Address: 1001 Market Street Suite 205 Mt. Carmel, IL 62863
Phone: 618-262-5433
The Mt. Carmel Area Economic Alliance was founded in 1964 as the Mt. Carmel Area Industrial Development Committee, to grow the local economy. Doing business now as the Mt. Carmel Area Economic Alliance (AEA), the group is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization in Illinois, governed by a board of directors and managed by an executive committee.
The day-to-day operations are managed by the President and COO, Craig Newman. The main purpose of the AEA is to create retention, and expansion opportunities for local and new businesses in Mt. Carmel and Wabash County.
The Mt. Carmel AEA offers services including existing business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship, industrial recruitment, education, and quality of life. Existing business services include consultation to help businesses deal with new challenges and consultation to provide new and expanding businesses with access to available state incentives. AEA is also excited to offer “The Vocational Education Loan Forgiveness Program” for qualifying students or potential future local employees who desire additional vocational education.
The AEA also hosts the successful Mount Carmel Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) Program, which provides a year-long entrepreneurship education experience to youth at Mt. Carmel, Grayville, and Edwards County High Schools. The Mount Carmel CEO Program encourages youth to apply through their high school guidance offices in the fall of the year. Entrepreneurship education seeks to prepare people, especially youth, to be responsible, enterprising individuals who become sustainable communities. The CEO program is much more than a textbook course. Rather, students are immersed in real life learning experience with the opportunity to take risks, manage the results, and learn from the outcomes.
Wabash County is fortunate to have this strong organization building success and ensuring future growth in the economy. We encourage those of you seeking professional services offered by the Mt. Carmel AEA to contact their office. Although our community is small we are mighty and “Opportunity is Here!”