The Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) and the Quincy Area
Vocational Technical Center (QAVTC) are proud to announce the Jobs in the Gym event, aimed at
helping area high school students explore career pathways and connect with local employers. This
event, formerly known as Careers in the Commons, took place on November 20, 2024, in the
Quincy High School gymnasium, running from 7:30am to 2:30pm.

Jobs in the Gym is designed to give high school juniors and seniors a unique opportunity to interact
with representatives from local businesses, learn about potential job opportunities, and explore
various career fields. By gathering a diverse range of industries and businesses under one roof, this
event provides students with direct access to information on job roles, skill requirements, and
potential career paths that are available locally.

“We are excited to partner with QAVTC in hosting Jobs in the Gym,” said Cole Schwartz, Director of
Workforce Development at GREDF. “This event goes beyond a traditional job fair; it allows students
to discover industries, speak directly with professionals, and learn firsthand about what it takes to
succeed in different career fields.”

30 employers across the Quincy area have already signed up for this event. Jobs in the Gym offers businesses a valuable platform to engage with young talent and inform students about potential career opportunities within their organizations.

QUINCY — The unofficial return of collegiate summer baseball to the Gem City is finally official.

Now comes the push to be ready by May.

Golden Rule Entertainment, the parent company of the Quincy Baseball Club and the owner of the Prospect League’s Springfield Lucky Horseshoes, announced during a press conference Friday morning Quincy will field a team in the Prospect League that will play at QU Stadium beginning with the 2025 season.

That leaves six months to choose a nickname, create a logo and a brand, develop a roster and make improvements to QU Stadium before the the league is scheduled to kick off its season, somewhere around May 27.

“We will act rather swiftly,” said Jamie Toole, the president and chief storyteller for Golden Rule Entertainment.

That starts with a name-the-team contest. Much like it did when it launched the Lucky Horseshoes, Golden Rule Entertainment will seek the input of the community in developing a nickname. The contest will be online through quincybaseball.com.

“Everything we do, we want it to be about the community and geared toward the community,” Toole said. “Baseball is our platform, not our purpose.”

The purpose is to promote and encourage community interaction and growth. 

It’s been the way Toole and others have approached things since the first phone call was made.

Last April, Toole contacted Tim Hoker, a 2000 Quincy University graduate and a member of the Golden Rule Entertainment team, with the idea of bringing baseball back to Quincy. The Quincy Gems ceased operations following the 2023 season and were sold to Full Count Ministries of Henderson, Tenn. The Full Count Rhythm played in the Prospect League during the 2024 season.

Hoker just happened to be on the beach spending spring break with his family when Toole called, but it didn’t keep him from jumping on board immediately.

“(Toole) was like, ‘How about Quincy?’” said Hoker, who lives in Grayslake, Ill., but will run the Quincy Baseball Club. “I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’ So it’s been a relatively short timeframe, but there are all of the things we have gotten done so far. And there’s still plenty more to do.”

Structurally, that means making improvements to QU Stadium.

Hoker said there are three specific projects that need addressed — fixing the dugouts, redoing the seating and replacing the lights — and the cost will be shared by what Hoker referred to as a three-headed monster of Golden Rule Entertainment, Quincy University and the City of Quincy.

How much each will be asked to contribute is still being negotiated.

In the meantime, the ownership group is working on putting a team together.

Brad Gyorkos, the head coach at Culver-Stockton College, will be the Quincy manager. Gyorkos spent the 2022 and ’23 seasons as the Quincy Gems manager and skippered the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes last summer. The move back to Quincy is welcome and Gyorkos is excited to build a winning franchise here.

“Summer baseball belongs in Quincy,” Gyorkos said.

But Toole, Hoker and others want to impact the community beyond baseball season.

“We’re not going to be a baseball team that’s here for 30 games,” Hoker said. “We’re going to be a baseball team that’s ingrained in the community.”

Said Toole, “We want to create a vision. We want to be sustainable.”

And recognizable, which is why picking the right nickname with the right colors and the right logo is vitally important.

“We want to sell hats and shirts,” Toole said. “We want people in Hawaii and Alaska and Florida wearing Quincy merchandise. We’re proud of this community and we want the rest of the world to know how cool it is.”

November 15, 2024 | By Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor

A staff review by the Department of Planning and Development shows a depiction of a proposed development at 4301 Wismann Lane. The blue line indicates a property line. The red line shows where the proposed warehousing and distribution facility will be built. The yellow line indicates a parking/delivery lot. The green line shows a parking lot for employees. The purple line indicates entrances and exits to the property. | Photo courtesy of Department of Planning and Development.

