CommunityArchive for the ‘’ Category

Busey Presents 65th Champaign County Economic Seminar

From the press release:

CHAMPAIGN, IL – May 4, 2017 – From agricultural output and payrolls of major employers to new home construction and retail sales, Ed Scharlau, Vice Chairman of Busey Bank, outlined the local economy during the 65th Champaign County Economic Seminar at the I Hotel & Conference Center in Champaign. Robert Jones, Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Van Dukeman, President & Chief Executive Officer of First Busey Corporation, presented their views. This year’s theme was Shaping the Future—reflecting on the life-changing innovation from the University of Illinois as we celebrate its sesquicentennial.

“From improving the way we search the internet and discovering a domain of life to paving the way for wheelchair accessibility, the University of Illinois has shaped the future of our community and the globe,” says Ed Scharlau, Vice Chairman of Busey Bank. “We congratulate the University on its exceptional achievements, history-making milestones and positive economic impact throughout its 150 years in Champaign County.”

The University of Illinois is the number one employer in Champaign County, but its payroll could stall, warns Scharlau, if lawmakers don’t resolve the state budget issues. Payroll on the Urbana-Champaign campus is expected to decrease by $14 million in 2017 to $986 million. More students are choosing to study at the U of I. Enrollment on the Urbana-Champaign campus is expected to increase from 44,800 last fall—making Illinois the seventh largest public campus in the country.

“As we celebrate the University’s sesquicentennial, we also congratulate Parkland College in Champaign on its 50th anniversary in 2016,” says Scharlau. Throughout its half-century of service to our community, more than 300,000 individuals have enrolled in courses at the college. Parkland College is the third largest community college in Illinois.

Healthcare employs more than 8,000 people and is the second largest employer in Champaign County along with Presence Covenant Medical Center, Christie Clinic, Carle Hospital and Carle Physicians Group. “A major game changer in our community is the Carle Illinois College of Medicine,” says Scharlau. “It’s the first medical school in the nation focused on the intersection of engineering and medicine.” Class gets underway August 2018.

Moving to retail sales, they were $2.765 billion last year, according to sales tax data, compared to $2.737 billion the year before. $2.819 billion is anticipated in 2017. Automobile sales are strong—up 3.1% in December 2016. Scharlau says “13% of every dollar spent in Champaign County is for vehicles and gasoline.”

Looking at the housing market, “Home sales are up 11% from 2015—the best in a decade,” says Scharlau. According to the Champaign County Association of REALTORS® , 438 homes were sold in the first quarter of 2017 compared to 416 homes the same time last year. Scharlau says new home construction is holding steady, citing data from Illinois American Water. If the projection is right, 275 new homes will be built in 2017 in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy.

Champaign County’s agricultural output totaled $382 million in 2016—exceeding expectations of Busey Ag Services. “Our ag team credits higher yields in both soybeans and corn,” says Scharlau, “with the average yield for corn at 210 bushels per acre in 2016.” The yield is expected to decrease slightly to 183 bushels per acre this year, but it is still higher than the trend line—according to experts. Busey Ag Services anticipates $337 million in agricultural output in 2017. Meanwhile, values for the most productive farmland—“Class A,” as defined by soil productivity research at the University of Illinois—is now at $10,500 to $11,500 an acre.

Moving to population, Champaign County has grown by 7,338 people from 2010 to 2016 with a population of 208,419. To provide a size comparison, the populations of surrounding counties include: Sangamon County at 198,997, Mclean County at 174,061, Macon County at 108,350 and Vermilion County at 79,728.

Looking at unemployment, Champaign County is at 4.4% for March 2017 compared to 4.7% for Illinois. “Although our community has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, we need to remember people are unemployed and looking for jobs,” says Scharlau. For comparison, unemployment in surrounding counties for the same time period include: Vermillion County at 6.4%, Peoria County at 6.3%, Macon County at 5.7%, Sangamon County at 4.5% and McLean County at 4.3%.

Guests appear optimistic about the economy this year. Here are the results taken at the seminar:

  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average will be 23,517.
  • The rate of inflation will be at 2.5 percent.
  • Retail Sales in Champaign County will increase by 2.8% this year.
  • The number of new single-family homes in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy will be 279.

To watch the Economic Seminar in its entirety, tune in to Urbana Public Television in May. For the broadcast schedule, visit urbanapublictelevision.yolasite.com. The program will also be available on Busey’s YouTube Channel. Busey is honored to be an advocate for education—proudly presenting the annual Champaign County Economic Seminar, Economic Outlook for McLean County, Economic Outlook for the Peoria Area and Economic & Financial Market Outlook in Southwest Florida. To discover Busey’s impact in the communities we serve, read the Community Engagement Report—a proud partner for purpose and progress.

Press:

Busey Executive Sees Continued Strong Economy In Champaign County, WILL 

Busey vice chairman: County’s financial forecast still strong, The News-Gazette

New Videos: Why Champaign-Urbana

Residents of Champaign-Urbana (& the surrounding area) share what it is they love about living, working, and running a business/organization in C-U.

Part 1 Testimonials:

– Al Fleener – President & Creative Director, Surface 51
– Laura Bleill – Mom-in-Chief, chambanamoms.com + Associate Director, UI Research Park
– Bill Giannetti – President, Flightstar Corporation
– Mike Guth – General Manager, SuperValu
– Kathryn Faith – Senior Multimedia Design Specialist, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
– Douglas Nelson – President, BodyWork Associates
– Beth Ladd – Site Director, Caterpillar Data Innovation Lab

Part 2 Testimonials:

– Ashley Moy – Co-Founder and CEO, Cast21
– Mary-Lynn Foster – Vice President, BIGG Success
– Ryan Shelton – Co-Founder and CEO, PhotoniCare, Inc.
– Arielle Rausin – Founder and CEO, Ingenium
– Jed Taylor – Director of Operations, Technology Entrepreneur Center
– Laura Bleill – Mom-in-Chief, chambanamoms.com + Associate Director, UI Research Park

Videos created by Five Foot Productions.

2017 Innovation Celebration Winners Announced

CHAMPAIGN, IL, March 6, 2017 – Over 350 people gathered at Parkland College for the 12th Annual Innovation Celebration on the evening of Friday, March 3rd to recognize those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions, taken risks, and provided leadership to ensure the continuing economic success of Champaign County, the ongoing success of the University’s economic development mission, and the growth of entrepreneurial talent and energy in our community.

Innovation Celebration is not merely an award for accomplishment, but a benchmark of success for those outstanding individuals, organizations and corporations who are nominated and selected to receive this prestigious award.

Innovation Celebration is hosted by the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation in partnership with the University of Illinois, Parkland College, and community sponsors. For more information, visit www.innovationcelebration.com.

Award Winners

Innovation Transfer Award—University of Illinois
Recognizes an individual or group from the University of Illinois whose research has resulted in either a discovery or a work with the potential for significant societal impact.

 Dr. Frederic Kolb

Alexis Wernsing Innovation Award—University of Illinois
Recognizes an individual or team from the University of Illinois that has channeled their experience living with a disability into positive change through the creation of new products, environments, or protocols that enhance quality of life.

Arielle Rausin

Innovation in Engagement Award—Parkland College
Recognizes an individual or group at Parkland College who has shown support of the college’s community engagement mission.

Jenni Fridgen

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Social Venture Award
Serve as change agents by creating and implementing sustainable solutions to reshape society, benefit humanity, and address social concerns.

 Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) – Champaign Unit 4 Schools

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Student Startup Award
Formed by students in the last three years and demonstrates a commitment to continuing success through entrepreneurial talent, creativity and energy.

 Cast21

Entrepreneurial Excellence: New Venture Award
Formed in the last three years, and demonstrates a commitment to continuing success through entrepreneurial talent, creativity and energy.

PhotoniCare, Inc.

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Paul Magelli Advocacy Award
Actively engage, encourage, coach and mentor entrepreneurs in the community, and provide extensive support to help them achieve success.

 Jed Taylor

Innovation: Economic Development Impact Award
Has successfully commercialized innovations while demonstrating a commitment to positive, local, economic impact.

 II-VI EpiWorks

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Management Award
Demonstrates expertise in assembling resources, creating an organization, and working to build and implement effective action plans.

 Laura Bleill – chambanamoms.com & University of Illinois Research Park

Innovation: Longevity Award
Recognizes those enterprises whose sustained success is the direct result of continued innovation over many years.

Litania Sports Group

The EDC was pleased to work with the following sponsors of Innovation Celebration 2017: the University of Illinois’ Technology Entrepreneur Center, Research Park, Office of Corporate Relations, and Office of Technology Management, along with Parkland College, Singleton Law Firm, Serra Ventures, City of Champaign, Village of Rantoul, Bridge – Champaign County’s Virtual Incubator, Martin Hood Friese & Associates, Fox Development Corporation, Ramshaw Real Estate, Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC, Hanson Financial, AARP, Surface 51, Guth & Associates, Pixo, Carle, IllinoisVENTURES, Huawei, II-VI EpiWorks, Adjacency, and Frasca International, Inc.

A special thanks to Five Foot Productions for producing the videos.

 

###

Event recap video, created by ADJACENCY.

Click here to view event photos, courtesy of Darrell Hoemann.

Download the event program here.

View opening & closing remarks from the event. Award acceptance speeches can be viewed at the links below.

Dr. Frederic Kolb
Arielle Rausin
Jenni Fridgen
Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP)
Cast21
PhotoniCare, Inc. 
Jed Taylor
II-VI EpiWorks
Laura Bleill
Litania Sports Group

Press:

Entrepreneurs recognized at Innovation Celebration, The News-Gazette

United Airlines To Begin Service At Willard Airport

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/27/17

CONTACT:
Gene Cossey, Executive Director
University of Illinois-Willard Airport
217-244-8640
gcossey@illinois.edu

United Airlines to Begin Service at Willard Airport

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — United Airlines announced today that it plans to begin service between Champaign-Urbana (CMI) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) starting June 8, 2017.

