IMA Provides Clarity Amidst Volatile Policy Landscape at SDA’s Metals Hub Event
On April 17, the Southland Development Authority (SDA) brought together manufacturers, OEMs, and resource partners at North & Maple in Tinley Park. The event focused on SDA’s Metals Hub. The Hub is a branch of the SDA designed to help local manufacturers get contract ready, build workforce pipelines and connect to real opportunities.
Randy Prince from the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) gave a legislative update. He offered a clearer look at the murky, seemingly ever-changing policy landscape manufacturers are dealing with this year. The IMA released this statement:
“The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association reviews thousands of bills and amendments annually on behalf of manufacturers from across the state. In 2025 alone, the IMA reviewed nearly 7,000 bills and amendments while taking official positions on hundreds of bills while actively advocating on many more. Topics such as energy costs and reliability, environmental justice, carbon capture and sequestration, along with numerous labor issues such as standards for workers in extreme temperatures, have been at the forefront of this session.”
His remarks helped tie big policy issues back to the day-to-day concerns of small and mid-sized firms.
Meanwhile, the Metals Hub, as attendees learned, is built on what SDA calls the C.A.S.T. framework: Connect, Accelerate, Support, and Team up. It’s a structure meant to help manufacturers improve operations, access new buyers, and grow alongside the region’s economy.
Also in the room was SDA’s APEX Accelerator program, which is led by Chris Cooks. The federally funded program helps more local businesses break into government contracting. This is something that has historically been difficult for many across the Southland. Cooks is looking to change that.
“We have amazing manufacturing businesses here in the Southland. Many of them are already capable of producing the highest quality parts for the commercial sector,” Cooks said. “There are opportunities to supply the government with similar high quality legacy parts for the Department of Defense. The Illinois APEX Accelerator program offers the resources and guidance necessary for Southland businesses to participate in government procurement.”
As the night went on, the formal program gave way to informal conversations. People stuck around, kept talking, and left with a clearer idea of what’s possible; with the conversations in the room turning out to be just as important as the agenda. Manufacturers compared experiences, OEMs listened, and connections started forming. The Southland isn’t waiting for things to improve. It’s working on it now.
About the Southland Development Authority (SDA)
The Southland Development Authority is a nonprofit business organization launched in 2019 by business, civic, and political leaders from around the Southland who recognize the potential of the region’s people, businesses, and real estate. Our mission is to bring the resources and capacity needed to achieve transformative, inclusive economic growth for the south suburbs with a focus on investments in the Southland’s communities, industry, housing, and workforce.
