The EDC’s six-step BR&E workplan is moving toward the ultimate step of local executive meetings:

• The local business inventory is loaded into the contact management software ExecutivePulse.

• All virtual task force meetings have been completed.

• Be on the lookout for the BIZ360 kickoff meeting sometime in April, highlighting the benefits of a business retention program and showcasing the ExecutivePulse software.

This will enable the EDC to establish strategic local business assistance objectives leading to capital investment and job creation.

Marty Vanags and Chad Carson attended an International Development Council-sponsored business retention course Mar. 15th-16th.

New Business Recruitment & Development

• The EDC had a booth at Mitsubishi's Supplier Day on Mar. 13th with information about our services and the “Why North?” report regarding the advantage the northern tier of states has over southern states when it comes to manufacturing. At least 12 people asked for the report, and one individual expressed interest in moving part of their supply operation to the county to serve Mitsubishi. Over 250 people attended, representing 135 Mitsubishi suppliers. Speakers from Mitsubishi mentioned the EDC and our support for the company at least three times.

• Staff attended the CoreNet Global Chicago Chapter Luncheon on Mar. 9th in Chicago.

• March 6th-8th the EDC sponsored the first annual “One Voice” Washington, D.C. Fly-in. The purpose of the trip was to show unity in advocating for federal funding for priority projects in the Bloomington-Normal area. The projects include the Normal Multi-Modal Transportation Center, the Bloomington Cultural District, the Heartland Community College Workforce Development Center and the McLean County Business Incubator. Twenty-eight government and business leaders were among the trip participants. While in D.C., the group had the opportunity to meet with the local Congressional delegation and their staff.

• Speaking engagements in February promoting community improvement included Kiwanis and the McLean County Community Compact.

• Community Outreach: Christina has met with with representatives for the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, McLean County Farm Bureau and the McLean County Community Compact to begin outreach programs in rural areas of McLean County.

• A “One Voice” trip to Springfield is being planned for April. More details to come.

• New Investors since January include Horizon Wind Energy, AmerGen and Spherion. This has added $10,000 over five years in new investment. Thank you to these new investors.

• The EDC has spoken to 300 people among six community groups about the EDC, One Voice and other programs. In addition, we have been featured on local radio shows twice and television news programs one time since January.
  

Demographic Information Services
by Ken Springer

Does this car come with airbags? How many miles to the gallon does it get in the city? We ask a lot of questions when preparing to make a major purchase, and it should come as no surprise that companies seeking to relocate would ask a lot of questions about the potential destinations for their business. To answer these questions, the EDC keeps track of as much information about our local community as possible and makes this information available to the public.

Demographics, or data that describes populations, comes from a variety of sources. The vast majority of the demographic information used by the EDC comes from federal government sources like the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The State of Illinois also maintains several information services. Anyone with a computer connection and a free afternoon could look up the info collected by the EDC, but interpreting and organizing such data may prove difficult. 

Every year, the EDC produces a snapshot pamphlet that contains the most vital demographic statistics about our community. This pamphlet, the Demographic Profile, is then printed and distributed freely to interested organizations and individuals throughout McLean County.  Every two years, the EDC publishes a much larger compendium of information called the Economic Development Almanac. Size and detail of content are the major differences between these two data products.

When used properly, the Demographic Profile and Almanac can make powerful recruiting tools for new employees and investors.  Newcomers can look at these data products and see hard evidence of McLean County’s growth and advantages over neighboring communities. The latest versions of these products include more county-by-county comparisons, showing figures for McLean, Peoria, Sangamon, Champaign and Cook counties side-by-side. 

The EDC also performs on-demand research for investors and prospective clients.  If your organization is looking for data, contact the EDC and we will assist in finding whatever it is you require.  The EDC research team has gotten a workout in the past year, fielding an average of two special information requests per week.  For more information or to access our current storehouse of information, please visit our Web site at www.bnbiz.org.

Felmley-Dickerson Co. is a company rich in local history. It was founded in 1936 by John Felmley, son of Dr. David Felmley, the sixth president of Illinois State University in Normal. Felmley-Dickerson also built the University of Illinois Assembly Hall Arena in Champaign in 1963, which is the only unsupported concrete dome structure of its size in the world. A more recent project is the Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Felmley-Dickerson Co. serves as general contractors, construction managers and design builders. This means they staff or partner with design professionals, manage the construction work and actually do the physical work. Companies hiring Felmley-Dickerson Co. have one company to communicate with on their project construction, rather than having to collaborate with three. John Meek, president, said this builds trust and friendship with the owners.

Meek said a challenge Felmley-Dickerson Co. has is extreme competition with other companies. He said Felmley-Dickerson Co. offers high quality, integrity and community involvement. He volunteers with the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, local schools, Boy Scouts and the United Way and encourages employees to contribute their volunteer efforts.

