The Morton Economic Development Council announced Warren Ribley will be the keynote speaker at their Annual Meeting and luncheon this Friday, January 13th. Governor Pat Quinn appointed Warren Ribley as Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in March 2009.

“Director Ribley is the leader of our economic development efforts for Illinois,” said Jennifer Daly, CEO for the Morton EDC. “He will be speaking about Illinois’ strategy for growth and the economic impact of developing business relationships overseas.”

In his first two years, Ribley prioritized the state’s economic development efforts which resulted in Illinois creating more jobs than any other Midwestern state coming out of the global recession by investing in more than 100 businesses to create and retain jobs. Highlights of Ribley’s first two years as Director include building the state’s green economy, targeting job training to high-growth sectors, building up the state’s disadvantaged communities, and increasing Illinois’ investments in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.

The Morton EDC’s Annual Meeting, “Good Fortune 2012,” will be held on Friday, January 13th from 11:30 – 1:00 pm at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria. Tickets are available at www.mortonedc.org.