Business View Civil & Municipal Apr-2023

86 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 relationship for Richton Park, as Stockstell admits, “A lot of our communities are relatively small, so we’re dependent on one another. That organization, which represents 42 communities, is of tremendous value.” He notes that partnerships with the local school districts, and Governor State University are also pivotal to the community. On the commercial side, the Illinois Small Business Development Center is an important resource, offering federally funded business counseling. Richton Park is also looking forward to the opening of 4343 Ascending House, a business incubator and coworking space, an initiative through the Chicago Southland Development Corporation which is expected to bring new opportunities to the region. Boys remarks that the village also relies on strong partnerships with utility providers such as ComEd, Comcast, and Nicor, while Stockstell says they would be remiss not to mention Cook County, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District whose roles in the continued success of the community are essential. Looking to the future, Stockstell, Saunders, and Boys are all excited about the economic development opportunities that are coming for Richton Park. These include the plans for the town center, as well as a large portion of undeveloped farmland that is full of potential. “The board has made it clear that economic development is the priority,” Stockstell summarizes. As a final thought, he says he hopes to see the completion of a public relations and marketing plan which he hopes will, “continue to extend our brand further, to make us more attractive, and try to bring in the types of things that we want, whether it be in the form of people, business, whatever it may be.” PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Governors State University www.govst.edu Governors State University (GSU) is a four-year public university providing bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs in a variety of disciplines. In addition, GSU provides customized and standardized employee training, professional development, and industry certifications. GSU partners with major logistic companies to advance research to improve logistics operations through digital technologies. n Prairie State College www.prairiestate.edu Prairie State College proudly serves Community College District 515 and is a hub of excellence, offering associate degrees, technical and career certificates, and workforce development and community education programs. The institution strives to provide opportunities for its students to start near, go far, and thrive.