The Quad Cities Chamber held its annual meeting on Thursday, Aug. 10, at Rhythm City Casino Resort, highlighting the organization’s accomplishments from the past year. 

“At the Quad Cities Chamber our daily activity centers on making the region better for us today – and for the generations to follow. We know our most important work is to help businesses grow and prosper,” said Chamber CEO LaDrina Wilson. “This year we had the opportunity to expand our place management services into another downtown, because we know strong business improvement districts play a significant role in attracting big business.

“We also understand that workforce is still a top concern for many businesses, and we’re helping build the talent pipeline and connecting businesses to resources to help fill any gaps,” she said in a Thursday Chamber release.

Debbie Anselm, Board Chair, said successes of the past year demonstrate the great work happening in the region. “After serving on the board for a number of years, you realize how ingrained the Chamber is in every aspect of the business community and how much great work is happening in the Quad Cities. I think that the Chamber’s work over the past year is providing a foundation for future growth and prosperity.” she said.

The Chamber’s FY23 accomplishments include:

• Helped facilitate business attraction and expansion projects with a total economic impact of $75.6 million and 179 new jobs. 
• Provided 1,891 resource assists to help grow and retain businesses in the QC. 
• Revitalized the Manufacturing Hub with the support of federal funding. 
• Expanded our business intelligence research including a new weekly blog about trends in the economy and how that relates to us locally. 
• Celebrated 76 apprentices signing with 16 local employers. 
• Launched the Generation Next program to help transform aspiring professionals into influential community leaders. 
• Collaborated with community partners on a successful immigrant and refugee job fair. 
• Celebrated successes with the Downtown Davenport Partnership, including 13 completed projects representing $29 million in new investment, plus 36 new and expanded businesses.
• Commemorated successes with the Downtown Bettendorf Organization, including the awarding of $60,000 in façade and interior grants, leveraging $666,000 in private investment. 
• Established the Downtown Special Service Area (SSA) and Rock Island Downtown Alliance in partnership with City of Rock Island, which helped secure $7.4 million in total capital for placemaking improvements. 

Business of the Year

Per Mar was named Business of the Year at the 2023 Chamber annual meeting.

Headquartered in Davenport, Per Mar is the largest family-owned, full-service security company in the Midwest, offering a wide range of services, from home security and business security systems to in-person security guard services and corporate investigations, the Chamber release said.

First established in 1953, Per Mar’s growth has produced 25 offices in 14 states, with over 2,500 employees. In the Quad Cities, Per Mar serves 7,500 clients and employs 300 people.

Per Mar’s commitment to growth and providing first-class customer service is what makes them this year’s Business of the Year. Over the decades, Per Mar has grown organically and through acquisitions, evolving their offerings and becoming one of the only one-stop-shops for security services in the Midwest. This growth has helped them to become one of the largest companies in the U.S. in three areas: security officer services, electronic security services and fire alarm services.

“It’s really a testament to years of company growth and continuous improvement,” Per Mar President and CEO Brian Duffy said in the release. “We work at getting better and growing every year. This award demonstrates the hard work that our employees have been doing for a very long time.”

Co-Volunteers of the Year

The Chamber Thursday honored Arron Sutherland and Nicole Watson-Lam as Co-Volunteers of the Year.

Sutherland and Watson-Lam were appointed to serve as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Downtown Rock Island Steering Committee in December 2021. Their efforts were instrumental in the formation of the recently established Rock Island Downtown Alliance and the Downtown Special Service Area that it manages in partnership with the city of Rock Island. Their success in sparking new economic growth opportunities and improving quality of life in downtown Rock Island is what makes them Co-Volunteers of the Year, the Chamber said.

Sutherland and Watson-Lam’s passion for downtown Rock Island is what fuels their continued board service on the Downtown Alliance Board of Directors, where Sutherland currently serves as chair and Watson-Lam serves as a board member.

“When it comes to advancing the Chamber’s work around quality of place, Arron and Nicole are second to none. Their enthusiasm and passion for seeing downtown Rock Island thrive – not to mention their strong will to win – is contagious,” said Jack Cullen, RIDA executive director.

First Champion of Change

The inaugural Regional Champion of Change award was presented to Larry Anderson during the 2023 Chamber meeting.

Anderson is president of East Moline Glass, a role he’s served in for 35 years. He’s a life-long East Moline resident, and is the third generation of his family leading East Moline Glass. Under Anderson’s guidance, East Moline Glass has reached new heights, as has the city of East Moline.

Through Anderson’s advocacy and investment, The Bend Campus in East Moline has grown to become one of the QC’s premier destination locations. The Rust Belt attracts thousands of fans of all forms of art, and helped spark the creation of numerous nearby businesses, including a hotel, an expo center and many more businesses to come.

Anderson’s efforts to develop The Bend has helped secure $24 million in federal funds that will go toward connecting The Bend to the rest of downtown East Moline.

Anderson said that he’s seen East Moline flourish throughout his life, and his desire to create positive change in his home community is what inspires him most. “I grew up here and I’ve watched the changes, and I don’t like some of them. East Moline was a great place to be growing up and it’s becoming a great place again today.”