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.

We were pleased to have Latonya Brock, executive director of the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce speak with our Adams County Works Transition Planning team, along with other community leaders on Increasing the Bottom Line Through Inclusive Culture.

The lunchtime seminar took place on Wednesday, June 24 via zoom with nearly 30 attendees. Latonya was hired as the Executive Director of the Chamber in September 2017.  She was originally hired as the Chamber’s Membership Manager in February 2016.  Latonya moved here from Indianapolis, IN. Prior to Chamber work, she was in the financial industry for 22 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Indiana Wesleyan University.  She is married to Jebora Brock. Together the couple has one adult son, two adult daughters, a teenage son, and seven grandchildren.

Latonya has been a leader of Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace and helps lead the Chamber Diversity & Inclusion committee, which serves as a subgroup within the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce that was formed to create awareness within our community as it relates to being diverse and inclusive.  The objective of the group is for businesses and organizations to look for ways or form actionable steps to embrace D&I and to leverage the strengths of all employees within their influence.