Government Center  
719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A  
Geneva, IL 60134  
Kane County  
KC Jobs Committee  
Meeting Minutes  
LEWIS, ALLAN, Bates, Daugherty, Ford, Strathmann, Young, ex-officios Pierog (County  
Chair), and Tepe (County Vice Chair)  
Thursday, September 26, 2024  
1:00 PM  
County Board Room  
***SPECIAL MEETING***  
1.  
2.  
Call To Order  
Chairman Lewis called today's meeting to order at 1:08 a.m.  
Roll Call  
Board Member Anita Lewis  
PRESENT  
Board Member Deborah Allan  
Board Member Mavis Bates  
Board Member Cherryl Strathmann  
Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog  
Board Member Gary Daugherty  
REMOTE  
ABSENT  
Board Member Ron Ford  
Board Member David Young  
Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Vern Tepe  
Also present: Co. Bd. members Kious; Dev. Dir. VanKerkhoff and staff Toth; JEG 360,  
LLC CEO Grueling; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press and public.  
3.  
Remote Attendance Requests  
Chairman Lewis announced the remote attendance requests for today's meeting. She  
asked the Committee if there were any objections to Committee Members Daugherty  
attending remotely. There were no objections.  
4.  
5.  
Public Comment  
None.  
Jobs Committee Priorities  
Adopting a Kane County Economic Development Strategic Plan  
A.  
Dev. Dir. VanKerkhoff presented a slide show of information about the Kane  
County Economic Development Strategic Plan. He indicated that the recently  
completed Kane County Economic Development Strategic Plan calls for a more  
efficient engagement of public, private, and civic leaders in county economic  
development. Given that the County does not have the institutional infrastructure  
to coordinate growth across its municipalities, forming a County Economic  
Development Organization (EDO) will be an important first step in realizing the  
county's vision for growth. VanKerkhoff noted that on March 26, 2024, RW  
Ventures, LLC, presented the draft findings and recommendations of the  
strategic plan to the Kane County Board Committee of the Whole. On May 14,  
2024, the County Board approved $3M funding to support the launch of a Kane  
County EDO. The funds have been transferred from the American Rescue Plan  
(ARPA) revenue recoupment fund to fund 400 economic development.  
Grueling reviewed the key findings of the Kane County Economic Development  
Strategic Plan. He highlighted the key market analysis findings, including  
manufacturing strengths, concentration of business services, agricultural assets,  
labor market gaps, and government fragmentation. He stated that the market  
analysis leads to a vision and series of strategic directions to address Kane  
County's challenges and opportunities. Kane County will become a dynamic mix  
of traditional industries and emerging sectors. The County's industrial base will  
grow alongside leading-edge agricultural practices and quality of life for  
residents. To execute this vision, a series of strategies were proposed. Grueling  
highlighted each strategy, which included creating an economic development  
organization, supporting manufacturing by identifying new opportunities,  
markets, and technical assistance to compete for new opportunities. He  
indicated that there is a need for greater employer involvement in education,  
training, and hiring practices. He highlighted the target industry clusters for Kane  
County, including metals and machinery, food and beverage manufacturing and  
packaging, transportation, distribution, and logistics, agriculture, and business  
services. Lastly, the launch of an EDO and focusing on these strategic directions  
will set Kane County on a path towards a vibrant, post-pandemic prosperous  
21st century economy. Much discussion ensued. (Madam Chair Pierog left at  
1:30 p.m.)  
KC Executive Committee  
RESULT:  
TO:  
MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
KC Executive Committee  
Cherryl Strathmann  
Deborah Allan  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
Anita Lewis, Deborah Allan, Gary Daugherty, and Cherryl  
Strathmann  
AYE:  
Ron Ford, David Young, Corinne M. Pierog, and Vern Tepe  
Mavis Bates  
ABSENT:  
ABSTAIN:  
Approving and Authorizing the Execution of an Agreement Between the County  
of Kane and the Kane County Economic Development Corporation for Funding  
of Economic Development Purposes  
B.  
KC Executive Committee  
RESULT:  
TO:  
MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
KC Executive Committee  
Mavis Bates  
MOVER:  
Cherryl Strathmann  
SECONDER:  
Anita Lewis, Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Gary Daugherty, and  
Cherryl Strathmann  
AYE:  
Ron Ford, David Young, Corinne M. Pierog, and Vern Tepe  
ABSENT:  
6.  
7.  
New Business  
None.  
Comments by Co-Chair  
Co-Chair Allan congratulated the Development team on the passing of the Strategic  
Plan.  
8.  
Reports Placed On File  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT  
Deborah Allan  
9.  
Executive Session (if needed)  
None.  
10.  
Adjournment  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE  
Mavis Bates  
This meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m.  
Rachel Santora  
Recording Secretary