Makers on the Move: We loved having the Makers on the Move bus in Greater Peoria last week. A joint effort of the Illinois Manufacturers Association (IMA) and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) to bring awareness to the importance of manufacturing to our state, the bus takes a weeklong tour of various communities and businesses throughout Illinois. On Day 1, they visited the heart of Illinois manufacturing: Greater Peoria. The bus first stopped at Enercon, where I was joined by founder Ed Tangel, CEO Larry Tangel, and East Peoria Mayor John Kahl in sharing a few words about Enercon’s history and future. Next up was Philippi-Hagenbuch in Peoria County, who showed off their newest product – the HiVol Hi-Low Underground Truck Body bed, which was custom-designed for limestone mining. CEO Danette Swank talked about her company’s history of innovation. Following those stops, the IMA and IMEC crews visited Distillery Labs, where they were joined by community members and other manufacturing partners for a happy hour. We are proud of our manufacturing prowess and happy to show off some of our great legacy companies.
Marketing Summit: Last week, David had the opportunity to participate in the DCI Marketing Summit in New York City. The event gathered 25 senior-level economic development marketers — a rare and valuable chance to connect within this niche industry. The summit was an intensive two-day experience where participants shared best practices from their communities, discussed effective talent attraction strategies, explored new ways of thinking about “place,” and delved into current trends with insights from a site consultant. David was particularly impressed by the openness and collaborative spirit of the group, which fostered a network of like-minded professionals committed to promoting economic prosperity. He is excited to bring these insights back to Greater Peoria and apply them to our ongoing efforts. The knowledge gained about measuring success, attracting talent, and enhancing community resilience will be instrumental in elevating our initiatives.
More Career Spark: Such a great event can’t be contained to just one Weekend Update, and frankly we are all still a bit pumped by the biggest and best Career Spark yet. Our friends at Simantel and Choose Greater Peoria created a great recap video that showcases the breadth and impact of this amazing event. Check it out here. While the core of Career Spark is the two-day event, students and teachers are given both pre- and post-event assignments. One such assignment is collecting just some instant feedback from students on their experience. It’s always a treat to read some of the comments. Here are a few of my favorites:
- What was the coolest thing you learned from CareerSpark?
“How there are so many people that are so happy to do their job, and how many jobs fit my interests.”
“I never realized how much work goes into costumes and how heavy the things are.”
“That you never give up.” - What was your favorite CareerSpark activity, and what did you like about it?
“I liked looking at what the pig heart and lungs looked like when it breathed and the heartbeat.”
“Welding because it was fun!”
“I liked the one where we were able to see what you can do while working in architecture and construction. I loved when I was able to drill a screw into a board.”
Bradley Senior Consulting: Our friends at Bradley University are accepting applications from established companies interested in participating in the Senior Consulting Project (SCP) Program for the Spring 2025 semester (January 22 – May 14). Teams of senior-level business students spend the semester working, in a consulting capacity, on business issues facing central Illinois’ small businesses. I’ve seen the work these students do for companies firsthand and it is amazing. The best part is that these consulting projects are provided at no cost to companies that meet the SBA definition of a small business (generally 500 employees or less). You can learn more here.
Happy Birthday! Just a note to wish two great GPEDC staff members – Melissa (October 10)
and Dick (October 11) – a very happy birthday. Thanks for all you do for our team and region!
Have a great weekend.
Chris