A Charter is Granted

The Illinois Secretary of State officially approved the charter of the Regional Economic Development Corporation on March 23, 1999.  The original Articles of Incorporation showed three directors; George Trammell, Donald W. Bett, and James A. Brandt.  On April 15, 1999, Donald W. Bett and James A. Brandt signed a Notice of the First Meeting of REDCO.  It was held on May 6, 1999, at the Marion Comfort Inn.  At this meeting there were 11 at large directors elected, 6 appointed by the City of Marion, and 4 appointed by the Marion Chamber of Commerce (based on funding amounts from each organization).  The elected directors were Jim Brandt, Don Bett, Dutch Doelitzsch, Hugh Crane, Gene Norman, Dave Behen, Marjorie Wright, Stacey Moore, Larry Jordan, Jay Sala, and Rudy Bond.  The city appointments were Bob Butler, Dog Connell, Marlene Simpson, Loren Carter, Gary Mayer, and Gary Turnbull.  The Chamber appointments were Monte Blue, Bill Nielsen, Steve Larsson, and Debbie Vinyard.  The first officers elected were Chairman Dutch Doelitzsch, Vice Chairman Hugh Crane, and Secretary-Treasurer Don Bett.

At the second meeting of the board on June 10, 1999, the officers recommended that an Executive Director be hired to conduct the day-to-day operations of REDCO. After some discussion by the board, Thomas Wimberly was hired for the position. Also discussed was the fact that the City of Marion had appointed Marlene Simpson, the Herrin City Clerk, as a board member, and that Stacey Moore from Orpack Stone Corp in Herrin was elected as a board member.  It was suggested that in order to help REDCO become an organization that was known countywide, that REDCO should have some more board members from Herrin, Carterville, and Johnston City.  It was pointed out that a heavy representation was needed on the board from existing industry executives, and that the long term goal of REDCO was to make the organization the largest and strongest countywide industrial economic development organization in southern Illinois.

Current Status

Prospects continue to be bright for REDCO.  The cooperation and can-do attitude among both board members and other representatives of our contributing partners is exemplary.  There is a viable organizational structure in place and functioning smoothly.  Volunteers are ready and willing to commit the necessary time and effort to convince manufacturing representatives and their hired consultants to give Williamson County ample consideration when deciding on the location for new or expanded manufacturing facilities.  Each succeeding year brings new successes for the economic vitality of Williamson County.

REDCO is becoming known in economic development circles for its cooperative spirit, its enthusiastic participation by volunteers, its attention to detail and its commitment to doing what it takes to make conditions right for the location of industrial manufacturing projects in the area.  Indeed, the future continues to be bright for REDCO and, as a result, for Williamson County and all of southern Illinois.

Early Efforts

For years the economic development efforts of most southern Illinois communities were the responsibility of their respective Chambers of Commerce and city governmental officials.  The Marion Chamber of Commerce and the city government of Marion were typical of this effort until a devastating tornado hit the area in 1982, killing 10 people and causing more than $100 million in damages.  The spirit of the community was not broken, however, and rebuilding efforts were undertaken immediately.

The renaissance proved to Marion’s citizens the value of working together for the common good.  Rebuilt businesses brought in new businesses.  New businesses brought in other new businesses.  City leaders and chamber officials were pleased, and they caught the vision of what could be if there were more instances of cooperation.  It also showed, however, that the type of economic development that resulted in producing high paying manufacturing jobs required a long-term commitment and continued follow-up by development personnel—something that often was not possible because of the multitude of other responsibilities the chamber executive was expected to fulfill.

Several members of the Economic Development Committee of the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce started talking about a separate organization for Industrial Development as early as 1990.  Some of the earliest supporters from that committee who continued to encourage this effort were Jim Brandt, Donald Bett, and Stephanie Boien, the Chamber’s Executive Director.  Two or three years passed as discussions continued in the Marion Chamber’s Economic Development Committee, and at two different annual chamber board retreats.  It was recognized by most people then involved in those discussions that a professional individual separate from the Chamber’s Executive Director was needed to handle economic development.

Funding for a new organization was considered a major problem, yet Brandt, Bett and Boien continued to push for a separate organization.  After Stephanie Boien suggested in 1996 that she would be interested in taking on the challenge of directing a new economic development organization and hiring someone else for the Marion Chamber Executive Director position, the planning for a separate economic development organization became much more serious.

The Organization Expands

At the third REDCO board meeting on December 16, 1999, Mayor Butler reported that the City of Marion and the REDCO officers would like to see the Williamson County Government and all other Williamson County cities join REDCO in a cooperative effort for economic development.

At the board meeting of March 9, 2000, after a report on the contacts made to Herrin and Williamson County Government, the board gave the REDCO officers approval for more in-depth study on a possible merger of other Williamson County economic development groups with REDCO, and gave permission for Robert Ferrari of Herrin, who had chaired several other county economic development groups, to study the structure and by-laws of REDCO for recommended changes to accommodate a possible merger with them.  The board also appointed a committee to discuss a merger with the Carbondale Business Development Corporation (CBDC) with the understanding that the merger talks with the five Williamson County groups were separate and independent from the CBDC talks.  It was also at this meeting that it was reported that REDCO had obtained a 60 day right of refusal to purchase the Armstrong/Cox/Reynolds 490 acres of land that would eventually become known as the REDCO Industrial Park.

Over the next few weeks there were several meetings with city and county governmental units in Williamson County about a merger.  Marlene Simpson, and a REDCO board member, was a strong supporter of Herrin joining REDCO, and was very instrumental in obtaining approval from the City of Herrin to join REDCO.  Shortly after the Herrin City Council’s vote to join REDCO, Carterville and the Williamson County Commissioners also voted to join the organization.  As a result, 7 new board members were approved at the Annual Meeting of REDCO on May 2, 2000.  The new board members elected to join the current board were Mayor Bill Mausey from Carterville, Mayor Vic Ritter from Herrin, Bo Emery from Williamson County Government, Bob Ferrari from Herrin, Frank Colombo from Herrin, James Claxton, an industry representative, and B.D. Cross from Carterville.  Because of the new structure, an organizational meeting of the board was held on May 16, 2000, in order to obtain input from the new board members.  At that organizational meeting some by-law changes were approved and new officers were elected.  Dutch Doelitzsch was elected Chairman of the Board, Hugh Crane and Frank Colombo were elected Vice Chairmen, Marlene Simpson was elected Secretary and Don Bett was elected Treasurer.