Our Team

Steven McClure

Mr. McClure has been providing economic development consulting services since 1991 and is currently the President of Opportunity Alliance, LLC and KSM Consulting. These firms provide assistance in the areas of policy issue, site selection and public financing. There have been many successes since 1991. He negotiated the state and local financial package for the $600 million U.S. Steel/Sun Coke upgrade and expansion in Granite City, Illinois; the financial package for the John Deere Health Care Corporate Headquarters, the Deere Visitor Center and convention hotel. Mr. McClure has also helped firms gain financing for projects through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Department of Natural Resources and the Housing Development Authority. Mr. McClure has also helped firms resolve regulatory matters with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Public Health, and the Historic Preservation Agency.

Opportunity Alliance has successfully expanded Enterprise Zones on behalf of several companies, which include Monsanto, Alcoa, Equistar Chemicals, DOT Foods and many others. The firm is also currently assisting in the siting a corporate headquarters for a Fortune 100 company and a $200 million pork processing plant in East Moline, Illinois. This project will create over 2,000 jobs.

Mr. McClure, since 2000 is the President & CEO, ClearStack Combustion Corporation. Mr. McClure was instrumental in the formation of ClearStack Combustion Corporation. He has overall responsibility for the company operations. In addition, he participates in the commercial development and marketing of the ClearStack technologies. www.clearstack.com

Mr. McClure was formerly the Director and Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. As Director, Mr. McClure served as the Department chief executive officer, directing the bureaus of Program Administration, Small Business Assistance, Marketing, International Business, Tourism and Operations. He also directed the agency's functions for Personnel and Human Relations, Legislative and Governmental Relations, and its budget office. The Department administered over 70 programs across the State and had a staff of over 700. Its annual budget was approximately $900 million. The Department also operated eleven overseas trade offices through its International Business Bureau. Before becoming the Director, as Assistant Director, Mr. McClure served as the Department's chief operating officer, overseeing the functions of each of the Department's bureaus. This included implementing a major reorganization of the agency.

Mr. McClure served in a number of policy and management positions for Governor Thompson, including appointment as the Governor's Director of Boards and Commissions. In this capacity, he advised the governor on appointments to over 1,500 posts in government. He also served as Manager of Governmental Relations at DCCA and was responsible for the drafting and passage of all major economic development legislation proposed by the Governor. Immediately upon graduation from college, Governor Thompson of Illinois selected Mr. McClure as a member of the first class of the Governor's Executive Fellowship Program.

While he was Director of DCCA, the Department doubled its number of foreign offices for the State of Illinois. The State had the most aggressive international effort in the nation, providing assistance to hundreds of firms each year. Mr. McClure has traveled extensively and has overseen sensitive negotiations with a number of governments and international businesses. Most notable, he negotiated the simultaneous agreement with the former Soviet Union and the Russian Republic for the first state office from the United States to be set up in the former Soviet Union.

Governor Wilkinson of Kentucky commissioned Mr. McClure a Kentucky Colonel in 1990 for his assistance in joint economic development activities between Kentucky and Illinois. He has been recognized for his work in numerous communities throughout the State of Illinois. He is also well known among local government officials, business leaders, labor leaders, and economic development professionals in Illinois.

Most recently Mr. McClure was given The Distinguished Economic Developer Award for 2010 by the Illinois Development Council, which is the premier economic development organization in the State and is made up private and public economic develop professionals from throughout Illinois.

Steven McClure, Direct Tel: (217) 553.1685, email: stevemcclure@opportunityalliance.com

Andrew Hamilton

Currently Principal of the Opportunity Alliance, LLC, a consortium of economic development professionals that have joined together to assist business and government achieve their strategic economic development objectives by providing professional economic development, business consulting, and government representation services. The Alliance has vast experience in economic development and government relations at the local, state, federal and international levels. www.opportunityalliance.com.

Currently President of Financial Solutions in Springfield, Illinois since 1993, which is a private firm which consults business and government on financial matters and assists business in obtaining financial assistance which includes low interest government loans, tax-exempt interest rate bonds, loan guarantees, and various tax-related benefits. Mr. Hamilton has facilitated over $1 Billion in financial capital since 1993.

Currently, Executive Director of the Upper Illinois River Valley Development Authority (UIRVDA), since 1994, a regional bond authority that covers the counties of Bureau, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Marshall, McHenry and Putnam and has issued over $189,740,000 in bonds and created approx 1,991 jobs. www.uirvda.com.

