Here are some updates to end your week:
High Schools + Distillery Labs: The Workforce Solutions team has been busy this week! Sara has been tapping into our network of educators across the region and inviting them into Distillery Labs for three nights of tours to show off our new space and to get educators aware of and connected to Distillery Labs. We understand that experiential learning is critical to growth – especially in the world of careers and students figuring out what they want to be when they get out of school, and it just made sense to connect the team at Distillery Labs with their great kitchen and network of founders with educators to help their students and classes find opportunities to cook and show off their skills. We are also gathering tons of great ideas and input from the teachers visiting so that we can launch a startup club for students to come in and learn from real founders, learn the foundations of entrepreneurship, and find inspiration to grow. Over 30 educators from all over the Greater Peoria region and beyond (including novice teacher Miss Kate Setti) visited, and we were thrilled to see the interest, excitement, and desire of educators and students to connect to this awesome resource for our community.
Consulate Visit: In economic development, we often think of business attraction as landing a new factory that employs a few hundred people. This is an undoubtedly important part of the work, but what if “small ball” was just as effective as always swinging for the fences. At GPEDC, we are testing this out. I spent Wednesday in Chicago continuing to build relationships with foreign consulate offices (there are 70+ consulates in Chicago, and all of them handle economic affairs). My goal was to lay the groundwork for how Greater Peoria might be a welcome landing spot for foreign startups seeking investors and/or customers in the US. My day started at the Brazilian consulate with a recap of the recent BTEC visit and early planning for a return visit to Peoria in late spring or early summer of 2025. Then, I had a chance to meet with the Mexican consul general, who had visited Peoria just a few weeks ago. We talked about AgTech startups and food production and how we could work together to build a pipeline. My day finished with the Canadians, who had also recently visited Peoria. They have a robust innovation system in Canada, and we discussed how their startups could plug into things like Distillery Labs and gBeta. Each meeting was productive, but in each case the staff were appreciative of learning more about Peoria. While they all enjoy Chicago, they want to know more about the “rest” of Illinois. We think Peoria could be a great spot for startups who aren’t from the “big cities” of these countries.
Big Move: While the normal work of GPEDC continued, we put a lot of effort into moving into our new offices at Distillery Labs over the past two weeks. It’s been hard work but a labor of love. Everyone on the staff deserves a pat on the back, but a special shout out to Melissa for being the backbone of the operation and Sara for living out her dream job of just being in charge of throwing things away! An additional thank you to Ashlie Inman (Jeffrey’s wife), who volunteered to help during the move. Please stop by 201 SW Adams, second floor, and check out our new digs.
Volunteer for Career Spark! We are still looking for volunteers for Career Spark, central Illinois’s largest career exploration initiative. This year, it’s being held at the Peoria Civic Center on October 1 and 2. We need your help to make it happen. Volunteers make this whole thing go! Volunteers can sign up now to represent their industry, assist with greeting buses, guide students between zones, monitor zone entrances and exits, and deliver volunteer lunches. Sign up here.
Reminder: The Distillery Labs gBeta Startup Showcase is scheduled for Thursday, September 12th. Come hear the pitches of the startups that participated in the two 2024 great cohorts. Doors open at 4 p.m. for networking and free drinks and appetizers. The program starts around 6 p.m. You can register here.
Have a great Labor Day weekend.
Chris