Granite City, IL- Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) District 8 Engineer Omer Osman and several of his staff visited America’s Central Port on Friday, February 24. IDOT District 8 covers Madison, St. Clair, Bond, Clinton, Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Marion, Monroe, Randolph and Washington counties in Illinois. Also joining DE Osman was Ms. Mary Lamie, IDOT’s former District Engineer. Other IDOT officials participating in the visit included Ken Sharkey, Engineer Osman’s Assistant and Jim Stack, IDOT’s Urban Planning Chief. IDOT officials were briefed on America’s Central Port operations and facilities by Dennis Wilmsmeyer, the Port’s Executive Director, Bill Stahlman, Port Engineer and Frank …

America’s Central Port has partnered with the Cities of Granite City, Madison and Venice to participate in a regionwide planning effort that seeks to coordinate housing, transportation, environmental, and economic development planning across the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Residents, business owners, and public leaders will have the opportunity to share your hopes, concerns, and expectations for your community by participating in a series of public meetings over the course of the next 12 months. The first public meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at the Granite City Housing Authority Offices Multi-purpose …

The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at SIUE, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, is hosting a free breakfast program to discuss trade opportunities in Colombia.  Information will also be presented on the International Trade Center at SIUE’s “Gateway to Latin America” grant.   Speakers include Jorge Toro, the president of Los Andes Ventures, and Margaret Gottlieb, an international trade specialist at the U.S. Commercial Service. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS TRADE BREAKFAST Business Opportunities in Colombia: The U.S. – Colombia Free Trade Agreement WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY EDWARDSVILLE Morris University Center (map) International Room …