I (Heart) Rockford

I (Heart) Rockford

The economic impact of civic pride

By Andrew Wright, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Rockford Chamber of Commerce

Strolling down a sunny coastal beach wearing a Geri’s Hamburgers t-shirt, a Bygone Brand customer was approached by a stranger who pointed at the familiar red, white and blue sign on the shirt and said “Rockford?”

Geri’s Hamburgers, a Rockford-based franchise that opened in 1962, closed their last location in Beloit in 1999.

Keith and Amy Watson’s Rockford based company, Bygone Brand, started in 2013, trading on the nostalgia of fondly remembered logos and brands closely tied to Rockford.

Keith, a graphic designer who was attracted to brands, and Amy, a teacher and history buff, combined their passions to create a company that uses trademarks to celebrate a sense of time and place, starting with brands familiar to long-time Rockford residents.

Geri’s Hamburgers, the Ing Skating Palace, Game Factory, the Pink Pony, The Mayflower Restaurant—these all evoke the nostalgic experiences specific to people who grew up in Rockford through the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

“Nostalgia starts in your 30s. Right now, the 90s are in vogue, and people have resources to think about recapturing their past,” Keith said. “This is just as much for local shoppers as it is for the Rockfordians who moved away and miss their hometown.”

“We’re known as the people who have the brands,” Amy said.

As Bygone Brand grew, they sought out this nostalgia across other cities, tapping into the hometown pride found in places like Madison, St. Louis, Peoria, the Twin Cities and more.

“I’m out here at the checkout desk, and people are excited when they come in. When people find a shirt that represents a place they loved and connected with, they want to tell us their stories—stories of their first job, their first date, the first kiss out at the Belford Drive In,” Amy said as she gestured to a t-shirt with the old, familiar logo.

“That’s the most fun part of it, because it’s a vindication that this is the right thing for us to do. We love this stuff and when we hear other people tell their stories, we know they love it too,” Keith said.

The value of hometown cheerleaders

When coming to Rockford, potential residents often Google the city, and find Rockford on some dubious lists.

“When we get new employees who move to Rockford, the first thing they all do is Google Rockford. We tell them that’s just the cover of the book and doesn’t tell the true Rockford story. Rockford’s got great outdoor space, great restaurants, there’s everything in this town that you want,” said Mike Peck, vice president of marketing, content and operations for the Rockford IceHogs.

Peck, formerly the voice of the IceHogs, has been with the league since their UHL days in the early 2000s. As the team approaches their 25th year in Rockford, the IceHogs are celebrating national brand recognition and a history that includes a league championship and 23 players who have passed through Rockford and gone on to hoist the Stanley Cup.

“If I didn’t like Rockford, I’d have been gone. I’m raising a family here. We have two former players, Rob Klinkhammer and Jared Nightingale, who have returned to Rockford,” Peck said. “Oak Hewer, Scott Burfoot, and J. F. Rivard have returned to Rockford. We have everything you might want in a living situation.”

Rockford has become a desirable partner to the Chicago Blackhawks, not just for its location—near enough to Chicago to make it convenient for players to ascend to the NHL for short stints— but also because Rockford has embraced the IceHogs as a symbol of civic pride.

“The Blackhawks love Rockford, the interactions with the fans and the response the community has to this hockey team. Our parent team wouldn’t continue to invest in the IceHogs and this community if they didn’t see an adequate level of civic pride. It’s special to have an AHL affiliate just down the road from an NHL club that supports this team like Rockford supports the IceHogs,” Peck said.

And the familiar face of Hammy the IceHogs mascot has been spotted on jerseys across North America and around the globe.

“It doesn’t matter which high school you attended, what NCAA team you support or who your favorite major league team is, for Rockford, the IceHogs represent common ground. People aren’t shy about wearing the IceHogs logo all over the country,” Peck said.

Projecting civic pride attracts visitors

Jacqui Corsi, the vice president of marketing for the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, has lived in Rockford for only five months.

“When I tell people I just got here, they ask me where I’m from. When I tell them West Bend, Wisconsin, they then ask me ‘Why are you here?’” Corsi laughed.

“People tend not to appreciate what they have here in Rockford. People from Illinois think Wisconsin is beautiful, while people in Wisconsin think Chicago is amazing. There’s a tendency for people not to appreciate what they have where they live. So when they ask why, I remind them that they have all these resources. And then they start telling me about all their favorite places,” she said.

When Corsi was deciding to move to Rockford, one of the first places she wanted to go when she came to town was a local restaurant. Not someplace fancy, but a diner where the locals go, a breakfast place where they could go and talk to people as they waited in line. Corsi and her husband went to Johnny Pamcakes,

“People could not have been nicer. They loved that restaurant and told us of all the great things to see in Rockford that they like. We were really impressed,” she said.

That sense of pride in what makes Rockford great convinced her that this was an opportunity to pursue.

“We went to City Market. We tried to talk to as many people as we could, from vendors to visitors, to the police officers working the event. We would strike up conversations, because we wanted to see what people would say. You want these people on the front lines to be your ambassadors and promotors, making sure visitors want to come back, that they have a great experience,” Corsi said. “And civic pride attracts visitors. Without visitors, we might not have places like the Japanese Gardens, the beautiful waterfront, so many restaurants, 44 forest and nature preserves, and other destinations.”

