CITY, ELMHURST CHAMBER PARTNER WITH STATE
TO HOST LUNCH ON INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
ELMHURST, Ill., February 18, 2005 – The City of Elmhurst’s Economic Development Office and Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry, with funding support from the DuPage County Economic Development Department and Vital Signs USA (469 Spring Road), will co-host a lunch for industrial businesses and real estate representatives to learn about state-sponsored financing and assistance programs.
The invitation-only program will be held at OEC Business Interiors (formerly Office Equipment Company), 900 North Church Road, on Thursday, March 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Attendees will receive a complimentary box lunch. RSVP by Friday, March 4, to the Chamber at (630) 834-6060 or info@elmhurstchamber.org.
Elmhurst Mayor Thomas D. Marcucci will deliver greetings on behalf of the city and Chamber President John Quigley will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.
The featured speaker is Dennis Vicchiarelli, who has served as Deputy Director of Business Development at the State of Illinois’ Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) since September of 2003. He has more than 12 years of economic development experience.
In his position, Vicchiarelli is responsible for carrying out Illinois’ economic development initiatives, with a focus on commercialization of new technologies and financial incentive negotiations, and marketing Illinois’ industry advantages to company’s looking at expansion alternatives.
Prior to joining DCEO, Vicchiarelli served as Director of Business Development with World Business Chicago, the non-profit economic development and marketing organization for the City of Chicago and the surrounding nine-county area.
Vicchiarelli has also served on Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Council of Technology Advisors and has taught graduate-level courses in economic development as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs.
A Chicago resident, Vicchiarelli holds a masters degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bowling Green State University.
The city created the Economic Development Office in 2004 with the new Department of Zoning, Planning and Economic Development to absorb the function of the Elmhurst Economic Development Corporation (EEDC), a public/private partnership that lasted 10 years, with Zoning and Planning.
Like the EEDC, the Economic Development Office serves as the city’s development and marketing arm. Its mission is to work effectively to retain, expand, promote and attract business and industry within Elmhurst to increase the value of commerce, create employment opportunities and increase the city’s tax base.
Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic and commercial progress of the community.
The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.
Vital Signs USA and OEC Business Interiors have been active Chamber members since joining in 1997, and both were active members of the EEDC.