Privacy Policy

Section 1. Purpose

Land of Lincoln Economic Development Corporation d/b/a Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance (“SSGA”), knows that privacy is important to you, and has designed its website and other services with your privacy in mind. This Privacy Policy covers the treatment of your personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) and any other information that is collected from you when you use our website located at www.ThriveInSPI.org, and through any other interactive technologies implemented in connection with our partners and licensees (collectively, the “Services”).

We strongly recommend that you read this policy carefully in its entirety. By voluntarily using the Services you are consenting to our use of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Please note that you should not use any of the Services unless you agree to this Privacy Policy as it describes the collection and use of your information. In addition, you should not use any of the Services if you are under 16 years of age.

This Privacy Policy describes how SSGA and some of its third-party service providers treat customer personal information on the websites and other applications where this Privacy Policy is identified. When we say, “SSGA” or “we”, we mean us, our affiliates, and relevant third-party service providers.

Section 2. Compliance

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of SSGA’s Services. Any breach of this policy is prohibited.

As a matter of best practice, other businesses, agencies, and individuals working with SSGA who have access to personal information, are expected to read and comply with this policy.

This policy will be updated as necessary to reflect best practices in data management, security, and control, and to ensure compliance with any changes or amendments to relevant regulations.

Section 3. Information Collected

We collect personal information when you register with any of our Services to participate in our e-newsletter, events, or other Services offered from time to time. Personal information is any information about you that is personally identifiable, such as your name, address, email address or phone number, and any other information that is not otherwise publicly available. Your personal information is not used to make any automated decisions about you.

The types of personal information we collect may include:

  • Identifying Information. We may collect your name, unique personal identifier, online identifier, mailing address, email address, postal address and telephone number, including your mobile phone number if you provide them to us.
  • Information You Post. We may collect information you post in a public space on our site.
  • Social Media Information. We may collect information you post on our social media pages. We may also collect your social media profile information.
  • Device Information. We may collect the type of device you use to access our Services, including your device model, operating system, browser type, unique device identifier, IP address, mobile phone number, mobile network carrier, mobile operating system, location, and event information.

Individuals who provide personal data to SSGA are responsible for ensuring that the information is accurate and up to date.

Section 4. How We Collect Your Information

SSGA collects information in different ways:

Directly from You. For example, when you:

  • Register for our e-newsletter.
  • Sign up for events that we may be organizing.
  • Sign up to receive promotional emails or text messages.
  • Submit a request to our customer service team.
  • Interact with SSGA’s social media pages.

Passively. For example, when you:

  • Visit and navigate SSGA’s Services on any device. This may include the use of cookies or similar technologies to analyze trends, administer the website, track users’ movements around the website, and to gather demographic information about our user base. SSGA uses cookies to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web server. Cookies are not used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page. You can accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the SSGA website you visit. SSGA keeps track of the websites and pages you visit within SSGA’s site, in order to determine what portion of the website is the most popular or most used. This data is used to deliver customized content within the website to users whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a subject area.

Our Do Not Track Policy: Some browsers have “do not track” features that allow you to tell a website not to track you. These features are not all uniform. We do not currently respond to those signals. If you block cookies, certain features on our sites may not work. If you block or reject cookies, not all the tracking described here will stop. Certain options you select are browser and device specific.

From Third Parties. We may receive information about you from other sources. For example, this may include receiving information from:

  • Social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Section 5. How We Use Your Information

Examples of how we may use your information include:

  • To Provide Our Services. This could include providing access to and functionality of our website and related services, including our e-newsletter and events.
  • To Improve Our Products and Services. We may use your information to make our Services better. We may also use your information to customize your experience with us.
  • To Respond to Your Requests or Questions. This may include responding to your customer feedback.
  • To Communicate with You. We may communicate with you about your account or our relationship. We may also contact you about this Privacy Policy or our Services’ Terms of Use.
  • For Security Purposes. This could include protecting our company and our customers. It may also include protecting our Services.
  • For Marketing Purposes. We may provide you with information about new Services and partners. We may tell you about new features or updates.
  • As Otherwise Permitted by Law or As We May Notify You.

Section 6. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information in the following ways:

  • Internally. We may share your information within SSGA to improve our Services.
  • With Our Service Providers. We may share your information with third parties who perform services on our behalf, as necessary. For example, this may include data storage providers.
  • With Any Successors to All or Part of Our Organization. For example, if SSGA merges with, acquires, or is acquired by another organization. This may include an asset sale, corporate reorganization, or other change of control.
  • To Comply with the Law or To Protect Ourselves. For example, this could include responding to a court order or subpoena. It could also include sharing information if a government agency or investigatory body requests. We may share information when we are investigating a potential fraud.
  • For Other Reasons We May Describe to You.

