2019 April Issue
America’s Central Port celebrates 60th
Special to the Illinois Business Journal Wanting to leverage a key access point on the Mississippi River and a central location for U.S. distribution, legislators passed a law on April 1, 1959, to form America’s Central Port, a special purpose unit of government that operates within its own means without collecting tax revenue. Centrally located…
Read MoreSIUE steps up outreach to communities
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH More than two years ago, when the new chancellor came to town, one of his stated missions was making sure Southern Illinois University Edwardsville shared more resources with the surrounding community. Do better by the community, reasoned Randy Pembrook, and you’ll do more for the students. The man who chaired the chancellor…
Read MoreEd/Glen Chamber of Commerce earns rare national recognition
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH The local chamber of commerce is typically the host of countless ribbon cuttings, networking sessions, breakfast meetings and activities around which the business community likes to gather. But with some extra effort, chamber representatives can also become a symbol of professionalism and a bastion of excellence. The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce…
Read MoreMoran Economic Development assisting cities with TIF, enterprise zones and business district development
By ALAN J. ORTBALS Over the last year, Keith Moran, president of Moran Economic Development in Edwardsville, has been working with cities, counties and numerous taxing districts throughout Southwestern Illinois on enterprise zones, business districts and tax increment finance districts. “There are a lot of TIF districts that are expiring these days,” Moran said. “I’ve…
Read MoreAlton Square Mall, Wadlow Town Center and Downtown redevelopment all on city’s plate
By ALAN J. ORTBALS Work continues on the restructuring of the Alton Square Mall. The shopping center, which was originally developed in 1979, was acquired by Hull Property Group, a Georgia-based retail real estate company, in 2015. Hull specializes in renovating and revitalizing declining regional malls and began work on the Alton mall last year. …
Read MoreMemorial East campus booming, new residential developments going up in Shiloh
By ALAN J. ORTBALS Big things are building in Shiloh. The campus of Memorial East Hospital is booming. Last year BJC HealthCare and Washington University Pediatrics, in partnership with St. Louis Children’s Hospital, opened a new pediatric center there. This is the first Washington University Pediatrics multispecialty office outside of Missouri, giving Illinois residents direct…
Read MoreBusiness district amendment opens up new acreage in Highland
By ALAN J ORTBALS The city of Highland recently amended its business district. There were two, business district A and B. Now those have been combined plus the overall district has been extended to the south to add about 13 acres of open land that Mallord Hubbard, the city’s economic and business recruitment coordinator, thinks…
Read MoreAmeren Illinois completes new headquarters in Collinsville; FCB Banks also plans one
By ALAN J. ORTBALS The new Ameren Illinois’ corporate headquarters in Eastport Plaza in Collinsville has been completed and 350 people are going to work there every day. Most of those jobs came to Collinsville from Ameren’s St. Louis headquarters. While the 48,000-square-foot office building is in a TIF district, City Manager Mitch Bair pointed…
Read MoreEdwardsville’s first and oldest shopping center being revitalized with business district tax help
By ALAN J. ORTBALS The Montclaire Shopping Center on Troy Road in Edwardsville is undergoing a $2.1 million renovation with the city’s assistance via the designation of a business district under Illinois state law. Developed in 1958, the shopping center was the city’s first such retail development, turning 60 years old last year. “When the…
Read MoreO’Fallon adding property tax abatement to enterprise zone to attract national tenants
By ALAN J. ORTBALS Major developments are imminent in O’Fallon’s Mid-America Enterprise Zone, and the city is moving as rapidly as possible to bring them to fruition. TriStar, a St. Louis real estate development company that created the Gateway Commerce Center in Edwardsville, is working with the city of O’Fallon to attract light industrial/warehouse developments…
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