Currently, Executive Director of the Quad Cities Regional Economic Development Authority (QCREDA), since 1995, a regional bond authority that covers the counties of Henry, Knox, Mercer and Rock Island and has issued $100,883,017 in bonds and created 1,540 jobs. www.qcreda.com.

Currently, Executive Director of the Will Kankakee Regional Development Authority (WKRDA), since 1996, a regional bond authority that covers Will and Kankakee county and has issued $75,615,000 in bonds and created 793 jobs. www.wkrda.com.

Currently, Executive Director of the Southeastern Illinois Economic Development Authority (SIEDA), since 2005, a regional bond authority that covers Clark, Clay, Crawford, Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Hamilton, Jasper, Jefferson, Lawrence, Marion, Richland, Wabash and Wayne counties and has issued $1,214,000 in bonds and created 260 jobs. www.siedail.com.

Currently, Executive Director of the Eastern Illinois Economic Development Authority (EIEDA), since 2009, a regional bond authority that covers the counties of Ford, Iroquois, Piatt, Champaign, Vermilion, Douglas, Moultrie, Shelby, Coles, and Edgar and is authorized to issue up to $250,000,000 in bonds. www.eieda.com.

Currently, Executive Director of the Western Illinois Economic Development Authority (WIEDA), since 2009, a regional bond authority that covers the counties of Adams, Brown, Cass, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Mason, McDonough, Morgan, Pike, Schuyler, Scott and Warren and is authorized to issue up to $250,000,000 in bonds. www.wieda.com.

Currently, Chief Financial Officer of ClearStack Corporation, since 2001, a clean coal technology development and implementation company with a patented technology to remove NOx Sulfur (SO2), Mercury (Hg) and particulate emissions for electric utility and industrial boiler applications. www.clearstack.com. Mr. Hamilton is also financial advisor to three Illinois Bank Community Development Corporations.

Formerly, Assistant Deputy Director of the Bureau of Operations at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) which had a $900 mil annual budget, administered 70 programs, staffed 700 and operated 11 overseas offices. His bureau oversaw the accounting, budget and financial review offices which underwrote an $84 million loan and investment portfolio and analyzed over 350 applications annually. Mr. Hamilton also served as the Springfield Office Chief for FRED and an Economic Development Representative. Mr. Hamilton has served as a Director on a number of public and private financing authorities as follows: Illinois Small Business Growth Corporation, First Illinois Development Credit Corporation, Southwestern Illinois Development Authority (SWIDA), Upper Illinois River Valley Development Authority. Mr. Hamilton has served on the editorial board for the Illinois Economic Report monthly magazine, the Illinois Impact Magazine. He has authored numerous articles and commentaries in various magazines and local newspapers on economic development topics.

Prior to employment in the public sector, Mr. Hamilton was the Branch Manager of a First Union Mortgage Corporation in Champaign and a Commercial Loan Officer at a Bank in his hometown of Rantoul, Illinois. Mr. Hamilton also served a term as Village Trustee on the Rantoul Village Board. Mr. Hamilton's government experience includes serving the Illinois House of Representatives as a Legislative Intern on the staff of House of Representatives Minority Leader and a Congressional Fellowship on the staff of then Congressman Edward R. Madigan.

Mr. Hamilton is a graduate of the Senior Executive Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL and also has a Bachelor's Degree with a double major in Economics and Political Science at the University. Mr. Hamilton was an instructor in the Commercial Lending School with the Illinois Bankers Association and the Community Bankers Association of Illinois. He is certified from the National Development Council in Economic Development Financing, Real Estate Financing, Business Credit Analysis and Advanced Deal Structuring.

Andrew Hamilton, P. O. Box 13112, Springfield, Illinois 62791, Tel: 866-325-7525, Fax: 866-325-7569, Email: andrewjhamilton@andrewjhamilton.com.

Mary Renner

Ms. Renner has considerable experience in working with businesses, site location consultants, local economic development organizations and communities on site identification and financial packaging of public and private incentives for prospects. In addition, Ms. Renner has an extensive network of economic development contacts throughout the state of Illinois and is adept at facilitating partnership to enhance business, marketing and funding opportunities for clients.