Muddy River News QUINCY — In a joint Monday morning news conference at City Hall, Mayor Mike Troup and Kyle Moore, president of the Great River Economic Development Foundation, announced an Amazon warehouse/distribution center is coming to Quincy

The 59,000 square foot facility will be built at 42nd and Wisman Lane.

“What a great day this is for the tri-state area,” said Moore. “This last mile facility will allow us to better serve customers in Quincy and the surrounding region.” 

A last mile facility is the last step of the delivery process where a package is moved from the facility to its final destination. The facility supports the final stage of the delivery process. 

“Amazon’s new distribution center will not only provide expedited service to our area, but lifelong career opportunities with competitive pay and benefits for our local workforce,” said Moore. 

Construction of the facility is scheduled in the coming weeks, an exact day has not yet been provided.

Construction will be handled by Ryan Companies, out of Minneapolis. Ryan Companies describes itself as a “full-service real estate firm” providing services in construction, architecture, engineering, development, management, and capital markets. Their website features a gallery of recently completed projects, including Amazon distribution and fulfillment centers located in Woodbury, Minn., Fayetteville, N.C., Venice, Fla., Bondurant, Iowa, Markham, Ill., and Chicago. 

Mayor Mike Troup said the number of employees for this project will be significant, although no firm number of new jobs is not yet available. According to an Amazon news release, most hourly employees working in customer fulfillment and transportation earn between $17 and $28 an hour. 

“The opportunities this project will provide to our construction and other building services will be significant and will benefit our local economy, while also leading to additional employment,” said Troup.

Moore said he believes Quincy is continuing to grow.

“Quincy is really rolling in the right direction when it comes to economic development, when it comes to a national and international company like Amazon expanding into your area,” he said. “It really speaks about the strength of our economy.”

The new Amazon distribution center is expected to improve customer service by offering faster delivery of products to customers in Quincy and the surrounding areas.

Adams County, IL – The Great River Economic Development Foundation announced Madison
Badgley has been promoted to the position of Vice President. Madison began working for
GREDF in December 2021 as Director of Business Development. In that position, Madison
successfully launched GREDF’s Business Concierge Service while growing the Quincy Concierge
Program to help newcomers feel welcome to the community. Her outreach program to the
business community has resulted in three straight years of membership growth. Besides her
duties as Director of Business Development, Madison took over workforce development duties
during a staff transition, overseeing projects such as Careers in the Commons and Career
Launch Signing Day.

As Vice President, Badgley will expand her duties to include business attraction, site selection,
grant management and oversee day to day management of the office when the President is not
available.

Kyle Moore, President of the Great River Economic Development Foundation stated,
“Since day one, Madison has shown a unique ability to help our business community navigate
the complexities of growing their business in these competitive times. She has done this while
starting new initiatives and programs that have added value to our members. The Board of
Directors of the Great River Economic Development Foundation and I believe Madison’s
leadership abilities and her dedication to our organization make her an obvious choice for the
role of Vice President.”

The Great River Economic Development Foundation is a public/private partnership which exists
to maintain and improve the economic vitality of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois. They do
this through the retention and expansion of businesses and attracting new business and talent
to our communities.

BURLINGTON, IA (WGEM) – The Tri-States Development Summit convenes again on Wednesday.

The annual meeting has been held for more than 30 years, with the goal of creating new ideas. They look to help grow the Tri-States, especially in the area of transportation. The Mississippi River is key to that. While it may divide the states geographically, it brings them together in other ways.

At the summit, port development will be a subject of conversation. So will highway development a 1,700 miles of four-lane highway have been created thanks to the Tri-State Development Summit.

That’s according to Tri-State Development Executive Director Leslie Sieck. She said the summit brings the Tri-State community together for the better.

“Coming together to talk about economic development gives us an amplified voice; an amplified voice to our state legislators, our federal legislators and also allows us to really find the best practices and implement them throughout the region,” said Sieck.

Housing solutions are also set to be discussed during the two-day event. Great River Economic Development Foundation President Kyle Moore is part of a panel on workforce housing in the Tri-States.

He said to expect new, good ideas on solving housing problems. Moore comes in with a Quincy and Illinois perspective but will gain the insights of those from other communities.

“Housing is an issue that’s affecting every community in the Tri-State area, and I think we’re going to have a really good dialogue on some of the solutions that we’ve offered here in Adams County, and also learn from folks in Missouri and Iowa as well,” said Moore.

