PEORIA MAGAZINE September 2022

T U R N E R C E N T E R H O N O R E E

COMMUNITY PARTNER OF THE YEAR Morton Chamber and EDC are building ‘an entrepreneurial ecosystem’

BY PHIL LUCIANO PHOTOS BY FRANK BLAIN AND RON JOHNSON

P ound for pound, the one-two punch of the Morton Chamber of Commerce and the Morton EconomicDevelopmentCouncil packs an extraordinary wallop. Indeed, the combination long has floored the Turner Center for Entre preneurship, which is honoring the pair as the Community Partner of the Year. “The key message is that for a relatively small organization, they really do a lot to lift up local small businesses, including startups and existing businesses,” said James Foley, the Center’s director. “They have really creative programming and even micro grants. But they also always partner

with us, so we help amplify the other.” “That great partnership, and themany great things they do, is what this award celebrates.” That partnership is vital to Morton as well as to Leigh Ann Brown, the CEO and executive director of the two organizations. Though they are separate, they work together. The same can be said for their relationship with the Turner Center as well as The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Bradley University. The “vast majority of our Morton business community is small business, generat ion companies, l i festyle

businesses and entrepreneurs,” Brown said. “Connecting these businesses into the SBDC network is one key element.” That cooperation was cited in the award justification: “The Turner Center relies on the support of local econom ic development entities to ensure the promotion of our services as well as coordination of strategies and goals. Without a coordinated, cooperative effort, we could easily send mixed mes sages to the business community. The Morton Chamber/EDC demonstrates the best model of this type of partner ship through continually promoting our centers and services, and keeping strong lines of communication.”

56 SEPTEMBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE