►
Description
McLean County Chamber of Commerce Presentation: Special City Council Meeting (McLean County, City of Bloomington, and Town of Normal)
A
This
meetings,
kind
of
a
collaboration
between
the
city
managers
and
the
County
Administrator
I,
want
to
thank
Tim
Gleason
for
his
work
in
Pam
Reese
back
there
and
Camille
Rodriguez
over
here
for
putting
this
together
for
us
also
stage
attorney
Don
Knapp
is
here
back
there
representing
the
county.
I
think
I
saw
Bryant
day.
The
city
is
here
as
well:
I,
don't
know
if
Jeff
Jergens
is
here
or
not
anyway.
Thank
you,
we'll
move
on
now
and
we're
going
to
have
three
presentations
today.
A
B
My
name
is
Connie
Mandula
and
I'm,
the
chairman
of
the
board
of
directors
this
year,
I'd
like
to
start
this
evening
by
recognizing
other
current
members
of
our
Board
of
Directors
that
are
here
with
us
tonight.
Like
you.
These
are
the
individuals
dedicated
to
ensuring
the
chamber,
has
a
relevant
and
a
successful
program
of
work
for
the
1,000
member
businesses
and
organizations
that
we
represent.
Well,
the
members
of
the
Chamber's
board
of
directors
who
have
joined
us.
Please
stand
or
wave
your
hand
to
be
recognized.
B
From
the
video
you
can
see,
we
truly
are
surrounded
by
advantages,
and
the
power
of
the
community
is
how
we
make
our
mark.
The
video
asked:
are
you
listening?
The
question
is
for
all
of
us
using
the
proverbial
you.
As
for
the
chamber,
we
listened,
we
got
involved
and
we
are
making
our
mark
benefiting
our
members,
partners
and
leaders
in
the
next
15
minutes.
You
will
hear
from
a
diverse
group
of
people
who
will
be
telling
you
how
we've
done
this
specifically
focusing
on
our
workforce
development
efforts
and
our
subsidiary,
the
McLean
County
Community
Compact.
B
First
I
want
to
provide
a
brief
overview
of
the
chamber.
The
chamber
is
a
501
C
6
organization
and
doesn't
receive
public
dollars
for
its
operations
or
its
program
of
work.
The
chamber
is
a
membership
organization
that
serves
over
1,000
businesses
and
organizations
in
McLean,
County
and
the
surrounding
area.
That
said,
we're
proud
to
have
the
town,
the
city
and
the
county.
As
members
of
the
chamber,
we
focus
our
efforts
on
four
pillars
of
strategy
that
drive
the
pace
of
our
work.
B
We
promote
commerce,
advocate
pro-business
perspectives,
collaborate
to
lead
change
and
engage
in
actions
for
results
that
strengthen
the
prosperity
of
the
business
community.
On
behalf
of
the
McLean
County
Chamber
of
Commerce,
we
appreciate
your
leadership
and
want
to
thank
you
for
your
membership
as
well
as
the
municipal
support
compact
has
previously
received.
We
appreciate
your
future
consideration
and
investment
for
workforce
development,
specifically
through
our
subsidiary,
the
McLean
County
Community
Compact,
which
is
a
standalone
501c3
subsidiary
organization,
to
take
us
into
how
the
chamber
started
into
the
program
of
work
and
what
our
successes
include.
C
Well,
thank
you
County
very
much
and
thank
you
all
for
the
opportunity
to
be
here.
It's
the
pleasure
to
be
here
this
afternoon
with
you
to
visit
about
the
work
we're
doing
at
the
chamber.
Many
of
you
as
I,
look
around
her
when
we're
serving
as
an
elected
official
when
we
had
developed
and
launched
the
be
an
advantage:
economic
development
and
marketing
strategy
exactly
four
years
ago
this
month,
if
you
look
in
the
rearview
mirror,
a
lot
has
happened
in
bloomington-normal.
In
that
time
there
have
been
wins
and
fails.
C
C
As
you
have
noted
by
our
opening
video
we're
following
a
theme
tonight,
you
heard
Connie's
proverbial.
Are
you
listening
now
you're
going
to
hear
my
prover
bill?
Are
you
involved
in
my
answer,
for
the
chamber
is
with
an
unwavering?
Yes,
as
prescribed
by
the
be
an
advantage
strategy,
the
chamber
gladly
accepted
the
opportunity
to
begin
a
focused
effort
and
workforce
development,
with
resolutions
and
financial
investment
from
both
municipalities
and
be
an
advantage
for
the
chamber.
Those
funds
were
specifically
allocated
to
workforce
development,
so
our
presentation
this
evening
is
focused
solely
on
that
effort.
As
many.
C
There
were
some
successes:
there
are
some
significant
successes
from
the
start
and
many
people
came
around
the
table
to
engage
in
our
effort
as
we
continue
to
have
successes.
We
found
lots
of
partners
we'll
talk
more
about
that
later,
but
there
are
two
specific
partners
that
over
time
would
be
in
the
best
interest
of
joint
efforts
to
engage
with
our
workforce
effort
merged.
The
first
was
being
stem
initiative
started
and
operated
by
the
economic
development
council.
B
in
stem
still
thrives
today
with
many
successes
that
we'll
also
cover
shortly.
C
The
second
was
the
McLean
County
Community
compact,
with
great
energy.
Behind
some
of
the
new
workforce
efforts
under
the
leadership
of
Bob
Miller,
it
was
decided
the
compact
would
officially
merged
with
the
Chamber's
workforce
efforts
and
in
March
of
2018,
a
new
subsidiary
of
the
chamber
was
formed,
housing
both
be
in
stem
and
the
original
compact,
through
a
network
of
employers,
educators
and
community
resources.
Compacts
mission
is
to
grow
a
robust,
diverse
and
work
ready,
talent
pipeline.
C
We
do
that
by
strategically
unifying
and
mobilizing
community
and
external
resources,
by
enhancing
the
culture
of
sharing
responsibility,
to
maintain
and
enhance
workforce
development
in
McLean
County.
To
tell
you
how
our
working
compact
has
provided
an
advantage.
It's
my
pleasure
to
introduce
Tony
Caleta
who's.
E
F
Thank
You
charlie,
as
Charlie
mentioned,
I'm
Tony,
colada
I'm,
the
vice
president
of
human
resources
from
advocate
Roman
Medical
Center,
an
organization
which
employs
approximately
2,000
people
here
in
McLean
County
and
in
central
Illinois
I,
also
have
the
pleasure
of
serving
as
the
McLean
County
compact,
chair
and
I
as
Connie
did.
I
would
like
to
take
a
moment
to
recognize
the
compact
board
members
who
are
in
attendance
today,
please
wave
to
the
audience.
F
F
We
have
hired
a
full-time,
Workforce,
Development
Manager
Jan
C
LaFollette,
from
whom
you
will
hear
in
a
few
moments
and
Jan
C
is
dedicated
to
creating
and
synchronizing
workforce
development
initiatives
in
McLean
County.
We
have
gained
additional
commitment
and
financial
support
from
compact
investors,
including
those
listed
on
the
slide.
You
see
here.
F
These
organizations
and
entities
are
dedicated
to
creating
the
McLean
County
workforce
of
the
future,
and
we
deeply
appreciate
their
support.
We
are
awarded
a
60
by
25
network
grant,
also,
which
focuses
on
college
and
career
pathway,
endorsements
on
high
school
diplomas
in
the
following
areas:
agriculture,
information
technology
and
Health
Sciences.
This
grant
is
part
of
the
post-secondary
and
workforce
readiness
Act
that
is
designed
to
help
communities
better
transition
students
from
high
school
into
college
and
careers
by
giving
them
exposure
to
a
combination
of
academics
and
experiential
learning.
F
We
have
expanded
engagement
and
connections
with
students
and
educators,
employers
and
the
community
through
BN
stem
efforts
like
the
classroom,
connection
platform
and
Ballou.
The
classroom
connection
platform
is
the
online
resource
connecting
educators,
students
and
employers
to
create
experiential
learning
and
opportunities
that
help
spark
career
interest
and
better
prepare
students
for
career
paths.
The
loop
is
a
teacher
professional
development
series
where
area
teachers
get
immersed
in
area,
businesses
and
career
paths,
seeing
how
the
concepts
they
teach
translate
to
current
and
future
careers
in
the
Klaine
county.
F
We've
also
added
the
program
becoming
BN.
This
is
the
summer
internship
program
that
launched
summer
of
2019
and
gave
student
interns
in
McClain
County
the
opportunity
to
experience
our
wonderful
County
and
why
they
should
consider
making
this
their
career
home,
as
you
can
see
from
the
slide
jessica.
F
Provided
us
this.
This
quote
here
and
the
program
is
already
having
an
impact
on
our
interns.
We've
also
added
education
to
employer
summits.
This
is
a
venue
that
brings
together
educators,
employers
and
the
community
into
into
the
workforce
development
conversation.
The
spring
session
we
hosted
focused
on
secondary
education
and
well
was
led
by
our
area.
Superintendents
follow
focused
on
post-secondary
education
and
is
led
by
our
post-secondary
leaders.
F
We
also
have
added
a
monthly
electronic
newsletter
distributed
to
over
500
community
partners,
making
them
aware
of
all
of
our
programming
and,
if
you're
not
receiving
this.
This
is
our
main
vehicle
for
communication
to
our
employers
and
others
in
the
community.
We
encourage
you
to
let
us
know
and
we'd
love
to
add
you
to
that
list
serv.
F
Finally,
we
have
helped
address
the
skills
gap
through
the
development
and
implementation
of
the
essential
works
place,
workplace
skills
series
in
collaboration
with
Heartland
Community
College,
and
this
is
as
a
direct
response
to
the
2016-2017
employer
needs
survey
that
we
conducted,
which
represented
144
organizations
and
approximately
40,000
employees
throughout
the
county.
You
may
have
been
exposed
to
this
program
at
BN
by
the
numbers
recently.
F
However,
if
you
are
not
the
essential
workplace
skills
series
is
a
set
of
four
pardon
five
for
hour-long
workshops
that
cover
practicing
professionalism
at
work,
communicating
effectively
using
effective
tools
for
decision
making
and
goal-setting
navigating
challenges
and
stressors
and
understanding
customer
service
essentials.
Our
next
session
is
October
18th
understanding,
customer
service
essentials.
F
As
you
can
see,
our
portfolio
of
programming
is
diverse
and
our
intentional
partnerships
are
vast,
but
we
see
this
as
an
advantage,
a
collective
impact
for
our
community,
through
collaborations
with
the
chamber
and
employers,
learning
institutions
and
being
able
to
leverage
various
resources
wherever
they
exist
throughout
the
community.
For
the
benefit
of
our
County.
Lynne
will
tell
us
more
on
the
power
of
community
I'd
like
to
welcome
Lynne
Haley
to
the
stage.
G
Thank
You
Tony,
and
thank
you
all
for
having
us
here
today
to
have
this
conversation.
My
name
is
Lynn
Haley
and
I
direct
the
Center
for
the
Study
of
education
policy
in
the
College
of
Education
here
at
ISU,
our
Center
studies,
education
issues
and
programs
and
does
a
program
evaluations
from
birth
through
the
workforce.
So
this
is
right
in
our
wheelhouse
to
look
at
that
continuum
of
moving
into
the
workforce
from
a
very
early
age,
the
power
of
community
it.
G
You
know
some
people
would
use
the
phrase
that
you've
heard
before
it's
all
about
the
network,
and
it
really
is.
We
can
see
the
proven
power
of
community
and
a
lot
of
what
we've
done,
and
many
of
you
have
also
heard
the
term
collective
impact
and
collective
impact
is
when
we're
all
pulling
together
and
putting
our
resources
us
in
together
in
a
smart
way
to
accomplish
our
goals.
