Southern Illinois Pitches 17-County Model to Lure Firms From Costly Metros
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Los Angeles – September 30, 2026 -- A newly filmed segment of the public-television series "Viewpoint hosted by Dennis Quaid" profiles Southern Illinois Now (SI NOW), an economic development organization that has unified a 17-county region into a single point of contact for companies weighing relocation away from saturated metropolitan markets.
SI NOW consolidates 17 counties into one negotiating front for site selection
Rather than compete against one another for incoming industry, the counties in SI NOW's network pool infrastructure, workforce data and logistics assets under a shared regional brand. The organization positions this as a direct answer to fragmented local competition, which it says confuses incoming businesses, dilutes talent pools and duplicates administrative costs across neighboring municipalities.