A NONPROFIT’S APPROACH TO CONSTRUCTION
the
HADDON ANDERSON
NATE JORDAN
PAGE 4 May 2025 | Volume 38 | No. 5
JUNE COMMUNITY SERIES
The Vital Signs of Healthy Business, Healthy Workforce Thursday, June 26, 11:30 a.m. Illinois Bank & Trust Pavilion, 1868 Reid Farm Rd, Rockford There is no health without mental health. As diagnoses of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse escalate, employers of all sizes struggle to understand the issue and respond appropriately to maintain a healthy workforce and workplace.
R1 and Habitat for Humanity partner to build 30 homes on Rockford’s west side
The Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce has assembled a panel of local healthcare experts to demystify behavioral health and help employers foster wellbeing in the workplace. The panel will examine the realities of mental illness and share ways to promote a higher quality of life for your employees.
By Michael Dunn Jr., Region 1 Planning Council From empty dirt lots to blocks of inviting, move-in ready homes, the Emerson Estates subdivision, located south of Auburn and Springfield Avenue, has seen a transformation over the last two years. The success of this development, led by Habitat for Humanity and set up by Region 1 Planning Council through our Land Bank, is a story of vision and partnership.
PANELISTS
Possibilities With construction halted by the housing crash in early 2000s, the Emerson Estates subdivision lay forgotten. As part of R1’s mission to eliminate blight and return tax-delinquent properties back to tax-generating, productive use, we acquired 30 properties in this subdivision in 2022. We received them all in one lump purchase, cleared titles and the unpaid taxes, and positioned the land to be ready for a new owner. “The Land Bank has the ability to clear liabilities, so another entity can
move forward with development, and we can provide land at a low cost so the project remains financially feasible. This location already had infrastructure in place—roads, sidewalks, utility lines, street lights—which kept development costs down,” said Eric Setter, director of community revitalization at R1. The Land Bank scouted this group of properties as it looked at opportunities (continued on page 8)
Imagining more for our businesses and communities Celebrating our 2024/2025 Leadership Rockford graduates By Caitlin Pusateri, Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce
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The Voice is online at rockfordchamber.com
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of the greater rockford business community
Bringing new life to a forgotten subdivision
THE VOICE IS PUBLISHED BY
GUIDING SMALL BUSINESSES TO LONG-TERM SUCCESS
Last month, The Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce honored 45 graduates from the 2024/2025 Leadership Rockford program in a special ceremony and brunch. Three members of the previous cohort who served as class moderators were also recognized. The guest speaker, John Groh, president and CEO of GoRockford, encouraged graduates to use what they learned from the program to take meaningful action to create growth and change. “Leadership is not about control or credit—it’s about stewardship. It’s about imagining more for our businesses and our communities and then doing the work to make it real,” he said. “Leadership
Rockford is more than a program. It’s an experience that opens your eyes to the many layers of our community, the challenges we face, and the strengths we share.” Since its inception in 1967, Leadership Rockford (formerly CAP) has graduated more than 2,000 professionals. This year’s class marks the 70th cohort. The 2024/2025 Leadership Rockford program was presented by Mr. Goodwater, with John Morrissey Accountants as the Bacon & Eggs Sponsor. Registration for the 2025/2026 cohort is now available at rockfordchamber.com, but seats are limited. (continued on page 12)
Travis Andersen is the president and CEO of UW Health Northern Illinois, a regional division of UW Health, the integrated health system of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, serving communities in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Danielle Angileri is the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Northern Illinois, the nation’s largest, grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Carlene Cardosi is the chief clinical officer for Rosecrance, a private, nonprofit organization offering behavioral health services for children, adolescents, adults and families, including comprehensive addiction services. Jason Holcomb is the director of Community Impact at Region 1 Planning Council. He has worked in the community mental health and disability sector for many years and manages the day-to-day operations of the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board. Laura Kane is the founder and executive director for Marshmallow’s HOPE, a nonprofit dedicated to providing pro bono mental health support and suicide prevention resources for at-risk youth. She is a psychotherapist, specializing in evidence-based interventions to reduce suicide risk among youth. Register by June 18: