Government Center

719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A

Geneva, IL 60134

Kane County

KC Jobs Committee

Meeting Minutes

LEWIS, ALLAN, Bates, Daugherty, Penesis, Strathmann, Young, ex-officios Roth (County

Vice Chair) and Pierog (County Chair)

Friday, October 17, 2025

10:30 AM

County Board Room

Call To Order

Chairman Lewis called today's meeting to order at 10:35 AM.

Roll Call

Board Member Anita Lewis

PRESENT

Board Member Deborah Allan

Board Member Ted Penesis

Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Bill Roth

Board Member Cherryl Strathmann

REMOTE

ABSENT

Board Member Mavis Bates

Board Member Gary Daugherty

Board Member David Young

Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog

Also present: Co. Bd. members Juby*; Dev. Exec. Dir. VanKerkhoff and staff Toth; JEG

360 LLC. Grueling; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press and public including

Workforce Board Manager Jasmine Walker.

Remote Attendance Requests

Chairman Lewis announced the remote attendance requests for today's meeting. She

ask the Committee if there were any objections to Committee Member Strathmann

attending remotely. There were no objections.

Approval of Minutes: September 12, 2025

RESULT:

MOVER:

APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

Ted Penesis

Public Comment

None.

Jobs Committee Priorities

Jobs Committee 2026 Goals Discussion

Chairman Lewis reviewed the Committee's goals. She suggested the Committee

Members submit any suggestions for new goals to her. An additional review of

the goals will be discussed at next month's meeting.

Kane County Economic Development Initiatives Staff Updates

Dev. Planner Toth referenced the Illinois Investment Guide. He stated that this is

a yearly publication published by Conway Global. The guide shows how Illinois'

continuing to make progress. An add was purchased within the guide to

represent current developments in Kane County, and the Village of Sugar

Grove. In addition, Toth provided the Made in Kane, twenty-page, pamphlet that

Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) produced as part of the

completion of phase one of the Lighthouse Manufacturing Program. IMEC

collaborates with Kane County through initiatives to support and grow local

manufacturing businesses. The pamphlet includes a number of metrics, data,

companies that participated in the program, and an interview with Development

Director, Mark VanKerkhoff.

JEG 360 LLC., John Grueling stated that Kane County Economic Development

Corporation entered into a second agreement with IMEC for phase two of the

Illinois Manufacturing Lighthouse Program. The total amount of the agreement is

$483K, which will be funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). There

will be additional funding for the twenty companies that participated in phase

one of the program. Each of the companies will qualify for an additional $5K of

consulting services. Once the companies complete phase two of the program,

the goal will be for these companies to work independently with IMEC in phase

three. Grueling stated that there will be an additional ten new companies

participating in phase two, with each company qualifying for $30K for training

and consultations. Further discussion ensued.

Office of Community Reinvestment - Workforce Development Division

Workforce Development Division Staff Presentation

Workforce Board Manager Jasmine Walker presented information on the

Workforce Development Division staff. She stated that the workforce system

continues to operate collaboratively across the One-Stop fiscal and program

management teams. Her team works together to ensure compliance,

performance, and innovation across all workforce programs in the tri-county

region. Walker stated that a major development this quarter is with the proposed

partnership with Waubonsee Community College for a Hybrid and Electric

Vehicle Technology Training Program. The program will focus on safety

protocols for high-voltage systems, electric motors, batteries, regenerative

breaking, HVAC, and drivetrain systems. It is Automotive Service Excellence

(ASE) accredited, and graduates will earn a Hybrid and Electric Vehicle

Certificate. The program totals 27 credit hours over two semesters (about one

year), with a cost of $4,660 covering tuition, fees, and books. Walker noted that

the Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics field continues to see

growing demand, with a median salary of around $50,900 per year. She

highlighted the progress with the Workforce Development Kiosk Initiative. A total

of 15 kiosks are launching, with the first four being operational in Aurora. These

kiosks include the Quad County Urban League, Hessed House, Santori Library,

and the Aurora West Branch Library. A ribbon cutting took place on September

30, 2025, at the Quad County Urban League, marking phase one of the rollout,

which runs from September through November. Phase two will follow from

December through February, and additional host sites across Kane, Kendall,

and Dekalb counties are currently being identified. The following secured

locations include the Sandwich Library, Genoa Library, and the Gail Borden

Library. These kiosks expand access to job search tools and training

information, and they also provide Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA)

services. As of June 30, 2025, a total of 786 WIOA participants were served,

achieving 90 percent of the enrollment goal. Walker noted that there is strong

outlook for training participation including a total of 238 adults in training, 140 in

youth training, and 141 dislocated workers participating. The top training areas

that align with high-demand and high-wage career pathways in the region

include truck driving, IT Management, Health Care such as radio-logic

technicians or basic nurse assistants, and automotive and registered

apprenticeships. Walker highlighted that the One-Stop team continues to

strengthen community engagement and connect employers with job seekers.

Each job fair event helps to expand outreach, provide on-site enrollment

support, and promote the WIOA-funded services. She announced that there will

be an Elgin Community Job Fair event on Wednesday, October 22. This event

will help expand outreach, provide on-site enrollment support, and promote

Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) funded services. Further

discussion ensued.