G
So
some
of
the
things
that
we
have
accomplished
along
the
in
the
area
of
community
is
we've
worked
together
to
create
what
we
call
logic
models
which
guide
our
work
towards
our
goals.
This
is
an
example
of
the
car
overall
compact
logic
model,
underneath
this
are
dozens
of
others
with
more
detail
about
what
each
entity
does
in
order
to
make
a
contribution
towards
common
goals.
G
We
also
conducted
working
for
workforce
meetings
throughout
2018
that
started
conversations
about
the
communities
impact
on
college
and
career
readiness,
the
whole
concept
of
talent,
pipeline
development
and
ways
of
collaborating
in
new
and
possibly
more
fruitful
ways.
We
have
engaged
over
75
volunteers
who
are
dedicated
to
assisting
the
growth
of
the
talent
pipeline
and
a
lot
to
be
said.
If
you
yourself
are
a
volunteer,
and
here
tonight
you
should
give
yourself
a
pat
on
the
back,
because
it's
asking
a
lot.
G
G
Recently,
we
went
through
a
strategic
visioning
process
with
our
compact
board
and
that
board,
as
I
believe
has
been
mentioned,
represents
industry
employers,
institutions
of
higher
education,
k-12
education,
and
we
have
set
some
very
focused
goals,
increase
increasing
employer
and
education,
collaborations,
improving
college
and
career
readiness,
equitable
access
to
success
for
all
and
increased
talent,
attraction
and
retention.
One
thing
I
would
draw
attention
to
is
that
these
goals
are
measurable
and
one
of
our
big
pushes
is
a
focus
on
impact.
G
We
want
to
be
able
to
show
where
we've
been
and
where
we've
gone,
we
plan
to
reach
our
goals
through
a
set
of
activities.
This
is
more
or
less
an
umbrella
version,
as
I
said,
there's
many
more
detailed
activities,
but
one
is
to
coordinate
and
refine
workforce
development
efforts.
We
want
to
reduce
silos.
We
want
to
reduce
duplication.
We
also
want
to
institute
new
programs
as
needed
based
on
local
needs,
such
as
we
learned
through
the
employer
survey
that
generated
the
workforce
skills
program.
G
We
want
to
grow
and
maintain
integrated
networks
across
education,
training
and
employment
that
don't
just
come
and
go
but
become
long
standing
and
strong,
and
then
we
certainly
want
to
apply
research
in
order
to
track
progress,
inform
our
work
and
report
to
all
of
you
on
impact.
The
workforce
networks
are
diverse
and
we
wanted
to
show
you
an
example
of
the
kind
of
diversity
that
we
represent.
I'm
not
going
to
read
all
of
these
too,
but
you
can
see
we
are
actually
part
of
a
statewide
workforce
development
network.
G
You
saw
the
logo
earlier,
the
60
by
25
network,
which
is
actually
managed
out
of
Northern
Illinois
University,
but
there
are
16
communities
across
the
state
and
we
share
ideas
with
each
other
in
terms
of
Workforce,
Development
and
talent,
attraction
and
retention.
We
have
our
all
of
our
County
school
districts,
our
higher
ed
institutions,
our
community
service
organizations,
the
EDC
and,
as
you
can
see,
the
list
goes
on
and
we'd
certainly
like
the
list
to
continue
to
grow.
H
You
Lyn,
we
have
some
exciting
activities
planned
for
2020
to
expand
our
reach
and
truly
leave
our
mark
on
McClain
County
I
am
Jan
Z
LaFollette,
the
workforce
and
compact
manager
serving
under
the
chamber.
As
Lynn
noted,
we
recently
went
through
a
strategic
visioning
process
that
is
setting
the
stage
for
2020
and
beyond.
Looking
forward,
we
determined
our
ten-year
target.
H
It
is.
We
determine
ten-year
target,
is
to
make
McLean
County
a
top
tier
destination
for
growing
expanding
and
relocating
businesses
by
providing
a
robust,
diverse
and
work
ready
talent
pipeline
to
get
us
there.
We
need
to
start
here
through
connections
with
local
employers,
our
learning
institutions
and
by
leveraging
a
diverse
gamut
of
resources.
