Oct. 21 , 2013

With the Cardinals headed to another World Series, the St. Louis region is once again in celebration mode, and we had a few victories of our own to celebrate here in the Metro East over the past couple of weeks. Major infrastructure projects wrapping up, grants secured to further enhance our higher education offerings, the opening of a new training center, plans announced for construction of a new renewable energy plant and kudos for a couple of Leadership Council members are just a few of the highlights. Read on for details on these and more.

Have a great week!

Ellen

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Belleville Wastewater Treatment Plant, Belleville, Korte & Luitjohan Contractors Inc. (Illinois Business Journal, Oct. 2013)

A program to modernize Belleville's sewer system will reach an important milestone later this year when Phase I of its Long Term Control Plan is completed. Korte & Luitjohan Contractors Inc. is the contractor on the three-year, $41.5 million wastewater treatment project.Belleville's existing plant is more than 80 years old.(Read more)

Ameren Illinois opens new training center (St. Louis Business Journal, 10/8/13)

Ameren Illinois has opened its new $6 million workforce training center in Belleville.Training for many of the 600 jobs created through the company's $643 million infrastructure modernization plan will take place at the center.(Read more)

Waste Management to build renewable energy plant in the metro-east (Belleville News-Democrat, 10/17/13)

Waste Management of Illinois announced Thursday it will soon begin construction of a new plant at the Milam landfill in Fairmont City that will generate natural gas. Construction of the $18.5 million Milam Renewable Natural Gas Facility will start before the end of this year. Waste Management expects to begin delivering gas to a pipeline in late summer 2014.(Read more)

Spotlight on Construction (Illinois Business Journal, Oct. 2013)

The Illinois Business Journal's October issue has a feature section on construction in the Metro East area, including a listing of various projects underway or recently completed and several articles providing updates on projects we've previously highlighted in NewsLink. Those include the work underway at West Star Aviation by Contegra Construction and the Enclave West project being built by IMPACT Strategies. Also included is an overview of the new $22.6 million senior high school for Wesclin Community Unit School District 3 in Clinton County being built by Holland Construction Services.The future 120,000-square-foot school will accommodate ninth through 12th graders from Trenton and New Baden and allow for future growth of the student body. (Read more)

SIUE targeting science, technology, engineering and math (Illinois Business Journal, Oct. 2013)

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has landed a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation for a program aimed at improving the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the middle schools and high schools of Southwestern Illinois. The grant will help the university recruit outstanding students studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics and prepare three dozen of them to be STEM teachers in high-needs secondary schools, both rural and urban.(Read more)

SWIC board extends Costello's contract through 2016 (Belleville News Democrat, 10/16/13)

The Southwestern Illinois College Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a two-year extension of school President Georgia Costello's contract. They also approved $1.2 million worth of repairs and improvements to the school's Belleville campus and moved to solicit bids for the construction of a Career and Veterans Center in the main complex of the Belleville campus at an estimated cost of $184,212 and on bids for renovations of the Information Science Building on the Belleville campus at an estimated cost of $598,635.

(Read more)

**Family biz winners named (Inside Loyla, 9/19/13)**

The Family Business Center at Loyola University Chicago's Quinlan School of Business recently announced the winners of its 20th Annual Illinois Family Business of the Year Awards. The 2013 awardees include Leadership Council member Glik Co. as the winner in the Large Family Business of the Year Category. This awards program recognizes exceptional Illinois-based family businesses that demonstrate a strong commitment to business development, family, and the greater-Illinois community. In 1897, the Glik Co. was a single menswear store. Today they are a high-end, name-brand, apparel and footwear chain with 61 stores in nine states, including the stores they have locally in Sparta, Granite City, Edwardsville and Highland.(Read more)

Business school earns high marks (The Edwardsville Intelligencer, 10/16/13)

The Princeton Review has named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's School of Business as one of the best in the country again. SIUE is featured in The Princeton Review's 2014 edition of its book, "The Best 295 Business Schools" and has been featured several years now dating back to 2007.

(Read more)

In Other News

**Area fire departments get water company grants (The Alton Telegraph, 10/15/13**)

Seven fire departments and fire protection districts in The Telegraph area are getting funds from Illinois American Water's 2013 Firefighter Grant Program, commemorating national Fire Prevention Week.

(Read more)

Peggy Sebastian opens new hospital in Highland (St. Louis Post-Dispatch 10/18/13)

In the last three decades, she's climbed the ranks from nursing student to intensive care nurse to health care consultant and hospital administrator. She's also orchestrated large hospital expansions and modernized hospital emergency departments. Most recently, she oversaw the building of the new St. Joseph's Hospital, which opened in Highland on Aug. 22.

(Read more)

Leadership Council members associated with projects in this issue

Contact Information

Ellen Krohne, Executive Director, Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois

618-692-9745

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Family biz winners named (Inside Loyla, 9/19/13)

Area fire departments get water company grants (The Alton Telegraph, 10/15/13)

**Family biz winners named (Inside Loyla, 9/19/13)**

**Area fire departments get water company grants (The Alton Telegraph, 10/15/13**)