2021 Project Request
The Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council is now accepting projects for our 2021 One Voice Trip March 2, 3, & 4, 2021.
For more information on projects, scholarships or to register please contact Patrick Hoban patrick@bnbiz.org or 309-452-8437
One Voice, under the leadership of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council (BNEDC), is a pro-community campaign that has brought together leaders from the City of Bloomington, the Town of Normal, McLean County, labor, local educational institutions and local private businesses. The goal of the campaign is to make McLean County a stronger economic force and a better place to live.
Each spring, the One Voice Task Force travels to Washington D.C. to meet with our congressional delegation to show them our community stands united in support of community issues involving projects, initiatives and infrastructure improvements. For those projects needing funding, we work to meet with the federal agencies that may have grants or funds available.
2020 One Voice Trip
One Voice 2020 included 30 members of the Bloomington-Normal and McLean County community. Meetings took place at four federal agencies:
The Department of Transportation
John Augustine, Director, Office of Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
U.S. Department of Labor
Acting Administrator Kimberly Vitelli, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce Investment
U.S. Department of Commerce
Craig Buerstatte, Director, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Economic Development Administration; Lindsey Cox, Program Manager, Regional Innovation Strategies
Federal Communications Commission
Kirk Burgee, Chief of Staff, Wireline Competition Bureau, Emmitt Carlton, Deputy Chief, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
BNEDC One Voice Scholarship
The scholarship was created in 2008. The scholarship allows one local college student (from an EDC investor school) to participate in the One Voice trip.
The 2020 recipient was Leah Milcik
The Heartland Community College Scholarship
The scholarship was created in 2018. The scholarship allows one Heartland Community College student to participate in the One Voice trip.
The 2020 recipient was Jennifer Coe.