McLean County Chamber Connects Rivian to Workforce Solutions

Rivian representatives came to the Normal, Illinois area to bid on equipment from Mitsubishi Motors' shuttered plant but conversations they overheard at a local coffee shop made them stay.

Mitsubishi shuttered the facility in 2015, leaving behind a massive plant, idle equipment, and more than 1,000 unemployed workers.

Drawn in by the people and the area’s amenities, including an airport, rail lines, and Illinois State University’s 20,000-plus students, the Rivian reps called CEO Robert J. “RJ” Scaringe and said, in effect, “This could be home,” according to Charlie Moore, president and CEO of McLean County Chamber of Commerce. 

Rivian’s senior leadership engaged early on with the five-star accredited, 1,000-member chamber on workforce priorities. Displaced Mitsubishi workers provided a ready manufacturing workforce.

“The secret sauce is your people,” Moore told CICE. “As a chamber, that’s one of the things we can do: be a connector. We probably don’t know the answer, but we probably know who does. I end every conversation the same way: ‘How can I help you?’”

The region’s educational institutions, including Bloomington Career Academy, Heartland Community College’s new advanced manufacturing center, and Illinois State University’s newly launched College of Engineering, have built curricula around Rivian’s hiring needs, according to Moore.

Rivian opened its production line for the R2 this spring. In addition, Rivian partnered with Redwood Materials to deploy a 10-MWh battery energy storage system at its Normal manufacturing facility, repurposing more than 100 second-life Rivian battery packs to lower costs and strengthen grid reliability during peak demand.

Rivian and Uber also announced a partnership in March 2026 to deploy 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis, beginning in San Francisco and Miami in 2028 and expanding to 25 cities by 2031.

Chamber aligns schools with workforce needs

Today, Moore said, the chamber is leading a broader talent alignment strategy, convening the area’s largest employers, including State Farm, Ferrero, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, and Rivian, alongside educators to answer three questions: 

• Where are the workforce gaps? 

• Are we closing them? 

• Who is responsible for closing them? 

For chambers and EDOs interested in attracting clean energy investment and manufacturers, Moore’s advice also comes down to three things:

• Let your economic development partners lead on incentives.

• Support elected officials who are willing to, as Moore said, "take some arrows" for smart risks.

• Lean into the chamber's role as a connector.

Watch Moore’s full conversation with CICE about the McLean County Chamber of Commerce and Rivian.

Strengthening Area Businesses Through Energy Efficiency

Illinois Chamber Insists on Local Contractors for Utility Program

Steve Brody, the Executive Director of Galesburg Area Chamber of Commerce in Illinois, did not need much convincing when he was approached by Ameren Illinois to help promote an energy efficiency retrofit program for area businesses. He was, however, adamant that Ameren identify local contractors to do the required energy audits.

“If you want our chamber to participate in this,” Brody said, “you need to get a Galesburg business involved. We want to have Galesburg businesses helping Galesburg businesses.”

Ameren found several local vendors. The chamber organized a “Galesburg on the Go” chamber luncheon about the program. The chamber itself also signed up for a free audit and ended up having virtually all of its lighting replaced at very low cost.

Overall 52 area businesses had free audits and received more than $216,000 in cash incentives to implement 79 retrofit projects that are projected to save a quarter of a million dollars. Last month, the City of Galesburg was presented with the ActOnEnergy 2013 Most Progressive City Award for embracing the efficiency program.

The Galesburg chamber is constantly looking for ways to make area businesses stronger, more profitable, Brody said. “A business needs to be as profitable as possible,” he added. “If you can be as energy efficient as possible, that goes a long way to making your business profitable.”

Interested in replicating the Galesburg program? An article about the Galesburg experience can be found here. The Galesburg chamber is here. Ameren Illinois ActonEnergy program can be found here.