Moore added the Tri-States are better when they work together, rather than as separate entities.

“I think we’re always better when we tackle things as a region,” said Moore. “We don’t really consider ourselves only from, you know, Quincy or Illinois. We really consider ourselves part of the Tri-State region.”

The Tri-State Development Summit runs Oct. 2-3, ending Wednesday afternoon. All members of the public are welcome to attend. It takes place at the Catfish Bend Convention & Event Center in Burlington, Iowa.

Copyright 2024 WGEM. All rights reserved.

Muddy River News | August 14, 2024 | By J. Robert Gough, Publisher

QUINCY — The Adams County Board has approved the first grant allocations from the $1 million set aside for housing out of American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

There were 21 applicants for the Growing Residential Opportunities County-Wide (GROW) program and 17 were awarded funds totaling $740,000.

The Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) vetted the proposals and made its recommendation to the County. The County paid GREDF $20,000 to do the vetting.

The 17 projects will account for 49 new housing units.

The following organizations and addresses received the first wave of funding:

• $100,000 for Rupp Enterprises at 2435 Maine in Quincy.
• $100,000 for ESG Properties at 700 N. 52nd location in Quincy.
• $100,000 for Powell’s Pride LLC at 815 S. 13th location in Quincy.
• $100,000 for Mays Properties at 1611, 1615, 1601, 1605 and 1609 Cherry in Quincy.
• $40,000 for D&D Tri-State Properties at 204 E. Railroad, $20,000 for 403 1/2 Main, and $20,000 for 403 Main, all in Loraine.
• $80,000 for Niesen Properties at 834 Meadow Lark Drive in Quincy.
• $40,000 for Sonsview Properties, Inc. at 201-205 Locust and 1616 N. Second, both in Quincy.
• $20,000 for Calfee Rental at 109-113 N. Broad in Loraine.
• $20,000 for Wayne Bigelow at 812 S. 16th in Quincy.
• $20,000 for Chicory Properties at 1235 Kentucky in Quincy.
• $20,000 for Carol Shaffer and Mickey Tuter’s 411 S. Hedrick property in Loraine.
• $20,000 for Christopher and Marion Dye’s 916 Adams property in Quincy.
• $20,000 for SHARE Home Automation and Real Estate at 1418 N. Sixth in Quincy.
• $20,000 for Updown LLC at 308 N. 8th St. in Quincy.

Adams County Finance Committee Chair Bret Austin said $240,000 remains in the fund and an emphasis will be placed on developments outside of Quincy in the next round.

The County Board also heard a request for $250,000 in ARPA funds for the Adams County Childcare Task Force.

The task force is looking for the money to match a $220,000 grant to fund the Adams County Childcare Advancement and Recruitment Effort for nine years.

The Adams County Childcare Task Force includes the Community Foundation of West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri, Moorman Foundation, Tracy Family Foundation, Great River Economic Development Foundation, Tri-State Development Foundation, Blessing Health, John Wood Community College and West Central Child Care Connection.

The program would pay for the vocational training of high school and college students to become childcare specialists. It can also fund graduates and workers already in the field to practice in Adams County using conditional scholarships and bonuses.

The task force has studies that report only about half Adams County’s childcare needs can be met by the current availability of licensed childcare centers.

June 26, 2024 | By Muddy River News

Chicago — Governor JB Pritzker has signed a package of bills to incentivize corporate development and attract new businesses and capital investments to Illinois.

The bill also expands River’s Edge Redevelopment Zones to seven new downstate communities, which will enable them to leverage new incentives to attract investments, create jobs and invest in their communities. The bill adds zones in Moline, East Moline, Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, Rock Island and Quincy.

“The Great River Economic Development Foundation, The Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce, and The District teamed together this past year to advocate for Quincy’s inclusion into the River’s Edge Program,” said Kyle Moore, GREDF President/CEO. “All three boards recognized that inclusion into the program would give a shot in the arm to revitalize historic properties in Quincy. The most important aspect of the River’s Edge Program is a 25 percent state tax credit to renovate historic properties. Without the River’s Edge program, this can be an arduous administrative process with limited state funds available, making it extremely difficult for local developers to utilize.  We thank the Governor and the General Assembly for their bipartisan support for our River’s Edge initiative. We believe this will lead to many exciting projects in the future.”

