Chris Setti

As the fall harvest season arrives each year, the economic significance of agriculture in the Peoria area becomes highly visible. That’s a fact Greater Peoria Economic Development Council CEO Chris Setti has come to appreciate after growing up in suburban Los Angeles.

The manufacturing company broke ground Monday on the project, which will replace an aging office building. The new building will be powered by solar energy and is designed to conserve water.

In its sixth year of existence, the Regional Workforce Alliance (RWA) is working to develop and employ strategies to “upskill” unemployed and under-employed adults while offering workforce exposure to high school students.

The Peoria area saw an increase in jobs from April to May, but unemployment is still up from last year.

The development community in the Greater Peoria area is "leaning in" on everything the region has to offer.

With eyewear manufacturer Maui Jim expanding its operations in Peoria, area leaders are optimistic the move can spark additional economic growth. Greater Peoria Economic Development Council CEO Chris Setti says it's always encouraging when a business like this makes a long-term commitment to this community.

A proposed wind farm in northern Peoria County would be the first one within the county boundaries. Reporter Joe Deacon talks with Greater Peoria Economic Development Council CEO Chris Setti about the potential economic benefits of bringing a wind farm to Peoria County.

As Peoria leaders seek to reverse the region's population loss over the next several years, they're eyeing a growing demographic to bolster the people count: remote workers.

The Peoria metropolitan area is shrinking in population, with the combination of deaths outnumbering births and more people moving away, resulting in a decline of close to 3,000 people between 2020 and 2021.

New data show wages for food service workers in Greater Peoria have risen sharply in the past year — although workers in most other industries are seeing inflation gobble up more modest wage gains.