LEAD Takes Shape with Formal Launch and New CEO
Local Economic Development Group Hires Experienced Professional Andrea Runge

[February 23, 2021]  

A major new regional economic development organization has been formally launched and has also named a new chief executive officer.

Lincoln Economic Advancement & Development, Inc. (LEAD) is announcing the hiring of Andrea Runge, an economic development professional with more than 20 years’ experience in community and economic development in Illinois as CEO of the organization. The hiring of Runge coincides with the official launch of the new economic development group aimed at growing opportunities and businesses in Lincoln.

The formal launch of LEAD is the culmination of an effort that began nearly two years ago when Lincoln area business and community leaders began meeting to discuss ways to grow the local economy, retain and create more jobs and opportunities for residents of Lincoln. The organization has also announced its officers and board members.

“As we began the process of organizing LEAD we determined that to succeed we would need to hire a seasoned professional as a full time Chief Executive Officer,” said David Gerlach, chair of the LEAD board. “We conducted an extensive search looking for someone who would have the experience, drive and talent needed to lead the high caliber economic development organization we envisioned. Our search ultimately led us to Andrea and we were very fortunate to recruit her for this position.”

LEAD has also secured its status as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and received strong early financial support from the community. It has secured its initial financial goals to fund the basic operational needs for the next three years, Gerlach said. Additional fundraising is necessary for special projects and to promote the community to prospective employers. Fundraising continues and Gerlach urged potential supporters to contact any board member or Ms. Runge for additional information.

Runge has been Director of Community and Economic Development for the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies/Illinois Community Action Development Corporation since 2019. Prior to that she was Senior Vice President for Illinois Ventures for Community Action for 18 years. She holds a master’s degree in Community and Economic Development from Western Illinois University and is a 1995 graduate of Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.

She has extensive hands-on experience in community development, including overseeing a $9.1 million rural housing development, managing a $7 million revolving loan fund and securing $2.5 million in COVD-19 Relief Funding.

She will begin her work at LEAD on March 16.

“I am excited and humbled by this opportunity,” Runge said. “When I first learned about LEAD I was immediately drawn to the fact that this is a grassroots organization that grew directly from the concerns of local leaders. Lincoln has discovered what it cares about and is taking the steps necessary to shape its collective future. I can’t wait to get to work.”

In additional to Gerlach, who is president of Lincoln College, other officers of LEAD include: Vice-Chair Patrick Doolin, Chief Executive Officer of Integrity Data; Secretary Blinn Bates of Woods & Bates, P.C.; and Treasurer Steve Aughenbaugh, Sr. V.P. of State Bank of Lincoln, a Division of Heartland Bank and Trust Co.

Other Board Members include Eric Burwell, Licensed Real Estate Managing Broker LLC; Dolan Dalpoas, President and CEO of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital; Chris Graue, General Manager of Graue Inc.; Veronica Ohler, Controller at Eaton Corp.; and Lynn Paulus of Hotel Ventures Management Illinois.

Runge said her first task will be to take a deep dive into the community and its businesses to help LEAD articulate local priorities and identify needs.

COVID-19 has presented unique challenges Runge said, particularly in trying to retain businesses hard hit by the pandemic. But it also creates an opportunity for the community to take a fresh look at how best to rebuild and prioritize emerging needs.

She said she plans to emphasize entrepreneurship, explaining that businesses that develop out of the local economy have deep roots and are more likely to remain and invest in the community, while also having a vested interest in retaining and strengthening existing business, creating jobs, and improving the overall quality of life in Lincoln.
 

That emphasis on locally grown businesses has particular appeal to LEAD Vice-Chairman Patrick Doolin, whose Integrity Data was founded more than 20 years ago and moved here to Lincoln and is thriving.

“Lincoln is our hometown and I firmly believe that it is an excellent community for businesses to grow and create new jobs and opportunities,” Doolin said. “There is great potential here in Lincoln and I am excited that we will have an organization and CEO that can help us reach that potential. I want to see more businesses established and grow here in Lincoln and I look forward to helping Andrea and LEAD accomplish that.”

Runge added that the emphasis on growing local businesses can have a multiplying effect.

“When you see your neighbor succeed in a small business, it gives you the confidence and inspiration to pursue your own dreams,” she explained. “It shows people that they can succeed in the local business environment and encourages others to join them.”

For more information or to contribute to LEAD, please contact a board member, send an e-mail to [e-mail], or contact Andrea directly.

[Text provided by Lauren Grenlund]