In
addition
to
maintaining
our
current
portfolio
of
work
in
2020,
which
Tony
mentioned,
we
are
also
looking
to
implement
a
few
projects
that
will
set
us
up
for
success.
H
We
plan
to
increase
our
impact
by
engaging
volunteers,
interns
and
others
with
our
portfolio
of
programming,
we're
gonna
dive
deeper
into
our
learning
institutions
and
increasing
our
in-school
connections
with
principals
and
counselors
well,
at
the
same
time,
continuing
to
assess
and
identify
skills
gaps
and
how
compact
can
play
a
role
through
intentional
collaborations
to
develop
our
talent
pipeline.
We
plan
to
leave
a
mark
in
McClain
County,
because
we
are
listening.
We
are
getting
involved
and
we
see
our
advantages.
C
Our
time
is
wrapping
up,
and
so
we'll
conclude,
but
as
you
can
tell,
this
is
truly
a
team
sport
I'd
like
to
reiterate
what
you've
heard
from
our
remarks
so
far,
so
from
Connie,
you
heard,
are
you
listening?
The
chamber
has
listened
and
while
continuing
to
focus
on
the
four
pillars,
including
promoting
commerce
advocating
business
perspectives,
collaborating
to
lead
change
and
engaging
for
action
and
results
from
Tony,
you
heard
become
an
advantage.
C
Compact
has
feverishly
works
to
help
become
an
advantage
through
investment
and
engagement,
both
public
and
private
sectors,
as
well
as
secondary
and
post-secondary
education.
With
the
myriad
of
actions
and
activities
correlated
to
those
goals
from
Lynn,
you
heard
the
power
of
community
we're
increasing
focus
with
our
partners
on
the
logic
models,
seeking
measurable
outcomes
positively
affecting
our
regional
employer
community
and
from
James
II.
You
heard
leader
mark.
C
We
have
a
lofty
set
of
goals
for
2020,
with
a
dedicated
board
and
a
team
of
volunteers
ready
to
advance
our
work
for
both
mclean
county
students
and
employers.
So
to
wrap
it
all
up.
What's
this
mean
to
you,
what
does
the
impact
have
for
you
just
last
week?
There
is
an
article
in
The
Wall,
Street
Journal,
with
this
headline.
C
Workers
are
fleeing
big
cities
for
smaller
ones
and
taking
their
jobs
with
them.
Workers
are
fleeing
big
cities
for
smaller
ones
and
taking
their
jobs
with
them.
The
points
you've
heard
from
us
are
you
listening.
Are
you
involved
power
of
community
become
an
advantage
and
leave
your
mark.
This
isn't
just
for
this
is
for
our
entire
community.
This.
This
isn't
talking
points
for
this
evening.
It
is
our
time
to
capitalize
on
this
movement
and
that
time
is
certainly
now
why
one
the
pending
sale
of
a
State
Farm
building
in
downtown
Bloomington.
C
This
offers
the
potential
to
significantly
increase
the
downtown
population,
with
an
opportunity
to
reignite
downtown
development
discussion,
with
focus
on
private
sector
investment
to
the
rise
of
Rivia
automotive
in
the
growth
potential
innovation
technology,
industrial
science
in
manufacturing,
not
only
the
job
creation,
but
the
secondary
businesses
startups
in
entrepreneurship.
It
will
encourage
three,
the
largest
freshman
class
recruited
to
ISU
in
over
three
decades,
with
more
than
70%
coming
from
the
Chicago
market
alone.
C
We
have
a
huge
opportunity
in
our
own
backyard,
to
sell
becoming
the
end
to
the
graduating,
seniors
and
interns
to
start
their
careers
right
here.
So,
according
to
this
headline,
we
have
an
open
invitation
to
recruit
or
attract
the
next
generation
of
workers
to
our
community
working
collaboratively
with
specific
outcomes.
We
have
every
ability
to
not
only
meet
their
needs,
but
also
the
ability
to
work
together
to
exceed
them.
