News & Events

In an overworked, out-of-balance society, how can you as a small business professional stay positive and fulfilled in the right ways? Nationally renowned sales guru and Kankakee County native Bill Guertin will provide some practical answers to this question in his kick off to the upcoming Accelerate 2015 Small Business Conference & Expo.In an overworked, out-of-balance society, how can you as a small business professional stay positive and fulfilled in the right ways? Nationally renowned sales guru and Kankakee County native Bill Guertin will provide some practical answers to this question in his kick off to the upcoming Accelerate 2015 Small Business Conference & Expo.

After a minor delay by Governor Bruce Rauner, we are pleased to announce construction will be begin for the new Interchange at Interstate 57 and Bourbonnais Parkway. Construction of this $46 million project was awarded to Kankakee Valley Construction Company providing numerous construction jobs to Kankakee County for the next 2-3 years.

The Economic Alliance is disappointed to learn of the impending closure of Bunge Oils in Bradley, a long-standing member of Kankakee County’s thriving food processing sector. We understand that this is a market-driven closure that will involve consolidation of Bradley’s operations to other Bunge sites.

The Economic Alliance of Kankakee County announces that Riverside Healthcare has formally invested in its 2015 program of work. Riverside’s donation of $2,500 supports operations and programming for Kankakee County’s umbrella 501(c)(6) public-private economic development organization.

Kankakee County’s two enterprise zones are one step closer to re-designation, according to official notification from the state of Illinois in June.

Steve Wilder has been elected chair of the Kankakee Valley Airport Authority (KVAA) Board of Directors. Wilder will lead the Board of Directors in fulfilling the KVAA’s strategic plan for airport development and aviation in the region.

In an effort to build awareness about Kankakee County’s plentiful available job opportunities and associated career pathways, 20 local educators will take part in a first-ever local industry familiarization course.

Final oral presentations for the EnterpriseU 2015 Entrepreneurs Boot Camp & Business Plan Competition were held on June 11, 2015.

Kankakee County’s largest industry – global biopharm leader CSL Behring – was featured June 5 in a flu vaccine segment produced by ABC 7 Chicago.

A total of 18 aspiring and expanding small business owners have entered the 2015 edition of Kankakee County’s EnterpriseU Entrepreneurs Boot Camp & Business Plan Competition.