There is positive economic activity in the Greater Peoria area and this trend is expected to continue in fact many regional businesses tell us they plan to hire employees and expand, in some way, over the next 18 months.

This is what we learned during The Heartland Partnership family of companies three day Business Outreach Blitz. Nearly 50 volunteers visited more than 150 businesses in the region to find out how they are doing and how they feel about the current regional business climate. Business managers and owners responded to the survey questions through a combination of personal interviews and an on-line survey. Here is a snapshot of the results:

· Over half of the businesses surveyed in the Peoria Region view their industry as trending positively
· 58% feel that they are out performing their competitors
· 68% have plans to hire within the next 18 months and 53% of businesses have plans to expand by opening new offices or invest in new technology, equipment and/or renovations.
· Almost half don’t feel they have a qualified pool of applicants when hiring. This is not due to the pool of qualified applicants but rather a lack of work ethic among applicants
· 38% believe our local economy is improving while 56% believe it is flat.
· 73% feel connected to the business community in the region and 49% feel elected officials take the small business community into consideration when making decisions.