I took my dog on our annual river trip this past weekend. We had a great time covering 32 miles in two days. The lone exception is that I failed to listen to my father’s advice in testing my equipment in advance. When I was a kid, he would always say, “prior planning prevents poor performance.” My other idol, Bobby Knight, added a sixth “P”- for color- but the sentiment was the same. 

I should have listened. Sleeping on a gravel bar with a deflated air mattress is less than ideal.  

It’s not goodbye. It’s “I’ll talk to you later” 

This will be your last newsletter written by yours truly. The Chamber’s Lori Benso is leaving our Healthcare Council to work for a startup out of San Franscisco. I’m going to transition over from infrastructure to healthcare. I’m not leaving the Chamber; I’ll still be here in my role as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. In that capacity my hands will remain in all the big legislative issues, including infrastructure.  

Meanwhile, you’ll be in good hands with Andrew Cunningham. Andrew has been with the Chamber for nearly 3 years now. He’s fantastic and you are going to love working with him. I promise that Andrew would always test his gear before embarking on a trip.  

Andrew will author next week’s newsletter and the ones thereafter. He’ll be your day-to-day contact for all things infrastructure related at the Chamber. I suspect he’ll be calling many of you next week to introduce himself after the holiday. If you’d like to drop a line to Andrew, his email is acunningham@ilchamber.org  

Brandon Road Construction Update 

On the topic of waterways (but with much bigger boats), here is the latest from the Army Corp on the Brandon Road Project: 

“The contract work to place the upstream bulkhead sill at Brandon Road Lock is on schedule, and we anticipate reopening the lock to traffic no later than this Sunday, 04 SEP 2022, at 1800 hours. There will still be a 70-foot width restriction and nighttime-only traffic (1800-0600) until next Thursday, 08 SEP 2022, and then all restrictions will be lifted. 

 Many thanks to our construction contractor and the team at Rock Island District who have worked hard to deliver the bulkhead recess installation effort as scheduled this year. We will now have the ability to safely dewater the lock and perform scheduled major maintenance next summer to restore the safety, efficiency and reliability of the Waterway. 

We will continue to keep our website up to date:

https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Navigation-Status/ 

please check in occasionally for reminders and updates for the Illinois Waterway’s 2023 Consolidated Closures effort.”  

$15 million for Expanded Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program 

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) recently opened the application for the second round of Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program funding. The $15 million in funding will increase training opportunities, expand the talent pipeline, and boost diversity in the construction industry and building trades.  

Approximately $8 million in funding will target increased geographic diversity and participation from diverse groups not represented in current programming through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and approximately $7 million will be available through a contract extension to current grantees who have excelled at key benchmarks.  

The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program launched in 2021 with the goal of increasing diversity and access to apprenticeship programs. Comprehensive pre-apprenticeship programs can help participants gain admission to apprenticeship programs, which provide a greater opportunity to obtain employment in the construction trades. During the first program year, Illinois Works awarded nearly $10 million in funding to 22 organizations, servicing approximately 1,000 participants across the state. While programming for the first year is still in progress through the end of 2022, preliminary enrollment figures show encouraging representation among key target demographics:  

Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Enrollment  

• 70 percent Black
• 16 percent Hispanic/Lantix
• 22 percent Women

Percentage of Apprentices in Illinois 

• 9 percent Black
• 17 percent Hispanic/Latinx
• 5 percent Women

The $8 million made available through the competitive NOFO process is focused on expanding geographic diversity and further increasing representation. Priority geographic areas include the central, east central, north central, northwest, northeast and southwest regions of the state; and priority groups include veterans and Illinoisans of Asian heritage. The remaining $7 million will be available to current grantees who have met key program benchmarks following a thorough review.  

Through the Pre-Apprenticeship Program, DCEO created a statewide network of providers to recruit, prescreen, and provide pre-apprenticeship skills training. More importantly, providers offer structured pathways and manage the program graduates' transition from the pre-apprenticeship program to a full apprenticeship program in construction and building trades. DCEO estimates that pre-apprenticeship training programs supported by the grant funds will serve as many as 1,500 participants during the second program year.  

