9/23/2019 Emily Jankauski
Written by Emily Jankauski
Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
Area businesses and local leaders were also anxious to learn more about the potential positive economic impact with the up and coming autonomous track.
“People are kind of blown away and excited when they learn about (it),” said Carly McCrory, executive director of Champaign County’s Economic Development Corporation.
“People are going to be excited about the things they see and when they realize its potential, like when Imad (Al-Qadi) does his presentation and we see the drones moving things,” she added. “We’re always like, ‘Oh my, gosh! That’s so cool!’”
McCrory said not only do the EDC members get amped up about the “obvious” and “immediate impact” of job creation, but also the ability to take part in the formation of what will be a huge asset to the community.
“Ultimately, we hope that they’ll become a cheerleader of the project, and help advocate for it as things get developed,” she said.
“This is a really good example of what happens when people come to the table willing to work together,” McCrory added. “You have an educational institution, you have a municipality and then you also have the private sector coming to the table, too. All of those are key ingredients to drive the project forward and really think differently and innovatively, and everyone is excited to make this possible.”