A Boone County Growth Summit is scheduled for Wednesday, Janaury 31st. This will be a time for elected officials, school districts and all units of government and their respected boards to discuss strategies dealing with the growth in the county.

The summit will take place at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Building Complex of Boone County, 111 W. 1st Street, Belvidere. The public is invited to attend.

A court hearing is set for Tuesday, January 30th for residents to speak out on the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority (KVWA). The KVWA was developed by The Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water, ?A- LAW?, a not-for-profit group formed to have the power to regulate the permitting of any new wells for high capacity residential, municipal, industrial and commercial users. The proposed boundaries of authority would include much of rural McHenry, Boone and DeKalb Counties, excluding Belvidere, DeKalb and Sycamore.

According to the ?A-LAW? press release, a water authority has the power to regulate the permitting of any new wells for high capacity residential, municipal, industrial and commercial users. The authority can monitor and conserve ground water and protect important ground water recharge areas within the authority. Existing wells at current usage levels are not affected. Also, wells serving agricultural uses along with residential wells that serve less than four single-family homes are exempt from regulation.

A water authority is authorized by Illinois law and created by referendum voted on by citizens of the proposed authority area. The deadline for filing objections was January 4th and the referendum would appear on the April 2007 ballot.

The January 30th court hearing will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore.

Chrysler Group?s Belvidere Assembly Plant launched production of the Company?s tenth all-new vehicle this year, as the first 2007 Jeep Patriot came off the assembly line last month. The plant which was extensively retooled in 2005, has become a flagship for Chrysler Group's adoption of flexible manufacturing. Production of the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber began in January 2006 and was followed in May by the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass.

Flexible manufacturing is allowing Chrysler Group to bring its new vehicles to market more quickly and the Belvidere Assembly Plant to manufacture multiple products on one assembly line. Additionally, flexible manufacturing has positively impacted production costs by a savings of up to 85 percent in some instances. The Chrysler Group continues to implement its flexible manufacturing processes plant- by-plant.

"We are now seeing the results of our flexible manufacturing strategy that leads to a competitive advantage for the Chrysler Group," said Frank Ewasyshyn, Executive Vice President - Manufacturing. "Thanks to Belvidere's ability to build multiple models off one assembly line, we expect the production of three all-new models to cost significantly less than the initial investment we made in the plant to build one product."

Robotics

At the core of the new manufacturing process is a body shop comprised of robots instead of the dedicated tooling that was previously used. Belvidere is Chrysler Group's first assembly plant to use a body shop comprised entirely of robotics. Only the robots' end effectors, or "hands," need to change in order to build the different models. That tool change is done automatically, within the time it takes to cycle from one vehicle to the next. In addition, the Belvidere plant is flexible enough to vary the production mix between three products anywhere from 0 to 100 percent of each model. A fourth model can also be piloted, or test-built, at the same time, helping reduce the time needed to make new-model changeovers. The new body shop and other upgrades are part of a $419 million total Belvidere investment announced in 2005.

Smart

A new workplace organizational model, coined Smart manufacturing, is increasing the flexibility of the Belvidere workforce, while fostering greater creativity and innovation from plant employees. This model is being implemented throughout Chrysler Group's Manufacturing organization. In addition to extensive training, the new workplace model lets employees design their own work stations. These changes provide a better work environment for employees and give increased support to assembly line team members.

"Belvidere Assembly is running on all cylinders," said Kurt Kavajecz, Plant Manager - Belvidere Assembly Plant. "We have faced many challenges this year, we added two shifts, a new robotic body shop and started production of three all-new models; Jeep Compass, Dodge Caliber and Jeep Patriot. Our new workplace organization model, in which employees work in small teams, has fostered greater creativity and innovation on the plant floor and made for a very smooth process."

The Chrysler Group is the city of Belvidere's largest employer and has a significant impact on the community with 3,400 employees throughout Illinois who generate $188 million in annual wages (year-end 2005). The 3.7 million square-foot Belvidere Assembly Plant is represented by United Auto Worker's Union Locals 1268 and 1761. The plant began production of the Plymouth Fury and Dodge Monaco in 1965.

Pictured above right: Jeep Patriot, Belvidere Assembly Plant

*Information and Photo Provided by Chrysler Group Media

Pacemaker Fine Foods and Snyders Drug store have announced that they will be opening stores in Poplar Grove this upcoming year. The development plan reveals a 35,000-40,000 square foot grocery story and a 14,000-16,000 square foot drug store.

The new grocery store is expected to operate under the banner of Pacemaker Fine Foods. Pacemaker Foods is locally owned and currently operates stores in Belvidere, Illinois and Durand, Illinois. Pacemaker is a long-standing member of Central Foods Grocery Co- op.

Tony Dal Pra, President of Pacemaker Foods, stated, ?the addition of the grocery store and drug store can only strengthen the entire Poplar Grove shopping area and we are happy to work with the local investors on this development.?

Snyders Drug store, owned by Thomas Felker of Pharmacy Inc., will be approximately 12,000 square feet and will have a drive thru pharmacy. The Poplar Grove store will be once of six other Snyder Drug stores in Northern Illinois.

