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Champaign Among Fastest-Growing Cities in Illinois

San Francisco, CA (April 8, 2014) – NerdWallet, a consumer advocacy website, recently conducted a study to find the fastest-growing cities in Illinois – and Champaign ranked third.

A hub of central Illinois, Champaign is home to the University of Illinois flagship campus and saw median incomes in town grow by 32.2% between 2009 and 2012. Tech companies are expanding in Champaign, including new jobs added at Intel and an expansion of the Yahoo! offices at The Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Research Park is also supporting job and income growth in Champaign through its startup incubator Enterprise Works, which supports science and technology startups with lab and office space, entrepreneurship classes and the resources of the university community. The city’s population also grew by 4% between 2009 and 2012, laying claim to almost 70,000 residents.

To find the fastest growing cities in Illinois, NerdWallet evaluated 119 cities, towns and census-designated places and examined the following variables:

·       Population growth
·       Employment growth
·       Income growth

“Champaign’s strong population and income growth helped support the city’s ranking on our list,” NerdWallet analyst Maggie Clark said. “The population in Champaign increased by 4.0% between 2009 and 2012, while the median income increased by a whopping 32.2% during that same period.”

Other places in the top 20 include Chicago Heights and Normal. See the full study here.

Champaign County EDC Announces Rost as New Executive Director

The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce Craig Rost as the new Executive Director. Rost was chosen as the top candidate after a search and evaluation that included EDC Board members and community leaders. Rost’s first day of work is set for Thursday, May 1, 2014.

Rost has been dedicated to expanding the local economy for more than two decades. An experienced economic developer, he has been an integral part of many development projects and company expansions. In his previous role as Deputy City Manager for the City of Champaign, he has worked with local leaders, elected officials, and businesses to add economic value and create jobs in Champaign County. With a degree in Urban Planning and concentration in economic development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he is uniquely equipped to lead the organization and drive the Strategic Plan forward. “This is an excellent opportunity,” said Rost. “Leading the EDC to create jobs and advance the region’s economy fits perfectly with my economic development experience and passion for continuous improvement. I look forward to working with the professional staff and EDC Board to advance the Strategic Plan and enhance the profile of the EDC in the county.”

In addition to leading the implementation of the Strategic Plan and managing day-to-day operations, Rost will actively participate in promoting Champaign County for attraction, retention, and expansion efforts. “All of the pieces are here – we have great employers, location advantages, a world-class university, and the drive to improve and grow. The EDC is in a unique position to advance that growth and I am excited to work with our business and community leaders to make that happen,” Rost said.

“Craig Rost intimately understands the significant impact that the EDC has on the retention, attraction, and growth of businesses in our county,” stated Lori Gold Patterson, EDC Chair. “The staff is very strong and the Board is aligned and driven to support the execution of our new Strategic Plan. Craig is an exceptional addition to the organization and will, without a doubt, be the catalyst to pull all of the energies together.”

“It is both thrilling and humbling to be selected by the EDC Board as the Executive Director,” stated Rost. “The EDC is crucial to the expansion of the county’s economy and I really look forward to leading that effort.”

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Contact:
Carly McCrory, Communications Director
Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
(217) 359-6261
carly@champaigncountyedc.org

2014 Innovation Celebration Winners Announced

Innovation Celebration Logo

Over 250 people gathered at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications for the Ninth Annual Innovation Celebration on the evening of February 27th 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 the 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. Additionally, Innovation Celebration serves as a tangible collaboration between the University of Illinois, Parkland College and the community.

The winners were chosen out of more than 125 nominations.

Award Winners

Innovation Transfer Award – University of Illinois
Dr. Stephen Boppart

Innovation in Engagement Award – Parkland College
Kerris Lee

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Social Venture Award
Dr. Fouad Abd-El-Khalick & the EnLIST Team – University of Illinois

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Student Startup Award
Servabo

Entrepreneurial Excellence: New Venture Award
Electroninks

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Advocacy Award
Dennis Beard – Serra Ventures

Innovation: Economic Development Impact Award
Carlos Nieto – Nieto Enterprises

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Management Award
Dan Cermak – Volition

Innovation: Longevity Award
Prominic.NET

The EDC was pleased to work with the following sponsors of Innovation Celebration 2014: the University of Illinois’ Technology Entrepreneur Center, Research Park, Office of Corporate Relations, and Office of Technology Management, along with NCSA, Parkland College, Singleton Law Firm, Serra Ventures, Hanson Financial, Ramshaw Real Estate, Pixo, Pavlov Media, Meyer Capel, Busey, Carle, Martin Hood Friese & Associates, IllinoisVENTURES, Fox Atkins Development, the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC, and the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District.

A special thanks to 40 North for producing the videos.

