idea" last year, wait until you see what we have in store for you this year. Join the Heartland Partnership family of companies, including the Economic Development Council and the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, at The Heartland Partnership Annual Meeting, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., May 20, at the Peoria Civic Center. IBI