About The Company

Community Growth Solutions LLC

Mark Williams is the founding managing partner of Community Growth Solutions LLC, a consulting business offering a suite of services tailored to community and economic development programs and management. Our services include but are not limited to:

  • Local and regional economic development organization formation and management.
  • Development of sustainable economic development implementation strategies in industrial, commercial, mixed-use and town center/core focus areas.
  • Administration services in Enterprise Zone, River Edge Redevelopment Zone and tax increment financing.
  • Public and private client incentive negotiations.
Mark Williams, CEO

Expertise

With over 34 years of experience in community and economic development, Mark has held leadership roles—including Manager, Director, and Executive Director—at both regional public/private partnerships and local municipal organizations throughout Illinois. His expertise spans rural and urban communities, with impactful tenures at the City of Rockford, City of Salem, Growth Dimensions for Belvidere and Boone County, Greater Freeport Partnership, DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, and North Central Illinois Council of Governments.

A proud graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU-C), Mark was honored with the Illinois Development Council’s Distinguished Economic Developer of the Year Award in 2012 and received a Certificate of Recognition from the 97th Illinois General Assembly House of Representatives.

Mark’s career highlights include leading 220 projects that generated over $2.68 billion in private investment and created or retained more than 12,500 jobs. Renowned for his ability to build strong relationships across regional and statewide organizations, Mark has chaired the Illinois Development Council (IDC) and the Illinois Enterprise Zone Association (IEZA), and most recently served as 2nd Vice Chair of the Illinois Economic Development Association (IEDA) and Legislative Chair of the IEZA.

Mark’s proven leadership, vision, and collaborative approach continue to drive sustainable economic growth and prosperity across Illinois.