There are moments when a community has an opportunity to pause, take stock of where it stands and look ahead with renewed purpose. For Lake County Partners, the organization’s annual Invested Together event is a great time to do just that.
With the support of event sponsors, Abbott and Old National Bank, this special gathering brings together LCP’s most trusted partners – an assortment of business and civic leaders who are working together with purpose to shape Lake County’s economic future.
“I always look forward to this evening because it brings together different organizations, municipalities and sectors and unites us around a singular vision and purpose. We all have a stake in Lake County’s vibrancy and high quality of life,” notes Connie Lavin, Market President & Business Banking Director at Old National Bank. “Old National Bank is proud to be part of that conversation and to support the partnerships that help Lake County continue to grow and thrive.”
That shared sense of responsibility comes at an exciting time.
Over the last five years, Lake County has added more than 4,400 jobs and attracted approximately $2.74 billion in capital investment.
Those figures tell an important story, but the real impact goes well beyond the numbers. They represent businesses choosing to invest in the county, people finding rewarding career opportunities, families establishing roots and communities gaining confidence in their economic future.
The momentum is real. But the message from the evening’s speakers was equally clear: celebrating success is only the beginning. The next challenge is turning that momentum into long-term, inclusive and sustainable growth.
Economic Development is a Team Sport
For nearly 30 years, LCP has played a central role in bringing people and organizations together around economic development. That work goes well beyond recruiting companies. It involves connecting businesses with government, employers with educators and workforce organizations, and communities with developers and investors. The goal is to create an environment where good ideas can move from conversation to action.
That collaborative approach recognizes an important reality about economic development: companies need more than an attractive location. They need access to talent, infrastructure, transportation, education, housing and a high quality of life. Communities need employers and investment, but they also need the amenities, services and opportunities that make people want to live and build their futures there.
Lake County’s current success reflects years of work across all of those areas.
It also reflects the contributions of partners throughout the county. The evening was an opportunity to recognize the businesses, public officials, institutions and community leaders who have helped create the conditions for growth.
Thinking Beyond County Lines
Four years ago, Lake County Partners joined the City of Chicago, Cook County and the collar counties to create the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership. The premise was straightforward. When competing for investment from companies around the world, regional collaboration can tell a stronger story than individual communities working separately.
Companies considering an investment in the Chicago region are rarely thinking in terms of county boundaries. From an international perspective, the Chicagoland market is a connected economic ecosystem.
By presenting the region collectively, the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership has helped communicate that story to businesses around the world.
Since the birth of GCEP, the partnership has fueled nearly 400 Pro-Chicagoland Decisions (PCDs), representing 16,000+ new jobs across the region. The partnership has also expanded its international reach through trade missions and programs designed to introduce international companies to the opportunities available throughout Chicagoland.
In fact, the partnership has been so successful that it is in the process of being renewed for another three years, providing an opportunity to build on the progress already made.
The lesson is an important one: collaboration does not have to diminish competition. It can strengthen the entire region’s ability to compete for investment, talent and innovation.
Laying the Foundation for Future Growth
While Lake County is building on current momentum, the community is also looking ahead to the forces that will shape its next chapter. At the event, LCP announced plans to refresh its Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), the roadmap that has guided the organization’s economic development work over the past 4+ years.
The existing CEDS identified issues critical to Lake County’s long-term success and has helped shape much of the work undertaken since its creation. But the economic landscape has changed. Artificial intelligence, power infrastructure and utilities are among the issues that have become increasingly important since the current strategy was developed.
Refreshing the CEDS provides an opportunity to consider those emerging issues while reinforcing priorities that remain essential to Lake County’s future. Among those priorities are housing, early childhood education and coordinated workforce development.
The goal is not simply to create another strategic document. It is to create an actionable roadmap that reflects the community’s current needs, opportunities and aspirations — and one that can guide future collaboration and investment.
Most importantly, the CEDS is intended to belong to the entire Lake County community. That means continued engagement from the people and organizations who make up the county’s economic and civic ecosystem. Businesses, municipalities, educators, nonprofits, developers, investors and residents all have a role to play in identifying opportunities and turning them into results.
Building Economic Success Together
Ultimately, the Invested Together celebration offered both a celebration and a call to action.
Lake County has a strong foundation. The numbers demonstrate significant economic activity and investment. The county continues to benefit from talented people, strong institutions, diverse communities and a high quality of life. Regional partnerships are expanding the reach of local economic development efforts, while new strategies are being developed to address the challenges ahead.
But none of that happens automatically.
Economic development is the cumulative result of decisions made by businesses, educators, government leaders, community organizations and residents. It is the result of partnerships formed, ideas shared and problems tackled together.
The next chapter will require that same spirit of collaboration. Lake County’s long-term needs may require new approaches. Workforce development will require continued coordination. Housing, infrastructure and utilities will need to keep pace with growth. Emerging technologies will create both opportunities and questions. And the county will need to continue telling its story — locally, nationally and internationally.
Fortunately, Lake County already has an important advantage: a community of people who are willing to work together. That was perhaps the most important theme of the evening.
The future of Lake County is not being shaped by any one organization or sector. It is being built through the collective efforts of many people who recognize that their individual success is connected to the success of the broader community.
As Lake County Partners looks ahead to the next phase of its work, the focus is clear: build on the momentum, address the challenges and keep creating opportunities for businesses, workers and families to grow. There is plenty to celebrate. And there is always more work to do — together.