C
C
C
I
do
feel
that
we
do
reach
out
fairly
routinely
and
regularly,
but
we
do
want
to
reach
to
those
businesses
who
are
looking
for
assistance.
One
of
the
best
things
that
we
can
help
do
for
those
businesses
in
the
outlying
area
is
to
help
them
intentionally
connect
where
they
are.
They
don't
always
have
the
opportunity
to
meet
with
people
with
in
bloomington-normal,
but
online,
taking
people
out
to
them
forging
those
connections
and
establishing
relationships.
That's
something
that
is
an
organization
that
we
can
do
really
well,
but
we
also
can
serve
as
a
referral
partner.
C
So
when
they're
looking
for
resources
or
capital
or
business
planning
or
what
they
need
to
help
their
other
businesses,
they
can
utilize
us
to
make
sure
that
they're
referred
to
occur
source
to
get
them
what
they
need.
So
really
it's
establishing
to
the
communications
and
the
relationships
with
those
outlying
businesses,
so
I
live
in
one
of
the
rural
communities
and
we've
had
an
opportunity
to
see
a
lot
of
growth
in
that
community
and
it
hasn't
been
by
accident.
F
Development
front
to
we
mentioned
Mark
John
tree
earlier,
we're
very
much
the
Regional
Office
of
Education.
Those
schools
are,
on
our
mind,
very
much
more
constantly
working
with
that
group
through
the
beyond
stem
coordination
to
make
sure
there's
outreach
to
those
schools
and
that
we're
working
with
those
schools
as
well
in
corporate.
They
incorporate
them
into
the
programs
that
we
offer.
G
Well,
we
know
that
equity
doesn't
mean
everybody
gets
the
exact
same
change.
It
means
that
you
calibrate
your
services
to
the
needs
of
the
individual
person
if
I'm
saying
that
clearly
enough,
so
we
do
feel
that
there
are
groups
of
people
that
need
X
and
there's
groups
that
need
Y
and
some
need
x
and
y.
G
But
it's
going
to
be
our
job
to
try
to
gauge
that
understand
that
and
provide
that,
and
it's
got
to
be
different
than
one
size
fits
all,
which
is
what
so
much
Workforce
Development
has
been
in
the
past
and
so
much
education,
I'm,
a
former
high
school
teacher
and
I
remember
when
we
used
to
grade
on
a
curve.
No,
that's
not
how
we
should
be
doing
it,
and
so
that's
definitely
a
lens
that
we're
trying
to
learn
more
how
to
do
in
the
workforce.
Arena.
A
F
Would
just
in
response,
I
would
say:
I
highlighted
the
workforce
180
program
working
in
collaboration
with
United
Way,
obviously
with
our
lowest
folks,
for
my
socio-economic
status
in
mind
to
make
sure
that
they
have
access
to
viable
career
paths,
and
so
we're
really
just
getting
started
with
that
work.
But
our
intent
is
to
we're
initially
working
in
the
certified
nursing
assistants,
space,
which
connects
social
service
agencies
with
the
Hartman,
essential
skills
program
that
we
referenced
and
some
other
support
mechanisms,
and
also
loads
in
some
potential
employment
opportunities
for
those
folks.
F
C
More
thing
so
EWS
essential
workplace
skills-
you
heard
us
talk
about,
we
do
have
a
set
of
employers.
Who
are
anyone
who
completes
the
series
will
be
guaranteed
an
interview
and
so
we're
happy
that,
as
we
put
those
series
in
the
place
and
they
officially
we've
had
the
pilot
study
or
the
pilot
phase
go
through
it
officially
launches
now,
as
of
the
being
by
the
numbers
this
last
week.
But
there
are
a
growing
list
of
employers
who
have
committed
to
at
least
providing
an
interview
to
those
who
complete
that
series
of
modules.
A
J
You
thank
you
guys
for
the
presentation,
as
I
watch
the
different
components,
it
seems
like
there's
a
lot
of
moving
pieces
that
are
involved
in
each
one
of
the
the
pace
at
the
you
guys
put
up
on
the
screen
at
the
beginning.
