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Cup O’ Joe with a Pro hears from
new LEAD CEO Uriah Kilgallin
[June 12, 2026]
Thursday, June 11, several
attended LEAD’s “Cup O’ Joe with a Pro” at Guest House Coffee &
Pastries in downtown Lincoln.
LEAD board member Jennifer Kirby introduced Uriah Kilgallin, the new
CEO of Lincoln Economic Advancement & Development, Inc. (LEAD), who
spoke to the group. Kilgallin lived in Lincoln from 1991 to 2001, so
he grew up in the area. He lives in the Peoria area now, but loves
Lincoln and all the enchanting and charming things about it. Being
able to be around people, talk and laugh and build relationships is
something Kilgallin is excited about.
Before coming to LEAD, Kilgallin worked in economic development for
the city of Peoria for four and a half years. He has a good
understanding of the administrative background side of incentives
and what is available. Kilgallin is working to figure out how to
help business owners keep more of their money and put more of their
money into businesses in Lincoln.
Nobody cares about Lincoln as much as the people who are living in,
and investing their money in, Lincoln. Kilgallin said the more money
you have, and you can put into your business, the better it is for
the customers, the town and the business.
As Kilgallin talked about the LEAD organization, he said the goal
has broad objectives but overall is intended to improve the quality
of life and economic mobility for businesses. LEAD has focused on
learning events and engaging with business owners to be sure they
are prepared for the unexpected. Sometimes it may be an unexpected
cost.
Through LEAD, Kilgallin can help point businesses to organizations
that can provide support whether it be a small business development
center or non-competitor in a comparable industry to partner with
where they say here’s something you need to remember. This planning
can save businesses long term headaches.
Kilgallin specializes in is
incentives. He wants to see Lincoln have as many businesses in the
enterprise zone as possible to save on taxes. Being in the
enterprise zone keeps businesses from having to pay nine percent
sales tax on items like building materials when they are doing
renovations. This money can be used for other things. When
businesses make improvements, they can also abate property tax
increases for five years.
For additional investment in local areas, Kilgallin is working on an
application to get capital gains taxes deferred. It allows local
people to invest, hold their investment and get more of their money.
That way, they can invest more in the town. Even investing half of
the extra money means more money for the business. He wants to
support businesses who put themselves on the line.
Community advocacy on a state level is another area Kilgallin will
work on. Because people are passionate about data centers one way or
another, he hopes to earn trust and present research in a way that
says, these are the advantages and disadvantages, and this is what
my recommendation would be. Ultimately, he would say to go with
whatever you feel.
From ideation to established industry, Kilgallin wants to be an easy
access point for businesses. He was on the advisory board for
distillery labs, an incubator [for start-ups and entrepreneurs] in
Peoria, and talked to many starting businesses. Peoria had lots of
ARPA funds to help start businesses.
Because he has experience with start-ups and small businesses,
Kilgallin encourages people to do market research and connect with
small business development centers. In Springfield, there is a small
business development center that can help people maximize their
business structure.
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Kilgallin is
trying to get a finger on the pulse of the community as he looks
at challenges of local infrastructure. He wants to see maximum
incentives and investments being used by businesses.
If done properly,
Kilgallin said, tax increment financing districts pick an area that
meets the state guidelines for blight, like declining property
values. The TIF district then freezes the property taxes to the
taxing bodies. Everything that grows in the next 25 years can be
utilized by the city and business owners through access by the city
to reinvest in the area. Reimbursement comes based on the increased
property taxes because businesses get a percentage of the taxes
back.
There are also business development districts, which Kilgallin says
all businesses must be on board with. The district provides an
increase of sales tax for businesses who use shared services like
sidewalk maintenance, helping with flowers, beautification of the
area or façade grants. Everyone has to be okay with the increase,
but the idea behind it is to make the entire area more attractive.
When Kilgallin makes connections, he hopes to learn who owns the
vacant buildings and see what can be done with them.
Additionally, Kilgallin can help businesses figure out what grants
to apply for and where to look for grants. He wants to ensure
businesses go in the same direction because the success of one
business can mean the success of the business next to it. It is
trying to raise the tide of all the ships.
The Illinois Economic Development Council helps find sites that meet
certain criteria. For example, an industrial developer may be
looking to invest seven million dollars for 220 acres of industrial
land and bring in 300 jobs that pay $85,000 a year on average.
Kilgallin said the developer would share the type of work they are
hoping to do and requirements for the land such as railroad access
or being close to the airport. The IEDC has a contact list they
email to communities to see if they have sites meeting certain
criteria.
Kilgallin said forward thinking and forward planning are important.
His responsibility is to say here is what we have submitted for and
here are the types of industry we could get if we have the
infrastructure ready.
Getting areas zoned appropriately can help the city and county get
incentives when requests come in. The city or county can then say
we’ve got this land; we know the sales price and the cost of
infrastructure. Lincoln and Logan County would love to have you
here. Kilgallin said part of his job is to get information put
together to present and see if the area can win the bids.
[Angela Reiners]
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