The Monroe County Economic Development Corporation hosted its annual stakeholder dinner at The Falls Reception & Conference Center in Columbia on Thursday. 

The event saw local elected officials and business leaders as well as state and regional agency personnel gather for an evening of dinner and drinks before discussing future plans and progress the corporation has made over the past year.

Opening the presentations for the evening was MCEDC Board Chairman Cole Stenzel, who spoke about the positive work the corporation has done.

Stenzel noted how the group focuses on the Southwestern Illinois region, not just Monroe County or any individual city.

“Simply put, our group was founded to help drive economic development in Monroe County and the surrounding areas,” Stenzel said. “Our group feels like it has a phenomenal opportunity to attract businesses here to our county. We’ve got a great work force. We’ve got great people. We’ve got great schools. We are located next to the river.”

Next to speak was Edie Koch, who has served as executive director for the corporation for the last seven years.

Koch, too, spoke broadly about the MCEDC’s efforts, describing the corporation as a “one-stop shop” for businesses and their needs when it comes to grants, growth and other concerns.

She spoke about the numerous ways the corporation has served this role, including pushing to establish the Monroe-Randolph County Enterprise Zone which allows local businesses to access certain sales tax exemptions and other benefits.

Koch also touched on assistance being provided to local businesses still dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming Economic Recovery Plan covering local municipalities.

The event also included two featured speakers, the first of which was Executive Vice President of Multimodal Enterprises Mary Lamie.

Lamie spoke at length about the unique position Monroe County and the surrounding area is in both geographically and developmentally.

“Edie asked that I come and give you a quick update on some of the neat things that are taking place on the Route 3 corridor,” Lamie said, “and more importantly just to make sure from a building-awareness perspective that our region recognizes the significance of Route 3 and how Route 3 actually plays a significant role in our ranking as a global logistics hub.”

The area’s value as a logistics hub was a key point of Lamie’s speech, as she pointed to various ways St. Louis and the surrounding area can be attractive for shipping purposes.

Route 3 as well as several major highways traveling through St. Louis – which have generally little congestion – provide the area with solid means of transportation across the country, as do the several railroads which also pass through the city.

Similarly, the Mississippi River provides the area with significant port access which allows for global shipping opportunities. Lamie described the area as the “ag coast of America.”

The other featured speaker was Director of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Kristin Richards, who focused a bit more on ongoing financial growth and development in the area.

She pointed to the state’s achievement of a $1 trillion GDP for the first time, a feat she said just a handful of states had accomplished.

Richards also spoke about a very high number of loans that have been provided to assist small businesses as well as the generally pro-business and pro-workforce status of Illinois with, as she said, one of the most productive work forces in the nation.

“In my many years of public service, and especially now in my role at DCEO, I have learned that long-lasting economic development starts at home, in our towns, in our villages, in our communities, and nobody knows that better than all of you,” Richards said. “When local economic development groups succeed, Illinois succeeds, and when the state and the EDCs work in lock-step as a unified force, Illinois is unstoppable.”

Toward the end of the meeting, three plaques were awarded to acknowledge the work of several individuals and a regional group.

The first award was presented to the Kaskaskia Regional Port District, with George Obernagel accepting and offering a few words about the district and its efforts in the area.

H.R. Gentsch was honored next as the CEO and president of Harrisonville Telephone Company, what he described as one of the largest small companies in the state which has evolved greatly over the years and continues to be active and supportive of the community.

Joe Koppeis, owner and president of Admiral Parkway Inc., was also recognized for his many years operating a great number of businesses in the area.

Closing the meeting, Stenzel also recognized Koch as it was announced she will be leaving the MCEDC at the end of the year.

Koch started with the corporation in 2016 as it was started. She also specialized in economic and workforce development before joining the corporation, working with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for 11 years and serving as manager for the Mid America Workforce Investment Board for 12 years.

She pointed to some of her and the corporation’s accomplishments over the years – including the establishment of various strong regional and state partnerships as well as the Fueling Growth Program to provide assistance to food-related businesses and Community Navigator Program to connect those impacted by COVID with government resources and assistance.

Koch offered a brief speech as she was recognized, thanking those present for their appreciation of her efforts.

“I’m not necessarily stopping working,” Koch said. “Anyone who knows me knows I like to work. We did a lot of things, and we’re kind of on a cusp, I think, of things really happening. We’ve spent time trying to make this whole area more competitive, more able to do things and move forward. Five years from now, when the Dupo (I-255) interchange and everything keeps going, everything’s gonna be happening.”