In the future, Meek said he expects continued growth in Bloomington-Normal and in the region, and he hopes to expand services to provide more collaboration with business owners. Felmley-Dickerson Co. became an investor in the EDC’s Navigating a New Direction program because he believes if the EDC carries out its goals of business expansion and attraction, more design and construction opportunities will be available to his company.

Learn more about Felmley-Dickerson Co.

Unit Drive is a rectangular parcel of manufacturing land located on the west side of Normal, just south of Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing.  The parcel lies completely within the McLean County Enterprise Zone, which qualifies building projects for various incentives.  The property is close to both rail and interstate transportation with three major interstates providing direct routes to Chicago, Rockford, St. Louis and Indianapolis.  This lot would make a great place for a small manufacturing firm.

Learn more about our building and sites locator

“How do I start a business?” “What’s a business plan?” “Why do I need marketing?” People seeking answers to these questions and more now have a place to go – the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Illinois State University.

Founded in 2005, the SBDC offers one-on-one consultations to coach prospective or existing business owners on several aspects of owning a business, including starting a business, business operations, management, marketing, finance and human resources.

Elizabeth Binning, executive director, said the SBDC has over 180 clients. These clients are assisted through the life of their businesses, from helping them get up and running, to helping them run more efficiently, restructure their debts and grow. She said many people come to the SBDC unprepared to start a business and unaware of the process it takes. People interested in starting a business can attend the free “Starting Your Own Business” workshops the SBDC holds monthly. In this workshop, the steps to starting a business are covered, such as registering a business name, recordkeeping, tax issues, etc.

The SBDC hosts several other workshops and also offers a certificate in small business management program. More information on these workshops can be found below or by visiting www.sbdc.ilstu.edu.

This year, the SBDC partnered with the EDC to create a business start-up guide, which will be featured in the EDC’s 2007 Economic Development Almanac. This guide supplements services offered by the SBDC by providing the potential or existing business owner with reference material and an index of contacts, along with demographic information on McLean County.

Upcoming workshops:

• Business Plan Writing Seminar: Tuesday, March 20 – 6:00 p.m. (ISU College of Business Building 353)

• Starting Your Own Business Seminar: Thursday, March 29 – 6:00 p.m. (COB 353)

• Certificate in Small Business Management Program: Registration fee: $165 for the entire program or $20 per class. Space is available on a first come, first serve basis with a maximum class size of 30 participants. This program will run for 11 consecutive Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. ending June 6, 2007.

All classes will be held in the College of Business Building on the ISU campus. Attendance at a minimum of 10 sessions is required to receive the Certificate in Small Business Management.

To register for any of the workshops listed above, contact the SBDC at sbdc@IllinoisState.edu or (309) 438-3610.

Legislative Guiding Principles

The EDC board of directors recently adopted a set of legislative guiding principles. The document outlines specific areas of support such as stable taxes, a sound fiscal government and support for tax credits and programs that provide incentives for businesses to grow and expand. These very same principles were modified to fit our situation and were modeled after the International Economic Development Council’s legislative principals. In addition, a similar document was adopted by the Illinois Development Council. Both the IEDC and the IDC are professional organizations that support economic development professionals at the national and state level respectively. If local, state or federal issues arise that fall within the document's issues, the EDC will have guidance on whether they wish to support or not support legislative action in each of these areas. Click here to download a PDF document of the Legislative Guiding Principles.

Enterprise Zone Expansion Criteria

We have had three extensions of the EZ in the past three years: Horizon Wind Energy, Afni and most recently, the Uptown Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Horizon and Marriott are taking advantage of the State’s exemption on sales tax for building materials, and Afni is taking advantage of the utility tax exemption allowed under the EZ. Because of the multiple requests for extensions we anticipate over the next several years, the criteria for expanding the EZ was reviewed and updated. To view the new criteria, go to www.bnbiz.org/Incentives/Enterprise-Zone.asp.

New Projects

Several new hotels are planned for the area:

• Hampton Inn & Suites: 129-room hotel at Shoppes of College Hills in late winter or early spring

• Fairfield Inn & Suites: 75 rooms on Wylie Drive in Bloomington in April or May

• Candlewood Suites: 110 rooms on Susan Drive in Normal next spring

• Holiday Inn & Suites: 120 rooms and 4,000 s.f. conference center on Empire Street in Bloomington in April

• Marriott Hotel and Conference Center: 230 rooms in Uptown Normal in summer 2008

• AmericInn Hotel: 78 rooms at Constitution Trail Centre in Normal next fall

Starplex Cinemas of Dallas, TX will build a 14-screen, 44,679 s.f. cinema at Constitution Trail Centre being developed in north Normal.

Wehrenberg Theatres held their groundbreaking ceremony on Mar. 1st for the Galaxy 14 Cine being constructed at Wiley Drive and Valley View Drive in Bloomington.