November 8 - 12, 2021

EDA announced two investments from November 8-12, 2021, totaling $6,866,349, which is matched by $1,907,056 in local investments.  These Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects will help alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic that will help create 1,583 jobs and leverage $10,000,000 in private investment, as follows:

• $4,866,349, matched by $1,216,587 in local investment, to the Pueblo Community College (PCC), Pueblo/Pueblo County, Colorado, to support the redevelopment of two floors of the St. Mary Corwin Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado, to accommodate the expansion of vocational training programs in healthcare that will used to develop space to train additional healthcare workers to prevent, prepare for, and respond to future Coronavirus outbreaks and other healthcare issues.  The high numbers of COVID-19 cases have strained Pueblo’s two hospitals highlighting the need to train additional nurses to meet growing demand and staffing shortages.  The Teaching and Learning Center at St. Mary Corwin will enable PCC to provide more healthcare training that will provide entry into a variety of occupational pathways addressing student interest while ensuring a pipeline into the array of health care jobs available in Pueblo and the surrounding region.  Once completed, the project will help boost the healthcare workforce sector in the area, save jobs, spur private investment, and strengthen the regional economy.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 1,183 jobs.
• $2,000,000, matched by $690,469 in local investment, to the Peoria Innovation HUB, NFP (dba Distillery Labs), Peoria/Peoria County, Illinois, to support the conversion of an existing building into the new Distillery Labs business assistance and incubator space in Peoria County, Illinois.  Formerly occupied by Illinois Central College, the 67,000 square foot building will be redeveloped to accommodate programming related to entrepreneurship and start-up development, including leasable and shared office space to accommodate incubator tenants.  Once completed, the project will help the region recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and diversify its economy with new local start-ups, which will increase entrepreneurship, bolster job creation, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 400 jobs and leverage $10,000,000 in private investment.