IEDC: I had a chance to attend the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) annual convention in Denver this week. I was joined at the conference by Dorsey Hill, our Economic Recovery Corps Fellow (a program managed by IEDC). While many folks know that I’m not from Peoria (I’m a Californian), what less people know is that my wife and I moved here from Denver 21 years ago. So it was great to be at the conference, but also revisit a bit of my past, too. The conference was great and gave me a chance to connect with a few old colleagues and meet some new ones. The conference itself was content-rich, and I was pleased to see two very important topics were infused throughout the agenda: rural prosperity and entrepreneurship-based economic development. Entrepreneurship has been a theme for a while now, but this is the first time I’ve seen an emphasis on rural issues. Conferences are always a great way to get away from the day-to-day work and see the bigger picture of the industry. I always come back refreshed and ready to apply some new knowledge.
Peoria AgTech Connect: On Tuesday, Greater Peoria AgTech Connect held its quarterly networking event at Distillery Labs. Discussions focused on the livestock industry, which is a critical element of our regional agricultural economy, with more than 33,000 heads of cattle and 385,000 heads of swine in Greater Peoria (2022 Ag Census). Dr. Jim Lowe from the Illinois Veterinary Innovation Academy in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois and Brice Hintzsche, Livestock Feed Specialist at Early Bird Nutrition, joined us for an informative discussion highlighting the tools they are developing to support this critical industry’s growth and advancement for the future. Participants, including faculty and students from Illinois Central College and Bradley University, engaged in creating new partnerships to support their work going forward. Several of the participants were first-time visitors to Distillery Labs and enjoyed a tour of the remarkable facility.
Champaign AgTech: We aren’t the only ones to host an ag meetup. Last week, Kathie participated in Champaign’s Ag. Tech Connect convening. It’s a great investment to continue building our partnership with the University of Illinois. The event featured MicroMGx and celebrated the opening of its new research facility at the University of Illinois Research Park, part of the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub, which is a testament to rapid advancements and increasing investment to realize agricultural innovations through precision fermentation. iFAB’s unique approach is to be end product agnostic. They are here to leverage biomanufacturing to advance many products and industries.
Makers on The Move: Each year, the Illinois Manufacturers Association (IMA) and Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) kick off the celebration of Manufacturing Month with a road trip across Illinois. Their Makers on the Move bus visits manufacturers in every corner of our state, bringing attention to the great jobs and tremendous economic impact of this sector. Greater Peoria is proud to be one of the first stops on this year’s itinerary. On Friday, October 4, the MTM bus will be making stops at Enercon in East Peoria (4:15 – 4:45 pm) and Philippi-Hagenbuch in Peoria County (5:00 – 5:30 pm). The first day wraps up with a happy hour from 6 – 7:30 pm at Distillery Labs in downtown Peoria, sponsored by Greater Peoria EDC. You can register for all the events here and see the full schedule of stops.
Volunteer for Career Spark! We are still looking for volunteers for Career Spark on Oct 1-2, central Illinois’s largest career exploration initiative. 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.
Have a great weekend.
Chris