Jim Roolf Selected as Recipient of a 2007 Citizen Leadership Award

by the International Economic Development Council

Jim Roolf, President of First Midwest Bank, has been chosen as a 2007 recipient of the Citizen Leadership Award given by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). This prestigious award recognizes a community or business leader who is not an economic development practitioner, but plays a key role in the planning and designing of new and creative economic development activities. Roolf was selected by a panel of economic development experts consisting of members from both public and private sectors. The award will be presented in September at the Recognition Dinner during IEDC’s 2007 Annual Conference in Scottsdale, AZ.

The nomination and ultimate award of Roolf was based, in part, on the following achievements. Roolf was appointed as the Chair of the CED’s most recent capital campaign, and was elected to two successive terms as Chairman of the Will County Center for Economic Development. He is currently a member of the CED’s Executive Committee, Board of Directors, Strategic Policy Council, Governance Committee, and Chairman of the Airport Task Force.

From the start, Roolf challenged himself and others to move the CED beyond being a Joliet-based organization to a true countywide and regional economic development force in the Chicago metro area. That thinking led to the creation of the Will Economic Network, a consortium of community economic developers working in tandem with the CED.

Roolf was also instrumental in development of the Will County Transportation Blueprint and has worked tirelessly to improve the surface transportation in Will County and the Chicago region, recognizing that the efficient movement of people and products is key to continued economic growth and to leveraging the success of the intermodal yard and the future airport. To this end, he has promoted the Illiana Expressway (which will connect three interstate highways in Indiana and Illinois as an outer circumferential highway for the Chicago region) and has been appointed to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority board by Governor Blagojevich.

Serving on an ad hoc committee at the CED, Roolf helped to force absentee landlords to improve deplorable conditions at a publicly-funded, but privately-owned, apartment complex for low to moderate income families. These efforts included many trips to Washington to meet with political leaders and high-ranking officials of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as the Secretary of HUD.

Beyond his commitment to the CED and its initiatives, he is a member of and volunteers for numerous local organizations, a loving husband, and proud father of two adult children.

The Will County Center for Economic Development is pleased to join in congratulating Jim Roolf for earning this honor.