Chris Merrett, PhD, Director Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Western Illinois University Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Western Illinois University

 Discuss why community economic development (CED) matters.  Overview of the IIRA.  Explore the importance of partnerships to CED. 1.Rationale for CED.  Does a rising tide lift all ships?  Metaphor versus reality: Why CED matters. 2.Overview of the IIRA. 3.The Power of Partnerships.  IIRA CED success through partnerships.  IIRA and the ECIDC.  Symposium overview.

 Development as metaphor…  “A rising tide lifts all boats.”  Metaphor used by JFK (1962) and Reagan (1984) to explain how economic development works.  Is this metaphor in fact true?

 Development Reality.  1990s National Trends.  Population.  Economy.  Conditions in Illinois.  34 of 102 counties lost population.  Tide of prosperity bypassed many rural communities.  Implications.  Responsible for our own destiny.  IIRA driven by this reality to help communities to help themselves.  Regional partnerships matter.

 IIRA founded in  Executive Order identifies the IIRA as the “the State’s academic clearinghouse for rural development data and initiatives.”  Provide research and technical assistance to the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council (GRAC), which is chaired by the Lt. Governor.  Mission: To improve the quality of life for the people of rural Illinois and beyond.  Research, policy, technical assistance, teaching.  Help communities to help themselves.  Asset-based Community Development (ABCD).  Sustainable CED – Triple bottom line, 3Ps = profits, planet, people.  Prioritize rural but we have worked in all 102 Illinois counties and beyond.  Personnel and Budget.  40 FTE and $4.2 million – 2/3 external funding – USDA, DCEO, EDA, SBA…

(1) Strategic Visioning  (2) Technical Assistance  (3) Implementation  Where are we now?  Where do we want to be?  How do we get there? Goal: Prioritize CED objectives through a grassroots consensus-based process.  Business Plans  Business Retention & Expansion  Data Collection / Analysis  Economic Impact Analysis  Feasibility Studies  Fiscal Impact Analysis  GIS Mapping  Labor Market Analysis  Marketing Surveys  Renewable Energy  Retail Trade Analysis  Sustainable Development  Peace Corps Fellows  IIRA Follow-up  Midwest CDI  AmeriCorps VISTA  Volunteer Training  Statewide Conference  Regional Workshops  Online materials Goal: Improve the quality of life for the residents of rural Illinois and beyond. Provost Director Merrett MAPPING Sustainable Development Health & Housing Rural Transit DATA Center SBDCPTACRETAC Peace Corps Fellows Faculty Management Team

We help a community filled with conflicting visions and agendas… …to become a community with a shared vision that has been generated through consensus. Communities need to be proactive…

 We have been in business for 22 years, serving over 400 communities.  During this time we have learned a few things:  CED is hard work.  No shortcuts or easy paths to CED despite what some folks might say.  Identify, nurture and deploy the assets you have in your own communities and region.  Partnerships matter a lot!

 Hoopeston, Illinois, Housing Project.  Several IIRA programs collaborated with state agencies and a private sector real estate developer to spur the development of a 25-home subdivision to be completed by the spring of This $4.6 million development was initiated by a Peace Corps Fellow from WIU. Working with an IIRA-sponsored VISTA volunteer from Hoopeston, the PCF collaborated with the IIRA Health and Housing program ( with USDA-RCDI funds ) and the MAPPING program to identify housing needs in the community. With a plan in place, the town of Hoopeston worked with the Illinois Community Action Development Corporation, IHDA and a private sector builder to plan and build the subdivision.  Hicks, Carol Hoopeston Subdivision Open for Families. Danville Commercial-News. November 30. Online: open-for-families. open-for-families open-for-families

 Our partnership with the ECIDC is very important.  We have worked with many communities, counties, and institutions in the ECIDC region.  Today’s symposium showcases these partnerships.  We appreciate the opportunity to share these successes with you.

 1: :30. Informational Booths / Networking  1: :15. Strategic Visioning & Community Foundations  IIRA / MAPPING Program Manager Gisele Hamm  SE IL Community Foundation President/CEO Joedy Hightower  2: :15. Peace Corps Fellows Program  IIRA / PCF Program Manager Karen Mauldin-Curtis  City of Casey Economic Development Director Nicole Weigand  3: :15. GIS Mapping, GIS Community Interns, Survey Research, & Data Tools  IIRA / DATA Center Manager Lori Sutton  Lake Land College-GIS Instructor Dr. Mike Rudibaugh  4: :00. Networking / Evaluations / Closing Remarks  Thank you again…

Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Western Illinois University