Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council

Thank you to the lenders, architects, and developers who came out to the C-PACE Financing informational session this evening. The Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council co-hosted the event alongside PACE Equity and McLean County IL Government.

We had great questions on how it works and the ways in which it can complement capital stacks. It’s a great tool to get projects across the finish line. If you were unable to make it or want to learn more please reach out to the EDC team.

Last week Nora Harrison, Sr. Community Development Manager for the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, attended the Illinois Economic Incentives Association (IEIA) fall conference alongside Samantha Mlot, Economic Development Advocate for the City of Bloomington, Illinois. The conference was a great opportunity to bring back information and ideas that can benefit local economic development efforts.

Recently Pressing Petals LLC located at 401 Pine Street in Normal was the recipient of a Commercial Lease Grant through the Community Development Corporation funded by McLean County IL Government. This grant program, administered by the BNEDC, works to fill vacant commercial spaces in our community and support entrepreneurship. Pressing Petals preserves meaningful floral memories, transforming bridal bouquets, funeral flowers, and flowers from special occasions into beautiful, lasting keepsakes. Congratulations on your new space!

The Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council is pleased to announce Tyler Cravens has been selected as President and Chief Executive Officer effective September 14th, 2026. His appointment follows a robust search process led by the organization’s Board of Directors and facilitated by MGT, a national executive recruitment firm. Cravens has served as Interim CEO since the end of March 2026.

Tyler has been the Chief Operating Officer of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce for the last four years, supporting and growing the Bloomington-Normal business community. As Interim CEO he has united key stakeholders around a future vision for the EDC and its role in leading a prosperous, resilient regional economy.

Learn more at www.bnbiz.org/press

More good news for Bloomington-Normal. The new Rivian R2 plant is ramping up production and creating more jobs. A second shift is being added at the Normal facility in the coming months. The hiring surge capitalizes on a $1.5 billion investment in the plant which was completed in 2025 and began production earlier this year.

Rivian is adding a second shift to its R2 assembly line at its Normal facility. 👀⚡

The R2 is Rivian's smallest and most affordable model to date. As Governor JB Pritzker said a couple of months ago, the R2 model could make electric vehicles accessible to the middle class, just as the Model T helped cars evolve from a luxury to an everyday item for most Americans.

When fully scaled, the plant in Normal will be capable of manufacturing 155K R2 vehicles per year. ​

“The U.S. automotive marketplace is starved for high-quality EV choice, and I believe R2 is an attractively priced option for everyday adventures that will resonate with a broad set of consumers,” said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe.

More about why this matters in InsideEVs: https://bit.ly/4hZBrlh

Last Friday we hosted our quarterly BN By The Numbers event at the brand new The Petrick Idea Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. We were thrilled to have had a sold out, energetic crowd of over 100 attendees representing over 50 local businesses participate in the first ever community event held at Petrick!

This event was focused on entrepreneurship with speakers including our Interim CEO Tyler Cravens, IWU School of Business and Economics Dean Dr. Bryan McCannon, IWU Petrick Idea Center Director Ben Hage, ISU BN Innovation Hub leader Dr. Harriett Steinbach, and local entrepreneur Vivian Doctora.

The work that all of them are doing to promote the local entrepreneurial ecosystem bode well for the future and we were glad to raise up the progress being made.

We also had the opportunity to highlight the strong state of our local economy and continued investments in housing, manufacturing, and across the board in the City of Bloomington, Illinois, Town of Normal - Government, and McLean County IL Government.

Our BN By The Numbers: Entrepreneurship event is officially sold out! We look forward to seeing everyone who registered this Friday at the new Illinois Wesleyan University Petrick Idea Center.

We're hiring! The Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council seeks a talented, knowledgeable, visionary, and collaborative leader to serve as its next President & Chief Executive Officer. Visit the job posting to learn more.

https://lnkd.in/g-dmmyCX

Join us for our upcoming BN by the Numbers: Entrepreneurship event on Friday, July 31st at the Illinois Wesleyan University Petrick Idea Center. Hear from local leaders and entrepreneurs, followed by a tour of the Petrick Idea Center.

Email [email protected] to register.