[share] 2011 was another great year for the Quincy/Adams County, Illinois region. The following is the “Business Developments” section of the speech our 2010/2011 GREDF chair, Connie Schroeder, gave during our 2012 Annual Meeting on January 11, 2012.
Our job at GREDF is to tell our story, that is, the story of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois. We do this in letters, emails and phone calls, on our website and most importantly, through personal contact with current and prospective businesses and you, our stakeholders.
We’re continuously refining our message and we’re blessed to have a wealth of resources about which to boast: transportation infrastructure, skilled workforce, educational opportunities, arts and culture.
We find examples and success stories help our message become more real to our audience. So please allow us to tell our story to you and share some good news from 2011 as we embark on a new chapter in 2012.
2011 Business Developments in Quincy and Adams County, Illinois:
We’re excited to see work nearing completion at 8th and Jersey thanks to Ameren Illinois’ site remediation program. As the $30 million dollar clean-up is completed we look forward to working with our H.Q.B.D. partners to find the right developer and project for the site.
2011 also saw the $5.5 million dollar renovation of the Quincy Public Library and Awerkamp Machine Company’s completion of a new warehouse at 716 Vermont in the downtown.
GREDF’s Entrepreneurship Specialist, Charles Bell had another busy year in 2011. He assisted over 70 businesses with startup and expansion planning, site location and financing. Charles helped Adams County businesses and entrepreneurs navigate a variety of financial incentive programs available to them, including the Rural Adams Development Corporation, Adams County Revolving Loan Fund, GREDF Central Business District Revolving Loan Fund, Adams Electric Revolving Loan Fund and Two Rivers Revolving Loan Fund. Specific examples of assistance include the expansion of Alliance Industrial Corporation on Highway 57 and the construction of a soybean treatment and warehousing facility owned by Chuck and Mary Beckman near Paloma.