PEORIA, IL—Rep. Darin LaHood participated in a panel discussion yesterday hosted by the University of Illinois with state and local lawmakers, business officials, university administrators, and community leaders to discuss the local economy of Peoria and how to continue partnerships that jumpstart economic growth. The discussion centered around how collaboration between the university, the business community, and officials from all levels of government could work together to continue to improve the economy of Peoria and its surrounding areas.
“To spark economic growth at the federal level we need to scroll back government intervention and regulatory overreach so that businesses can focus on growth instead of compliance, expand trade opportunities to widen American-made products’ consumer base, and keep U.S. on the cutting edge through public-private partnerships. The University of Illinois exemplifies this collaborative spirit empowering innovation through its Industry Program within the National Center for Supercomputing Applications which hosts CAT research on its iForge Supercomputer and houses Blue Waters, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. I am thankful to support this and programs like it in my role in Congress, and to fight for these pro-growth policies that really work at home in Peoria,” stated Rep. LaHood.
Also featured on the panel was the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP) Regional Dean Sara Rusch, Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis, East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus, CAT Community Relations Manager Henry Vicary, and UCM Executive Vice President Allen Cullinan.
"Today's events represented an unprecedented show of support -- the largest delegation of University of Illinois leaders to ever convene in Peoria," said Tim Killeen, president of the U of I System. "It reflects our commitment to build on existing partnerships and foster new ones to drive economic growth for the city, the region and beyond."
Congressman Darin LaHood has a track record of supporting economic growth and public-private partnerships. He authored legislation that recently passed the House floor with overwhelming bipartisan support to modernize and streamline federal investment in high-end computing and information technology by updating the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program.
The NITRD Program has a history of significant impact in Central Illinois through its work with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Among many accomplishments, the NCSA’s Blue Waters Supercomputer has had a standing partnership with Caterpillar since the 1990s which has led to advantageous product development and digital simulation of future product designs.
