Big Table: To say we were busy last Friday is a bit of an understatement. After months of planning by nearly a dozen folks (both inside and outside of GPEDC), we held our third in-person Big Table event. Over the course of the day, well over 200 people joined us at the Four Points Sheraton to share their input on opportunity, talent, innovation and livability. We had a phenomenal keynote speech by Victor Hwang on the power of entrepreneurship to shape a region’s economy. Our panelists on the four topic areas shared great feedback and helped lead into the most important part of the Big Table: the small group conversations. I joked that the Big Table is a bit of a misnomer — it’s actually a bunch of small tables in one big room. But it was at these tables that community members from all walks of life had real conversations about what is great about Greater Peoria as well as what needs work. I was super proud of the event, and particularly want to recognize the efforts of David Aduama and Dorsey Hill of GPEDC. You can watch a short recap video here. Thank you to all of our sponsors and financial supporters for helping us make a great event.
Rural Big Table: But the fun and work doesn’t end. We know not everyone can make the Big Table event, or might not even feel like a downtown Peoria event is meant for them (it is, but we know not everyone will think the same way.) So we have also created a set of “Rural Big Table” events to ensure we are getting the broadest possible feedback. These are smaller and more focussed conversations on the same topics of opportunity, talent, innovation and livability. The first of these is next week in El Paso. You can find the list below. Please RSVP here.
- Woodford County – October 28 from 4 – 7 pm – South Pointe Community Building (521 S. Sycamore Street, El Paso)
- Mason County – November 13 from 4 – 7 pm – Havana City Center (326 W Market St, Havana)
- Tazewell County – December 10 from 4 – 7 pm – Tremont High School Cafetorium (400 W Pearl St, Tremont)
Rochester: I had a chance to travel to Rochester, MN this week to learn more about how that community leverages their amazing medical industry to generate additional economic development opportunities. Joining me were Ryan Spain of OSF Healthcare, Chris Waible of the Downtown Development Corporation and Tim Riggenbach of the Peoria City Council. If you haven’t been to Rochester and the Mayo Clinic (and I hope you only have to go for fun, not for care), it is a truly amazing place. The metropolitan area has a population of 230,000 and Mayo Clinic alone employs 50,000 people. And I gather another 30,000 or so are very involved in providing services to Mayo and its patients. We had some great discussions with key institutions within Rochester to learn more about their efforts to align their hospitality industry with the medical situations of their visitors; improve placemaking (70% of a patient’s stay in Rochester is outside of the hospital); and attract innovative companies and startups who want to take advantage of Mayo’s strengths. I always appreciate a good road trip and learning from other communities, but am especially appreciative when colleagues in these communities share their time and experiences with me.
Happy 75th: The Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria celebrated their 75th birthday on Wednesday. Sally and Dick from GPEDC were on hand to join in the festivities. Peoria International Airport is an important part of our economic engine. There are not too many communities our size that can boast all four modes of transportation: rail, river, road and runway. We are lucky to have such a great asset in our region, both to connect Peorians with the world and to connect the world to Greater Peoria.
Sally Hanley, GPEDC; Mayor Matt Wigginton, Peoria Heights; Cheryl Sloan, PIA
River Cities and Towns Annual Meeting: The Illinois River Cities & Towns Initiative (IRCTI) unites over 15 Mayor-led communities along the Illinois River. Their mission is to advocate for the region’s economic, infrastructure, and environmental interests at both state and national levels. IRCTI is hosting their first annual meeting of member communities and stakeholders on November 5-6 in downtown Peoria. Watch a welcome video here and RSVP here.
Have a great weekend.
Chris