Press:

Innovation Celebration winners to be announced Thursday night, The Daily Illini

Innovation Celebration winners announced, The News-Gazette

Storify (#INNCEL14 tweets & posts)

Prominic.NET Wins Innovation Celebration’s Innovation: Longevity Award, Prominic.NET

General Manager Dan Cermak Wins the CCEDC 2014 Entrepreneurial Excellence: Management Award, Volition

2014 Innovation Celebration Awards Ceremony [VIDEO]

2014 Innovation Celebration Photos

 

Champaign County EDC Business Attraction: Choices Inc. to Open Office in Urbana, IL

The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce that Choices, Inc. has chosen Champaign County as its new East Central Illinois service base. Choices signed with County Plaza in downtown Urbana after months of working with the EDC on choosing a new site to locate. The company will occupy roughly 6,500 square feet of office space and create 30 jobs in its first year.

“Choices is honored to have the opportunity to serve youth and families in East Central Illinois. Locating in Urbana provides great connectivity with bus routes and interstate access. The downtown commercial district will provide an excellent base for our employees; award-winning BBQ across the street is an added bonus. Thanks to the EDC for helping us understand the market and find a location.” — Todd Schroll, Executive Director, Illinois Choices LLC

“Choices has a strong, national reputation for working with youth and families involved in the child welfare system. We welcome Choices to downtown Urbana, and we think their staff will appreciate easy access to all the new restaurants and shops in our downtown.” — Mayor Laurel Prussing, Mayor of the City of Urbana

“This is a good addition to downtown Urbana as the City has focused its efforts to promote occupancy of underutilized space. We are happy to assist the EDC and the property owner in bringing Choices to Urbana and the broader community.” — Tom Carrino, Economic Development Manager, City of Urbana

“We live in a wonderful community and County Plaza is excited to bring a new business from out of town to downtown Urbana. I look forward to seeing Choices grow and succeed.” — Joe Petry, Owner of County Plaza

“We are fortunate that Choices Inc. has chosen Champaign County and Urbana as their base to serve the East Central Illinois region. The job density will bring disposable income to the area. It is a well-timed project of business growth in pursuit of the Champaign County EDC mission.” — Erik Kotewa, Deputy Director, Champaign County EDC

About Choices Inc.:

Choices Inc. coordinates care for youth involved in multiple social service systems. Choices goal is to keep youth in their homes and communities and to prevent further system involvement. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Choices serves more than 1,500 youth a day in five states, including Illinois. For more information about Choices, please contact Courtney Kasinger, Communication Director, at 317-205-8268 or ckasinger@ChoicesTeam.org.

Contact:
Carly McCrory, Communications Director
Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
(217) 359-6261
carly@champaigncountyedc.org

Press:

Agency gearing up to help area youths, The News-Gazette

Yahoo Breaks Ground for New Facility in Champaign

Article Source: University of Illinois Research Park

Champaign, IL – Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) broke ground on a new state-of-the-art facility that will serve as an important expansion of its Champaign, IL technology hub. Leaders from Yahoo, State of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and City of Champaign announced plans for the new building and expanded workforce.

Champaign is the home of several Yahoo engineering teams working on critical technologies for the company. Yahoo currently occupies 24,000 sq.ft. of office space and is the largest full-time employer in the University of Illinois Research Park. The new 40,000 sq. ft. building will be solely constructed for Yahoo. Plans include recruitment of engineers over the next 12-24 months.

Yahoo’s SVP of Advertising Technology, Scott Burke, attended the groundbreaking and said, “I’m thrilled to announce our expansion in Champaign. Yahoo has benefited from the world-class engineering talent at Research Park that contributes to our advertising and data systems. We look forward to growing our team and continuing to be a valued member of the local community.”

Champaign-Urbana is the home of the University of Illinois and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). The top-ranked engineering college is a hallmark of Illinois. Chancellor Phyllis Wise said, “Yahoo is an important presence in our Research Park and in our local community. Our students and our faculty have seen great new opportunities through our relationship with Yahoo, and this expansion will open even more of them for all of us.”

“The presence of Yahoo at the U of I is an incredible resource for the technology industry in Illinois,” Governor Pat Quinn said. “Illinois is a technology leader and we are actively working to grow our economy, create jobs and keep our state a center for innovation worldwide. Places like Research Park at the University of Illinois are essential in making Illinois even more competitive.”

“On behalf of the City of Champaign, we are pleased that performance-based employment incentives were able to contribute the positive decision by Yahoo to expand in our community. Yahoo’s growth is a strong example of the thriving high-technology sector in Champaign,” said Mayor Don Gerard.

About Yahoo

Yahoo is focused on making the world’s daily habits inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific and the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company’s blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).

About the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Since its founding in 1867, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has earned a reputation as a world-class leader in research, teaching, and public engagement. Located on campus, the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within the Research Park there are more than 90 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. For more visit www.illinois.edu and www.researchpark.illinois.edu.

Contact at Yahoo: Cathy Singer, Senior Director, cats@yahoo-inc.com
Contact at the University of Illinois: Laura Frerichs, Research Park Director, (217) 333-8323

More press coverage:

Yahoo to add 80 jobs at Research Park site, The News-Gazette

Yahoo expansion to come to University’s Research Park, The Daily Illini

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