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Construction Underway for ONU
Student Life and Rec Center
Plans are in place, and preliminary construction is underway, for the new Student Life and Recreation Center at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. Set for completion in December 2012, the facility is designed, in part, to augment ONU's thriving intramural and intercollegiate athletic programs.
The new Student Life and Recreation Center will measure approximately 168,000 square feet, roughly two-and-a-half times the size of Ludwig Student Center. Features will include an eight lane running track, two pools, a four-story rock climbing wall, four basketball courts, additional workout facilities, a game area, a spacious central lounge where students can gather for recreation or study, and several classrooms.
Read more here. |
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Riverside Breaks Ground for
Expansion of Bourbonnais Campus
Riverside Medical Center broke ground June 9 for its most recent development project, the expansion of Riverside's Bourbonnais Medical Campus. The 30,000 square foot addition will include Riverside's Accredited Sleep Center, additional physician and medical office space, a dedicated mobile PET diagnostic imaging docking station and expanded patient parking. From L are Mike Bossert, Chair-Kankakee County Board; Mayor Paul Shore, Village of Bourbonnais; Phil Kambic, President and CEO-Riverside Medical Center; Harry Bond, Riverside Medical Center Board of Directors; Mike Van Mill, Executive Director of the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County. Read more on this project here.
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Kankakee River Development Conference Attracts Capacity Crowd
The state of the Kankakee River and avenues for its protection and development were explored at the June 7 "WaterWorks" conference held in Kankakee. Benefits of and threats to area's most vital waterway were showcased through displays, guest speakers, small group breakout sessions, and the premier of a promotional video and dedicated website - www.gokankakeeriver.org.
More than 200 attendees heard from expert speakers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Chicago Metropolitan Area Planning, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey and Illinois State Water Survey. Keynote speakers were Dr. John Marlin, IDNR, addressing the Mud to Parks program, and Dr. Nani Bhowmik, addressing ISWS Kankakee River Study highlights.
View event photo slideshow at our Facebook Fan Page.
"The health of the Kankakee River has a distinct and measurable impact on our local economy," notes Mike Van Mill, President and CEO, Economic Alliance of Kankakee County. "A comprehensive examination of our area's greatest natural resource will enable us to identify shared goals and set an effective course of action to reach them."
Impetus for the WaterWorks event stemmed from the action plan segment of a new Kankakee River Study document drafted by the Kankakee River Roundtable. This document was distributed at WaterWorks and will be posted to www.gokankakeeriver.org in the very near future. The Roundtable is an open committee that meets monthly to address challenges facing the river and troubleshoot solutions. The group also identifies the river's untapped potential in the realms of conservation, economic development, and tourism and recreation.
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VDF FutureCeuticals Named
Business Leader of the Year
VDF FutureCeuticals was awarded the Momence Chamber of Commerce "Business Leader of the Year Award" June 8 for its significant investment in a new state-of-the-art global headquarters. The facility, the result of extensive remodeling of a former Momence car dealership, brought value to a vacant property while accommodating FutureCeuticals as a leader in the functional food industry. The new 40,000 square foot HQ includes offices, chemistry and quality control laboratories, a custom-formulation laboratory and presentation kitchen, several large conference rooms, and outdoor lounge and patio areas. |
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EnterpriseU Finals Set for June 21
Finalists for Kankakee County's inaugural "EnterpriseU" Business Plan Competition were announced last week. The eight finalists, selected from 18 contestants who completed and submitted business plans by the May 31 deadline, will advance to the oral presentation round of the competition on Tuesday, June 21. The public event will be held from 3-8 p.m. at Kankakee Public Library.
EnterpriseU contestants and KACC Entrepreneurship Team at the
May 17 "Small Business Salvation" event featuring HomePages founder Adam Andrzejewski
EnterpriseU 2011 finalists are: Brian Scheppler - "BC Systems," commercial and industrial instrumentation and calibration services; Sudipta Roy - "Currey Garden," an Indian restaurant with a sustainable twist; Kevin and Deborah Pippin - "DeKe's Inc.," an indoor shooting range and club with safety training and educational classes; Jeffrey Rice, Aaron Rice and Richard Tran - "GeekSpeak Inc.," a computer boutique specializing in repair, education and sales; Robert and Vertricia Robinson - "Growing Together," a St. Anne agribusiness that grows and promotes natural products for local consumption; Keenan and Jayme Adams - "K&J Farms," a Momence diversified, sustainable farm; David M. Ramirez, CCE - "Kankakee Electronic Discovery, LLC," digital forensics, incident response, data recovery and information assurance services; Sara Goodberlet and J. Kelley - "The Parlor: Bean-Grape-Gather," a cafe and entertainment venue.
Good luck to all contestants!
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St. Anne Kicks Off Beautification Initiative
The Village of St. Anne has begun to implement a Downtown Plan developed by the Economic Alliance and the Kankakee County Planning Department. The community's Economic Steering Committee created subcommittees, and a beautification project has been started for the downtown area. Future projects will be discussed at the Economic Steering Committee's next meeting, which is set for Monday, June 20 at 6:00 p.m. |
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