Greater Peoria EDC Second Quarter Report - April - June 2026
The second quarter of 2026 gave Greater Peoria plenty to celebrate and even more to build on. GPEDC marked 100 years of organized economic development, released The Big Table: Greater Peoria 2025 Report, launched the Greater Peoria Healthcare Education Consortium, and hosted its largest AgTech Connect yet, while representing the region in statewide conversations on defense manufacturing and clean ports.
Six stories defined the quarter: a century of economic development celebrated, a regional playbook released, and new coalitions formed in healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and along the river. Explore the highlights below, or download the full report for the complete picture.
A week honoring a century of the practice, from the Future-Proof AI workforce program for high school students to a City of Peoria proclamation and a full launch day at Distillery Labs.
Released May 7, the report introduces a five-pillar Strategy Framework carrying community insights into the next CEDS. Read it at BigTableGP.com.
Six regional institutions united behind one vision: Greater Peoria as a national center of excellence in healthcare education. Learn more at peoriahealthed.org.
A session and tour at Alto Ingredients in Pekin drew the series' biggest crowd, a sign of momentum around the future of food, fiber, and fuel.
GPEDC helped sponsor the Naperville gathering mapping defense manufacturing opportunities for a region built on making the things the world depends on.
Five Illinois River port districts partner with the Illinois EPA on decarbonization and resiliency planning, with GPEDC serving on the Steering Committee.
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