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ECIDC invites Edgar, Clark reps to retreat
“We hope to transform our communities through this retreat by arming the participants with the tools they need to grow and become leaders in the global economy...”
Bill Steichmann, ECIDC President
East Central Illinois Development Corporation (ECIDC), a membership driven, regional economic development consortium, has announced a regional retreat aimed at building an all-inclusive action plan for the future of the counties it encompasses to take place next month. These counties include: Christian, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Moultrie and Shelby.
Twenty-five leaders, representing all counties and sectors, have agreed to participate in a two-day interactive session to map regional assets and construct a plan based on the possibilities of connecting these assets on Oct. 22-23 at Allerton Park in Monticello, Ill.
“We have worked hard alongside Ed Morrison to make sure we have collected twenty-five individuals to make up the core group of leaders to begin this process,” states Bill Steichmann, ECIDC President. All participants share a common interest in education, workforce development and economic development and are a sample of the sectors of government, economic development, workforce development, business and industry, media, religious involvement, human resources, philanthropy and community service.
The participants have then committed to seeing this plan carried through by participating in quarterly sessions used to evaluate and carry through the initiatives set by the group. The group will stay in constant contact between quarterly sessions through Web 2.0 tools, such as, discussion forums. The plan will be available for viewing on the ECIDC website (www.ecidc.com) at the conclusion of the retreat. “We hope to have all who are interested in molding the region for future sustainability to participate in the quarterly sessions,” invites Steichmann.
ECIDC has assigned five objectives or goals to the retreat.
The first objective is to build relationships by bringing all leaders interested in workforce development, economic development, and education together. Then the group will begin mapping and connecting assets in search of links across the boundaries of communities and counties to discover new possibilities for collaboration and regional growth.
The plan for the region will be constructed by the group as a collective effort in order to increase the likelihood of its success.
The retreat is meant to create growth through the open sharing of ideas and the adoption of translucency. “We hope to transform our communities through this retreat by arming the participants with the tools they need to grow and become leaders in the global economy,” states Steichmann.
The retreat will be led by Ed Morrison, who has over 20 years of experience performing strategy projects in regions across the U.S. Morrison is also an economic policy advisor for the Purdue Center for Regional Development and founder of the Institute for Open Economic Networks. He spoke at the ECIDC Annual Banquet in May. Last spring Morrison invited local regional leaders to participate in a retreat hosted at the Edward Lowe Foundation to learn how to transform regions.
Trisha Mason of ECIDC, Brian Moody of Tuscola Economic Development, and Tiffany Macke of Clark County U of I Extension and Clark County Development participated along with leaders from five other regions across the U.S. and chose to begin the transformation of East Central Illinois immediately by planning this retreat.
The retreat was made possible through a cooperative effort amongst ECIDC and several partners.
They include: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Crossroads Workforce Centers - Olney, Centralia, Mattoon and Effingham, the Effingham County Community Foundation and Mattoon Area Community Foundation-affiliates of the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, Lake Land College, Ameren, Shelby Electric Cooperative, Agracel, Inc., Coles Together, Tuscola Economic Development Inc., and Mattoon Area Industrial Development.
For more information on the East Central Open Retreat or the efforts of ECIDC please contact Trisha Mason at (217) 238-8233.
Twenty-five leaders, representing all counties and sectors, have agreed to participate in a two-day interactive session to map regional assets and construct a plan based on the possibilities of connecting these assets on Oct. 22-23 at Allerton Park in Monticello, Ill.
“We have worked hard alongside Ed Morrison to make sure we have collected twenty-five individuals to make up the core group of leaders to begin this process,” states Bill Steichmann, ECIDC President. All participants share a common interest in education, workforce development and economic development and are a sample of the sectors of government, economic development, workforce development, business and industry, media, religious involvement, human resources, philanthropy and community service.
The participants have then committed to seeing this plan carried through by participating in quarterly sessions used to evaluate and carry through the initiatives set by the group. The group will stay in constant contact between quarterly sessions through Web 2.0 tools, such as, discussion forums. The plan will be available for viewing on the ECIDC website (www.ecidc.com) at the conclusion of the retreat. “We hope to have all who are interested in molding the region for future sustainability to participate in the quarterly sessions,” invites Steichmann.
ECIDC has assigned five objectives or goals to the retreat.
The first objective is to build relationships by bringing all leaders interested in workforce development, economic development, and education together. Then the group will begin mapping and connecting assets in search of links across the boundaries of communities and counties to discover new possibilities for collaboration and regional growth.
The plan for the region will be constructed by the group as a collective effort in order to increase the likelihood of its success.
The retreat is meant to create growth through the open sharing of ideas and the adoption of translucency. “We hope to transform our communities through this retreat by arming the participants with the tools they need to grow and become leaders in the global economy,” states Steichmann.
The retreat will be led by Ed Morrison, who has over 20 years of experience performing strategy projects in regions across the U.S. Morrison is also an economic policy advisor for the Purdue Center for Regional Development and founder of the Institute for Open Economic Networks. He spoke at the ECIDC Annual Banquet in May. Last spring Morrison invited local regional leaders to participate in a retreat hosted at the Edward Lowe Foundation to learn how to transform regions.
Trisha Mason of ECIDC, Brian Moody of Tuscola Economic Development, and Tiffany Macke of Clark County U of I Extension and Clark County Development participated along with leaders from five other regions across the U.S. and chose to begin the transformation of East Central Illinois immediately by planning this retreat.
The retreat was made possible through a cooperative effort amongst ECIDC and several partners.
They include: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Crossroads Workforce Centers - Olney, Centralia, Mattoon and Effingham, the Effingham County Community Foundation and Mattoon Area Community Foundation-affiliates of the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, Lake Land College, Ameren, Shelby Electric Cooperative, Agracel, Inc., Coles Together, Tuscola Economic Development Inc., and Mattoon Area Industrial Development.
For more information on the East Central Open Retreat or the efforts of ECIDC please contact Trisha Mason at (217) 238-8233.
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