Mentesti to retire as GREDF president

8 months, 3 weeks ago

Phil Conover to serve as interim president; New permanent leader to be in place next spring.

The Board of Directors of Great River Economic Development Foundation has announced that GREDF President Jim Mentesti is retiring.

Phil Conover has been named interim president.

Mentesti, who served with the organization for 27 years, will continue as a consultant during a transitional period. His last day as president is Friday.

"I am proud of the progress and results we achieved in my many years with GREDF.  I have a great staff who, with Phil, will continue to promote economic development in the Tri-State area.  I will be pleased to support their efforts and the eventual transition to a permanent replacement," said Mentesti, who is 73.

"We thank Jim for his 27 years of service to GREDF and are pleased he will continue to provide his advice and counsel as a consultant," said Tim Finlay, Chairman of the Board.  “GREDF has been an integral player in hundreds of economic development projects under Jim’s leadership.  He has helped make our community an economically vibrant one.”

The organization began developing a succession plan last year.

“We look forward to conducting a search for a new President and anticipate that process will be complete by the spring of 2013,” said Finlay.  “During this transition, we are very pleased to have a leader with Phil's credentials as interim President and Jim’s ongoing support as a consultant."

Finlay said GREDF's leader should have strong marketing and business skills with a talent to recruit and retain businesses.

Conover is a former Chairman of GREDF’s Board and worked for 26 years as an investment advisor.  After his retirement he worked for John Wood Community College in multiple roles. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Quincy University, a member of the Blessing Hospital Operations and Finance Committee, and a member of the Unit #4 Foundation Board, among other civic activities.   

"It's an honor to be selected for this role.  Jim built a strong team, and I am excited to help them build on their previous success and transition to a new permanent replacement in the spring," said Conover.

Conover said he'll have no role in the search process. He said he plans to work on current economic development projects.

GREDF provided this information via news release this morning.

Mentesti bio from the GREDF website: Prior to joining GREDF, Jim served as director of development for eleven years at Quincy College and was later administrative manager of Quintron Corporation in Quincy.

Jim graduated from Quincy College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management.

Jim serves as a director of the Rural Adams Development Corporation and member of the 35-county Tri-State Development Summit Steering Committee. He is a past board member of the Workforce Investment Board of Western Illinois and a past president of the Illinois Development Council.

Jim’s community leadership roles include; Charter Director of the Community Foundation of the Quincy Area; Quincy University Trustee Emeritus; President of the Quincy University Foundation; Past President of the Quincy Parks Foundation; Board Member of the Jackson Lincoln Swimming Complex; Past President of the First Tee of Great River; Past President of the Kiwanis Club of Quincy; Past President of Spring Lake Country Club; Board Member of the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce; and Steering Committee Member of the Salvation Army Kroc Center.