ECIDC: Fostering Regional Economic Development through Collaboration, Networking, and Education
ECIDC unifies the community leadership, resources, and organizations concerned with economic development to enhance and promote east central Illinois. This newsletter provides updates on many of our regional projects, and we welcome your input and participation as we work together to foster development in the region. For more information on ECIDC membership, news, or upcoming events, please visit www.ecidc.com or contact ECIDC Executive Director Jean Anne Grunloh at (217) 540-3517 or jgrunloh@lakeland.cc.il.us.
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Save the Date - Downstate Summit to be held September 29, 2011
ECIDC will host "Creating a Common Downstate Voice" on Thursday, September 29, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Thelma Keller Convention Center, Effingham. This educational summit will focus on downstate economic trends and development issues, provide a forum for development leaders and legislators to build solidarity for downstate Illinois, and offer valuable information on TIF Districts and Enterprise Zones. Attend this summit to support the revitalization of a downstate bi-partisan caucus and help downstate legislators understand the issues and concerns of downstate developers and communities. Please click the "Read More" button below for additional information.
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ECIDC Holds its 27th Annual Meeting and Recognition Awards Ceremony
Pictured is Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Tom Niebrugge of Teutopolis (center) along with nominators Tom Wright of Dieterich (left) and Hank Stephens of Effingham (right).
At its Annual Meeting held May 19, 2011, ECIDC celebrated 27 years of promoting east central Illinois through regional economic development efforts. Attendees received ECIDC's 2011 Annual Report which highlights ECIDC's accomplishments over the past year and includes development news from each of the 11 ECIDC counties. The report also features the 2011 Recognition Award recipients: Tom Niebrugge - Lifetime Achievement Award; Paris Economic Development Corporation - Outstanding Leader in Community and Economic Development Award; Ryan, Bennett, & Radloff - Business Ethics & Social Involvement (BESI) Award; and James Yoder - BESI Award. The BESI awards were presented in partnership with ECIDC, Lake Land College, and Eastern Illinois University. For a printed copy of the 2011 ECIDC Annual Report, please send your request to ECIDC Executive Director Jean Anne Grunloh at jgrunloh@lakeland.cc.il.us or (217) 540-3517.
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New Maps of Broadband Coverage and Speed for East Central Illinois
Maps recently developed in partnership with Broadband Illinois, interns with the Lake Land College GIS department, and the East Central Region Broadband Planning eTeam reflect the broadband (high-speed Internet) access and speed issues in the region relative to state averages. Pictured is a map reflecting county broadband coverage and speed tiers. Also available is a state map that shows county rankings for broadband service by speed and coverage. This map is available on the home page of ECIDC's website (www.ecidc.com). These maps are the result of a scoring system reporting access and speed patterns for Illinois shields, businesses, and community anchor institutions. Development of this baseline data is part of the joint broadband planning efforts for the region with partners ECIDC and Broadband Illinois. Additional broadband service maps for each county within the ECIDC region will be made available within the next few months.
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Tourism Resources for East Central Illinois Communities
Where can you find help to promote your community festival or special event, farmers market, or area attractions? In addition to your local newspaper, radio, or other media source, your local and regional tourism offices can be great resources to help spread the word about your tourism destinations and special events. Please click the "Read More" Button below for additional information.
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Midwestern Disaster Area Bonds (MDAB)
The ECIDC service region includes seven of the 18 MDAB designated counties. The Heartland Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2008 (the "Federal Act") (Public Law 110-344; 122 Stat. 3918) was signed into law on October 3, 2008, as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The Act provides a variety of tax relief and financing incentives for areas that experienced storm-related destruction in the Midwestern area. Under the Act, MDAB's may be issued from 2008 until 12/31/2012. For more information, please visit http://www.il-fa.com/products/communities/disaster_bond.html.
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ECIDC Member Market Analysis Services and 2010 Census Data
By pooling together through a regional network, ECIDC offers its members affordable access to market analysis and demographic reports. ECIDC subscribes to ESRI Business Analyst Online (ESRI - BAO) to provide the ECIDC Member Market Analysis Program. Currently, there is one ESRI - BAO report available which incorporates 2010 U.S. Census data. This report is titled "Census 2010 Profile" and provides the first glimpse at Census 2010 data in 2010 geography.
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State Treasurer Dan Rutherford Launches Business Invest Program
Through the Business Invest: Small Business Program, the Illinois State Treasurer's Office offers an interest rate reduction for up to the first 5 years of new small business loans made by Illinois financial institutions. The program can be used in conjunction with term loans for fixed-asset financing including real estate, construction and equipment. (The program cannot be used in conjunction with lines of credit.) The program can also be used in conjunction with 504 loans of any term, and 7(a) loans termed at 5 years or fewer. To qualify, the business must be located in the State of Illinois and have annual revenues up to $3 million or up to $5 million if the business is located in a low-to-moderate income community.
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Illinois Energy Now Program
The Illinois Energy Now program began accepting applications for projects completed from June 1, 2011 through May 15, 2012. The State Energy Office at the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has released new program guidelines for electric and gas rebates. The Illinois Energy Now program assists communities and public schools in funding energy efficiency projects and provides DCEO with resources to meet the State's green goals by reducing the demand for energy, conserving tax dollars and creating green sector jobs. Projects completed between June 1, 2011 and May 15, 2012 are eligible for the program. Illinois Energy Now is open to municipalities, park districts, fire districts, public K-12 schools, public universities, community colleges and state and federal facilities within the ComEd, Ameren Illinois, Nicor, Peoples and Northshore service areas. To review program guidelines and access the application, go to: http://www.ildceo.net/dceo/Bureaus/Energy_Recycling/Energy/Energy+Efficiency/#PSEE.
If you have questions regarding this program please visit - www.illinoisenergy.org.
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Governor Quinn Launches Illinois Innovation Network to Help Business Startups Thrive
Governor Pat Quinn has launched the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) to give entrepreneurs the resources needed to build and grow their businesses and create more jobs. The IIN, which includes business and educational leaders, is the first initiative created by the Governor's Illinois Innovation Council, a public-private partnership launched in February to accelerate innovative economic development and job creation efforts in the state's flourishing startup sector.
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New White House Rural Council Established
On June 9, President Obama signed an executive order creating the first White House Rural Council. Designed to help strengthen rural communities, the new council will encourage public-private partnerships to help boost rural economic growth while ensuring greater coordination among the various federal agencies on rural initiatives. Job training, workforce development, education and infrastructure issues are key priorities.
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Lake Land College Named as One of Top 120 Community Colleges in the Nation
(Source: Laker Low Down Newsletter Apri1 11, 2011)
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program recently ranked Lake Land College as one of the nation's 120 best community colleges, challenging it to compete for the prize funds, which will be announced in December, by insisting on high standards for learning, college completion without delay, and serving as a training ground for jobs that pay competitive wages.
"Lake Land College is honored to receive this prestigious award. Our faculty and staff help students succeed every day and it is wonderful that the Aspen Institute recognizes their dedication to excellence," Lake Land College President Scott Lensink said. "The award is even more remarkable considering the college has experienced a 20 percent enrollment increase during the past few years serving more than 20,000 students with even less resources than five years ago."
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ECIDC Feature Member: St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital
St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital has been a long-time valuable member of ECIDC and recently increased its membership level to that of a Benefactor Member. St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital has been serving the health care needs of the Effingham community and surrounding areas since 1875. An affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, the hospital is a fully accredited, not-for-profit, general acute care facility with 146 licensed beds and a work force of over 900 colleagues. The region is served by more than 70 physicians on staff at St. Anthony's, representing over 25 medical specialties. St. Anthony's provides health care to the residents of the central Illinois region, including Effingham County and portions of the counties of Clark, Clay, Crawford, Cumberland, Fayette, Jasper, Marion, Richland, and Shelby, serving a population of over 175,000 people. Please click the "Read More" button below for additional highlights and development news for St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital.
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ECIDC Welcomes New Members
ECIDC is pleased to welcome new members Tick Tock Energy of Effingham and the Village of Stewardson. ECIDC appreciates the support and expertise these members bring to our regional development efforts. Please click the "Read More" button below for highlights of these ECIDC members.
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ECIDC New Member Referral Program
At ECIDC's Annual Meeting, the winner was announced for the ECIDC New Member Referral program. Kevin Day, Correspondent Banking Manager with Midland States Bank, drew the winning ticket to announce Tiffany Macke of Marshall as the winner of the $500 U.S. Savings Bond. The 2011 ECIDC New Member Referral Program was jointly sponsored by Midland States Bank and Midland Financial Strategies.
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Share Your Development News
If you wish to share your development news or success stories with over 1,000 community, business, and education leaders in east central Illinois through the ECIDC e-newsletter, please forward your information to the ECIDC office via e-mail at jgrunloh@lakeland.cc.il.us.
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