Peoria ranked third in high tech employment growth

 Posted on January 25, 2013 in Employment Lawyer

A recent study listed Peoria as third on a list of the top 25 metros for high-tech employment growth from 2010-2011.

A San Francisco-based nonprofit Engine commissioned the Bay Area Council Economic Institution to analyze U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics data and to identify communities around the country that have experienced noticeable job growth in the tech-sector.

Grant Brewen, CEO of Peoria NEXT, the high-tech collaborative formed 11 years ago, said “When we talk about technology in the greater Peoria region, many people groan as if the words, ‘technology,’ and ‘Peoria,” don’t belong in the same sentence, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

At his office in the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center, 801 W. Main St., the business incubatory that opened in 2007, Brewen also added that, “This region has an amazing amount of technology and research activities happening, and every day more and more ideas are put to the test.” He said that the area has “always been known as a manufacturing and agriculture focused region, and the area had to accept the notion that it could also embrace technology commercialization.”

Other area business sectors have also been high tech generators, along with the Peoria NEXT effors, according to Roberta Parks, the president of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce.

She also said that the company has “seen significant growth in the technology field locally, especially in the medical and advanced manufacturing industries.”

Lastly, Parks added that they “have a strong medical community and a top notch facility at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine. Combine that with Caterpillar Inc. and its commitment to technology and it’s evident that there is a lot happening in greater Peoria.”

Although Peoria is doing very well in business, not every area can be so lucky. If you are having troubles with your place of employment, contact an Illinois employment attorney. Get away from the bad business and move to a place like Peoria where the business is booming with the help of The Miller Law Firm.