MORTONPROGRESS
The Latest News from the Morton EDC
August 2015
MEDC Adds Two Individuals to Board of Directors

The Morton Economic Development Council is excited to announce the addition of two new members to the Board of Directors. MEDC investors approved Clint Heinold from Core Construction and Darren Martin from Caterpillar to the Board at a special meeting in July. 

"Clint and Darren bring valuable experience to the Board both in their professional roles with key private sector employers and with their involvement and understanding of the larger Morton community," MEDC CEO Brian Anderson said. "We are looking forward to getting their input and perspective as MEDC continues our work to strengthen and grow the economy"
    
Public Open House Scheduled to Learn More About New Downtown Development

Join us for a special open house to learn more about the Jefferson, Downtown Morton's new mixed use development, which is slated to break ground soon at the Morton Public Library from 6-9pm on August 20. The development team, Village and MEDC staff will be on hand to talk about this important project and long term visions for Downtown Morton.

The Jefferson represents the largest investment in Downtown Morton in decades. It is also the first project to take advantage of Morton's new mixed use zoning statutes as MEDC and the Village of Morton work to increase invest in and improve the Downtown. 

There has been and will continue to be increased construction activity in and around the Downtown. Memorial Plaza is slated to break ground later this year. The Great American Popcorn Co. is finishing up a renovation of a storefront and scheduled to open soon. The Village has also begun work on additional parking lots to serve the Downtown. 
  
Sam Leman Opens New Location on Courtland Street

Sam Leman Chrysler Dodge Jeep of Morton recently completed the construction of their new dealership on Courtland Street. MEDC and the Morton Chamber of Commerce held a joint ribbon cutting to celebrate this major project. 

The new 40,000 square foot facility is another major investment in the retail corridor on Courtland. The move also adds an additional 12,000 square feet of space versus their previous location on Detroit Avenue.   
  
MicroGrant Awarded to AutonomouStuff, LLC

            
The MEDC has announced that AutonomouStuff LLC has been awarded a Morton MicroGrant to help support the expansion of their workforce at their office on Erie Street in Morton. The grant will be used by AutonomouStuff as they add one new full-time and one new part-time position to their team. 

The Morton MicroGrant program was created by MEDC to encourage small business development and job creation for Morton. The Morton MicroGrant program is administer by the MEDC and funded by Morton Community Bank. It is open to both existing and new businesses looking to create new jobs.

AutonomouStuff was founded in 2010 by Bobby and Jill Hambrick. AutonomouStuff provides products and services that help enable the deployment of robotics and autonomous driving all over the globe.

"AutonomouStuff is a great success story for Morton and the local economy," said MEDC CEO Brian Anderson. "They've experienced rapid growth in the type of high-tech advanced sector MEDC and the Village is trying to target for future job growth and investment."
MEDC Welcomes New Intern 

Earlier this summer, MEDC added Javar Cruz to our team as an intern. Javar is a senior at Illinois State University majoring in political science and economics. He is originally from Maryland and made his way to Illinois when he was recruited by ISU as part of the Redbird track team. 

Javar's responsibilities include maintaining MEDC's database of available properties, coordinating business retention and expansion visits, and providing support on research projects. 
Morton Economic Development Council                                                           Leadership Circle 
415 West Jefferson Street village of morton
Morton, IL  61550
309-263-2491

Morton Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council | 415 West Jefferson Street | Morton | IL | 61550