Crossroads Foundation
The Crossroads Coalition Foundation, Inc. is intended to financially support key activities within the Coalition to include those associated with the Executive Director position. The Foundation group will be responsible for setting its membership dues, recruiting members, generating public and private funding, and prioritizing use of the funds that it receives. The intention of the Foundation is to provide funds to the Crossroads Coalition to fund key common development activities within the region that enhance the ability of the region to leverage its resource base. In 2008 the Crossroads Coalition hired its first Executive Director to lead the region's economic development efforts.The Foundation is envisioned as a non-profit organization for fundraising and fund-management and will have a separate Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation will provide funds to the Crossroads Coalition. The Crossroads Coalition will only fund projects that are closely aligned to its mission. Unsolicited proposals provided to the Foundation will not be accepted. Details on membership and structure of the Crossroads Coalition Foundation have yet to be finalized. However, it is expected that membership in the Foundation will require an annual financial commitment with no limit on number of foundation members. Ideally, membership would be representative of the interests of the entire Crossroads Coalition.
The Crossroads region has a combined labor force of more than 100,000 workers. The area has a strong industry base in manufacturing and more than 20 percent of workers in the Crossroads region are employed in manufacturing. The retail and health care sectors are also leading employers. Some of the major manufacturers in the region include:
American Greeting
Tenaris-Hickman
Nucor-Yamato