Ms. Renner was formerly the Acting Manager Market Development Division at the Illinois Department of Commerce & Community Affairs (DCCA), in Springfield, Illinois where she was responsible for the day-to-day management and operations of the Market Development Division. Supervised staff of 40 economic development representatives located in Chicago, Springfield and five outlying offices. Planned and managed a budget of over $2 million annually. Researched, reviewed and provided analyses regarding new marketing initiatives. Responsible for overseeing statewide economic development projects which resulted in stimulating private investment in Illinois of over $10 billion. Developed and implemented performance measures with respect to the Governor's office of strategic planning and reporting requirements. Served as division liaison working with national site location firms on high impact economic development projects. Keynote speaker and presenter on economic development related issues to local economic development organizations, site selectors and other large professional groups which include but are not limited to the following: Illinois Municipal League, State Chamber, International Economic Development Council, MAEDC, St. Louis Regional Growth Association, North Area Business and Industrial Council and the Governor's Council on Tourism. Served as the liaison between the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and the Business Investment Committee of the Governor's Economic Development Board recommending policy and rule changes governing the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Program (EDGE). Authored the annual report to the Illinois General Assembly on the EDGE Program. Provided training to local economic organizations and communities on the best practices in marketing and economic development. Oversaw the development of and implemented the Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC) for all DCCA professional staff. Responsible for the development of the targeted marketing program for the Central Illinois, MetroNet. Served as statewide manager of the Illinois Business Retention Program. Co-authored the Illinois Business Retention manual, a resource manual, which provides local communities and economic development organizations with information on programs and services to assist existing businesses. Organized, managed and facilitated the Governor's Task Force on Ownership Succession and the Illinois Business Retention Advisory Council. Provided ongoing training to local communities and economic development organizations on designing and implementing local business retention programs. Developed a bibliography of information on retention programs and related issues. Ms. Renner also served as a Market Development Specialist, Manager of Business Retention, Economic Development Manager For Central Illinois, Economic Development Manager For Western Illinois, an Economic Development Representative at DCCA

Ms. Renner was formerly a Real Estate Salesperson at BARBER GEBBEN AND SMOLENSKI REALTORS in Springfield, Illinois. She received recognition as a top salesperson, several times while in real estate sales.

Ms. Renner received a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from the University of Illinois. Ms. Renner has also received certification from the National Development Council School in Real Estate Financing, Credit Analysis, Deal Structuring and has Completed the Basic Economic Development (BEDC), Completed the CED preparation course.

Ms. Renner has also served as Illinois Development Council, Secretary- Treasurer 2001 to Present, Sangamon County Republican Women's Organization, Mayor's appointee to the Springfield Economic Development Commission, Member of the executive steering, committee for the City of Springfield's Center for , Medical Excellence, Recipient of the 2001 Distinguished Economic Developer Award given by the Illinois, Development Council for outstanding contribution to Economic Development in the State of Illinois. PAST AFFILIATIONS, Springfield Junior League, Springfield Mental Health Center, United Way, Peoria, Illinois, American Cancer Society, Peoria, Illinois, Lakeview Center for the Arts and Sciences, Peoria, Illinois, March of Dimes, Peoria, Illinois, Peoria Junior League.

Mary Renner, Renner Consulting Services, 2108 Sunstone Court, Springfield, Illinois 62704, Tel: 217/546-2410, Fax: 217/546-2410, Email: r.consult@insightbb.com.

Jack Handy

Jack is Vice-President of Mosaic Services, Inc. in Springfield, Illinois. Mosaic Services is a private firm which consults with local and state government agencies and associations on a wide range of issues. His area of expertise is workforce development.

Jack's background includes teaching, state government, and retail business ownership. Most recently, he worked with the Job Training Division in the Illinois Department of Employment Security. For the past nine years, he served in the Planning Unit, including the position of supervisor. In this role, Jack's primary responsibilities included developing local planning guidelines, reviewing and approving Workforce Investment Act (WIA) local five-year strategic plans, drafting State policy letters relating to WIA, and providing technical assistance to local workforce investment areas WIA Title 1 entities and local workforce investment boards. Additionally, Jack worked closely with the Governor's Interagency Team on several key WIA issues, including the review and approval of local Memoranda of Understanding.

Mosaic Services, Inc. offers the following services to local WIA entities and WIBs: Workforce Investment Act, Title 1 local planning activities, Local Workforce Investment Board staffing services, Marketing services to local one-stop centers, Client mapping services for local entities and one-stop centers

Jack Handy, Mosaic Services Inc., 142 Wingfoot Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62704, Tel:217/787-4193, Email: jahand@aol.com. Web: www.mosiacservices.com.

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