McHenry County Government: County Board Approves New Advance McHenry County Grants

Press release from the McHenry County Government:

02/16/2022 9:34 AM

WOODSTOCK, Ill. – Two new grants awarded through the Advance McHenry County program will give a boost to local manufacturing and create a new pathway for youth to seek well-paying manufacturing jobs.

The County Board at its Feb. 15 meeting approved two more awards under the program, which was created to invest tens of millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 recovery funding into projects that directly benefit the community. Board members voted unanimously to allocate $1.395 million to the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center to help local businesses rebound from the pandemic, and to allocate $717,300 to McHenry County College on behalf of the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium to support an internship program.

“These next two allocations make critical investments in our business community and our workforce,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said. “They will strengthen our manufacturing base while providing them with eager and highly trained local workers seeking careers.”

The first phase of the Advance McHenry County plan will invest half of the $59.7 million the county is set to receive in ARPA funding. Of the $29.8 million to be disbursed in this phase, $14 million will be allocated to infrastructure capital projects, and $8 million will be dedicated to manufacturing, workforce development and jobs programs. Just under $3 million will be allocated to nonprofit agencies, and another $3 million will be set aside for special districts and other local governments that did not receive ARPA funds.

The award to IMEC will provide technical assistance and training solutions to help McHenry County manufacturers rebound from the pandemic, reinvent to be more globally competitive, and become more resilient to future economic and societal shocks.

“We are incredibly appreciative to partner with McHenry County and the Advance McHenry County initiative for this program. The investments in McHenry County manufacturers will not only help them recover, but also spur innovation for the post-pandemic economy. McHenry County is ensuring that its incredibly rich manufacturing tradition remains vibrant and globally competitive into the future, and we’re honored to be a part of that story,” IMEC President David Boulay said.

The award to MCC will empower the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium to create the Summer Rotational Internship Program to provide 100 students every summer the opportunity to participate in a 10-week, paid work program to expose them to local manufacturing career opportunities. The consortium is composed of manufacturers, educators, and community partners working together to secure a talent pipeline of skilled manufacturing employees.

“On behalf of MCC and the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium, we are truly appreciative of Advance McHenry County for supporting this important initiative,” MCC President Clint Gabbard said. “With help from the county’s generous funding, we can increase awareness of career opportunities within local industry for 100 interns throughout our community, as well as continue to showcase the many exciting and innovative pathways available with our area manufacturers.”

Funding requests received by the county are first evaluated by The Bronner Group, the firm hired to help administer the program, on a 100-point scale developed to gauge community benefit; the firm also ensures that the requests align with federal guidelines governing how ARPA funds are used. The IMEC proposal received an 86% score, while the MCC/Manufacturing Pathways proposal received an 84% score.

Last month, the County Board awarded the first three Advance McHenry County grants: $1.69 million to help fund state-of-the-art educational and training equipment for McHenry County College’s new Foglia Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation, $1.5 million to Community High School District 155 to finance a jobs readiness and exploration program, and $500,000 to support the Child Advocacy Center of McHenry County’s mission to help child abuse victims.

You can learn more about the Advance McHenry County initiative, and track how the money is being spent, by visiting www.mchenrycountyil.gov/advance.

This press release was produced by the McHenry County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.