Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) board and staff to hosted a press conference to present Community Champion Awards following the quarterly GREDF board meeting. Press conference and award ceremony was held on Wednesday, March 10 at 9:00 AM in the Oakley Lindsay Center – Lindsay Room. 300 Civic Center Plaza – 2^nd Floor Lindsay Room.

“We would like to present the inaugural Community Champion Award to Adams County Health Department Director Jerrod Welch, Adams County Emergency Management Director John Simon and Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore,” states GREDF President, Marcel Wagner. “Together, each individual, through their respective organizations, has led our region through a time of crisis during a global pandemic. We want to acknowledge their efforts in learning, adapting, managing, developing and implementing various tasks and programs throughout this last year to keep our community informed and safe.”

The awardees also implemented the Adams County Together (ACT) Task Force. In its height, the ACT Task Force met twice weekly to communicate, plan and implement programs and activities, as well as provide resources for both individuals and businesses. More can be found on www.AdamsCountyTogether.com.

Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) board and staff to hosted a press conference announcing leadership transition planning in the coming months. The press conference was held on Thursday, February 18 at 10:30 AM in the John Wood Community College (JWCC) Presidents Conference Room, 1301 S. 48^th St., Quincy, IL 62305.

Marcel Wagner, GREDF president, will be retiring at the end of 2021. Official announcement and succession planning steps was revealed at the press conference.

“Marcel Wagner has led GREDF for the past nine years,” states Mike Elbe, GREDF board chair and president of JWCC. “His impact on our community has been significant and will continue to be felt for years to come. We wish Marcel and Karen, his wife, the very best in their retirement….they deserve and have earned it.”

A job description and application process has been approved by the GREDF board of directors.

“It has been my privilege to serve the Quincy and Adams County Community as part of the GREDF Team since 2012,” expresses GREDF president Marcel Wagner. “During my time here, I have had the opportunity to work with dedicated and creative business and public leadership who are critical partners in economic development. Karen and I look forward to our next adventure.”

Adopted in March 2018 by the City Council, the Quincy Next Strategic Plan provides the community with a central focus to guide our decisions and investments over the next generation. Ten core initiatives are included in the plan and represent the culmination of the planning process – the months of understanding Quincy’s present state and future opportunities.

Riverfront development consistently ranked at the top of the ten core initiatives based on community input and surveys. Through the riverfront master planning process, we will formulate an appropriately-scaled, comprehensive strategy for developing the riverfront area which includes short, mid, and long-term projects that encourage private development.

Visit QuincyRiverfront.com to view the plan concepts and alternatives and provide feedback.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your continued support for each other during these past months. As your community partner organizations, our local business and residents remain at the heart of everything we do. At this time, COVID-19 continues to impact on our region and communities around the nation.

One way we are working together to slow the spread and help our residents and neighbors stay healthy is through the Rapid Detection Plan, which offers mass rapid testing and contact tracing, along with education on isolation and quarantine.

The Rapid Detection Plan includes mass drive thru testing, mobile walk up and drive thru sites, employer sponsored testing and an outbreak / crisis response team.

The purpose of the Rapid Detection Plan is to:

• Provide mass rapid testing for both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals,
• Deliver results within hours of testing so everyone can make quick, informed decisions,
• Educate positive cases on isolation and techniques,
• Through contact tracing, educate close contacts on quarantine and techniques,

Our overall goal is to provide the information and resources necessary to those with positive results, as well as their close contacts, to be able to isolate or quarantine and slow the spread.

Being able to reach our goal for mass testing, while continuing to keep our community health in mind, will help our friends and family remain healthy, help keep our students in person at school and help our businesses, places of worship and region open.

To stay locally updated and for the most reliable information, please refer to the Adams County Health Department and Adams County Together websites.

As your partners, we are dedicated to working on ways to continue offering support and resources. Thank you again for doing your part to encourage and support each other.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of our organizations.

Sincerely,

Marcel Wagner                                        Latonya Brock                                         Bruce Guthrie

President                                                Executive Director                                    Executive Director

Great River Economic                                Quincy Area                                           The District

Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF), along with community partners, hosted an informational Zoom call to launch Quincy Concierge Services. The program works in conjunction with overall workforce development strategies and aims to provide another tool to attract and retain top talent by providing an ongoing community on-boarding process.

“As a transplant from Chicago, I could have used a program like Quincy Concierge Services when I moved,” states Joi Cuartero Austin, GREDF Marketing & Communications Director. “Even though people choose the Adams County region for work, it can still be difficult to connect socially with the community and make friends. We want the program to help build personal connections sooner and make sure people feel welcomed to the area.”

Quincy Concierge Services is intended for newcomers, boomerang residents, and those looking to plug into the Quincy & Adams County community.

For local businesses, the program can be offered in conjunction with existing talent attraction programs and can be utilized as a tool to promote the community when recruiting talent, or alongside orientation for the new employee and any family members.

Community Resource Guides are assigned to individuals or families based on needs and personal interests to connect with and follow up with guests as they transition into the region. Guides are available to guests as a resource, as well as to make connections and open doors.

GREDF is looking for Guides to add to a diverse team of current residents. A successful Guide is an overall promoter, and community cheerleader, with a general knowledge of the region and amenities offered. For more information on the program, and to find out more about becoming a Guide, please contact Joi Cuartero Austin at the GREDF offices: (217) 223-4313 | JoiA@gredf.org

Illinois workNet Center, Workforce Innovation Board of Western Illinois and Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) are partnering to host an ongoing Virtual Job Fair for area employers. Applicants can find information on open positions online at www.illinoisworknet.com/virtualjobfairs/ as well as on www.gredf.org. The virtual job fair live event was held on GREDF’s Facebook page on Wednesday, September 16 at 10:30 AM.

Virtual Job Fair | Job Seekers

Physical packets are available at the following locations:

• United Community Bank in Golden | 321 Quincy St., Golden, IL
• Farmers State Bank of Camp Point | 206 E. Wood St., Camp Point, IL
• Adams Electric Cooperative | 200 E. Wood St., Camp Point, IL
• John Wood Community College | 1301 S. 48^th Quincy, IL
• Bella Ease | 1201 N. 12^th, Quincy, IL
• Quincy University | 1800 College Ave., Quincy, IL

Click to view job seeker packet:  Virtual Job Fair – Applicants

Veterans will receive packets with additional information distributed to Quincy facilities including VFW; American Legion at 116 N 8^th St.; and the Veteran’s Clinic at 721 Broadway St.

Illinois workNet virtual job fair was launched by the Governor as part of Get Hired Illinois.

Workforce Innovation Board of Western Illinois covers nine (9) counties including Adams, Brown, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, Schuyler, Pike and Warren, responsible for setting and implementing the strategic priorities to achieve goals of the regional workforce plan.

Great River Economic Development Foundation is a 501(c)6 not-for-profit organization with a mission to maintain and GROW the economic vitality of the Quincy and Adams County, IL region through the retention and expansion of existing businesses and the attraction of new businesses to our entire region. For more information, contact Joi Cuartero Austin at GREDF (217) 223-4313.

###