Guests joined Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) and partners on Friday, September 7 at 9:00 AM inside the Oakley Lindsay Center foyer – 300 Civic Center Plaza, for a press conference and check presentation from the Heroes at Heartland Event.

Heroes at Heartland took place on Saturday, August 11 with over 200 veterans, military personnel and their family members in attendance. Several members from the Illinois Veterans Home were also there to join the festivities. 48 side-by-side owners donated use of their off road vehicles and gave rides to guests, for a total of 75 volunteers for the whole event donating their time. Over 300 guests came out to Heroes at Heartland this year.

The check presentation is for sponsorship raised $4000 to split between Great River Honor Flight and Tri-State Warrior Outreach. As a think you to our volunteer drivers, Titan raffled off a set of tires for the second time, and will present the tires to the winner. A gift certificate from HMF Performance Products was also raffled off this year.

The program opened with Quincy Mayor, Kyle Moore, followed by a check presentation to both the Great River Honor Flight and Tri-State Warrior Outreach by GREDF president, Marcel Wagner. Titan presented the tires to the raffle winner and Ron Wallace, general manager of the Herald-Whig and VP of Newspapers, concluded the presentation.

Great River Honor Flight | recognizing American Veterans for their sacrifices and achievements by flying them to Washington DC to see their memorials at no cost.

Tri-State Warrior Outreach | dedicated to helping Veterans in the Quincy and surrounding areas with unmet needs.

The August Adams County Works Transition Planning seminar was held on Wednesday, August 15 from 11:45 am – 1:00 pm at the Quincy University Hall of Fame Room (in the health & fitness center). The quarterly topic was Business Communication with guest speaker Debbie Reed, President / CEO of Chaddock.

“Research has shown that the most valued skills in the contemporary job market are effective communication skills, and yet that is also the skill that managers identify as the number one weakness in new hires,” states Debbie Reed, President / CEO Chaddock.“Attendees at the session will walk away with tips they can immediately apply in their workplace and lives to strengthen the effectiveness of their communications.”

All were welcome to attend the Business Communication seminar.

Debbie Reed has more than 30 years of marketing, strategic planning and organizational leadership experience.  She has worked in P.R. and marketing for non-profit organizations, a national financial institution, and for five years owned The DDR Group, a marketing communications firm specializing non-profit work. For the past 24 years, she has been with Chaddock, having served as Director of Marketing, Director of Planning and Special Projects, Chief Operating Officer, and for the last twelve years as President/CEO of the agency.

Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) joined once again with national and local partners to present Heroes at Heartland on Saturday, August 11 from 9a – 5p at Harpole’s Heartland Lodge in Nebo, IL.

To kickoff event registration, GREDF and the event partners hosted a press conference on Wednesday, June 13 at 10:00am in Outdoor Power Inc. 2703 Broadway in Quincy, IL. All were welcome to attend the press conference and start signing up for Heroes at Heartland. Registration was required to attend the event.

Heroes at Heartland is free to attend and includes outdoor activities such as off road rides, archery and trap shooting, as well as a BBQ lunch. The event honors veterans and active military personnel, raising $8500 last year for the Honor Flight and Tri-State Warriors.

“Great River Honor Flight is very grateful for the financial support that last year’s Heroes at Heartland provided,” states Carlos Fernandez, Great River Honor Flight Chairman. “Thanks to their support, 14 local veterans were able to have their Honor Flight experience for free. In it’s 10th year of providing flights for veterans, Great River Honor Flight has been able to schedule 48 missions to DC which have included 1,545 local WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans. Without support like that from Heroes at Heartland, this would not be possible.”

All were welcome to the Time Management Workshop held Wednesday, May 23 at 11:45am in the Patio Restaurant, 133 S. 4^thSt., Quincy, IL. The Adams County Works Transition Planning Team provides the quarterly workshops.

The audience learned to work smarter – not harder – with tips from guest speaker Amy Looten, Senior VP Marketing & Business Development at HOMEBANK. Guests brought their smart phone with WiFi connectivity or data plan and participated in an online self-evaluation. Then, they learned tips on reducing procrastination and improving prioritization to improve your online score.

Amy Looten started her banking career in July 2017. She and her co-worker juggle advertising campaigns, special events, sponsorship opportunities, social media and other ongoing marketing-related projects for HOMEBANK branches in six communities in Northeast Missouri and West Central Illinois.

Additionally, Looten seeks new business relationships for the bank, primarily in Quincy. Before joining HOMEBANK, she managed multiple projects as executive director of the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce for 16 years.

Career Guidance Team hosts recognition by awarding area teachers

A press conference was held on Tuesday, May 8 at 4pm in the Oakley Lindsey Center Lobby to celebrate National Teacher appreciation Day. During the press conference, Workforce Development Partners on the Career Guidance Team awarded three (3) lucky teachers with prizes from area businesses, an increase from last year.

As a new inclusion to the prizes, teachers also received treats for their classroom, and a special guest speaker to talk about future regional opportunities for their students. Prior to the press conference, teachers were encouraged to submit their information for a chance at the appreciation prize, with winners drawn at random.

Marcel Wagner, GREDF President provided an introduction, we heard about the importance of education and how it prepares students for work, and a representative on the Career Guidance Team presented the teacher appreciation prizes.

The Career Guidance Team mission is to Encourage, Educate & Connect: Encourage and foster awareness of careers; educate youth and job seekers about area career opportunities; build connections between families and local employers.

The Career Guidance Team is sponsored by the following partners:  Great River Economic Development Foundation, John Wood Community College, Quincy University, United Way of Adams County, Inc., West Central Region Ed. For Employment System #240, and Workforce Board of Western Illinois.