“We’re a project-driven organization,” said Lynch, 40, a Chicago native who came to Peoria seven years ago on the advice of his brother. His first taste of central Illinois came while attending Knox College in Galesburg, where he met his wife, Terry. The couple has four children.
Lynch has been with the CEO Council since 2012, when the group previously known as the CEO Roundtable was reorganized. “I’m an outgoing person with a great passion for making Peoria on par with Madison (Wis.) and Des Moines (Iowa),” he said, referring to mid-sized Midwestern cities that have developed a reputation for economic success. “I’m getting an education that money can’t buy, being around 65 of the greatest business educators I’ve ever met. But I know there are others out there in the area. We’re not complete. I’d like to see this organization grow to have 100 members,” he said.
If you haven’t heard much about this group, it’s because the organization prefers to operate out of the spotlight. CEOs meet every two months as a whole, while the group’s four individual committees meet monthly, said Lynch. Council meetings are closed to the public, he said. “We’re focused on private business, but we try to be transparent on what we’re working on,” said Lynch.
The four committees cover many issues. The work experience group wants to line up more high school and college students with employers. “We want to add to what’s already available. We look to collaborate with the chamber of commerce with its 1,000 members and the EDC,” he said.
A second committee deals with community improvement, said Lynch. “The focus is on quality of life and quality of place. Focus Forward did a robust job of asset mapping. We want to work on that list and see where private business fits in,” he said.
Talent recruitment involves a third committee, headed by Don Shafer, a banker at Heartland Trust & Savings. “How we attract more skilled professionals to our community is the challenge here,” said Lynch.
The CEO Council’s fourth committee looks to address the pros and cons of Peoria purchasing the water company, a long-standing issue that periodically bubbles to the surface in this community. “We’re rooted in objectivity to do a fact-based analysis before it comes up again at the Peoria City Council,” Lynch said.
Meredith Bunch, president of Peoria’s Midstate College, has been on the CEO Council for two years. “I think it’s a fantastic way for business people to come together on issues affecting the community,” she said. Bunch is involved in making Peoria a work-based learning center, coming up with 1,000 opportunities for student involvement in the workplace. “That could mean part-time jobs, internships, job shadowing and other opportunities,” she said.
The most recent accomplishment of the CEO Council was the creation of the Downtown Development Corp. with the help of the city of Peoria and Peoria County, said Lynch.
“We’re all focused on collaboration,” he said. “Without it, we’ll all sink in the river.”
Of the new team now assembled to handle economic development at 100 Water St., the former home of the Heartland Partnership, Jim Lynch may be the name you have to check the scorecard for. As president of the CEO Council, a group of 65 chief executives that delves into projects such as community development and talent recruitment, Lynch toils in anonymity compared to Jeff Griffin, president of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, and Jennifer Daly, head of the Peoria Area Economic Development Council, the other directors at the riverfront office.
Steve Tarter
Journal Star business editor
