Rockford economic development leader resigns amid sweeping changes
Rockford Area Economic Development Council President Therese Thill is resigning as an on-going effort to merge the organization with the Rockford Chamber of Commerce continues.
Thill will remain with the RAEDC, a non-profit organization focused on attracting and retaining primary employers in the Rockford region, through the end of the month. She then plans to take an out-of-state job.
RAEDC Board Chairman Jimmy Rozinsky of Spectrum Insurance described Thill as a "consummate professional."
Rozinsky credited Thill with providing stability and leadership. He said it was her contacts that have made Rockford a finalist for a code named economic development project that could bring millions in investment and hundreds of jobs to the city.
"That’s what you want from an economic development corp," Rozinsky said. "To be that facilitator and that liaison and, at its best, that’s what it does."
Thill has positioned the RAEDC well, Rozinsky said, but the future of the organization is uncertain. He has not announced plans to search for her successor.
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Thill came to Rockford to lead the RAEDC from a business development organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan less than two years ago. She arrived at a somewhat tumultuous time after a new umbrella organization called the Greater Rockford Growth Partnership was implemented.
The umbrella organization was billed as a way to align the goals of the Chamber and the RAEDC. But it created a confusing leadership structure in which both the Chamber and RAEDC presidents reported to the GRGP but also answered to their own boards of directors.
For months, high-powered members of the business community have worked behind the scenes to develop a new paradigm for the Chamber and the RAEDC. A merged organization or two organizations that answer to a single board of directors could be the end result.
A 60-day window to develop the financial and leadership structures for the three entities is coming to a close in the coming weeks.
During her time with the RAEDC, Rozinsky said Thill helped solidify the council's financial footing, improved its community presence and grew its investor base.
“It has been my great honor to serve RAEDC, its investors, and this community overall,” Thill said in a news release. “While I look forward to this new chapter, I will sincerely miss the people and organizations with which I’ve had the great pleasure to work with during these past two years. I will remain a cheerleader for the Rockford region, its continued growth and the impact for the remarkable businesses who are located here and those which seek to move here in the future.”
It is unclear what role the changes coming to the RAEDC and Chamber of Commerce played in Thill's decision to find a new job. Thill did not respond to a phone message seeking comment.
Jeff Kolkey can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford economic development leader resigns amid sweeping changes
