About the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois

 

The Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois has been the premier economic development organization for Madison and St. Clair counties since 1983. Our mission is to attract and retain jobs, stimulate capital investment, and promote the economic development of Southwestern Illinois by building effective partnerships with leaders in business, industry, government, education and labor. The Council's membership includes approximately 130 top leaders and CEOs from each of those sectors. The diversity of the organization's membership makes it unique within the metropolitan area and the State of Illinois. Cooperation and collaboration among the Leadership Council's members and local community-based organizations has helped positively reshape Southwestern Illinois.

 

The Council utilizes standing committees and specially convened task forces on critical initiatives for our region. Standing committees include:

 

The Labor-Management Committee (LMC) was formed in 1983, making it one of the longest, continuously running Labor-Management Committees in the State of Illinois. The LMC exists to serve employers and unions in Southwestern Illinois by working to improve the labor-management image in the area. The Committee strives to promote labor-management cooperation and communication by facilitating business-education partnerships between area schools, companies and unions and by organizing conferences on topics of interest to labor and management professionals. A recent addition to the committee's conference line-up is the Annual Construction & Development Forecast, which brings together local, regional and national speakers and panelists to discuss the economy and the impact it has on regional development. The inaugural event in January 2009 drew more than 250 attendees and garnered exceptional reviews. 

 

The Military Affairs Committee, which was a key part of the team that fought hard to transform and retain Scott Air Force Base in the 1995 and 2005 rounds of Military Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).  The Committee continues its efforts today to maintain and enhance this vital economic asset and largest employer in our community.

 

The Transportation/Infrastructure Committee which works closely with the Illinois Department of Transportation in the support of regional transportation issues,  such as the extension of I-255,  public transit, the region’s three airports, and most recently, the new Mississippi River Bridge.  

 

The Leadership Council’s executive director and several members also are actively involved in the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association’s Illinois Public Affairs Committee (IPAC),  through which they address legislative issues that are particularly important to Southwestern Illinois.