Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce

Joshua Gunn is into his fourth year as head of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, and the CEO Council. Gunn says talent attraction, workforce development, and diversity and equity remain areas in need of improvement.

The new business-backed talent attraction and branding initiative for the Greater Peoria area formally launched Thursday ahead of a broader marketing blitz.

The Greater Peoria 2030 campaign was launched in September 2021 as a collaborative effort to attract new residents and retain existing community members.

The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce is getting a $500,000 state grant for its initiative to boost the region’s population. Chamber president Joshua Gunn says the funding will boost the collaborative “Greater Peoria 2030” strategy to make the region a preferred destination.

The first in-person Big Table event since 2019 brought hundreds of people to the Civic Center to discuss diversity, business and life in Peoria.

Transportation is a huge issue for people who cannot afford to purchase their own vehicle and who have trouble accessing already existing forms of transportation. Many Central Illinoisians simply don’t have the means to buy their own vehicle, but talk about increasing transportation is happening access in the Greater Peoria area.

Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce and CEO Council president Joshua Gunn discusses efforts to reverse population decline, grow the workforce amid labor shortages, and assist economic recovery.

A decade-long collaborative campaign touting the benefits of Peoria and the surrounding area will focus on both prospective and current residents.

OSF HealthCare says it has more than 750 open positions in the greater Peoria area. UnityPoint Health has close to 500 vacancies. And Morton Industries is looking to hire about 70 additional workers.

After four weeks in office, Peoria Mayor Rita Ali says she has determined her appropriate response when asked what it’s like to be the city’s first woman and first person of color with the role.