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Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development

Welcome to the Illinois Valley! The area, which encompasses the cities of Peru, Oglesby, Spring Valley, LaSalle and Wenona as well as a number of smaller villages, is conveniently situated in north-central Illinois, within a 60-mile radius of Rockford, Peoria, Bloomington-Normal and Rock Island-Moline and just 90 miles from Chicago.

We at the Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development are eager to show you what makes our area so special, from the beautiful scenery and exciting recreational opportunities to the qualities that make it a great place to visit, raise a family or operate a business.

We offer many economic opportunities and incentives for businesses and industrial firms, and the local landscape includes the Illinois River and surrounding woodlands as well as expansive farmland, which supports a diverse industrial, service and agricultural economy.

Marci Duro, IVAC Executive Director/CEO

Steve Brust Memorial Golf Outing - June 7th !

To register to play golf: click on this for a printable form to submit with your payment.

To register to be a sponsor: Go to our "Calendar" tab, search for June 7, 2012 and follow the steps to select your sponsor level. YOU CAN EVEN CHARGE IT TO YOUR CREDIT CARD !

Rollin’ on the River...thru the eyes of IVAC Executive Director

For those of us in the Illinois Valley Area, barge traffic on the river is something we are used to and for the most part, we think we understand it. Product is picked up at some point and dropped off at another, the return trip may or may not be empty. But there is so much more to the equation and for those who work the river everyday it comes as natural as breathing.

My first exposure to the complexity of river transportation was Project Raven. A project that has surfaced several years ago…went quiet and then resurfaced in the fall of 2010. Barb Koch has started the project and was there with me for the resurface to orchestrate the on – site visit. It was held at Marquis Energy – the land/site of interest was close by. It was there I saw first hand the combination of water, rail and road (plus Mark’s helicopter added to the thrill).

In early 2011 IVAC responded to another RFI which resulted in another on-site presentation for Project Chrysalis, which involved chemical processing and again the barge questions came up. At this point I have gathered a substantial amount of information and was fascinated at the working activity and commerce that happens on our wonderful river system.

In conversation with Bill Planton, Mertel Gravel Company, he explained the activity on the river with his first hand experience and all the working knowledge that Pat Shea, River Docks, Inc. has. I asked if I could do a ride along some time to get insight into what it takes to “work the river”. The next thing I knew the phone rang and there was an opportunity for me to ride along on a short trip, Pat was taking a barge empty to Hennepin and bringing back a full one.

A beautiful fall day, with all the colors out, it was an awesome experience. We passed several other barges coming towards us and the communication was fascinating to witness. Cordial respect for each other and updates on the current condition of the waterway, ie: lowspots, sandbar changes and etc. Listening to Pat do business on his cell phone as we made our way to Hennepin was also an experience….he seems to know everyone from Chicago out to Peoria and stays up with the commerce that is happening on the river.