About SSEGI
Transforming the economy of the south suburbs
The South Suburban Economic Growth Initiative (SSEGI) brings together community, industry, and government to reestablish the South Suburbs as an economic powerhouse. It is a wide-reaching and ambitious convening of leading partners and resources whose goal is to achieve transformative economic development — from advanced manufacturing to entrepreneurship, workforce development, housing finance and more. The Initiative operates by giving partners the infrastructure and resources to lead overall management, strategy development, program design and implementation.
Why the South Suburbs?
Decades ago, the South Suburbs were the heart of the Chicagoland economy: a bustling hub for manufacturing with affordable, quality communities for families to live, work and play. Changes in the global economy have led the South Suburbs to fall on hard times. Put simply, the Southland still has the assets in place from its twentieth-century success to make the transition to economic prosperity again in the twenty-first century. Through thoughtful coordination and development, SSEGI aims to reestablish the South Suburbs as prosperous, vital and attractive communities to live, work and play.
Work Underway
Underpinning all our work, SSEGI has a focus on inclusive growth — that is, growth that focuses on creating long-term value, and increasing the productivity and participation of all people — particularly those who have historically been left out — to own and drive the enormous wealth creation emerging in today’s economy.
The region has enormous assets in the food manufacturing, metals machinery & equipment (MME), and transportation, distribution & logistics (TD&L) sectors. SSEGI is actively working on large developments to strengthen these clusters:
Food manufacturing innovation park
Metals, manufacturing & equipment (MME) hub
Center for Smart Logistics
Business support and financial services will also support these sectors, as well as other existing small businesses and entrepreneurship development, including through our Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Our workforce partners are readying people to enter new careers in the South Suburbs, and currently focusing on extending their industry sector partnership models.
New financial products and programs will support existing homeowners, create new homeownership opportunities, and strengthen the rental housing stock.
A “Green Tourism” strategy is emerging to make the Southland’s unparalleled recreational opportunities the destination of choice for Chicagoland residents.
From industrial and community solar energy production to broadband access, SSEGI’s partners and working groups are collaborating to align their work and target new opportunities.
Bringing Plans to Ground
Key to the success of the South Suburban Economic Growth Initiative is establishment of the Southland Development Authority. Southland political, business and civic leaders, recognizing the need to overcome historical fragmentation and local competition, have created innovative new institutional and financial capacity to collaboratively undertake coordinated, large-scale and long-term economic development. This quarterback institution will develop, coordinate and support implementation of the broad array of strategies and initiatives of SSEGI. The Southland Development Authority was launched in late 2019; further information is available here.