Who we are
We are the Southwestern Illinois Coalition for Job Growth. We are labor unions, contractors and businesses committed to creating and attracting the jobs and economic opportunities our area needs for a strong future.
We live here, work here, and believe in the potential of this area. We know the strength of our communities, the quality of our workforce, and the drive of our business leaders.
About
Data centers power our modern lives
Data centers run the applications that deliver and store every e-mail or text message we send, every photo we take and share, and the music, movies and television programs we stream. They power the navigation, banking and national security systems we need. They store essential records and health care data. They are fundamental to how we manage critical infrastructure like our energy grids. Now, data centers are powering artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. All of this is driving the need for more computing power and storage space.
Data centers mean new jobs.
Data centers will create thousands of jobs over the typical construction cycle for current workers and help expand training and apprenticeship programs for the next generation.
Data centers mean a major injection of new tax dollars.
A large-scale data center would be the largest property taxpayer in the Metro-East.
Data center projects typically offer a community benefit agreement
Development agreements between a community and a major project like a data center usually include the creation of a community fund paid for by the project to support important needs.
AI tools are helping people make transformative breakthroughs, but we need more computing power and more data centers to make them possible.
Here are just two of the many professions being transformed by people using AI tools.
Thousands of law enforcement agencies across the U.S. already are using AI to make communities safer and solve crimes faster.
Locally, doctors and nurses are using AI tools to transform health care for the better, from speeding up research into new medications to early detection of cancers or instant diagnosis of strokes on medical scans.
New data centers can benefit our area
We need to listen to community concerns and build them the right way. Here’s how.
Build data centers the right way
Facts vs. myths
There are a lot of myths out there about data centers. It’s time to set the record straight. Get the facts here