Participants of the program attend tuition-free and receive a stipend and other supportive, barrier reduction services to help enter the construction industry. Upon completion of the program, pre-apprentices receive industry aligned certifications which will prepare and qualify them to continue to a registered apprenticeship program in one of the trades.  

Eligible applicants include non-profit, community-based organizations, such as industry associations, chambers of commerce, local workforce areas, community colleges, technical schools, and school districts. Grant awards will range from $200,000 to $550,000 per year.  

The deadline to apply for the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program NOFO is the 27th of September of 2022 at 5:00 pm. Additionally, DCEO will be hosting a series of informational webinars. Additional information and registration links can be found here: WIOA Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship NOFO 2022 (illinoisworknet.com)  

Chamber Letter of Support

Illinois Chamber President Todd Maisch wrote a letter of support for the Ogden Junction project on behalf of the business community and Infrastructure member Union Pacific.

Read the letter here.

If you have a project you'd like the Chamber to support please don't hesitate to reach out.

The Special Session That Wasn't  

For months the talk in Springfield centered on a special session dealing primarily with abortion and guns. With less than 80 days to the election, and a lack of consensus on the specifics of these two hot button issues, it is now looking very unlikely that lawmakers return to Springfield before the scheduled Veto Session. 

As a reminder, the General Assembly has released the schedule for veto session. Lawmakers will be back in Springfield Tuesday, November 15 -November 17 as well as November 29-December 1. 

View and download the veto calendar here.

Articles of Interest  

Rep. Elik Receives "Freshman of the Year" Award From Illinois Chamber of Commerce 

Amazon plans to expand into health care, smart homes 

UPS places order for eight more Boeing 767 freighters 

John Deere to hold online careers event targeted at military service leavers 

Dot Foods breaks ground, makes charitable donations 

Boeing Wins $2.1 Billion Order From Taiwan’s China Airlines 

Tyson invests US$200 million in beef plant upgrade 

Upcoming Chamber Events

Corporate Governance: From Nuts and Bolts to Trending Topics

September 21, 2022 | 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Location: NIU Center (Naperville, IL)

Description: This timely presentation will review important governance basics, such as fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, company maintenance and record-keeping, recent amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, the importance of operating agreements, minute-taking tips, and foreign qualifications and assumed name filings. We will report on recent Board diversity initiatives in Illinois and select states, including annual reporting, and Wall Street’s recent efforts to increase diversity. With a growing patchwork of data privacy laws, getting a clear view of a company’s legal obligations for data privacy practices and policies can be a challenge. We will provide an overview on the ever-changing area of data privacy and security regulations, rules and enforcement. Join Molly Arranz, Eric Fogel, and Steven Sims with SmithAmudsen LLC as they provide an overview of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and recent enforcement actions. We will review how the U.S. Department of Justice evaluates the effectiveness of corporate compliance programs to make prosecution decisions and assess monetary penalties and ongoing compliance obligations.

Registration Link: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=omjkt4dab&oeidk=a07ejc59e935456d6c0

This seminar will qualify for HRCI, SHRM, CLE, and Ethics credits!!

Environmental Justice: How Popularity Contests Can Trump Business Decisions

September 27, 2022 | 10:30 am – 11:30 am



Description: An emerging focus of environmental regulatory agencies -- environmental justice -- has become an important consideration in environmental permitting, inspections, and even enforcement.

What is environmental justice? How is Illinois incorporating environmental justice into its decision-making? Why should you take environmental justice considerations into account when making future business decisions involving expansions, siting locations, and other operational decisions? How can you plan for environmental justice challenges before they even appear?

Registration Link: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=omjkt4dab&oeidk=a07ejcmb8ujbc0d5b9e

Until next time,

Clark