Illinois Quad Cities development orgs join forces
Four Illinois Quad-Cities organizations are working together to grow the community and attract new business and talented workers.
The Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce, the Development Association of Rock Island, Renew Moline, and Revitalize and Develop East Moline have come together to work as the Illinois Quad City Growth Alliance.
Creating an alliance was one of the recommendations from Blueprint 2010: A Regional Strategy for Unified Growth. The blueprint is an economic development action plan that focuses on creating a new, stronger economy.
The goals of the Alliance include improving the success rate of job creation and retention and housing developments in Rock Island County; maximizing the use of human resources, expertise, and talents of the individual organizations; and using collective political influence to promote public policy that encourages business and residential growth.
The Alliance will launch its efforts with several priority projects, including:
-- Commissioning a detailed analysis of the cost of doing business and cost of living for the Quad-Cities metropolitan statistical area every two years.
-- Partnering with the Quad City Development Group to market the region to target industries.
-- Supporting other organizations as they work on regional projects such as the expansion of Western Illinois University, the development of an industrial park, development of an intermodal facility, expansion of passenger and freight services at the Quad City International Airport and development of a transportation strategy for the region.
-- Supporting the Quad City Development Group and the Quad City Convention and Visitors Bureau in the development and usage of a consistent message to market the region.
posted by The Inside Dope @ 11/17/2005
6 comments
6 Comments:
Sounds like a bunch of Bs to me.
How about electing officials that don't lie down for 'free trade'
Thats the only way to get jobs back!
One thing that stands out from the endless string of these development stories is that they're addicted to "studies" and other such efforts. If you know of any young people thinking of a career, I'd highly recommend becomeing a development consultant.
What a gig. Just commission some surveys and polls, create a fancy sounding report with lots of buzz-words and happy talk, and then cash a very fat check and catch the next flight out.
Sweet!
And when a year or so goes by and the area has done nothing and gone nowhere, they'll surely hire you to do another "study" so they can study that report for another year.
It's the gift that keeps on giving.
I guess the authors of Blueprint 2010 were correct in noting that Quad Citians need to overcome their negative attitudes about their Community and attempts to better it.
Years of talking, planning, consulting, analysing, studying, contemplating, polling, surveying, meeting, public relation efforts, and other means of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and providing employment for studiers, consultants, attendees of meetings, strategizers, analysts, pollsters, and PR flacks while accomplishing little definitely has left a sour taste in many resident's mouths. You're correct in that assessment.
Perhaps they should change their approach?
Billy,
Might I ask who needs to "lead on this issue"? Who in or currently out of office would be a good person to provide the leadership you call for?
I believe East Moline and Moline tried that just a few years back and the VOTING PUBLIC turned it down. Also, what about the "Super City" initiative? Again, an effort killed by PUBLIC OPINION.
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