Portage has long been a great place to work, live, and play. With original features like a beautiful lakefront and new developments like The Promenade at Founders Square, the city has proven that the future is theirs to transform and grow. To help encourage this growth, the Portage Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is here to ensure that local businesses have the resources they need to succeed and continue improving the city’s quality of life.
The 501c3 organization is committed to being the community’s leader in fostering business partnerships, developing a skilled workforce, and facilitating technological advancement. Overall, the EDC is here to help any business or organization thrive in the evolving city of Portage.
“We are always looking to bring new business in,” said Amy Parker, Business Development Manager at the Portage EDC. “But, more importantly, we are looking to keep our business here. We want them to be happy. We want them to stay here and grow here.”
To do this, the EDC is extremely involved with helping businesses develop partnerships with other businesses in the area. Local partnerships help the economic cycle continue and remain in Portage so that those contributing to the development of the city can benefit with a return on investment.
“Partnerships allow us to continue to do the work,” said Parker. “We bring our partners together and make sure they know what other partners do...They can get what they need locally. They don’t have to go to Chicago to get what they need.”
This ensures that the city’s quality of life is constantly improving. Increased business and retail opportunities leads to increased population. The higher population then yields greater contributions to local businesses, and the cycle continues.
The EDC also helps to maintain this cycle by being a major player in the development of a strong workforce. Through training opportunities as well as a solid relationship with Portage High School, citizens young and old can access resources that can help them become even more valuable contributors within their community.
“We want to continue to make Portage be a great place to work, live, and play,” said Parker. “It’s our passion.”
Being a major facilitator of this process makes the Portage EDC an integral part of the social fabric of Portage. To learn more about the organization as well as the ways local businesses can get involved, please visit their website.
