Press Releases

November 2, 2010 - Morton, IL - At the Morton Village Council Meeting last night, the Village Trustees approved the recommendaiton of the Business District Commission to allocate $70,000 from the Business District Fund to the Morton Economic Development Council for the purpose of hiring Chicago firm Houseal Lavigne to complete a Morton Downtown Plan.  The firm was one of 16 that submitted proposals to the Morton EDC.

January 18, 2011 - Morton, IL - At the Morton Economic Development Council’s Annual Luncheon today, Bill Morton, President of Morton Development, was recognized as Morton’s 2011 Venture Award winner. 

December 1, 2010 - Morton, Il - The Morton Economic Development Council recently announced that their Annual Investor Appreciation Luncheon, scheduled for January 18th from 11:30 - 1pm at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria, will feature Craig Culver, Founder of the Culvers Restaurant Chain.  "Craig has an amazing story to share with us on the spirit of entrepeneurship and the economic prosperity that can be generated through active support of small business start-ups," said Jennifer Daly, CEO for the Morton EDC.  "Everyone who is interested is invited to join us for this special event and no

December 1, 2010 - Morton, IL - The Morton Economic Development Council in partnership with Tri‐County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) and our regional economic development and chamber partners is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of ciCarpool, a web‐based rideshare‐matching service for Central Illinois. This service will allow employees and residents in the region to find carpool partners and share rides to work, special events, or when running errands.

November 1, 2010 - Morton, IL - The Morton Economic Development Council is currently accepting nominations for the Morton Venture Award, an award designed to recognize outstanding entrepreneurs who have started and grown companies in the community.  “Entrepreneurship is a critical component of economic prosperity for any community,” said Jennifer Daly, CEO for the Morton EDC.  “We want to recognize the contribution these unique business owners make to Morton.”

November 9, 2010 – Morton, IL – Today, the Morton Economic Development Council announced that CRST International Inc, one of the largest privately-held transportation companies in the United States, has chosen Morton for their newest location.  “We are proud to be welcoming CRST to our community,” said Jennifer Daly, CEO for the Morton EDC.  “They are an ideal addition to our local cluster of logistics companies and nationally known employers.”

November 1, 2010 - Morton, IL - The Morton Economic Development Council would like to invite Morton citizens to attend a special open house on Tuesday, November 16th from 4:30 - 6:00 pm at the new Morton Fire Station on West Courtland to view historic renderings of our downtown buildings as completed by a class of Illinois State University Students.  Students met with local business and building owners and used our local library to research each of our downtown buildings over the past few months.  Their completed renderings and notes will be on display during this event so that local citize

October 1, 2010 - Morton, IL - The Morton Economic Development Council’s A Greener Morton Team is hosting an Electronic Recycling Day on October 15^th and 16^th from 8am until Noon in the Morton Kmart parking lot.  Businesses and residence are invited to recycle any electronic device, with the exception of television sets, during this event.  Computer monitors will have a fee of $3 each for r

October 1, 2010 - Morton, IL - The Launch Business Plan Competition, currently in its second year, hosted two preliminary rounds last month, including one at the new Fire Station in Morton and one in Pekin. During the sessions, 12 entrepreneurs presented their ideas to local judges. “We had Wayne Menold with Morton Community Bank, Jim Ritthaler with PNC Bank, and David Mills with David Mills CPA as judges here in Morton,” said Jennifer Daly, CEO for the Morton Economic Development Council. “I think we all felt the ideas presented had a great deal of potential.”

October 1, 2010  - Morton, IL - The Morton EDC announced today that they are the recent recipient of a $15,000 Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant, awarded through the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission and the State of Illinois.  “This funding will allow us to move forward with A Greener Morton, a local sustainability program designed to help businesses of all sizes reduce costs and increase sales through achievable sustainability