Business Assistance, Retention & Expansion

BizBAM meetings are continuing to be conducted. Currently, we are focusing on the manufacturing industry. If you are a manufacturer or know of a manufacturer who may want to participate in the program, please contact us. We hope to have a report on trends in the industry early next year.

C7 is in its fourth month of operation. We will be meeting with the mentors and participants early next year to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

For more information on these programs or other local business issues, please contact Chad Carson at (309) 452-8437 or chad@bnbiz.org.

New Business Recruitment & Development

One of the keys to attracting a company to your community is having infrastructure in place. This means the basic utilities like water, sewer, electric and natural gas. But in today’s global marketplace this also means technology. How quickly can a business access the Internet? What type of bandwidth is available? Are the costs reasonable? Can rural communities access the Internet within these parameters? How about the digital divide - are there parts of our community that don’t have access to the Internet, thereby putting them at a disadvantage when seeking jobs or services?

The EDC-led Technology Master Plan task force is seeking to answer these questions. Working with a group of government and business representatives, we are seeking to develop a series of steps and recommendations to make McLean County more competitive in these areas. While our community seems to have ready access to broadband services through a variety of private sector companies and services, where do we stand competitively? How do we match up against other communities? This is a global economy that we compete in, and the EDC is developing the tools and the knowledge to address our needs.

Community Improvement

The2008 One Voice Washington, D.C. Fly-in has been scheduled for March 11-13th. The One Voice Task Force is currently in the process of choosing the FY 09 priority projects for McLean County. As of this
date, the following projects have sent proposals for consideration:

• Normal Multi-Modal Transportation Center
• McLean County Business Incubator
• City of Lexington Sewer Project
• Minor Myers, Jr. Student Welcoming Center at Illinois Wesleyan University
• Bloomington Cultural District

The One Voice Task Force will vote on their recommendations to the EDC Board of Directors at the December meeting. Information regarding reservations for the Washington, D.C. Fly-in will be announced following the priority project announcement in mid-December.

For more information relating to the One Voice Task Force, community outreach or government relations program, please contact Marty Vanags at (309) 452-8437 or mvanags@bnbiz.org.

Program Oversight & Investor Relations

The EDC held its annual meeting on November 8th at the DoubleTree hotel and conference center. Many thanks to Pantagraph Communications; Busey Bank; Corn Belt Energy; W.M. Putnam Co.; GROWMARK, Inc.; COUNTRY Insurance and Financial Services; Afni, Inc.; and the Illinois Farm Bureau for their sponsorship of this event. By now it has been well documented that we had over 600 members of the community in attendance to hear what the EDC has accomplished since we launched our Navigating a New Direction campaign in 2006. 

If you missed the event, you can still see the video of our annual report by going to our Web site, www.bnbiz.org. Click on the “Leading the Way” picture and you can view a short two-minute video of our successes.

Site Location Assistance/Real Estate Services

When businesses look to relocate or expand in other communities, a dating game takes place between the company’s decision makers and economic development professionals. Typically, a company will contact several communities with a list of requirements for its project, and the communities will then submit proposals based on available facilities or sites within their jurisdictions. It is a game of give and take; compromises must happen on both sides before any deals actually take place.

At the EDC, site location assistance takes place in a methodological way, but is approached with flexibility for each unique project. We maintain a database of commercial properties using the Location One Information System (LOIS), a public search utility for finding developable sites, and also maintain several in-house databases of our own. Company officials can search through the properties listed on LOIS on their own if they choose, or they may elect to submit a project proposal. When companies would rather have us prepare something for them, an EDC staff member searches for facilities that best match the needs of the company as outlined by the company’s project profile.

The site location process depends on two very important factors: speed and quality information. Companies can be extremely demanding when making site proposals; it has been remarked that companies want all site proposals submitted to them "yesterday." The EDC must maintain up-to-date records of all of its potential development sites and be able to quickly produce professional-grade site proposals on short notice. Currently, the average turnaround time for EDC site proposals is about a half-day. It is the philosophy of the EDC that the best way to garner interest in our community from outsiders is to be able to present useful and well-designed materials and to do so on a moment’s notice. Common features of EDC site proposals include detailed information regarding the property’s size, location and unique features which are supported by GIS-generated plat maps, digital photographs and a personalized cover letter.

The EDC handles a wide variety of site proposals. In one week, we may see proposals asking for more than 1,000 acres of land alongside office space requests that require less than 1,000 square feet. The EDC takes all site proposals seriously, regardless of the company’s size. If you know of a company that would like to move to the area or expand into a new location, the EDC would be happy to help find the perfect site for their business. For more information, contact Ken Springer at (309) 452-8437 or ken@bnbiz.org.

Learn more about our building and sites locator.

Check out these two Enterprise Zone-ready lots on Normal’s west side. Zoned M2 and located right off of I-55/I-74, either lot would be a great choice for a new manufacturing project. Lot 14 is 49.6 acres and lot 15 is 22.3 acres. Lot 15 has 1,500 feet of linear rail siding.  City water and sewer; asking $1/psf. Coldwell Banker / Interchange City West LLC – (309) 662-3377.

Learn more about our building and sites locator.

McLean County

The County of McLean remains a dedicated partner and investor of the EDC. Currently, the EDC and the County are working closely together to provide the McLean County Revolving Loan Fund. The Revolving Loan Fund was established to provide financial assistance to new or expanding businesses in McLean County. In addition, the fund serves a public policy goal of developing a stronger economic base and expanded job opportunities.  Click here to read more.

The Economic Development Council is honored to have Matt Sorensen, McLean County Board Chairman; Ann Harding, McLean County Board Member; and John Zeunik, County Administrator, as current board members. Their involvement with the EDC board of directors is greatly appreciated, and we thank them for their dedication and support.

Learn more about McLean County.

EDC starting Toastmasters International group

The EDC is starting a Toastmasters International group. At Toastmasters, members learn better communication skills by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. At each meeting, members give impromptu and prepared speeches and receive constructive evaluation from their peers.

Toastmasters helps employees give better sales presentations, improve their management skills, work better with other employees, effectively develop and present ideas, offer construction criticism and accept criticism more objectively.

If you are interested in joining the group, please contact Brooke Weishaupt at (309) 452-8437 or brooke@bnbiz.org. To learn more about Toastmasters, visit www.toastmasters.org.

The Economy on the Edge
(from BusinessWeek, Nov. 19, 2007)

Will the U.S. succumb to a debt crisis brought on by years of profligate lending—or keep growing? Here are some markers to mind in figuring out where we're headed:

No, it's not just you—the U.S. economy really is bewildering. The government says gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate of nearly 4% in the third quarter, the fastest pace in a year and a half. The stock market is still up by 4% for this year, despite a sharp 3% drop on Nov. 7. On the other hand, growth in consumer borrowing slowed unexpectedly in September. Some economists argue that the U.S. is teetering on the brink of a recession, if it isn't in one already.
Click here to read the full article.