GREEN MILL VILLAGE BACKGROUNDER
Contact:
Sarah Miller
Public Relations & Media Director
217-348-8475
smiller@insidethegreenbox.com
A local manufacturing company and entrepreneur is now developing about 60 acres into a green village near Arcola, Ill. This resort, called Green Mill Village (GMV), is expected to open during 2010 and will include a hotel, meeting center, spa, restaurants, retail center and adventure center - powered by wind turbines and solar power. Developers have said this will provide a new way of thinking about tourism and community development. They will focus on bringing innovation in energy, agriculture and wellness together into one destination.
Located in the heart of Illinois Amish country, the Green Mill Village site is in the center of a triangle formed by the three major cities of St. Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago, and just over two hours from each. The meeting center, hotel and spa facility will be designed with a 1940s era theme, reminding visitors of a simpler time with a slower pace. The conference center will accommodate meetings for 300 people banquet style and 150 classroom style, with a staff trained to support state-of-the-art "green" meetings. Conference attendees will be encouraged to bring their families along for the adventure.
Green Mill Village will emphasize key elements of responsible tourism, which include not only environmental considerations but also respect and appreciation for different cultures and ensuring that the local people benefit economically from tourism activities.
GMV will emphasize the provision of healthy food that is safe and grown locally. In addition to using the local Amish farmer's market, the resort will work with a new organic beef processing plant near Mattoon, Ill., as well as an organic chicken farm in Arthur, Ill. There will even be a restored 1940s car that runs on recycled cooking oil from the GMV kitchens.
The One World Sustainability Center will provide visitors with a snapshot of the region and the village, as well as offer interactive programs focused on agriculture, alternative energy and responsible tourism. The building will take the form of a traditional mill, built by local Amish craftsmen. Some of the education programs will be collaborative efforts between developers and four local colleges: Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, the University of Wisconsin - Madison and the University of Illinois. GMV will also work with these institutions to bring college students into GMV positions where they can learn on the job in the areas of tourism, agriculture, engineering, recreation and hospitality management.
Spa sessions will be included as an option in business meetings as well as in couple and family packages and programs at Green Mill Village. GMV's retail center will offer a candy store/bakery, a wine and cheese shop, and a furniture shop featuring other locally made items as well. There will be furniture, chocolate and even apple butter that is branded Green Mill Village and sold in the hotel and gift shop. Each of these products will be made locally.
A restaurant and wine bar will be a part of the lodge and conference center. In an effort to further enhance local tourism businesses, Green Mill Village will provide wine for sale from local Illinois wineries and arrange for guests to tour them as it develops its own winery demonstration area. Plans to establish a major wine festival and other events that would support Illinois wineries, drawing visitors from surrounding states and beyond are underway.
The economic impact for the surrounding communities is expected to go beyond tourism growth, as the success of the project will create new production and manufacturing jobs. The manufacturing partner in the project is Agri-Fab Holding Company of Sullivan, Ill. Their holding company owns and manages plants in east-central Illinois, along with production facilities in others parts of the U.S. More information about Agri-Fab is available at www.agri-fab.com.
The entrepreneur half of the partnership is Bob McElwee, of Charleston, Ill. More information about Bob is available at his marketing company Web site www.insidethegreenbox.com.