Section 7. Accessing Your Personal Information

Individuals have a right to access personal data relating to them which is held by SSGA. Any individual wishing to exercise this right should apply in writing to SSGA at the locations listed below in Section 13.

Section 8. California Privacy Rights

If you reside in California, you have the right to ask us one time each year if we have shared personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make a request, please contact us as described in the How to Contact Us section, below. Indicate in your email or letter that you are a California resident making a "California Shine the Light" inquiry.

California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. Effective January 1, 2020, if you reside in California, then you have the following rights:

You have the right to opt-out of SSGA’s sale of your personal information. However, we do not currently sell any personal information.

You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information.

You have the right to request us to disclose to you the following, no more than twice in a 12-month period:

  • Categories of personal information we collected about you during the preceding 12 months.
  • Categories of sources from which we collected the personal information during the preceding 12 months.
  • Business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling your personal information during the preceding 12 months.
  • Categories of third parties with whom we share the personal information during the preceding 12 months.
  • Specific pieces of personal information we collected about you during the preceding 12 months.

You have the right to request us to disclose to you the following, no more than twice in a 12-month period:

  • Categories of personal information we collected about you during the preceding 12 months.
  • Categories of personal information we have sold and categories of third parties to whom the information was sold during the preceding 12 months.
  • Categories of personal information we disclosed about you for a business purpose during the preceding 12 months.

We will not discriminate against you because you exercised your rights under this section of the Privacy Policy.

For purposes of exercising your rights above, please note the following regarding how we collect and use your personal information as described in this policy:

  • We collect the following categories of personal information: Identifiers; device information; software information; characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law; commercial information; internet or other electronic network activity information; and geolocation data.
  • We disclose the following categories of personal information for a business purpose: Identifiers; device information; software information; characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law; commercial information; internet or other electronic network activity information; and geolocation data.
  • We sell the following categories of personal information: None.

To learn more about submitting a request under this section of the Privacy Policy, please see the How to Contact Us section, below.

Section 9. Children Under 16

Our Services where this Privacy Policy is located are meant for adults. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable data from persons under the age of 16 and strive to comply with the provisions of COPPA (The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act). If you are a parent or legal guardian and think your child under 16 has provided
us with information, please contact us at ContactUs@ThriveInSPI.org. You can also write to us at the address listed at the end of this website Policy. Please mark your inquiries “COPPA Information Request.” Parents, you can learn more about how to protect children's privacy online at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0031-protecting-your-childs-privacy-online, the FTC's guide to protecting your child's privacy online.

Section 10. Security

The Internet is not 100% secure. We cannot promise that your use of our Services will be completely safe. We encourage you to use caution when using the Internet and our Services. We use reasonable means to safeguard personal information under our control.

Section 11. Storage of Your Information

Information we maintain may be stored in the United States. If you live outside of the United States, you understand and agree that we may transfer your personal information to the United States. This is subject to U.S. laws, which may not provide the same level of protections as those in your own country.

Section 12. Links

SSGA’s Services may contain links to other third-party sites or software that are not governed by this Privacy Policy. If you click on a link to a third-party site or software, you will be taken to a site or software that we do not control. We are not responsible for the privacy practices used by third-party sites or software. We suggest that you read the privacy policies of those sites or software carefully. We are not responsible for these third-party sites or software.

Section 13. How to Contact Us

If you wish to contact us to update your information, please feel free to contact us by telephone at 217-679-3500.

If you wish to contact us to submit a request under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, please feel free to contact us by telephone at 217-679-3500, by email at ContactUs@ThriveInSPI.org, or visit https://www.thriveinspi.org/about/contact/.

You may also write to us at the following address:

Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance
531 E. Washington Street, 5th Floor
Springfield, IL 62701

If you have any questions, comments or concerns with respect to our privacy practices or this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us at ContactUs@ThriveInSPI.org. This inbox may also be used for Nevada residents to submit a verified request to direct us to stop the sale of your covered information.

Section 14. Choices Regarding Your Information

You have certain choices about how we use your information.

Email:

  • Use the unsubscribe link on any SSGA promotional emails.

Postal Mail:

  • To be removed from our global marketing mailing lists send your request, including your full name and mailing address, to:
    Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance
    531 E. Washington Street, 5th Floor
    Springfield, IL 62701
  • Call SSGA at 217-679-3500

Revised February 2020