On June 7, Kyle Moore will become the President of the Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF).   Moore will be only the third person to lead the organization since its inception in 1978.  GREDF focuses on attracting talent and retention of our workforce, retaining and growing existing businesses and attracting new businesses and industry to Quincy and the surrounding area.

The Search Process

The GREDF board used a rigorous national search process to identify the most qualified candidates.  At the request of the 22 member GREDF Board of Directors, the GREDF executive board acted as the search committee for the new president.  They consulted with local and national recruitment firms to determine the most effective and cost-efficient process to find the next president.  The job was posted to a variety of local, regional and national job sites and economic development forums.

The GREDF search committee reviewed resumes and conducted initial interviews with qualified candidates.  The committee then brought in the full GREDF board and over 17 community leaders to interview the final candidate.  Additionally, board president Mike Elbe and board president-elect Payne Schoen reached out to an additional 8 community leaders to get their perspective and feedback on Moore as a candidate.

Throughout the entire interview process, Moore consistently showed interviewers that he was not only qualified, but uniquely positioned to quickly and effectively take GREDF to the next level.

Search committee member and First Bankers Trust President & CEO Allen Shafer explained, ‘The search committee knew that we needed to find the right person to take GREDF to the next level.  In Kyle Moore, we were pleasantly surprised to find someone local who not only knows the local landscape but has economic development experience and strategies that rival what a national candidate would bring.’

Why Kyle Moore

Over the past decade, GREDF’s focus has evolved to meet the needs of our region.  Historically, the organization primarily focused on expanding existing and bringing in new businesses.  In the past several years, workforce development and talent attraction have become driving forces of the organization due to the needs of our local economy.

Moore’s unique background as both the Mayor of Quincy and an owner in Moore’s Floors, a small business, brings experience that will build on the work that GREDF has already done.  Highlights of Moore’s economic development experience as Mayor include:

• Developing and leading the Quincy Next Strategic Plan to formulate and execute a new economic development plan for Quincy and Adams County.
• Developing the “45×30” Program which contains a number of economic development proposals aimed at growing Quincy’s population by 2030.
• Creating “The Quincy Promise,” a privately funded college scholarship program available to high school students in the Quincy area.
• Creating and leading a bi-partisan response to the public response to the Legionella outbreak at the Quincy Veterans Home. This included lobbying federal and state lawmakers to build a new $220 million facility instead of closing the home which is responsible for 500 employees and over $90 million of economic impact a year to the region.

In addition to Moore’s economic development work for the city, his small business experience gave him a front-row seat to many of the challenges that affect many businesses in Quincy.

According to GREDF Board President and President of John Wood Community College, Mike Elbe, ‘Kyle Moore is personally vested in Quincy and the entire region.  He brings new ideas and creative viewpoints to address challenges and is very passionate about growing our economy and region.  He is well connected with both local businesses and legislators at all levels.  I am confident that he will be able to hit the ground running.’

While Moore’s economic development experience was undeniably strong, hiring someone with recent political experience to a non-partisan position was a question in many of the board member’s minds.  And, Moore made it known that his time as a politician may not be over.  Ultimately, the interviewers unanimously felt comfortable that Moore is committed to doing what is right for Quincy and the region regardless of political affiliation.  There might come a time when GREDF will have to determine if a political role will cause a conflict at GREDF but Moore’s strengths and experience outweighed any concerns.

Former GREDF Board Member, Phil Conover said of Moore, ‘There is little question as to how much Kyle has grown in his 8 years as Mayor of Quincy.  The man that won the election in 2013 has matured into a well-polished and professional presenter that is able to articulate a vision for Quincy when talking to the public or potential business investors.   We all know how important economic development is to our region.  Kyle has developed the skill sets that are necessary to effectively move our region forward to economic sustainability.’

The First 90 Days

Moore will start as president of GREDF on June 7.  Outgoing president, Marcel Wagner will remain on board to provide insight and guidance as needed by the organization.  Moore will spend his first 90 days both learning and moving projects forward.  He will work with Marcel, GREDF staff members, Angela Caldwell and Nikki Albright, the GREDF board and members to set direction and determine strategy.  The primary focus will remain workforce recruitment.  Several years ago, GREDF identified workforce recruitment as the top need for the employers and businesses.  Moore brings new ideas to combat this growing problem, as well as knowledge and experience of the current programs.  This includes the Quincy Concierge program that connects prospective and new residents to people and resources, partnering with major employers to attract more employees to Quincy.

GREDF Board President Elect, Payne Schoen states, ‘We are excited that Moore will be able to step in and have immediate impact.  Over the last eight years, he has been intimately involved with all the programs and initiatives going on in our community.  This experience will dramatically shorten his learning curve and enable him to continue to build on GREDF and the city’s momentum.’

Search Timeline

February 18, 2021 – Marcel Wagner retirement announced

March 1, 2021 – Job posted to local, regional and national job sites and economic development forums

March 1 – April 15, 2021 – Applications received and reviewed

April 19 – 23 – First round of live interviews conducted by search committee

May 12 – Final candidate interview with community leaders and full GREDF board

May 13 – 21 – Feedback gathered, decision made and offer determined

May 24 – 28 – Offer made and job accepted

June 3 – Announcement of new president made public

June 7 – Kyle Moore starts as the 3rd GREDF president

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

The Adams County Works Transition Planning team welcomed guest speaker Julie Boll, Dare to Lead certified facilitator for the lunchtime seminar, which took place on Wednesday, July 22.

In the training, Julie states, “We all have our go-to shame shields when we are faced with difficult situations.  The three shields identified in Dr. Brené Brown’s research are: moving away, moving toward, and moving against.  My go-to shield is moving away.  If I see something wrong, or if someone attacks my work, my instinct is to move away and get small.  But when I’m crystal clear on my values, I can stand in them and stay anchored in a moment of conflict.  We can all use our values to help us stay grounded in conflict and help us make decisions about our future.”

Julie Boll, M.Ed. is the founder of Julie Boll Consulting, which provides strategic planning and leadership training for nonprofits. Julie is a certified Dare to Lead Facilitator, and, in 2019, was a part of the inaugural global cohort of Leadership and Organizational Development professionals selected by thought-leader Brené Brown to facilitate her work in organizations. As a Courage Catalyst in the Dare to Lead™ program, Julie focuses her work on helping nonprofits learn the skills, practices and tools needed to support brave leaders and build more courageous cultures.

Over the course of her career, Julie has helped her clients and employers secure more than $9.4 M in competitive grants from foundation, state and federal funders. Julie has more than 18 years experience in the nonprofit sector, serving in marketing, public relations and grant development roles. She is Grant Professional Certified by the GPCI Institute and a Grants Professionals Association (GPA) Approved Trainer. Julie has taught a graduate level course in Grant Writing at Quincy University, presented at state-wide and national conferences, and recently co-authored a peer reviewed journal article in the Grant Professionals Association Journal.