The Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance (SSGA) is celebrating another record year advancing economic development and partnership opportunities across Springfield and Sangamon County. SSGA was formed seven years ago to promote and pursue economic development efforts in Springfield and Sangamon County and has helped facilitate more than $1.75 billion in economic development opportunities for the region since then.
“Economic development can sometimes feel like a really long game but we’ve made incredible strides this past year that will have an immediate, positive impact on our community,” said Ryan McCrady, CEO and President of Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance. “There have been some big announcements about new distribution centers coming here, we’ve seen progress on major projects that are already underway and to back it all up, our recent job report numbers are very positive. All that goes to show us that we’re on the right track from an economic development perspective.”
McCrady said one of the major highlights for 2024, was the announcement that Amazon is opening a $20 million warehouse and distribution center at North Dirksen Parkway and Bissell Road in Springfield. The new 71,000-square-foot warehouse is expected to open in 2025 and will provide 100 permanent jobs. Several other projects SSGA is involved in have also made advancements, including the Land of Lincoln Energy Center (LLEC), the Double Black Diamond Solar project, Frito-Lay Warehouse and Distribution Center, Pillsbury Mills demolition and redevelopment, I-55 Stables and Arena, Larkspur Apartments at Town and Country, the Downtown Springfield & Mid-Illinois Medical District Master Plan Completion and the SCHEELS Sports Park at Legacy Pointe.
“All of these projects are in various phases of development but several of them are major projects that the community has been hearing us talk about,” said McCrady. “Now, they’re going to actually be able to see some of these projects start to come to life and that’s the really exciting part.”
McCrady added that in 2024, the organization sponsored 13 community events, engaged in 51 project site searches and more than 100 business retention and expansion visits. Along with assisting new and current businesses, McCrady said part of their job is to make sure people in Springfield and Sangamon County have access to new career opportunities. Over the year, the Springfield Metropolitan Area saw an increase in 1,300 nonfarming jobs between November 2023 and November 2024, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).
The public is invited to attend SSGA’s annual meeting to hear about additional project updates on Thursday, January 23 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Memorial Learning Center located at 200 Miller Street. For additional details or to register for the event, go to www.ThriveInSPI.org.