German Guests: We are at it again! Next week Greater Peoria EDC and Distillery Labs will be hosting a foreign delegation of startups. This time our visitors are from Germany: seven companies involved in developing solutions in the AI, smart city and sustainable mobility. They will be in Chicago next week on a trip arranged by the German American Chamber of Commerce. But like our Brazilian friends before them, they’ve heard a lot about the startup ecosystem in Greater Peoria and want to see it for themselves. They are making a quick trip here on Thursday afternoon. Between 5 pm and 7 pm, we will host them for a showcase where each of the companies will give their “pitch” to explain their products and solutions. This will be followed by an informal networking session. We’d love to have you join us to learn more about these companies, offer your feedback and help us demonstrate our community’s hospitality. A summary of the visiting companies can be found here. Please register for the event here.
DC Summit: Last week, Kathie had the opportunity to attend Just Transition Fund National Convening as a grantee and member of the planning committee. The event brought together a broad network of coal transition stakeholders in Washington D.C. from across the U.S. – economic and workforce development practitioners, policy advocates, and representatives from labor, the public and private sectors, and funders. Because the transition looks different in each place, the Convening highlights best practices and commonalities among coal communities building more just and sustainable economies. It’s clear that a just transition is possible when we invest in locally-led solutions and bring together key players from philanthropy, government, and the private sector. Kathie even ran into a Peorian in DC – Camille Simpson (pictured with Kathie) lives in Peoria but works remotely for Just Transition Fund. Kathie is looking forward to leveraging the information gained from the conference in the Greater Peoria region.
Havana Third Tuesday: Kathie, Dorsey and I all attended this month’s “Third Tuesday” business roundtable in Havana. For me, it was the first time back to one of my favorite spots in Greater Peoria for nearly two years. It was great to see Mayor Stadsholt, GPEDC board member Bill Blessman and all our great colleagues in Mason County. The meeting’s topic was also great. Jerry Foster of Resource Bank unveiled a new website, Inspire-Renew-Enjoy, that provides a handbook for smaller, rural communities to take hold of their economic future. It is a resource guide, a list of best practices, and a set of inspirational stories about communities that are seeing reinvestment and vitality return. One such story is a great video showcasing the story of Havana’s great downtown. Watch it here.
GPMN Meeting: October 24 is going to be busy because in addition to our German visitors, we are also hosting the quarterly meeting of the Greater Peoria Manufacturing Network. That meeting is from 3 – 4:30 pm, also at Distillery Labs. This meeting is all about networking and showcasing the innovative products and services of some of our members and companies in the region. Representatives from Fluid Dynamics/Lozier Oil, Pearl Technologies, Federal Companies, Natural Fiber Welding, and Maui Jim will make presentations. To attend, click here to add the event to your calendar.
Reminder – Bradley Senior Consulting: Bradley University is accepting applications from 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. No cost to companies that meet the SBA definition of a small business (generally 500 employees or less). You can learn more here.
Have a great weekend.
Chris