A recent report prepared for the Illinois Office of Tourism showed that in 2021, at the height of the COVID pandemic, the total economic impact of Illinois tourism was $59.5 billion—388,800 jobs were created and $4.3 billion in state and local taxes were collected. These additional taxes save an average Illinois household more than $1,000 in taxes each year.

“Rockford has a lot more to offer than I realized. It’s not on your radar if you don’t have family here, if you don’t visit. There are so many attractions here, so much to do that my challenge is just trying to learn them all,” Corsi said.

From the murals to the Rockford Peaches, from Cheap Trick to the development of Davis Park, there are a lot of activities, destinations and locations that are attracting people to the city. And one of the driving forces for Rockford tourism is sports.

“Between 85% and 90% of visitors to Rockford are here for sports events. Our facilities are fantastic. Whether it’s people traveling for an IceHogs or Rivets game, or going to amateur events at the UW Sports Factory, Sportscore 1 or 2, the upcoming synchronized skating qualifying tournaments, Rockford is absolutely a sports town, and that’s what helped us get through COVID. Rockford tourism was able to recover more quickly than elsewhere because of sports.” Corsi said.

In the end, the thing that keeps visitors coming back to Rockford is that sense of pride.

“We need ambassadors. The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau has a small team, but the community can be ambassadors for us—supporting our community and remembering the great things happening, as well as the people trying to make it happen. There are a lot of people who want to make it the best that it can be,” Corsi said.

Investing in the community

A little over six months into her role at Midland States Bank, Martesha Brown earned a new title as director of community economic development.

Brown takes pride in her service to the Rockford community, looking for ways for her bank to get involved in what they call the six pillars: education, workforce development, financial empowerment, housing, small business development, and health and wellness.

“When you’re giving back to your community, your community is giving back to you,” Brown said. “We’re looking for partners to collaborate with. Organizations who have high civic pride know what their community needs, and those collaborative partners help shape our communities.”

When a company or non-profit approaches Brown for a partnership with Midland States Bank, she looks for a way to make the most effective use of the funds that the bank has set aside to support community partners, invest in civic pride and revitalize the community.

Part of their process to invest in the community is through a community outreach needs assessment—interacting with a community group that provides feedback on ways to best serve the needs of the neighborhood or region.

“We’re looking at what the community needs, based upon what the community says it needs. When we make decisions, we seek to support organizations that are doing what the community wants,” Brown said.

She takes pride in the support Midland States Bank has shown to such successful programs as the 815 Minority Access to Achievement Group and Think Big, programs that have shown genuine success in growing financial empowerment and entrepreneurship, respectively.

“These programs have had a bigger impact on our community than many would understand,” she said.

Between financial support and the many hours of volunteering that staff at Midland States Bank give to build community pride, Brown is proud of the work they have committed to contribute towards making Rockford a better place to live.

“We really work to support our communities. The way we look at it is that we’re partners. We want to understand what the community needs and work to fill those needs,” she said.

Planning for civic pride

High atop Rockford City Hall on that building’s eighth floor, the view of the city is spectacular. From the historic downtown to the rolling forested hills of the Rock River Valley, it’s not difficult to see the opportunity that Rockford has to offer.

Todd Cagnoni, city administrator for the City of Rockford, has a hand in making sure those opportunities are capitalized on.

“How people feel is important. Across the board, whether it’s an existing business or resident, or a business or resident looking to move into Rockford, how they feel is important,” Cagnoni said. “When there’s civic pride, there are citizens more engaged, more likely to support local not-for-profit organizations, dedicating money or hours of time. People are more likely to participate in government, join a volunteer board, vote and to get other people registered to vote.”

But Rockfordians can be tough to convince.

“We’re tough on ourselves. We have high standards, for sure,” Cagnoni said, “But I would encourage us all to recognize we have a lot of green grass here. While it’s easy to say that the grass is always greener someplace else, we’re working hard to communicate about the opportunities and the successes we’re having here."

Cagnoni feels more people in the community are embracing events that celebrate Rockford civic pride: the annual 815 Day, Stroll on State, City Market programs, and special events like the celebration of Fred Van Vleet and the Toronto Raptors’ run for the NBA Championship. Rockford has found ways to celebrate the city’s successes. And that positivity is already proving to have an economic impact in the form of new construction.

Once-blighted properties in downtown Rockford and along the riverfront are being redeveloped into attractive new spaces, with the help of historic tax credits and the riverfront redevelopment zone.

“From the Embassy Suites to the 700 block of South Main, the Talcott redevelopment to Turner School, we are seeing adaptive reuse of legacy buildings. The lofts of 301 South Main and the promise of the Coleman Yards represent 10 historic buildings that show potential for rehabilitation and a new purpose.

“At the end of the day, decisions related to expansion and attraction are made by people. Those people have got to have a good feeling if they’re going to make a significant investment in our community. It takes personal relationships to communicate with our community in a positive way. Feelings matter,” Cagnoni said.