During 2017 the Rockford Area Economic Development Council (RAEDC) met with 135 advanced manufacturing companies connected to the aerospace industry inside and outside our region; an 80% increase over 2016.
These “CORE Conversations” (Creating Opportunities for Retention and Expansion) traditionally have been limited to the Rockford Region but expanding to the greater Northern Illinois area has allowed for more comprehensive discussions regarding industry trends and their impact on businesses, workforce needs that encompass more of the State, as well as opportunities for the RAEDC to pro-actively promote our region’s assets.
“These conversations are critical to verify the needs of current businesses are met, while ensuring our region is primed to meet the needs of businesses who want to relocate or expand into the Rockford Region,” states Nathan Bryant, President and CEO of the RAEDC.
Since 2004 there have been more than 900 CORE conversations within the business community. The primary objectives for these conversations include
- understanding the plans of existing organizations within our community
- identify current site issues and improvement opportunities that would help businesses grow
- input information for infrastructure planning, development plans, and managing growth expectations
- aid the development of long and short-term improvement projects with better use of our local resources
- identify connections from companies in our market for out-of-market growth to our region
The RAEDC will connect with 140 companies throughout 2018; to schedule your CORE Conversation meeting, contact us at info@RockfordIL.com or 815-987-8118.
