November 16, 2015


This week's Good NewsLink's top stories highlight the Scott Air Force Base (St.Clair County) site selection for NGA, including the offer of an additional 200 acres adjacent to the site to accommodate the NGA's "99 year" plan and the launch of the Midwest Cyber Center of Excellence. This edition also includes many exciting articles regarding growth in healthcare, banking, education, industry and more.
Retirement is the next exciting adventure ahead for me, and I welcome Ronda Sauget as the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois's next Executive Director. It has been my honor and great pleasure to have written to you, our Good NewsLink subscribers, and to have served Southwestern Illinois. It is a great place to grow a business and call home. Best wishes to Ronda Sauget and all in the region.
Enjoy this edition of Good NewsLink.
Ellen Krohne
Executive Director
Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois
  
 
St. Clair County offers 200 additional acres in an effort to bring spy agency to metro-east
(Belleville News-Democrat, 11-16-15)
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern and other metro-east elected leaders gathered Monday morning to make another public plea for bringing the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to a county-owned site next door to Scott Air Force Base.
(Read More)

Metro East leaders launch cyber security center 
(St. Louis Business Journal, 10/28/15)
Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois joined with educational institutions and other Metro East groups to launch the Midwest Cyber Center of Excellence.
(Read More)

Ronda Sauget named leadership council's executive director (AdVantage News, 10/29/15)
The executive committee of the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois announced Thursday that Ronda Sauget has been hired to serve as the next executive director of the organization, effective Dec. 1.
(Read More)

Humanities center start of major complex
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/06/15)

Call it a $20 million salute to human dignity - that's how much Edwardsville benefactor Mannie Jackson is prepared to spend on a project that could transform the community's Main Street in the next two years.
(Read More) 

New six-story, 284-room 'visitor quarters' hotel to be built at Scott
(BND, 10/29/15)

Scott Air Force Base, located outside Mascoutah, is getting a new visitor's quarters whose features will rival those of a first-class business hotel.

IDOT building connection from MLK bridge to southbound Illinois 3
(
Belleville News-Democrat, 11/12/15)
About a half mile east of the closed Martin Luther King Bridge, workers spread rock to form the base of a new ramp that is being put in place. Other workers pour concrete foam within concrete panels forming a wall.
(Read More)

Multi-million-dollar office complex launches in Columbia
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/2015)
 
If constructing a $12 million building takes vision, then a local partnership has view to spare as work begins atop a bluff overlooking St. Louis.
(Read More) 
Getting our hands dirty
(Advantage News, 10/29/15)
Executive Director of Madison County Employment and Training and president elect for the Chamber of Commerce Southwestern Madison County's Board of Directors David Stoecklin moderated an "evening discussion" onstage during the chamber's 75th anniversary gala in St. Louis on Oct. 24.
(Read More) 

St. Luke's, Memorial expansions to Debut in 2016
(St. Louis Business Journal, 11/06/15)
Memorial Hospital will open a second location, Memorial Hospital East, in Shiloh, Illinois, April 12.

Memorial Group, BJC finalize affiliation
(Advantage News, 11/04/15)
With federal and state regulatory approvals secured, Memorial Group and BJC HealthCare have signed an agreement to proceed with a strategic affiliation announced in April.
(Read More)

Gateway Regional delivers convenience, accessibility through outreach centers
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/06/15)
Tremendous change is occurring in the health-care industry and one of the biggest is the move to decentralized care.
(Read More)

St. Joseph's Hospital continues to grow after first two years on new campusBottom of Form
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/2015)

When a child reaches his/her second birthday, some commonly refer to this time as going through the "terrible twos." That cannot be said about the new HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital (Highland) as patient volumes continue to grow for the second straight year - reinforcing hospital leadership's vision first shared when the new facility project was made public.

(Read More)
Officials support geospatial intelligence agency development in St. Clair County
(Alton Telegraph,  11/14/15)
Local government units are showing support for a potential geospatial intelligence site that could bring up to 4,000 jobs to the Metro East.
OSF Saint Anthony's says it is transforming primary care in the areaBottom of Form
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/2015)

One year into the historical affiliation of Saint Anthony's Health Center and OSF HealthCare System, OSF Saint Anthony's is transforming health care in the River Bend, its leaders say.

(Read More)
New SIUE Fire Station will enable Edwardsville to better serve university, nearby businesses
(Riverbender, 11/09/15)
Several leaders from the City of Edwardsville, state legislators and fire department, emergency personnel and community members attended a groundbreaking Saturday morning where the new fire station will be located.
(Read More) 
Hawthorne Animal Hospital breaks ground on new multipurpose facility, hopes for late 2015 opening for groomer service
(Riverbender, 11/06/15)
Hawthorne Animal Hospital of Glen Carbon will be undergoing some excellent changes as it heads into the new year.
(Read More)
Korte Company working on addition at The Highland Home
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/06/15)
The Korte Company began work this summer on an addition at The Highland Home, an independent retirement community located in Highland.  
 
