Deere & Co. CEO Hosts New Quad Cities ROC:

Nearly 70 CEOs – high-level investors in the new Quad Cities Chamber – were the guests of Sam Allen, Chairman & CEO of John Deere & Company, on August 8th.

It was the inaugural meeting of the Quad Cities Chamber’s new Regional Opportunities Council, or ROC. Allen co-chairs the new group with Mary Junck, President/CEO of Lee Enterprises, Inc.; both agreed to serve at the invitation of Tara Barney, CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber. The ROC is a critical part of the Chamber’s new economic development strategy: a diverse group of CEOs convened to act as civic entrepreneurs, helping the Quad Cities to achieve transformational change in the coming years.

“It was a capstone of R&M Resource Development’s work to raise $13.2 million for Chamber’s ‘1QC’ campaign. That money will fund economic development efforts in this metro area for the next five years,” said R&M Campaign Director Tom Rieger. The 1QC Campaign and the ROC’s formation come on the heels of the historic merger of two large regional chambers of commerce into one mega-chamber, finally unifying the bi-state Quad Cities region behind one E.D. and marketing strategy.

Chairman Allen inspired those gathered in his opening remarks, calling them to a higher purpose: 1. Sustain gains already made in the region; 2. Think big to become more competitive; and 3. Speak with one voice. Allen also serves as the current chairman of the Council on Competitiveness, a national collaborative of CEOs, university presidents and labor leaders working to ensure U.S. prosperity in the global economy.