Here are some updates to end your week.
Mexico and Canada: It’s been a good couple of weeks for international visitors. On the heels of our Brazilian visit a few weeks ago, on Thursday we welcomed Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil of the Consulate of Mexico and Consul General Madeleine Féquière of the Consulate of Canada. Both are stationed in Chicago and cover Illinois and other Midwestern states. In partnership with the Peoria World Affairs Council and East Peoria Chamber of Commerce, the consul generals and their staffs spent the day in our community. They met with Caterpillar representatives and toured the Caterpillar Visitors Center; had a private meeting with area legislators; and made a lunchtime presentation on the strong economic ties between our three countries and what the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, the replacement of NAFTA) means to all of us. They ended their visit with a tour of Precision Planting’s operations center in Morton and a conversation about agricultural trade with the Illinois Corn Growers Association, Illinois Soybean Association, and the Peoria and Woodford County Farm Bureaus. Foreign consulates make excellent partners in economic development, particularly when it comes to connecting with foreign companies of all sizes – including startups – who are looking to establish a presence in the US. Mexico and Canada are two of our largest trade partners and strengthening our relationships is an important part of the work we do.
Short Commute: As a born-and-bred Southern Californian, I’m still amazed at the fact that it takes me 4.5 minutes (seriously) to get to work each day. But how short is the average commute in the Peoria MSA in comparison to other places people seemingly choose to live? Thanks to some work by Kirsten (our Research & Insights Manager) we were able to update our table of comparative commutes based on 2022 Census data. We usually use this data to say things like the average commute in the Peoria MSA is 19% shorter than the Chicago MSA. And that sounds good, but what does that mean? Well, think of it this way: We Greater Peorians have a commute that is shorter, on average, by a hair under 5 minutes (4.97). But if you add up all those five minutes of wasted time – 10 minutes per day times 5 days per week times 48 working weeks in a year – it turns out that Chicago MSA residents waste 1.66 entire days of their lives each year sitting in traffic. It’s even sadder in Atlanta and Dallas, where they are wasting away three full days. Shorter commutes aren’t just a quality-of-life issue – they impact business, too. In Peoria, you can schedule an 8 am meeting, and no one is going to be late because they got stuck in traffic. If your employee’s children have a 5 pm soccer game, they don’t have to leave at 4:30 or earlier to make it there on time. This is a stat you can use next time you are at your in-laws house in the Chicago suburbs….
Community Health Needs Assessment: I’m proud to serve on the board of our Partnership for a Healthy Community, a collaboration between our hospital systems and the health departments in Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties. Every few years, the Partnership develops and launches the Community Health Needs Assessment Survey to help drive our work in the region. This survey will help prioritize needs and interventions for the next three years. Please consider taking the survey yourself here and sharing it with your family, friends and colleagues.
Strategy Reports: At the beginning of each month I make the great staff at GPEDC write down all the cool things they did over the previous month. All that effort is in vain if you don’t take a gander at their work. You can do that here.
Technology Showcase: GPMN member Pearl Technology is hosting their annual Technology Showcase on Monday, August 19 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. This special event showcases the latest in audiovisual technology (conferencing, video walls, digital signage, audio, video displays, collaboration, and more). Pearl Technology will also have an exhibit, highlighting cybersecurity, data centers, IT solutions, and AV solutions. The Business Conference/Exhibits start at noon and there is a family friendly event that runs from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The events are free but you need to register here.
Have a great weekend.
Chris