IMPACT Strategies hired to upgrade Swansea Schnucks store
(Riverbender, 11/12/15)
Construction-management firm IMPACT Strategies has been hired by Schnuck Markets, Inc. to complete the renovation of its Swansea, Illinois store located at 2665 North Illinois Street. Construction began in early September and will conclude mid-November before the start of the holiday season.
(Read More)
Meet the St. Louis region's new freight czar
(St. Louis Business Journal, 11/13/15)
The St. Louis region moves 342 million tons of freight annually, making it the No. 10 metro by freight volume. All those goods passing through the area are worth some $261 billion, according to a freight analysis by the Federal Highway Administration.
(Read More)
Belleville considers incentives for developer rehabbing downtown building
(Belleville News-Democrat, 11/16/2015)
The Belleville City Council will meet Monday night to consider giving incentives worth an estimated $5,300 to a developer renovating a vacant downtown bank building.
(Read More)
SWIC receives grant to promote sciences
(Edwardsville Intelligencer, 11/12/15)
The future of technology might be found in the minds of Southwestern Illinois College students.
Making the grade
(Advantage News, 11/13/15)
Bill Anton cuts the ribbon to announce A+ Automotive's grand opening, alongside his wife, Ellen, and members of the RiverBend Growth Association. The new business on North Rodgers held its grand opening on Oct. 10.
(Read More)

Realtor Association of Southwestern Illinois sees numbers rise (Illinois Business Journal, 11/11/15)
The Realtor Association of Southwestern Illinois says St. Clair, Monroe, Clinton and Randolph counties reported an increase in year-to-date home sales in September 2015 compared to September 2014.
(Read More)
 
IN OTHER NEWS

Campaign sponsors photo contest
(AdVantage News, 10/26/15)
Get to know m.e., the regional image campaign that celebrates why people love living and working in the Metro East, announced a photo contest on social media for residents to show the many ways they love living in the Metro East through photographs.
(Read More)

Local businesses rise above
(AdVantage News, 11/07/15)
The winners of the RiverBend Growth Association's Captain of the Riverbend awards this year included the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, Argosy Casino Alton, Challenge Unlimited, Med Resources, Scheffel Boyle and the St. Louis Regional Airport.

SIUE among RideFinders 2015 Regional Sustainability Award winners
(Riverbender, 11/03/15)
RideFinders, the St. Louis region's free rideshare program, announced that Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Scott Air Force Base are recipients of the second annual Regional Sustainability Awards.
 
Institutions team up for nurse degree program
(AdVantage News, 11/06/15)
Lewis and Clark Community College and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's School of Nursing are joining together to put community college students on the fast track to receiving their bachelor of science in nursing degrees.
Driver training program recognized
(Edwardsville Intelligencer, 11/11/15)
Lewis and Clark Community College's Truck Driver Training program recently received the Illinois Trucking Association's 2015 Industry Dedication Award.
(Read More)

SIUE School of Engineering adds Mechatronics and Robotics Degree
(Riverbender, 11/09/15)
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering is adding a bachelor's program in mechatronics and robotics engineering. The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the program earlier in August.
(Read More)
 
Spotlight on Southwestern Illinois: Banking and Finance
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/06/15)
Tom Davey, Market President, Centrue Bank, Fairview Heights
(Read More)
 
Spotlight on Southwestern Illinois: Banking and Finance
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/06/15)
David Hopkins, Senior Vice President, First Bank, O'Fallon, Ill.
(Read More)

Spotlight on Southwestern Illinois: Banking and Finance
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/06/15)
Darryl Collins, Regional Retail Banking Director, Commerce Bank
Spotlight on Southwestern Illinois: Banking and Finance
(Illinois Business Journal, 11/06/15)
Chad Abernathy, Senior Vice President/Chief Retail Officer, First Clover Leaf Bank, Edwardsville
(Read More)

SIUE receives seventh straight Military Friendly Designation
(Riverbender, 11/05/15)
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been designated a 2016 Military FriendlySchool by Victory Media, the leader in successfully connecting the military and civilian worlds. 
(Read More) 

SWIC named 'Top College and University' by Military Advanced Education
(SWIC Blog, 3/3/15)
Southwestern Illinois College has been named a "Top College and University" by Military Advanced Education magazine.
  
Korte joint venture wins $23 million contractBottom of Form
(St. Louis Business Journal, 11/12/2015)

A joint venture that includes The Korte Co., 
a St. Louis-based design-build contractor, has been awarded a $22.9 million contract to build a U.S. Army training center in Waldorf, Maryland.
(Read More)
HeplerBroom lands 10 attorneys in 'Best Lawyers'
(EDWARDSVILLE, 11/14/2015)
HeplerBroom LLC says 10 of its attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2016.
(Read More)



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Le
adership Council members associated
with projects
 in this issue 
 
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Lindenwood U






Lewis & Clark Logo





Madison County IL













SunCoke Energy




America's Central Port Logo













Korte logo











Memorial Hospital




Holland Logo









EFK Moen







Realtor Association of Southwestern Illinois

Riverbend Growth Association










St. Louis Regional Chamber

































 















 



 




 




  

  
  
    
Contact Information

Ellen Krohne, Executive Director, Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois

618-692-9745

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