Walk
me
through
some
of
the
different
models
you
guys
have
used.
I
assume
it
comes
from
other
communities
and
best
practices,
you've
seen
what
are
some
like
communities,
they've
done
things
have
been
successful
with
these
types
of
programs.
K
D
C
But
it's
one
that
we
looked
after
to
be
an
advantage
process,
but
Bowling
Green
Kentucky,
which
we're
taking
a
small
group
of
people
to
visit
in
November
on
a
very
specific
program,
they're
doing
for
their
eighth
grade,
Career
Fair
and
then
we're
looking
at
something
in
Alabama,
as
it
relates
to
graduation
rates
that
are
exceeding
the
employment
rates.
Those
who
are
going
into
industry
rather
than
going
into
college
after
high
school
and
making
those
connections.
C
So
there's
a
lot
of
different
models
that
I
could
share
with
you
that
we've
we've
taken
a
look
at
then
we
have
a
whole
nother
level,
which
is
the
left
side
of
my
brain,
which
doesn't
get
used
a
whole
lot
from
Lin
from
a
logic
modeling
perspective,
which
is
seeking
all
the
work
that
other
organizations
are
already
doing
and
bring
it
together
to
make
sure
that
we're
intentionally
working
with
each
other
and
not
against
crossed
paths
with
each
other.
And
so
you
heard
James.
C
He
talked
a
bit
about
asset
mapping
and
really
taking
a
little
bit
everything
that's
going
on
within
the
community,
and
so
that's
the
next
step
sue.
But
I
can
tell
you
that
what
we've
built
our
work
on
came
from
initially
the
three
goals:
I
rattled
off
at
the
beginning,
which
come
which
came
from
the
be
an
advantaged
strategy.
But
it's
it's
includes
so
much
more
now,
based
on
our
inclusion,
not
only
Aston
but
also
in
McLean
County,
Community
Compact.
So
there
are
a
variety
of
models.
C
J
C
There's
some
of
you
have
gone
with
this
to
Greenville
there's
some
of
you
who
went
with
us
to
Little
Rock
and
into
some
other
places,
communities
that
we're
looking
to
benchmark
best
practices,
and
so
it
is,
it's
really
taking
a
look
at
who's.
Doing
really
well,
especially
as
it
relates
to
work
that
we're
looking
at.
C
So
when
we're
looking
at
the
growth
of
occasional
types
of
programming
and
how
we're
reintegrating
back
through
the
Bloomington
area,
Career
Center,
that's
a
huge
step,
then
looking
at
transitioning
of
university
communities
and
higher
transitioning
students
into
the
community
and
growing
that
population.
So
at
the
end
of
the
day,
the
big
behemoth,
I
guess,
if
you
will
from
a
10
year
perspective,
is
what
are
we
doing
in
this
effort
to
grow
population
and
grow
local
GDP?
I
C
So
part
one,
yes,
that
was
easy,
but
part.
Two,
yes,
and
so
you
know,
is
Patrick
Goodson
with
the
economic
development
council
and
understands
the
role
of
IDI
and
what
they're
looking
at
and
their
goals
and
activities
and
how
that
relates
as
the
goals
and
activities
at
the
chamber.
But,
of
course,
with
our
partners
with
the
CBB
and
Regional
Planning
and
all
of
us,
as
I
mentioned
that
took
my
conclusion.
C
It
is
a
team
sport,
so
all
of
us
have
to
be
sitting
at
the
table
having
conversations,
and
so
we
looked
at
several
models
around
the
country
where
they
coexist
and
who's
responsible.
For
what
and
at
what
point
the
next
group
comes
in
then
an
ex
comes
in,
but
I
can
tell
you
that
the
conversation
is
alive
and
well,
especially
amongst
the
educational
communities,
from
our
primary
secondary
and
post-secondary
to
have
those
conversations
with
us.
