History
Led by a vision of a stronger, more vibrant community, a group of business leaders joined forces in the summer of 1993 to support Allen County's economic development effort. They called their group the Allen County Visionaries. Until this time, the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce and the West Central Ohio Regional Development Board had led local development efforts, but community leaders decided that a more focused effort could be made if economic development was spearheaded by a separate entity, and thus the Allen Economic Development Group was formed. The Allen County Visionaries agreed to provide 50% of the money needed to fund the Allen Economic Development Group, with the local governments providing the other 50%.
The Visionaries objective is to stimulate the creation of jobs and economic prosperity for all citizens through a highly-focused, accountable, and integrated delivery system. Today, there are over 100 members of the Allen County Visionaries, both businesses and individuals, who share a deep concern for the economic health of the community.