The new service offers convenient flight times providing 150 additional daily seats for travelers to reach their final destination via Willard Airport.  United will join American Airlines at CMI, both providing air service to and from the greater Champaign-Urbana area and Chicago.

CMI now joins 1,300 airports in the Star Alliance network, the world’s largest airline alliance.  Star Alliance carriers operate 18,450 daily flights to cities in 190 countries on six continents, all of which will be accessible with a single airline ticket to and from CMI. Passengers will now be able to book tickets on all Star Alliance carriers, connecting at Chicago, including United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Air India, ANA, Austrian, Avianca, Copa, EVA, SAS Scandinavian, Swiss, and Turkish Airlines.

Gene Cossey, Executive Director of Willard Airport notes that increased air service is a testament to the community’s support of Willard and the airport’s continued commitment to serve the region. Willard has worked to provide additional options for passenger convenience as United Airlines does not currently serve any other airport in the region.

“We are very excited to be welcoming United Airlines as a part of the Fly Champaign-Urbana family.  The new service will enhance the already convenient travel from Champaign-Urbana, provide easy access to destinations all over the world, and give more opportunities for economic growth in Champaign County.  So many people have worked very hard to help Willard Airport grow and this provides just one more reason to choose your hometown airport first.”

United Airlines is currently the largest airline in the world in terms of cities served, with flights to 360 cities on five continents. United Airlines largest domestic hub, O’Hare provides direct service to 208 destinations, including 153 domestic destinations and 55 international destinations.

“United’s new service between Champaign-Urbana and Chicago O’Hare International Airport offers United customers a much wider array of domestic and international travel options,” said Eric Schmauch, United’s director of Regional Sales. “With hundreds of available connections at our Chicago hub, we are confident that our customers in Champaign will benefit greatly from this flight.”

The United O’Hare hub will provide CMI with service to 27 unique one-stop destinations not currently served including Maui, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Costa Rica, Grand Cayman, Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt and more.  United Airlines will provide a comprehensive international gateway serving Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Currently the number one US carrier to Asia with service to 21 cities in Asia, University of Illinois Associate Chancellor Mike DeLorenzo said the new United Airlines service will be beneficial for the university’s international students.

“A goal of the Airport Task Force has always been air service enhancement for the University and community and we are thrilled United Airlines is adding air service to Willard.  This additional air service will provide our faculty, staff and students increased options for travel nationally and internationally as they continue work in supporting our preeminent University.”

US Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) believes this will have a positive impact on the local and regional community. “This is an exciting announcement that will allow Champaign-Urbana and surrounding areas the ability to grow and succeed,” said Davis. “Air service to our smaller communities is extremely important to connect them globally and support our local economies.”

The new Chicago flight schedule is available now for June ticketing. Tickets can be purchased at www.united.com.

The schedule for the new flights between Champaign-Urbana and Chicago (all times local) is as follows:

CMI to ORD 5:45 (departure) 1:45 (departure) 5:20 (departure)
ORD to CMI 12:15 (arrival) 3:50 (arrival) 8:55 (arrival, RON)

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate more than 4,500 flights a day to 339 airports across five continents. In 2016, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 143 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 737 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express partners operate 483 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “UAL”.

 

###

View photos from the press conference here.

View the video from the press conference here.

Press:

United Airlines set to begin service at CMI starting in June, Smile Politely

United adds Willard to O’Hare service, The News-Gazette

United Airlines to Start Champaign-Urbana Service, chambanamoms.com

New Videos Highlight ECCA Program at Parkland College

CHAMPAIGN, IL, February 13, 2017 – Together with the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, we are pleased to release three new videos highlighting the Early College and Career Academy (ECCA) at Parkland College.

ECCA is a joint effort of Education for Employment System #330 (a K-12 Career and Technical Education cooperative) and Parkland College. Through the program, area high school juniors and seniors earn credits that count toward a high school diploma and college, all while gaining skills in six different Parkland College degree programs: Manufacturing, Automotive Technology, Computer Networking, Certified Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Services, and Criminal Justice.

The first video provides an overview of the program from Nick Elder, Director of ECCA & EFE #330, and Parkland instructors Billy Wirth and J.R. Schultz.

The second video features five students currently enrolled in the Manufacturing program of ECCA, representing Paxton-Buckley-Loda CUSD #10, Rantoul Township High School #193, and Villa Grove CUSD #302.

The third video features HL Precision Manufacturing, Inc., Frasca International, Inc., and Litania Sports Group – all companies who have partnered with ECCA to not only sponsor students in the manufacturing program, but offer positions for students through internships and part-time work. The video also highlights Ben Perkinson, a Champaign Unit 4 grad who successfully completed the ECCA program with support from HL Precision Manufacturing, Inc., and now works for their company.

The idea for these videos – created by Five Foot Productions – was a direct result of feedback from a round table co-hosted by the Champaign County EDC and Champaign County Chamber of Commerce on National Manufacturing Day in 2016.

To learn more about ECCA, visit their website at http://www.parkland.edu/ecca.

 

###

1 5 6 7 8 9 23