C
So
when
we're
taking
a
look
at
how
we
do
all
work
together
for
building
that
pipeline
in
places
like
Brant
and
Riven
have
been
very
open
with
all
of
our
educators
but
they're
also
very
open
with
us,
and
what
we
can
do
to
look
at
upskilling
and
all
the
job
training
and
using
our
state
of
Illinois
DC
oids
resources
for
those
opportunities,
as
well
so
kind
of
a
long-winded
answer.
But
yes,
and
yes
would
be
the
short
version.
L
C
C
The
ability
to
be
proactive
instead
of
reactive,
and
so
you
know,
I,
applaud
the
efforts
of
pulling
today
together
and
appreciate
the
opportunity
as
I
know.
My
partner's
do
as
well,
but
importantly,
is
to
keep
this
dialogue
going
with
very
open
questions
so
that
we
can
address.
How
do
we
work
together
between
without
it,
without
a
division
and
with
a
circle
all
around
us?
So
we
can
have
constant,
consistent
messaging
internally
and
externally.
L
C
Again,
that's
gonna
be
one
of
those
I'm
going
to
defer
to
Patrick
because
from
an
EDC
perspective,
we're
gonna
look
and
work
with
them
more
closely.
After
they've
made
the
decision
to
come
here
or
they're
growing
here
versus
there
looking
to
consider
moving
to
bloomington-normal
I
have
a
whole
lot
of
you
know.
I'd
say
surface
response
to
that,
but
it's
not
really
I
think
the
EDC
is
the
best
organization
to
address
that
question.
E
C
The
conversation,
the
feedback
that
we
get
on
the
floor
back
to
our
initial
employer
survey,
and
so
that's
really
where
the
most
of
our
data
comes
from,
because
we're
really
focused
specifically
on
employers,
and
so
those
who
are
employed
are
those
that
you're
going
through
interview
processes
with
or
with
our
employment
agencies.
They're
the
ones
are,
gonna
provide
us
with
that
feedback
in
specific.
So
at
this
point
we
don't
I
would
say,
have
a
method
or
a
vehicle.
That's
going
out
to
the
community
as
a
whole.
D
You
talked
about
kind
of
the
three
things:
the
communication
with
regional
partners
and
education
and
mentorship
programs
and
alike,
and
so
there's
been
a
lot
of
really
good
progress
beyond
STEM,
spun
up
and
and
all
the
good
workforce,
development
that
Tony's
heading
up
and
the
like,
but
as
you're
looking
for
in
the
next
five
what's
next
or
where.
Where
is
our
biggest
opportunities
that
you
all
see
in
the
work
that
you're
doing
now
and.
D
C
I'll
take
a
go
at
it
and
if
anyone
wants
to
follow
up
to
so
I'm
very
pleased,
the
chamber
is
starting
a
new
strategic
planning
process
that
is
new
for
us,
and
so
it's
a
matter.
It's
an
opportunity
for
us
to
redefine
our
core
values
and
scrub.
All
of
our
work
against
those.
So
in
that
process
we'll
look
at
the
five-year
than
a
10-year
be
hag
if
you
will,
and
so
as
we
forge
forward,
they'll
be
much
more
measurable
outcomes,
and
so
there
was
songs.
I
say
most
of
the
time
now
is
to
what
end.
C
F
Would
just
add,
really
growth
of
the
programs
that
we
mentioned
for
I'll.
Give
you
an
example,
the
the
Career
Connections
platform.
It
would
be
our
goal
to
have
every
employer
in
the
McLean
County
participating
that
why,
because
that
creates
experiential
learning
for
students-
and
we
know
from
those
experiences
that
when
a
student
has
an
experience
like
that,
they
form
a
connection
and
if
they
form
a
connection,
there's
greater
likelihood
to
remain
will
retain
that
suit.
Here,
same
concept
with
programs
like
becoming
bien,
the
more
students
we
have
engaged.
F
We've
heard
this
from
our
area:
educator
career,
centers,
right,
Illinois,
State,
Wesleyan,
Harvard.
If
the
students
engage
be
on
their
campus
walls
in
an
experience
at
an
employer
or
in
the
faith
community
or
whatever
the
case
may
be,
if
they
form
that
connection
they
stay.
So
that's
really
important
work
for
us.