The new stores will be located at the southeast corner of Highway 76 and Countryside Estates Drive. Construction is anticipated in the spring and completion is aimed for fall of 2007.

Sheri Casey, Vice President of Pacemaker Foods, said, ?My family has been serving the Boone County area for over 50 years and we look forward to teaming up with the investor group in order to more readily serve the Poplar Grove community.?

Pictured above right- (L-R), Tom Felker, President of Felker Pharmacy, Inc.and Tony Dal Pra, President of Pacemaker Fine Foods.

Photo provided by Belvidere Daily Republican

Physicians ImmediateCare will be moving to its new location at 1663 Belvidere Road in Belvidere February 1st. The facility was formerly located at 303 Andrew Drive in Belvidere. The new hours will be Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. ? 8:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. ? 2:00 p.m.

The Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding a business after hours on January 25th from 5:00 p.m. ? 7:00 p.m. at the new location. If you wish to attend, please RSVP by called the Belvidere Chamber at 544-5347.

The Northern Illinois Commuter Rail Transportation Initiative (NICTI) will be holding a second round of public involvement meetings in February. The first on February 27th at the Burpee Museum of National History auditorium at 737 North Main Street in Rockford and the second on February 28th at the Community Building Complex of Boone County. On both days the meetings will begin at 5:00 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. The meetings will feature a presentation at 5:30 p.m. by the NICTI consultant team, the NICTI committee and staff.

The presentation will discuss "the universe of commuter transportation alternatives" presented in the study and detail which of these alternatives will be removed from further consideration. Members of NICTI and the Rockford Area Transportation Study will have a question and answer forum immediately after the presentation to answer any questions.

Additional information on the alternative analysis study is available on their website www.NICTI.net.

The biofuels arena has been experiencing significant growth over the past 2-3 years. Corn based ethanol began that trend and now biodiesel development is also increasing rapidly. Both of these biofuels can be produced from agricultural inputs, although the feedstocks are different as are the reactions used at the production plant. Ethanol is made by fermentation and then purified by distillation, while biodiesel is produced by a chemical reaction called transesterification. There has been significant commercial activity and investor interest in the biofuels market arena, both for ethanol and for biodiesel.

The AgTech New Uses Entrepreneur Development Center (NUEDC) focuses on leveraging new use agricultural products to increase demand for Illinois agricultural crops and to stimulate entrepreneurial manufacturing and production activity in the newly emerging biobased product and technology sector. AgTech NUEDC is eager to work with entrepreneurs, manufacturers and various groups interested in developing and commercializing new use applications for the biofuels co-products like DDGS and glycerin.

AgTech may also gain the opportunity to work with a lead manufacturer and custom formulator of lubricants, greases and specialty products for industry worldwide. Technology developments and advancements in bio-based oils are entering such manufacturing industries and gaining appropriateness to replace petroleum in lubricant products. This research and development progression can assist manufacturers in their commercialization efforts as they penetrate the biobased market. The Department of Agriculture and other related entities also have interest in finding new value added uses of soy bean oil and co-products and would be greatly supportive of biobased innovation and research advancements.

Mark your calendars: the Growth Dimensions? 2007 Annual Dinner will take place on Wednesday, April 25th, 2007. The event will feature General Mills/Green Giant and their growing investments in the Belvidere/Boone County community.

The dinner will take place at the Community Complex of Boone County. Further details will soon be announced.

We look forward to you joining our 2007 Annual Meeting Celebration.

The Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce is presenting the BoCo Expo on Saturday, January 27th from 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. at the Community Building Complex of Boone County, 111 W. 1st Street in Belvidere.

The expo gives area businesses an opportunity to showcase their company, products and services. Over 75 booths will be present at the event and admission is free.

Save the Date: The Boone County Manufacturer's Appreciation Breakfast is giong to be held March 7th, 7:00 a.m. in the Community Building Complex. This year's event will cover the topics of workman's compensation and health care in the manufacturing industry.

If you wish to attend, please contact the Growth Dimensions office at 547-4252.

Further details soon to be announced.

The Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner will be held on Wednesday, March 15th at the Radison Hotel and Conference Center, 200 S. Bell School Road in Rockford.

Further details and formal Invitation to be forthcoming.

The Rockford Chamber of Commerce seeks a dynamic President/CEO to provide leadership for its 1700+ members. Reporting to the Chamber Board of Directors, the President/CEO is responsible for the annual business plan and budget, organizational structure, procedures, and staffing, and financial planning and integrity. The President/CEO serves as the Chamber?s official spokesperson and is responsible for the overall ability of the Chamber to fulfill its mission of enhancing the economic vitality of its members.

Qualifications: Candidates must possess a four-year degree; additional education is desirable. Business acumen, strategic thinking, and excellent interpersonal skills are fundamental attributes for the position. Chamber or association experience is relevant but not required. Professional presence and a demonstrated personal record of civic engagement and leadership are important.

To apply: Qualified individuals are invited to submit resumes with cover letters expressing interest, experience and capabilities. Please, no phone calls. Send materials by January 31, 2007, to:

Dick Goff, Search Committee Chairman c/o Rockford Products P.O. Box 6306 Rockford, IL 61125-1306

The Rockford Chamber of Commerce is an equal opportunity employer.