Green clearinghouse among contenders for development council’s seed money

By Isaac Guerrero

BusinessRockford.com

A clearinghouse for green initiatives, which may include a public charter school, is among 13 development proposals that business leaders are considering to improve the Rock River Valley.

The Leadership Council of the Rockford Economic Development Council meets May 22 to endorse one or two of the 13 initiatives. The council, a consortium of more than 50 business and government leaders, will award seed money to the winning projects to help them along.

Leadership Council investments last year, part of the RAEDC’s Rockforward! campaign, included $50,000 to launch the Rockford Charter Schools Initiative and $75,000 to establish the Rockford Area Career Clearinghouse, which links regional employers with recent graduates and helps college students find internships and apprenticeships. An $875,000 fund will jump-start projects over the campaign’s five years.

On Monday, RAEDC will provide a summary of this year’s submitted proposals. One of those proposals — a green development and training center — is being pitched by Comprehensive Community Solutions, best known for its Rockford YouthBuild program. As CCS Director Kerry Knodle envisions, the center would include several components:

Rockford ReUse Center, an existing program with plans for expansion. The ReUse Center, 907 S. Main St., accepts donations of used furniture, building materials, appliances and fixtures, then resells those goods to the public.

A green charter school providing education and training for green jobs.

Green job training programs to provide instruction for solar panel installation, appliance repair, vehicle conversion, urban landscaping and other skills. Shorter-term training programs would prepare workers for residential and commercial retrofitting of existing public and private buildings to improve energy efficiency.

A manufacturing facility to build and market energy-efficient, engineered wall and roof panels for green building projects and an outlet to sell green building products for consumers and commercial users.

Technical support and resources to help new and existing businesses thrive in the emerging green economy.

“You’re hearing a lot about green jobs and the green economy, but let’s not just talk about recycling newspapers or plastic,” Knodle said. “Let’s take this green movement and talk about how we can create jobs and create wealth. I think Rockford is the right city and it’s the right time and climate for this. Many of these things can be implemented in fairly short order.”

Knodle’s proposal requests $60,000 in seed money, primarily to hire staff and outside resources to prioritize and develop business plans for each component of the green development and training center.

Reach Assistant Business Editor Isaac Guerrero at iguerrero@rrstar.com or 815-987-1394.