Quad Cities Chamber Blog

The Quad Cities Chamber held a Minority Business Summit, presented by Wells Fargo, on October 29 at the Hotel Blackhawk. With over 100 attendees, the event was designed to empower minority entrepreneurs and business owners.  "The Minority Business Summit exceeded all expectations," said James Porter, Vice President for Talent & Inclusion at the Chamber. "Participants gained essential knowledge, built meaningful connections, and left feeling inspired and ready to reach new heights."

U.S. industrial production fell slightly last month, mainly due to the Boeing strike and two hurricanes. However, the trend has been slightly up since April. This week, we dig into the industrial production and capacity utilization statistics to see what industries are up and which ones are down. We also note that despite sector specific declines, manufacturing employment as a share of total employment remains stable in the Quad Cities, and the demand for skilled labor is growing.

Century Fence, a leader in the Fence & Pavement Marking Industries has expanded to Wilton, Iowa. With $4.4M in annual economic impact for our region, the 105-year-old Pewaukee, Wisconsin company is currently breaking ground for a 10,000 square foot building.

The Quad Cities Chamber has conducted a Q&A with candidates for the Illinois and Iowa House of Representatives, as well as the Rock Island and Scott County Board of Supervisors. Candidates answered key questions about their vision for a business-friendly environment, regulation, workforce retention and economic development in the Quad Cities. “Voting for your elected officials is the most important and impactful way business leaders can make their voices heard,” said Ryan Sempf, Executive Director of Government Affairs for the Chamber.

The CPI inflation rate was unchanged last month. While the market was expecting a decrease, most analysts still expect the Fed to continue to cut interest rates again next month. This week, we explain why strong productivity growth has helped the U.S. avoid a recession and why it also could help keep inflation under control in a falling interest rate environment.

The Chamber extends a warm welcome to the 11 businesses that became members in September. 

Payroll employment in the Quad Cities is down slightly from a year ago, however the unemployment rate remains low by historical measures. This week, we identify changes in the Quad Cities labor market over the last few years with the help of the latest Laborshed Workforce Report from Iowa Workforce Development.

Douglas Machine & Engineering is expanding its capabilities with a new CNC production shop in Port Byron, Illinois. With an investment in new machinery and equipment, the project has a total economic impact of $888K. 

The U.S. economy added a net 254,000 jobs in September, exceeding nearly everyone's expectations. Gains were broadly shared across most industries. While wages were up slightly, most analysts do not expect this to reignite inflation. This week, we look at the job numbers and consider how to interpret the implications for the path of interest rates.

Over the past 9 months, members of the Chamber's Leadership QC cohort have been refining their leadership skills and working to create positive community change. Through purposeful conversations, panel discussions and collaborative projects, the rising leaders gained a greater perspective on and investigated meaningful solutions to critical issues in our region.

Quad Cities Chamber Executive Director, Ryan Sempf joined the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association last week for their annual fly-in to Washington D.C. During the trip, Sempf met with nine different Illinois legislators, including staff from Senator Durbin’s office, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) and Darin LaHood (IL-16). The team also met with the White House staff for Manufacturing and Industrial Policy and staff from the Canadian Embassy.

Recall that our discussion last week revolved around the uncertainty about the size of the cut in the days leading up to the meeting and the fact that many observers were expecting a more conservative ¼ percentage point move. This week, we continue the discussion of the rate cut by specifically thinking about how the pace of rate cuts could affect the outlook both nationally and locally.

Six Eastern Iowa Counties jointly signed a resolution to form the Ports of Eastern Iowa Authority. The Authority will serve the Counties of Clinton, Dubuque, Jackson, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott, and will operate within the Mississippi River Ports of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. This recognition by the federal government highlights the strategic importance of our region, which now ranks as one of the top 100 U.S. ports by freight tonnage. 

Last Wednesday, the Federal Reserve surprised the markets with a 1/2 percentage point decrease in the fed funds target. Many observers expected only a 1/4 percentage point increase. This week, in part one of a two part series on the Fed's policy move, we look at the sequence of events leading up to the decision and why it was a surprise.

When a major employer in the community faces a layoff, a surge of job seekers enters the market at once. Common job search tools like Indeed and LinkedIn are popular, but how do you gain an edge when so many are using the same resources? The key to standing out is to approach your job search differently.

Recession or soft landing? The answer depends a great deal on the strength of the consumer. This week we look back at two recessions and a soft landing to see how consumer spending responded in those situations and what that has to tell us about the current outlook.

QC That's Where Crawford Company, Sears Seating and Mama Bosso lead the way in Equipment Manufacturing and Food Production.

Summit Materials, Inc., has completed the first global pre-commercial installation of the FLSmidth FUELFLEX™ Pyrolyzer system, which enhances the use of non-hazardous alternative fuels at its Buffalo, Iowa Cement Plant. This $38 million investment expands Summit’s Green America Recycling operation, enabling the plant to replace approximately 55% of its fossil fuel usage with non-hazardous waste. To celebrate this achievement, the Quad Cities Chamber and Summit hosted a ribbon cutting event at the plant.

Payroll jobs grew by about 142,000 in the U.S. in August. How did this compare to expectations, and what does it mean for the economic outlook? Is the U.S. economy still on track for a "soft landing"? This week, we look at the recent labor market numbers and their implications.

The Chamber welcomed 12 new members in August. Thank you for your unique contributions and investment in our region's success - you are making an impact.