Thursday, February 25, 2010

GLCEDC Brownfields Redevelopment Workshop

The GLCEDC, The Steveson Center at ISU, and The Farnsworth Group are hosting a workshop on how to redevelop contaminated parcels of land (Brownfields). The Pontiac Daily Leader highlighted the workshop this week. Please follow this link for more information on the Brownfields workshop.

Friday, February 12, 2010

GLCEDC in the News

County Board Chairman Bill Fairfield sat down to discuss the state of the county with The Daily Leader this week. Chairman Fairfield summarized the county's work with GLCEDC and highlighted the grant and loan programs as well as recruitment efforts in Dwight.

You can read the full text of the article online on The Daily Leader's E-Edition page.


"We have thus far invested $500,000 in the Greater Livingston County Economic Development Corporation (GLCEDC),”Fairfield said. “Of this amount the GLCEDC has given $13,000to the Cullom grocery store which has helped that community to once again have a grocery store."

Monday, February 8, 2010

GLCEDC in the News

The Pantagraph recently published an update on the county's efforts to assist Coils, Inc. in reopening their Dwight facility.

Please follow the link to read the article.

“These opportunities don’t come around very often, especially during the times we are in,” said Larry Vaupel, CEO of the Greater Livingston County Economic Development Council. “The county has lost over 1,000 jobs within the past couple of years, so this would aid us tremendously.”

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Info for the wanna-be entrepreneur

The University of Nebraska Extension has established a series of video podcasts for entrepreneurs and small business owners. The series is videoed and can be viewed here. Some of the videos are specific to the business environment in Nebraska, but many apply anywhere. Topics include:
  • Attracting venture capital
  • Making your small company appear big
  • Tips for hiring your first employee
  • Networking basics
  • Ag entrepreneurship


The following video is entitled "How to Become an Entrepreneur" and gives advice for those thinking about starting their own business. Follow the links for more video podcasts.


How To Become An Entrepreneur from NxBizSuccess on Vimeo.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Updates to the GLCEDC Business Assistance Page

I've recently added quite a bit of information to the Business Assistance page of the GLCEDC website. The information on this page is intended to help with the practical side of starting and running your business. Some of the information includes:

Information regarding financing, training, and additional resources are available on the For Entrepreneurs page of the GLCEDC website.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Available Classes at HCC Green Institute

The Green Institute at Heartland Community College sent us their Winter/Spring course offerings yesterday. The list of available courses is below. To register call 309-268-8160 or visit www.heartland.edu/communityed.

You may also be eligible for up to a 50% rebate of fees upon successful completion of the course. Call 309-268-8166 for more information.


More Discussion on High Speed Rails

The Daily Journal published an article in response to the announcement of $1.2 Billion federal dollars going towards high speed rail projects in Central Illinois. Both Larry Vaupel (GLCEDC CEO) and Kevin McNamara (Dwight Village Administrator and GLCEDC Executive Committee Member) were interviewed.

Please follow the link to read the article.

"People are spending three-and-a-half hours a day commuting. This could ultimately put Dwight 45 minutes from downtown" Vaupel said. "That would open up Dwight, Pontiac, Livingston County to others. People would be drawn to the quality of life we have here."