Q-C Development Group backs area as a whole

If the Quad-Cities economy continues to strengthen in the upcoming century, it'll be partly thanks to the efforts of the Quad City Development Group.

The partnership of Quad-Cities businesses, governments and community colleges works to keep local businesses here and market the Quad-Cities as a business location to companies around the world, QCDG vice president Rob Lamb said.

The group serves Scott County, Iowa, Rock Island and Henry Counties in Illinois, and the city of Aldedo in Mercer County.

The Quad City Development Group formed in 1961 as a partnership of private companies, Mr. Lamb said, and governmental leaders and the two community colleges joined in 1986. Members now include representatives from about 120 private companies, 13 cities, three counties and two community colleges, he said.

Mr. Lamb said the group succeeds because it's able to bring together leaders from the fiercely independent Quad-Cities municipalities and make them work together with one mission -- to strengthen the Quad-Cities economy.

``Economic development is rarely a solo operation,'' Mr. Lamb said. ``It usually requires the teamwork of a lot of different groups. That's the role we play -- the role of organizing, facilitating, marketing. Once we have an identified prospect, we work with all partners from state to local to make it happen.''

From their Rock Island office, the eight full-time and one part-time group employees plan their ``attack.''

First, they target industries well-suited to the Quad-Cities, Mr. Lamb said. Companies are chosen based on size, industry strength, anticipated growth, size of work force and other factors.

Metal fabrication companies are ``no-brainers'' for the Quad-Cities, but the group also looks at printing, plastics, food processing, insurance and related services, warehousing and distribution companies. Maintaining the Rock Island Arsenal as a viable manufacturing and office space also is a top priority.

After a company is identified, the group sends direct mailing information about the Quad-Cities. Next, come phone calls to company managers, then specific proposals to meet the company's needs. QCDG staff members then visit the company directly.

``We like to meet them face to face in their locale so we get a better feel for what they look like, feel like, act like,'' Mr. Lamb said. ``The next step is to get them to visit and tour the Quad-Cities. When you're talking about making multimillion-dollar investments, you really do need to go see the merchandise yourself.''

The group runs ads in national site location publications, accompanies state and local officials on trips and attend trade shows, all in an effort to get the Quad-Cities into the national business consciousness.

The development group may identify and contact several thousand companies each year, and of those, only a few dozen will reach the final visiting stage, Mr. Lamb said. The group has averaged about 20 successful projects per year over the last five or six years, he said.

It doesn't try to lure companies here from neighboring areas, Mr. Lamb said, but seeks companies looking to expand in the Midwest. Much of its success has come from attracting branch operations of companies who've outgrown locations in Minneapolis or Chicago and need another site, like Olympic Steel, Phoenix Plastics and Grafco.

The development group's track record speaks for itself. Since 1992, it has completed 133 projects that brought $1,075,673,850 in capital investment and 5,602,944 square feet of building space to the Quad-Cities.

Since 1987, it has helped create or retain 16,040 jobs, Mr. Lamb said.

More good things lie ahead, Mr. Lamb said, because the Quad City Development Group will continue to play a vital role in the future, Mr. Lamb said.

``Competition for new development, job creation and capital investment is increasing, and on an international basis,'' he said, ``so the need to stay prepared and to compete increases all the time.''

Industries expected to see the most growth between 1998 and 2006, in percentages:
Eating & drinking places 18.3
Personnel supply services 48.4
Farm and garden machinery 11.7
Local government 11.7
Hospitals 14.4
Educational services 5.8
Nursing & personal care facilities 29.5
Department stores 15.6
Miscellaneous business services 22.3
Computer & data processing 86.5
Commercial banks 19.6
Offices of physicians 21.0
Trucking, local & long distance 15.8
Individual & family social service 38.7
Grocery stores 7.0
Disc. amusement & recreation 18.4
Mailing, communications 108.4
Dwelling, building services 54.4
Social services, N.E.C. 44.3
Residential care 58.8
Misc. special trade 10.9
Child day care services 50.0
Management & public relations 39.5
Insurance agents & brokers 18.5
Motor vehicle dealers 13.0
Real estate agents & managers 44.9
Life insurance 13.1
Fabricated structural metal products 26.8
Misc. Nondurable goods 15.7
Plastic materials & synthetics 26.9
Medical services & health insurance 20.3
Non highway heavy construction 23.7
Residential building construction 31.6
Accounting, auditing & bookkeeping 51.9
Nonelectric misc. machinery 27.0
Engineering & architectural services 22.5
Paperboard containers & boxes 31.2
Newspapers 19.4
Hotel, motel & tourist courts 22.0
Plumbing, heating & airconditioning 25.9
Beauty shops 44.4
Motor vehicles & equipment 8.8
Electric companies & systems 8.6
Metalworking machinery 18.5
Machinery, equipment & supplies 4.0
legal services 14.0
Job training & vocational services 64.2
Misc. shopping goods stores 13.0
Lumber & other construction materials 19.2
Electrical work 24