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How are we doing?
2014 Strategic Plan Mid-Year Update

It’s been 6 months since we unveiled the GREDF Strategic Plan. The plan is a guide for the Board of Directors, staff, committees and stakeholders and serves as a blueprint for Board policy decisions, guiding the organization’s investment in economic development initiatives, programs and projects. The plan also provides direction by anticipating and responding to changes in the local and national economy.

At last week’s quarterly board meeting, GREDF staff gave a mid-year progress report of the organization’s activities and goals as they relate to the Strategic Plan. We’d like to take this opportunity to share portions of that report with you, our stakeholders.

Here’s our six goals and a quick overview of the progress we’re making:

1. Business Retention & Expansion (BRE)

Goal: Conduct one official retention visit per week and record the data in BRE software so that we may track and respond to opportunities and threats.

Progress: To date, we have conducted 32 BRE visits (61% of our annual goal) and assisted a number of companies with site-selection, workforce issues and referrals to our partner organizations.

2. Workforce Development

Goal: Facilitate a coordinated workforce initiative to align activities of Adams County area organizations, and coordinate projects that directly connect local businesses with educators to help grow a well-educated and informed future workforce.

Progress: To date we have hosted a high school and community college counselors academy and participated in over two dozen workforce steering committee meetings and meetings of the career guidance, work readiness and succession planning teams.

3. Business Attraction

Goal: Promote the Quincy/Adams County region to national and regional site consultants and individual companies who may have an interest in relocating or expanding.

Progress: To date, we have met one-on-one with 26 consultants and communicated electronically with 68 national consultants on a monthly basis. We have responded to four Request for Proposals from companies looking to grow or expand their manufacturing, warehousing, call center and office operations.   

4. Marketing/Branding

Goal: Design and implement a program to market, promote and brand the Quincy/Adams County region.

Progress: To date, 47 companies have asked for our Community Branding Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP was developed by a steering committee of community partners spearheaded by GREDF and is the first step in creating a new brand for the region. We have also developed three targeted site selection marketing packets for potential businesses/investors.

5. Entrepreneurship Development

Goal: Nurture and encourage entrepreneurship in the Quincy/Adams County region by making information and assistance more readily accessible.

Progress: To date, our Entrepreneurship Specialist Charles Bell has met one-on-one with prospective and new business owners conducting: 19 start-up/financing meetings, 2 business acquisition meetings, 10 business expansion meetings and 3 business meetings to identify new markets.  

6. Membership

Goal: Maintain and increase GREDF’s private membership investment by developing a clear rationale for support, restructuring member investment levels and defining management of the membership program.

Progress: Staff has developed the new Investor Program and recommended investment calculator. We have met one-on-one with over a dozen current members and sent an electronic survey to all our members to assess the perception of GREDF and explore opportunities to increase investment levels. To date, four companies have committed to the highest level of investment – the $10,000 Chairman’s Club. The new program has been well received and a number of other companies have increased their levels of giving.  

We invite you to view our 2014 Strategic Plan and the 2014 Annual Work Plan Mid-Year Report in its entirety (some information, including business names, specific assistance and project details, has been removed to maintain confidentiality).

We want to hear from you! Comment below or tell us how you think we are doing by emailing gredf@gredf.org or calling 217.223.4313. And please contact us today if we can assist you or your business.

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The Board of Directors of the Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) along with GREDF president Marcel Wagner, today announced that Maggie Strong has been appointed Vice President of the organization.

Effective June 16, 2014, Strong’s primary focus as a part of GREDF’s executive team will be marketing and communications, as well as membership. Strong has spent the last six and a half years as a part time project manager with GREDF. She brings to the role more than 10 years of marketing and fundraising experience.

Strong earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts Management from Quincy University. She began her career as a project manager and later director of client relations for a local marketing and public relations firm.

“Maggie has been a tremendous asset to the organization, a creative and dedicated part of the staff and always focuses on what is best for Quincy and Adams County,” said Marcel Wagner. “I am very excited to have Maggie step into a bigger role with GREDF and believe that she has and will continue to help GREDF become a highly effective economic development organization.”

Strong will begin coursework to become a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council in the fall. In addition to leading the marketing and communications and membership portions of the GREDF Strategic Plan, Strong will be involved in GREDF’s business retention and expansion efforts.

