A few months into the second year of his tenure, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce and CEO Council President Joshua Gunn admits it's been an eventful time, as COVID-19 continues to impact the region.
In an interview with reporter Joe Deacon, Gunn discusses efforts to reverse population decline, grow the workforce amid labor shortages, and assist economic recovery. This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Joe Deacon: This has been a pretty eventful time to be just getting into your second year as the Chamber president. How do you feel you've taken to the roles of leading the Chamber and the CEO Council?
Joshua Gunn: Yeah, it has been a really eventful time to move to a new place and take a new role, and it's such a critical role in a community in the middle of COVID; it’s been challenging. But your question is: How I've taken to it? Hopefully, the community feels like I've done a good job. For me, it's been a challenging but comfortable transition. Peoria has been welcoming and warm. It's a city with a lot of value, and some significant challenges ahead that I'm excited to work on.
Obviously, the economy is still showing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. What is your sense of the pulse of the Peoria business climate right now?
Gunn: You’re right, the economy is certainly feeling the impacts of COVID. Business owners are still reeling in many ways; employees are still reeling from the impact, not only the economic impact (but) the psychological impact of dealing with something like the COVID-19 pandemic has been extremely challenging. But the pulse of the business community here in Peoria is one that I think is optimistic, one that is dedicated, and one that wants to continue to thrive amidst some significant challenges. Challenges aren't new to Peoria, right? Peoria is a place that's had significant ups and downs. I think it's developed into itself into a resilient culture, and we see that in our business community as well as in the consumers who support the businesses.
Many of the service businesses like restaurants and retail are still coping with staffing shortages, even while there's still many people who aren't working right now. Why do you think this is the case, and what will it take for things to start to change?
Gunn: Every industry is facing staffing challenges. The service industry is the one that we see the most and we experienced the most; the hospitality industry also has been hit particularly hard. There are various reasons for the staffing shortages. One that I don't think we can discount is that we lost millions, or half a million people, I think, died in the United States due to the pandemic. So there's a significant portion of our workforce that is either no longer here on the planet, no longer living, or facing some significant physical challenges due to COVID and sort of the long-term impacts of that. So there's that.
There's the psychological implications of dealing through a pandemic. Maybe people aren't quite ready to get back into a highly stressful work environment just yet. And I think there's also some cultural things that we have to really assess: Are we compensating people fairly? Are we fairly incentivizing people to come back to work?
Then the last piece is that the COVID pandemic shows people that working from home was a possibility, being closer to your family was a possibility. So rethinking a re-imagining the work/life balance, I think, is going to be a necessity as well. So there are various reasons for the staffing shortages, but I think they are of the utmost importance. Our business community desperately needs for us to figure it out. And one of the things that we're working on at the Chamber is that building of the workforce that we can help to solve some of those staffing challenges.
You mentioned the workforce, how vital is the workforce development to growing Peoria’s economy? What are the steps the Chamber is doing to promote building a bigger workforce? What are the target industries?
Gunn: I think workforce development is one of the most critical things that we do, right? It's one of the most critical and urgent priorities for the Chamber, and for the community of Peoria. One of the things that we did is launch the Regional Workforce Alliance, which tackles a couple of key issues. One is helping individuals who are underemployed, people who have a certain set of skills that may not lend itself to the jobs of the future, helping them up-skill to fit the jobs that we know are currently in need, in things like manufacturing and health care, which are key industries for us in Peoria, and also for the industries of the future, things like technology, automation, innovation, helping to up-skill people. That's a great partnership we have with the Chamber and about 50 other organizations, as well as the community college (Illinois Central College) here in Peoria.
The other things that we talk about are multiple barriers. There are multiple reasons why people may not be able to access the economy or participate in the economy, whether it be issues with poverty, issues with systemic challenges, issues with being incarcerated. So we have to think about how we address those multiple barriers because there's a big gap in our workforce that we can address by tapping into people like our returning citizens, individuals who come out of the prison system, and who are ready to work but have multiple barriers to get into that employment role.
The last piece is working with the school systems: how do we train our youth at the middle school and high school level for the jobs of the future and create easy access into those career paths? So workforce development is critical, as is talent attraction. We know that even if we develop our workforce here in Peoria, with everybody that we have in the community today, it won't be enough. We have to also attract talent and workforce for the future.
Are there specific industries that you're kind of targeting with the workforce development right now?
Gunn: Manufacturing is a big, big target for us. Health care, of course; we have a nursing shortage right now in our major health systems. Everyone knows now that Peoria’s primary industry is health care — OSF and UnityPoint and our other health care systems are now the largest employers in Peoria. So, that I think is a big part of the future of our economy. So we're focused on that health care vertical, as well as manufacturing remains a key component of our economy — earth moving; we know the Caterpillars (and) the Komatsus are here (and) they're continuing to hire people here in Peoria. So workforce development in that regard.
The third piece, though, that I don't want to leave out is innovation and entrepreneurship. We have a growing innovation sector and things like med-tech, biomedical manufacturing, people like Natural Fiber Welding, who are really revolutionizing the textile industry and we think are going to be hiring at scale. We need to make sure that we're developing a workforce for companies like that as well.
Getting back a little bit to the businesses right now, the service businesses. Have you sensed anything about how they've been impacted by the mask mandate and customers that will comply or not comply with the state's order to wear masks?
Gunn: That's a good question, and I've gotten it a couple times. Quite honestly, here in Peoria, I haven't seen a lot of resistance to the mask mandate. I think we are a community that is really bought in to doing what it takes to get through this pandemic. I shop in retail stores here in Peoria, go to restaurants, I see people wearing their masks when they're not at their table, taking it off when they eat. And I also haven't heard any feedback from business owners that it's been a major issue. Quite honestly, for some maybe that's surprising, but from what I know about Peoria and the dedication that we have to community, it's not surprising to me that people are really bought in to doing what it takes.
The Chamber is participating in a collaboration called Greater Peoria 2030 that is working to reverse the region's population decline that was shown in the recent census. Can you tell us about what those efforts are and what it's going to take to make people want to come here and stay here?
Gunn: Absolutely. So as I mentioned, I think this is “mission critical” for us. There are some sort of urgent issues that are staring us right in the face, things like crime and poverty and violence, and those things, I think, are priority number one: how do we address those key safety issues. But other than that, I think addressing population decline and a talent shortage is priority number two for us as a community.
So GP 2030 is a three-pronged approach. It's collaboration between several regional entities: the Chamber, the CEO Council, the GP EDC (Greater Peoria Economic Development Council), the Peoria Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau, as well as several other Chambers in the region. The three prongs of that strategy are, first, marketing: How do we tell the story of Peoria outside of our borders? How do we convince the rest of the world to take a look at Peoria and consider it as a destination to live, work and play? So, we have a partnership with McDaniels, which is a marketing firm, and we've launched that partnership through an investment from the partner organizations, and we're starting to tell the story of Peoria in a different way, re-imagining Peoria as a talent destination.
The second part of that strategy is retention. Growing the talent and recruiting people here to Peoria is meaningless if we can't keep the people who are already here, right? So we want to make sure that we become a welcoming community the minute someone comes here, but that we also engender a pride and sense of community for the people that are already here and make sure that people know all the great quality of life factors that exist in Peoria, and that they can access them. So that's the second prong of our strategy.
The third — and quite honestly, the piece that I think is going to help us differentiate ourselves — is an incentive strategy. How do we develop an incentive to get people to move here? So once people know about Peoria, they consider Peoria, then they have all these other communities that they might be comparing us to. What incentive can we offer them to move here? There are several, about 50, examples across the country. People have done everything from direct cash payments, like Tulsa (Okla.) and Topeka (Kan.) are giving people direct cash payments to move there. Some people are doing student loan forgiveness; some people are doing down-payment assistance. What we're developing is something that's unique to Peoria, and we're still thinking through how that looks. But we want to develop an incentive that will attract people here, because we know once they come and are exposed to the great quality of life we have here, they're more inclined to stay.
You touched on the incentives. But what are the other hard, tangible ways that this program can work that makes it more than just a marketing campaign?
Gunn: Yeah, great question. The incentive is probably the most tangible piece, right? What is that actual carrot that we can give someone to move here? We've talked about the cash payment thing, does that work for Peoria? We don't know. One of the things that I'm a big fan of is looking at the assets that we have in our community, and one of the things that Peoria has is affordable real estate. Peoria also has a lot of historic or old homes that could use a little tender loving care to revitalize the neighborhoods. So maybe that's an incentive, they can have a way that we can help people purchase those homes, and give them a grant or some sort to revitalize those neighborhoods. So those are tangible things that we can offer.
But I want to stress that the retention piece is also tangible. We're going to do programs and connect with the HR associations, so the day that someone is hired in Peoria … Let me ask you a question: If you were to work at a local area of business and you were recruited here to work there, and you started on day one of your job, who in the community reaches out to you? If you're a nurse at OSF, for instance.
Yeah, that's a good question.
No one, probably, right? Except for people in your organization. We want to change that. When I got here to Peoria, I was able to meet the mayor, I was able to meet the presidents of the universities. I was able to meet the presidents of the park districts, the museums, the baseball team. I quickly felt like this was a community and a place for my family and (me). But most people don't get that experience. We want to replicate the experience that folks like myself get for everyday people that moved to Peoria. We want to make sure that they feel welcomed and at home. So that's another tangible thing.
What it also will do, the ancillary impact of that — and we've seen this also in places like Tulsa, Alabama, West Virginia — people that have these talent attraction programs, is they developed community. So, if there's 100 people that moved here in the month of March, if we can connect them to all 100 of those people, now they've instantly got a community of people that they have things in common with, and they're also more likely to stay. So what we're really doing is creating this connected community of people that are invested in Peoria. I think that's really tangible, beyond just telling the story. But telling the story is also important.
With an incentive program like that, how does that get funded? Where does the money come from?
