Pat Matevey
Social Media
Pat manages the Gillespie Together
facebook group page. She supports & engages GG members and non-members to get involved
ALLIES PROVIDING SERVICES
Genece Hamby
Branding Specialist
Genece develops & manages the GG website
and offers branding advice and insights for
creating a consistent brand for Grow Gillespie
Austin Peterson
Owner, Ageless Staunton
Ageless Apparel & the Bengil Post
Austin provides the t-shirts for all of GG events
ALLIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION
PEACE CORPS FELLOWS PROGRAM
Western Illinois University, Macomb
Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
Peace Corps Fellow Ethan Fogg has been assisting Gillespie in several key projects including; the Downtown Streetscape Project, the creation of a Revitalization Plan, and updating the City's zoning map. Beyond this Ethan will be assisting with business retention, the Colonial Giving Garden, and various grants during his 11 months in Gillespie.
Gillespie's Peace Corps Fellow: Ethan Fogg
ENVISION
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Successful Communities Collaborative (SSCC)
The Senior Marketing and Public Relations class has been an integral part of helping Grow Gillespie develop and execute the marketing plans for The Heritage Food Festival.
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They created an in-depth working plan to track all development and provided us guidelines for how to engage our community. With great enthusiasm, they have met with some of our local businesses, given their insights and their innovative ideas.
Envision Taam: Left to right--Calle Coyle, Drew Allsman, Mallory Jones, Sydney Lombardi, and Victoria Foltz
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION
Provided assistance to Grow Gillespie in strategic planning efforts for growth & development..
Original planning focused on targeting areas where we could most effectively assist our businesses access training and technology to improve their practices. As well as the development of the Streetscape project and other enhancements to downtown,
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The focus was mostly on business clusters likely to prosper in the Gillespie area. It was stressed that further research is needed to link our history and culture to create a gateway for development of tourism as a new industry. Additionally the plans called for us to establish alliances with neighboring communities, support groups and educational institutions.
Left: Zachary Christian Kennedy, U of I Extension Staff, Right: Gabriel Michael Guevara, graduate student in Planning