Strong is president of the Midsummer Arts Faire Board of Directors and a member of the Quincy Preserves Board of Directors. She was named as a Quincy Herald-Whig YP 20 Under 40 honoree in 2010 and received the 2013 City of Quincy Arts Awards Volunteer Leadership Award. 

Contact Maggie at maggies@gredf.org or 217.223.4313. 

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The Board of Directors of the Great River Economic Development Foundation today announces the creation of a new membership program called The Investor Program. GREDF staff, under the direction of the Board’s Membership and Nominating Committee, has developed the new program with the goal of maintaining and increasing private membership investment.

Growing membership investment will allow GREDF to fulfill its mission to maintain and improve the economic vitality of the Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, region through the retention and expansion of existing businesses and the attraction of new businesses to our region.

“Over the past year, GREDF has developed a new strategic plan that better aligns the organization’s goals and strategies with our annual budget and work plan,” says Dan Henke, Chairman of the GREDF Board of Directors. “One of the key goals we identified was to develop a private membership investment program to help support our activities.”

GREDF currently has 200 member investors. The new program provides an updated, more clearly defined structure and calculator for determining membership investment levels. “We have always received great support from our members and for that we are very grateful. Now we are asking members to align their investment with their business operations and success,” says Glenn Bemis, Chairman of the GREDF Membership and Nominating Committee.

The staff has developed a recommended annual investment calculator that bases levels of giving on a combination of three criteria:

1. Number of local employees
2. Company revenue
3. Percentage of regional customers

The recommended level of investment for financial institutions is based on deposits.

GREDF is the only organization solely dedicated to economic development for Quincy and Adams County. Although the organization receives annual contributions from both the City of Quincy and Adams County, over 50% of GREDF’s income is raised through private membership investment.

“This is about partnerships with our region’s businesses,” says GREDF President Marcel Wagner. “Our goal is to add value to our area’s business and industry through things like business retention and expansion and workforce development. Our new Investor Program is a way for companies and organizations to invest in these efforts and be a part of our region’s success.”

The new levels of investment are as follows:

• Chairman’s Club $10,000+
• President’s Club $5,000+
• Executive’s Club $2,500+
• Manager’s Club $1,000+

In addition to the benefits that go along with supporting economic development activities in our region, based on the level of investment, member investors may receive a members-only e-newsletter, invitation to a members-only annual breakfast, listing and link on www.gredf.org, listing on the annual report, recognition at the annual meeting and an invitation to the board of directors annual dinner.

GREDF is pleased to announce that three local organizations have stepped up to become the first $10,000 Chairman’s Club members: Adams Networks/Adams Telephone, Blessing Health System and The Knapheide Manufacturing Company. 

“For 166 years, Knapheide has proudly called Quincy, Illinois and Adams County home,” states Harry Marcionetti, Senior Vice President of Operations, at The Knapheide Manufacturing Company. “Our involvement and support of GREDF will help ensure that we have the economic growth and development within the region to support our endeavors for tomorrow and beyond.”

“The Blessing Health System considers its GREDF membership as an investment in Quincy, Adams County and the tri-state region,” says Maureen Kahn, incoming President and CEO of the Blessing Health System and a GREDF board member. “We need a strong economic development organization to support job creation so that those of us who benefit from economic development can continue to grow our own enterprises.”

“As a cooperative we understand the focus of investing our time and assets locally and GREDF is no different,” says Jim Broemmer, Chief Executive Officer of Adams and a former GREDF board member.  “At Adams we continue to make investments in communication services in our region to support our communities growth and sustainability and we see GREDF as a partner in this mission.  We are proud to be a supporter.”

In addition to these investments, GREDF has received commitments from a number of other area companies to increase their levels of giving. “We’ve been knocking on a lot of doors to find out more about our region’s business community, thank them for their past support and ask them to consider becoming a bigger partner/investor,” says Wagner. “We have had very positive feedback.”

Past and current members will be receiving an electronic survey in their email inboxes in the coming days. The quick, 8-question survey asks for feedback on GREDF’s strategic plan and asks recipients to answer a few confidential questions about their business which will help GREDF staff prioritize business retention and membership visits.

For more information about the new GREDF Investor Program, click here, or call Maggie Strong at 217.223.4313.