FINALLY it appears the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce has a new leader, who actually gets it, unlike the previous leader. New chamber head says area is its own worst enemy The Daily Journal/Mike Voss Matt McBurnie is the new chairman of the Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce. He said the area needs to shed its loser image. Buy this photo Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2014 8:09 am Lee Provost lprovost@daily-journal 815-937-3364 | 0 comments Remember when David Letterman sent Kankakee two white gazebos after it was named the worst place to live in 1999? No, the city never did become Home of the Twin Gazebos. But theyre still here — one is in Cobb Park, the other is at the depot — and Matt McBurnie wants them gone. Kankakee County should no longer be defined by last place, McBurnie said. Our eyes are on first place. In his first interview since becoming chairman of the Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce, McBurnie spoke candidly about the countys image, sharply criticizing it while offering hope that the county could unite one day and break from the past. We must learn from it, but its time to create our own future, he said. Not wait for someone to help us but do it ourselves. The 40-year-old Olivet Nazarene University graduate and former United Way of Kankakee County director, who now is president of the Riverside HealthCare Foundation, said there are several key issues that must be addressed before the region can move forward. Self image We have learned to be a victim to some degree. We are waiting for someone to rescue us. We have the resources to change our future, he said. Im not willing to wait for someone to do that for us. McBurnie believes lifting up the communitys image is something that can be done as more organizations, more governmental bodies — such as the chamber of commerce, Economic Alliance of Kankakee County and the Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau — come together. Im not going to wait for someone to do this for us, he said. Unemployment and underemployment are chief problems within the region, McBurnie said. There are new industries coming along. How can we leap ahead and find them? he said. Weve done well in the service sector. When it comes to industry there is opportunity. We cant sit on the sidelines. We have to create our future. Community vision We have to rally behind leaders who see the vision. We cannot have leaders who say We cant, McBurnie said. We cant follow leaders who do not see a future here. Its easy to criticize. Its harder to create. The view of Kankakee County being one community as opposed to a collection of several must be relegated to the past. If something is good for Bradley, thats great for Bourbonnais and Kankakee as well. We are one community. Its the lack of vision thats gotten us to where we are today. Where we are today is a product of decisions we have made. Tomorrow is another day. We have all the pieces to make this happen. Kankakee River While plans are being developed in Kankakee to create public parks along large stretches of riverfront property, McBurnie said that for far too long, the river largely has been ignored. How do we unleash a plan? Where is the right spot where development can occur? We have to figure that out and move on it. This is too great a resource not to take advantage of. Bears Training Camp Despite recent efforts to capitalize on it, the Chicago Bears training camp at Olivet has been largely fumbled, McBurnie said. Its been a miss for us. We have not rallied around this, and Im not sure why. Its like they showed up and we didnt know they were coming, he said. The chamber and the visitors bureau will be working to dress up the entry ways for camp visitors. In past years, only a few businesses have put out signage welcoming fans. The Bears camp is a way we can show we can win. We competed for this camp, and we won. Its important to tell the story of our winnings, rather than our losing. daily-journal/news/local/new-chamber-head-says-area-is-its-own-worst-enemy/article_7c0c09be-5bc8-5065-a27e-42593ad70a4a.html
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 16:53:39 +0000
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