The International Economic Development Council has recognized
Cornerstone Alliance for its role in Whirlpool Corp.'s plans to locate its new office campus in downtown Benton Harbor.
Cornerstone Alliance came home from the recent
IEDC Annual Conference in Charlotte, N.C., with the Excellence in Economic Development Award, in the category of real estate redevelopment and reuse for communities with populations under 25,000.
Dennis Coleman, IEDC chair, says the award recognizes Cornerstone Alliance for "providing successful strategies to promote new standards in economic development in this period of global recovery." He also said Cornerstone has shown it is in the forefront of the economic development profession by using innovative and effective practices that can be replicated in other communities.
This project came about through partnerships with several local government and state organizations, and resulted in Whirlpool Corporation’s decision to construct a new 270,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art office facility in Benton Harbor, says Cornerstone Alliance President Wendy Dant Chesser.
The first phase of the project is a $20 million investment, with two subsequent phases to follow, totaling nearly $70 million, that ultimately will house 1,100 employees.
"This project will serve as the catalyst to the revitalization of downtown Benton Harbor, as well as a beacon of commerce at the City’s western entrance," Chesser says.
Cornerstone Alliance is a non-profit, investor-driven, economic development organization dedicated to tax and job base creation in the communities that comprise Northern Berrien County in the lower corner of Southwest Michigan.
The organization works with local units of government and other economic development organizations such as the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to facilitate location and expansion projects.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Jamie Nilson-Balkin, Cornerstone Alliance
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