Site Selectors and Foreign Consulates: Thanks to a sponsorship offered by Mike O’Grady and Cornbelt Energy, I was able to attend the Site Selectors Forum in Chicago this week. This annual event, organized by the Illinois Economic Development Association, brought together five of the region’s top site selection consultants who shared their perspectives to a packed house of economic developers. The discussion included the difficulties in meeting project timelines for utilities, the importance of robust workforce programs, Illinois’ rebound and more favorable reputation, and even the need for better child care to support employers. It’s also great to connect with my peers and share resources (and a few war stories).
The Forum was followed by a cocktail reception for the foreign consular corps of Chicago. One of the great advantages of doing this work in Illinois is that Chicago is home to over 70 foreign consulates. This event allows us to make new connections and reinforce old ones. I had a chance to reconnect with the head of the Quebec delegation that was in Peoria just last week as well as meet the Argentine and Australian consul generals and catch up with the representatives of the German Chamber of Commerce. Since I was spending the night in Chicago and had time before my train the next day, I also was able to arrange a one-on-one meeting at the Argentine consulate and have a follow up visit about my recent trip with my friends at the Brazilian consulate.
Award Winner: Congratulations to Quality Metal Products (QMP), one of our region’s great midsize manufacturers and member of the Greater Peoria Manufacturing Network. Their President Jo Dunbar and Vice President Lori Gaskins were invited to the Caterpillar Supplier Excellence award ceremony earlier this month in Texas and QMP took home some global hardware. This award recognizes top-performing suppliers who have met or exceeded rigorous requirements and achieved world-class certification levels with Caterpillar. It highlights the strength and reliability of the global supply network, emphasizing the contributions of suppliers in meeting customer needs. Of the 14,000 global Caterpillar suppliers, 800 companies were invited to the Supplier Excellence Event and 25 awards were given out. This award distinguishes QMP among the top 1% of Caterpillar suppliers. More here.
WTVP You Gotta See This: The fine folks at WTVP selected Distillery Labs as part of their most recent episode of You Gotta See This! The filmmakers interviewed Executive Director Doug Cruitt, HuMod co-founder Matt Dylewski, and yours truly. It’s a nice profile of this great facility and the even better work they are doing. You can watch it here (segment starts at the 9 minute mark).
Upcoming Events: Mark your calendars and RSVP for some great opportunities:
- Trade Tariffs in 30 Minutes Webinar (October 16, 2 pm, virtual): Tariffs, tariffs and more international tariffs! If you are getting confused, don’t worry. The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at The Turner Center for Entrepreneurship is pleased to host a 30-minute webinar covering the basics of international trade tariffs, how to find the tariffs, and what you can do to lower your tariffs. They will review both U.S. import tariffs and tariffs applied by other countries to U.S. exports. The session is presented by GPEDC board member and international trade expert, Jim Foley, and co-sponsored by GPEDC, Foreign-Trade Zone #114 and the Turner Center. Register here.
- Elevate Together (October 16, 8 am – 4 pm, ICC North Peoria): Illinois Central College’s Corporate Education and Training program is hosting a free, one day summit on leadership called “Elevate Together: Empowering Leadership at All Levels.” Leadership is no longer reserved for the top—it lives in how we communicate, make decisions, and build momentum at every level. Participants will explore the four core leadership styles—Visionary, Operator, Processor, and Synergist (VOPS)—and how each contributes to results and team culture. Register here.
- 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