Gunn: That's where the rubber meets the road for us, right? That's why I don't have a concrete answer for you for how we're going to approach it. There are various ways that other communities have approached it. So, the Tulsa model is the most famous. So Tulsa has a program called Tulsa Remote, where they will pay you $10,000 cash if you move to Tulsa. That program was funded through a grant from the George Kaiser Foundation. George Kaiser is a wealthy benefactor of the Tulsa community and he gave them a $1 million grant to get started, and in a sense funded that with several million dollars over the past three years that this program has existed. It's been wildly successful. The first year, they got 15,000 applicants that wanted to move to Tulsa, they so far have moved over 3,000 people to Tulsa and given them the $10,000.
Places like West Virginia have used public-private models, where there's some private investment as well as some investment from the state and local governments to make this happen. So there's various ways to approach it. We at the CEO Council and the Chamber are thinking about a way that we can help invest in this through the business community. But I also think there's potential for a public option at either the state or local level in Illinois.
How difficult does it become then to recruit people to the area when the city is kind of gripped in a spate of violence right now?
Gunn: It's extremely difficult. So, one of the things that I'm passionate about is recognizing the economic connection between violence and economic disparity. We have in Peoria a tale of two cities many times, right? Some people that live very, very well and very comfortably on one side of town, and not too far from them are people who are struggling with generational poverty, violence, lack of safety, lack of access to resources, food deserts. Things that are real critical issues that I think we need to address. I think we address that through economic opportunity and access to economic opportunity.
If we can create spaces for businesses to thrive in those communities — whether that's through incentives, whether that's through creative programs to attract Black and minority businesses to primarily Black and minority neighborhoods, so that there's a cultural connection there. We know that Black and minority businesses are more likely to hire Black and minority individuals, and we have a gap in our unemployment rate between the races in the Peoria area — quite frankly, in the United States of America, but specifically here. So addressing that through economic programs that target the specific economic conditions that contribute to violence, I think is going to be critical. And your point is absolutely right. If we don't do that, it's going to get harder and harder to attract business and to attract talent to Peoria.
Is that especially a key right now when you see that with the recent census data that Peoria is becoming a more diverse community?
Gunn: Yeah, and that's one of our strengths, right? For communities of our size, particularly in central Illinois, Peoria is by far the most diverse community. I actually was just at a national Chamber of Commerce board meeting — I serve on the National Association of Chambers of Commerce Board — and I shared the demographic data, because the topic is all about diversity, equity inclusion. It's a big topic in the business world in general, and that's what we're talking about with Chambers of Commerce: how do we improve around issues of diversity, equity and inclusion? And I shared the demographics of Peoria, and everyone in the room was shocked. They couldn't believe how diverse Peoria is. We have a large Black community, a large latinx and Hispanic community – I think is the fastest growing demographic here in Peoria – a large Indian community, a large Asian community. I mean, it's a melting pot. For a city of our size, it's pretty impressive, and that's a strength for us. So, I think, focusing on and recognizing where the inequities may lie in a city this diverse is going to really help us solve our problems.
How optimistic are you then about the future of Peoria's business climate and economic viability?
Gunn: I'm super optimistic, and here's why: So, before I moved here, I read an article that said Peoria is the worst place for African Americans in the country, or top five worst places. You all know about the article. What I was curious to find out when I came to interview for the job, so — I'm Black, right? So I'm concerned about that. I wanted to see how people would react, and every single person I met with brought that up and put it on the table and want to solve the problem. No matter what their perspective was on whether or not it was true, they said, 'Hey, if this is an issue … here's some data that shows that we have some challenges here. Let's put our boots on and let's figure it out.'
That's what I love about Peoria. We know we have challenges. But it's been hard for me to find people who aren't committed to solving them. So that makes me optimistic. It doesn't mean we don't have great challenges ahead, but if people can really continue to work on them, that makes us unique. That was something I was also proud to share at the national Chamber conference, or Chamber board meeting is, 'Hey, we’ve got a lot of programs already rolling,' and people are investing time, energy and treasure in solving them. So that makes me optimistic.
That article you referenced is a handful of years old now. Have you seen Peoria making strides to improve that reputation?
Gunn: Yeah, I have. So I'm proud of the launch of the Racial Justice and Equity Commission that was championed by Mayor (Rita) Ali. I serve on that commission, along with about 100 or so other Peorians. I love how inclusive it is; I love how there are people from every possible ethnicity, every sexual orientation, religion. I think they really did a great job of broadening the tent, bringing everyone into the conversation. That's a great model to help solve some of these problems. So, I am encouraged by that.
At the Chamber of Commerce, we launched a Black leadership initiative through the CEO Council, which is designed to help cultivate a pipeline of Black leaders, which we've noticed there's a lack of representation, in particular, for Black Americans on the boards of directors in the Peoria area. So we have a concerted effort to solve for that. So there's some great strides, I think, being taken to address that.
But I can't stress enough how we have to do more; we have to focus more on the economic disparities. I think the social justice issues are sort of easy to focus on — hard to solve, but easy to focus on, because they feel a little bit more like a moral challenge. But the economic imperative of solving ... that disparity is going to be key if we're really going to solve the problem, because if you look at those metrics, a lot of it was around economics. We’ve got a big hill to climb there.
