http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wium/local-wium-985519.mp3
Galesburg, IL – Rich Egger's guests are Galesburg Mayor Sal Garza and Ryan Lilly, Eric Dilts, and Gary Camarano of the Sustainable Business Center in Galesburg.
Lilly is the Entrepreneurship Center Manager, Dilts is the Business Incubator Director, and Camarano is the Global Strategies Manager.
The Sustainable Business Center is located in a former factory building at 2900 West Main St. The first client in the incubator is Intellihot, which makes tankless water heaters. Camarano believes the city is close to adding a couple other businesses to the building.
The idea behind the center is to help sustainable businesses get started, then help them find a permanent location in the four county region that includes Knox, Warren, Henderson, and Mercer Counties. A $1.2 million federal grant provided funding assistance to start the center.
The building also houses the restaurant En Season. Some of its ingredients come from a garden outside the center. All the other food is from the immediate region. En Season's menu will change as the seasons and the availability of ingredients changes.
Galesburg Economic Development Director Cesar Suarez is also involved with the center. He is Project Director for the EBI Network. EBI stands for Entrepreneurs, Business & Industry.