‘Makers on the Move:’ Bus tour stops in Belleville, Collinsville
The Roesch Inc. Belleville team was presented with the Centennial Manufacturer recognition by IMA officials in front of the “Makers on the Move” bus during the tour stop on Oct. 6.
By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
Managing Editor, Illinois Business Journal
[email protected]
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center brought its statewide bus tour to the Metro East on Oct. 6, 2025.
“Makers on the Move” made stops at Roesch Inc. in Belleville and Ameren Illinois in Collinsville on Monday. The tour, now in its fourth year, is scheduled to make more than 30 stops at manufacturing facilities, educational institutions and community centers across Illinois from Oct. 3 through 10 as a part of the celebration of Manufacturing Month throughout October.
The “Makers on the Move” bus tour features a fully wrapped 56-foot bus that travels approximately 2,500 miles and to nearly every region of the state. Industry advocates touring on the bus are joined by educators, economic development leaders, public officials and other dignitaries along the stretch of the annual journey.
The intent of the tour is to highlight the diverse, rewarding careers in manufacturing and to take an up-close look at the high-tech modern manufacturing of both the present and the future.
More information about the tour is available at https://makersonthemove.org.
Belleville’s Roesch Inc. was founded as a porcelain enamel contract manufacturer in 1916. Today, it is a leading manufacturer of food equipment, home appliances, HVAC, hearth, patio, and ice products.
Shown from the left are IMEC President David Boulay, IMA President and CEO Mark Denzler, and Roesch President Mike Koenigstein during the tour at the Belleville facility on Oct. 6.
During the stop at Roesch, the company was recognized by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association as a Centennial Manufacturer. The IMA’s Centennial Manufacturer program honors companies operating for 100 years or more for the perseverance, adaptability and excellence needed to do so.
The “Makers on the Move” tour bus also made a Metro East stop at Ameren Illinois’ Collinsville location. Ameren employs roughly 9,000 and brings power to 2.5 million electric customers as well as over 900,000 natural gas customers found throughout a 64,000-square-foot area. Its continued delivery of these vital services shows how manufacturers power everyday lives.
State Senator Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon), along with State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton) and staff for State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) joined manufacturing officials at these tour stops. Among officials on hand from the manufacturing industry were IMA President and CEO Mark Denzler and Vice President of Education & Workforce Policy Sarah Hartwick as well as IMEC President David Boulay.
Tour pauses for a group shot in front of the “Makers on the Move” bus at Ameren Illinois in Collinsville on Oct. 6.
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) is a statewide association dedicated exclusively to advocating, promoting and strengthening the manufacturing sector in Illinois. It is the oldest and largest state manufacturing trade association in the United States. It represents close to 4,000 companies and facilities. For more information about IMA, visit https://ima-net.org/.
The Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) serves as the state’s U.S. Department of Commerce NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership center. IMEC’s team is comprised of industry improvement specialists on a mission to provide Illinois manufacturers with solutions, tools, and resources to create futures that are both sustainable and competitive.
In 2024, IMEC assisted over 3,000 companies and helped create or retain over 7,700 jobs, resulting in over $870M aggregate impact to the Illinois economy. IMEC employs 55 full-time industry improvement specialists through its seven statewide offices statewide. For more information about IMEC, visit www.imec.org.
Photos courtesy of IMA.
Shown from the left are State Rep. Amy Elik; Ameren Illinois Vice President of Clean Energy Transition, Economic, Community and Business Development Kristol Simms (at the podium); Illinois Manufacturers’ Association President and CEO Mark Denzler; state Senator Erica Harriss and Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center President David Boulay as Simms shares remarks on behalf of Ameren Illinois from its Collinsville facility on Oct. 6.