The omnibus bills, HB5005, include investments in tax credit programs for the film industry and research and development projects across the state, as well as for the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) and Reimagining Energy and Vehicles (REV) programs. The bills also build on Illinois’ growing status as a tech hub and reduce red tape for the Blue Collar Job Act (BCJA).

“Since day one of my administration I have been laser-focused on ensuring businesses that uplift Illinoisans and our economy see the many benefits this state can offer—and that has paid off many times over,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We’re continuing that essential work with this package of legislation, attracting new and expanded business opportunities that offer good paying jobs and build out industries of the future like EV and quantum.”

In 2023, Illinois tripled corporate investments incentivized by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). New jobs created by the EDGE and REV programs jumped up more than 60 percent from the previous year – from 2,691 to 4,329 – with the number of retained jobs increasing exponentially, from 204 to 3,127. Updates to Illinois’ premier business development tools will make Illinois even more competitive for jobs and capital investment and could generate more than an estimated $21 billion in new state revenue into GRF over the next 30 years.

The Illinois film tax credit, created by Governor Pritzker in 2022 and expanded through 2032, offers tax credits for local labor and production expenditures and has been a key factor in Illinois landing major productions. The State’s tax credit has resulted in a $6.81 return on investment for every dollar spent on the incentive, resulting in $3.6 billion in economic activity between FY17 and FY22. 94 percent of Illinois’ current film industry economic impact is attributed to the impact of the tax credit enacted by Governor Pritzker.

The omnibus also includes:

• Recodification of eligibility for the Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity (MICRO) program: This law codifies quantum computing, semiconductor, and microchip companies in the R&D phase as eligible for the program while reducing initial investment requirements to allow smaller businesses to enter the market.
• Creation of a Quantum Enterprise Zone (QEZ): Designed to help position Illinois’ proposed quantum campus – funded through a $500 million bonded capital request introduced in the FY25 budget – to attract up to $11 billion in CHIPS and related federal funding and an estimated $20 billion in private investment.
• Reduction of Blue Collar Jobs Act (BCJA) Red Tape: Based on industry feedback, this change allows BCJA credits to be based on industry standard or 3^rd party verified construction wages rather than the submission of monthly payroll data.

“As technology evolves, it’s important our policies do the same to maintain our state’s competitiveness and economic strength. The legislation signed today by Governor Pritzker will invest in manufacturing and supply chains, keeping Illinois at the forefront of electric vehicle development while also strengthening incentives for semiconductor and microchip manufacturers, allowing for important advances in quantum computing research that can help solve some our society’s most pressing challenges,” said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “We are especially proud that an extension of the Research & Development tax credit is included in this measure. Research and development are central to the success of our state’s manufacturing sector, with manufacturers constantly creating new products and improving existing ones.

Quincy now in River’s Edge Redevelopment Zone

KHQA by Hayden Donaldson | Mon, June 3rd 2024

ADAMS COUNTY, Ill. (KHQA) — Parents are struggling to find adequate childcare for their children nationwide, and in Adams County.

According to a study done by the Great River Economic Development Foundation, available openings at daycare centers have decreased 14% since 2018.

Great River Economic Development Foundation President Kyle Moore says the effect of this shortage is felt across the spectrum.

“It’s not just that we need new centers, it’s that we need more slots available for childcare, more children to be able to receive it,” said Moore.

GREDF, along with other organizations like the West Central Childcare Connection, Tracy family foundation, and many other funding agencies are coming together to address this shortage.

“We’ve joined a stakeholder group that is looking at how can we increase the number of workers in childcare, because we know for every worker, more children can get the care that they need.”

Moore says they are looking to address the issue at the college level, with the possibility of trying to increase enrollment by offering more opportunities for students at local colleges.

“Whether that means extending apprenticeship opportunities, reducing the cost of college debt for anybody who is working in childcare. Maybe it’s a sign on bonus. We’re just trying to do different things that can help ease the burden our families are experiencing,” said Moore.

The stakeholder group is also speaking with officials on the Adams County Board to see how they can address it as a county leadership issue.

Moore says that the county currently has $300,000 in ARPA funds available from COVID-19 that could potentially be used.

They also hope to help relieve some the cost of food for childcare centers in the area.

“We were able to provide grants to over 80 childcare providers in Adams County, which totaled about $50,000. We know that every little bit helps when you’re talking about the smaller at-home childcare providers,” said Moore.

The stakeholder group hopes to make a presentation for the plan with the ARPA funds later this summer, and if approved could go into effect in the fall.

https://khqa.com/news/local/gredf-looking-to-address-childcare-workforce-shortage