Kane County launches Economic Development Commission, names seven-member founding board

Kane County on Friday announced the launch of a new countywide Economic Development Commission and named a seven-member founding board that county leaders say will coordinate economic strategy across municipalities.

Jobs Committee Chair Anita Lewis told the committee the commission was formed after a county-funded study and a $150,000 initial grant and will operate as an independent organization supported initially by ARPA funds. "These are people that are in the trenches working," Lewis said of the founding board.

The commissionofficially formed after recommendations from the county's study work and is structured as a 501(c)(6), Lewis said. The initial board of seven includes Austin Dempsey, president of Batavia Enterprises; Sean McCarthy of Comcast; Lacey Young of General Mills; Peggy Heinrich, president of Elgin Community College; and Steve Pinsticker, representing agriculture interests. John Grueling will provide county staff support to the commission, Lewis said. The commission will locate offices next to the county workforce development office in Batavia in a building Lewis described as a restored former windmill factory.

Why it matters: County leaders framed the commission as a way to unify municipal economic development efforts, share resources such as regional data partnerships, and present a single countywide offering to prospective employers. Lewis said the commission will help smaller municipal chambers and development groups access resources they otherwise lack, while letting municipalities continue to promote their own local priorities.

Committee members said the new commission will work closely with workforce development and community partners. Lewis said the county's ARPA commitment runs for three years and that the commission's organizers expect to transition to a business-member funding model and seek municipal and nonprofit investors over time. "The goal is that we will step out and this fledgling Kane County Economic Development Board will fly on its own," Lewis said.

Committee discussion and next steps Committee members asked about membership and governance. Lewis said the initial seven-person board was selected to enable quick decision-making and that the commission will expand its board and investor classes over time to include municipalities, community colleges, hospitals and other stakeholders. Committee members asked for more detail on how the commission would fit with existing county offices; Lewis and other presenters said the commission will be an independent nonprofit but will report back to the jobs committee.

Staff told the committee the commission has contracted a national firm to survey local businesses to create a benchmark assessment of manufacturers' needs; results are expected by late summer or early fall. The commission will continue a "lighthouse" manufacturing initiative with IMEC and expand programming to additional firms that could not initially enter the ARPA-funded cohort.

Funding and timing Lewis reiterated that ARPA seed funds provided the start-up funding and that allocations must be managed under ARPA spending timelines; committee members discussed the need for the county and municipal partners to consider follow-on investment when ARPA funding sunsets. A committee member noted that funds from the Grand Victoria Riverboat Casino are also designated to support education, environment and economic development and could be considered in future planning.

The committee placed the reports on file by consensus and adjourned; no formal vote to create the commission was recorded in the committee minutes during this meeting.

Ending Committee members said they expect the commission to begin public programming and report back with survey results and early program plans in late summer or early fall. Chair Lewis said invitations will be sent to jobs committee members for an economic development roundtable on June 20 that will include an update from the commission and municipal partners.