Community and economic development leaders from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri will meet in Macomb this week for the 30th Annual Tri-State Development Summit.
Co-hosted by Western Illinois University, the two-day event, which is put together by Tri-State Development based at Culver Stockton College in Missouri, will be held Oct. 7-8 and includes a keynote presentation Oct. 8 by Chris Merrett, the executive director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at WIU, and breakout sessions that focus on housing, workforce development, early childhood and more.
In addition, staff from the offices of six members of Congress – Mary Miller, Chuck Grassley, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt and Sam Graves - are scheduled to give federal legislative updates on Thursday afternoon.
'It is an honor to deliver the keynote presentation at the Tri-State Development Summit. As the director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at WIU, it allows me to share some thoughts I have about rural development challenges and opportunities,' Merrett shared. 'It also provides me with the specific opportunity to showcase the work that we do, and to offer our technical assistance support to attendees, who represent communities, businesses, and government agencies from across the Tri-State region. We want people to know that the IIRA and WIU are partners in promoting community and economic development in our region.'
Tri-State Development, which operates out of Culver-Stockton College and led by director Sean Freeman, has convened regional community and economic development meetings in northeast Missouri, southeast Iowa and west central Illinois for 30 years. According to the Summit website, the purpose of the annual event is to bring people from across the region together to talk about community and economic development.
'The Tri-State Development Summit is an important event because it brings people together from across the region. It acknowledges that while we may live and work in three different states, we share many of the same challenges and opportunities to work together to collectively improve the quality of life in our region,' Merrett added. 'I really appreciate the convening power of Tri-State Development.'
The conference kicks off the afternoon of Oct. 7 with tours of Macomb, including Pella and a walking tour of downtown Macomb focusing on economic development, led by Mayor Mike Inman and Kristin Terry of the IIRA. During Wednesday's tour of Pella, participants will see the production process and learn about the company's role in the local economy and workforce. The walking tour of downtown will cover the strategies organizers credit with transforming downtown Macomb: public and private investment, historic preservation, entrepreneurship, transportation improvements, public art and placemaking.
“It is a great honor to have the opportunity to showcase more than a decade of progress and accomplishments made possible through strategic planning, the effective use of economic development tools, and innovative, outside-the-box initiatives,' Inman and Terry said. 'Together, these efforts have helped transform Downtown Macomb into a vibrant place to live, work and enjoy life.'
Opening the day on Thursday will bring remarks from Freeman, WIU President Kristi Mindrup, Mayor Inman and Kim Pierce, CEO of the Macomb Area Economic Development Corp. Other local presenters besides Merrett on Oct. 8 include Jock Hedblade, executive director of the Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, presenting 'Creating Communities Where People Want to Be,' and Andrew Kerr and John Bannon of the IIRA, who will present 'Workforce' and 'Housing,' respectively.
The final session of the conference will focus on transportation updates, with officials from the Illinois, Iowa and Missouri departments of transportation, the Mid-America Port Commission and Amtrak speaking.
About Tri-State Development
Tri-State Development at Culver-Stockton College supports the region by cultivating collaborative relationships, promoting interdisciplinary problem-solving, fostering the expansion of academic-organization-industry initiatives, and developing an environment for collective impact to address the current and emerging political, economic, and social challenges in the region.
Learn more at culver.edu/tsd
