Community Pulse: GEDC is heating up this summer

Prospect Activity

Coming off one of the most active prospect years in the GEDC’s history, the interest in Grundy County continues to grow. Last year the office saw prospect activity increase 84%. There continues to be strong interest in projects that require significant energy and are part of the energy transition. Data centers that support AI require large amounts of power and are drawn to this region due to our extensive transmission lines and energy producing assets like Dresden Energy Center and CPV Three Rivers Energy. Companies looking to decarbonize energy are interested in projects such as solar panel manufacturing, clean fuels, and minimizing emissions. More traditional projects – like transportation and logistics – continue to look at Grundy County with the proposed CN intermodal facility along Rt. 6 and the accompanying logistic facilities that use the rail intermodal. Both new and existing technologies are all considering a new home in Grundy County.

Advancing Grundy

GEDC and the Grundy Chamber of Commerce received a federal grant to build a more diverse, resilient economy for all communities in Grundy County. This roadmap is being built with the input from all sectors of the local communities including the upcoming town hall meetings. The Advancing Grundy Town Hall Meetings will be an interactive event asking the public about their vision for Grundy County’s economy. There are three opportunities to attend a town hall meeting: at 5 p.m. July 23 or 8 a.m. July 24 at the Wesley Center in Morris, 111 W. North St. There is also a virtual option via Zoom at noon Tuesday, July 23. Registration is requested and can be done at resilientgrundy.com.

“We need to hear from the people who live here, those with families here, as well as business owners and our local leaders. Everyone’s input is necessary for us to gather information to create a strategic plan to diversify our future economy,” GEDC President & CEO Nancy Norton said.

Summer Internships

The summer interns are halfway through their work experience at local businesses and municipalities. The forty interns are working at 15 sites around the county. These real world, paid positions allow local juniors and seniors the chance to explore different career paths and better understand the opportunities available to them right here in their communities. Local employers are building a talent pipeline and getting valuable assistance this summer. It is a great program and the GEDC in cooperation with the Grundy Area Vocational Center (GAVC) look forward to watching it grow.

As interest in our region grows, projects like Advancing Grundy and the summer internship program are more important than ever to make sure local leaders and residents are at the helm of driving Grundy’s future.