Our Mission:

Fostering regional economic development through collaboration, networking, and education.

 

ECIDC:

 

  • Brings together the community leadership, resources, and organizations concerned with economic development in a unified effort, giving 11 counties a unified voice for east central Illinois!
  • Increases cooperation between local, state and federal governments to achieve key public objectives in the region.
  • Fosters regional collaborative projects to address issues impacting jobs and the economy and to enhance the quality of life for our citizens.
  • Improves the capabilities of the human resources within the region through training, education, and development.
  • Maintains an extensive development resource center at www.ecidc.com to empower area development professionals and volunteers with regional business and trade reports, demographic data, research assistance and knowledge of community grant and funding opportunities.
  • Offers business analysis services to its members at a deeply discounted cost. By pooling together through a regional network, ECIDC gives the area’s rural communities and businesses affordable access to customized reports, maps, and demographic data.
  • Disseminates development and legislative news through bi-monthly newsletter and Annual Report.
  • Issues a tourism newsletter and hosts a tourism resource center, East Central Illinois events.com, to give our region’s citizens (255,000 population) easy access to information about fun activities, community festivals, farmers markets, tourist attractions and other family-friendly, entertaining events within the region and close to home.  Lake Land College (LLC) co-sponsors this project.
  • Facilitates recognition of outstanding business, community and education leaders.

Add your voice to our regional development activities and become a member today. 

Solid Foundation

Incorporated in 1984, East Central Illinois Development Corporation (ECIDC) is one of the longest-running regional economic development groups in the state of Illinois. Community, business, and education leaders from throughout the area formed ECIDC to encourage a collaborative and planned effort to promote east central Illinois, spur economic growth, and address regional concerns which impact jobs and the economy. Our economic development strategy focuses on establishing a regional identity as a foundation on which to promote the region state-wide and nationally with the goal of attracting new businesses, industry and tourism to the region, while providing educational opportunities to its membership, its governmental units and its residents.

 

Since its inception, educational leaders from Lake Land College (LLC) have been an integral part of ECIDC. This support was enhanced in 2000 when LLC began offering a neutral and central location for ECIDC’s regional meetings and supplying in-kind office space, general technical support, and administrative oversight.

 

Our goal has been to tear down the invisible boundaries that lie between each of our communities, counties, organizations and sectors so that we may work together in mutual ways that will move our region forward.

    

Trusted Leadership

 

ECIDC has a leadership structure conducive to hearing the voices of all the counties and communities in which it encompasses and represents. The Board of Directors is composed of 26 respected public and private sector leaders and representatives. The Board meets quarterly and is responsible for making decisions regarding the organization’s key functions and activities. The Advisory Staff is composed of an additional 16 community representatives from the region and of professionals willing to give ECIDC their time and talents in order to guide them in their current and future endeavors. They are considered experts in their fields and participate in Board of Director meetings. The executive director, serves as the voice and body of ECIDC as she represents, advises and manages all daily operations under the direction of the Board.

ECIDC welcomes all individuals interested in economic development who wish to use their great minds and talents to aid in expanding the opportunities for east central Illinois.

2013 ECIDC Annual Report

2012-2013 Plan of Action

 

The ECIDC region is composed of the following counties: Christian, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Jasper, Moultrie and Shelby.