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The 1834 Alliance The 1834 Alliance of Transformational Dreamers & Doers celebrates and empowers visionaries who embody the legacy of collaborative transformation.

Transformation deserves celebration and gratitude.On Monday June 15, 1834 Alliance committee member Bobbie Holzwarth app...
06/30/2026

Transformation deserves celebration and gratitude.

On Monday June 15, 1834 Alliance committee member Bobbie Holzwarth appeared before the Rockford City Council to thank the Mayor, Council and City staff for their contributions to two transformational stories recently honored by the Alliance: Downtown Rockford’s transformation from 1980 to 2026 and Rockford Promise, our community’s location-based scholarship program.

Her remarks serve as a reminder that meaningful progress is never the work of a single person or organization. It is the result of people choosing to work together in pursuit of a better future.

Visit https://f.mtr.cool/ngqifyjtte to read her full remarks.

“There’s only so much riverfrontage.”For Brian Huels and the Koch family, that simple fact and their love of the Rock Ri...
06/25/2026

“There’s only so much riverfrontage.”

For Brian Huels and the Koch family, that simple fact and their love of the Rock River became a long-term investment in downtown Rockford.

Where others saw an aging industrial building, Loyd and Diane Koch saw the river's unmet potential. And they saw a future gathering place for the community.

Today, thanks to the bet the Koch’s and their partners placed on the Madison Street corridor in downtown Rockford, Prairie Street Brewing Co. and Cahoots stand as proof that some of the best investments aren't made for quick returns. They're made because a sense of place matters, and because some people believe a community's best days are still ahead.

Visit the 1834 Alliance website to explore the stories, partnerships and people behind Downtown Rockford's selection as the 2026 Transformers Honoree. Watch the livestream recording and share the story at https://f.mtr.cool/tkrztuljrf

We're excited to share more photos from the 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration in the coming weeks! A heartfelt thank yo...
06/24/2026

We're excited to share more photos from the 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration in the coming weeks! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us, and to all the dedicated Rockfordians who show up every day to make our community an incredible place to live and work.

“We had a clean slate. We weren't afraid to try anything.”That's how Wendy Perks Fisher remembers her partnership with t...
06/23/2026

“We had a clean slate. We weren't afraid to try anything.”

That's how Wendy Perks Fisher remembers her partnership with the likes of John McNamara, Doug Logan, Webbs Norman, Charles Box and other co-conspirators in engineering downtown Rockford's comeback.

As the first permanent executive director of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Wendy helped pioneer an entirely new way of thinking about the community's future—through collaboration, creativity and belief.

For her, attracting visitors wasn't really the goal. Building a better Rockford was the goal.

Working alongside civic leaders, business owners, volunteers and fellow dreamers, she helped forge the partnerships that fueled downtown's revival and strengthened the community's confidence in itself.

Her story is a reminder that change begins when people stop waiting for solutions and start enacting them together.

Visit the 1834 Alliance website to explore the stories, partnerships and people behind Downtown Rockford's selection as the 2026 Transformers Honoree. Watch the livestream recording and share the story: https://f.mtr.cool/glztttpnha

“For me, downtown has been a stubborn passion project.”That’s how Jarrod Hennis describes his journey.Twenty-one years a...
06/19/2026

“For me, downtown has been a stubborn passion project.”

That’s how Jarrod Hennis describes his journey.

Twenty-one years ago, he saw something in downtown Rockford that many others didn't: possibility.

What started as a small screen-printing shop with a rebellious streak evolved into Rockford Art Deli and an energetic movement that built positive energy around hometown pride.

Jarrod didn't just create shirts. He helped give people a new way to talk about their city.

Today, thousands of people proudly wear the 815 wherever they go, proving hometown pride can be contagious.

Visit the 1834 Alliance website to explore the stories, partnerships and people behind Downtown Rockford's selection as the 2026 Transformers Honoree. Watch the livestream recording and share the story: https://f.mtr.cool/rxeosoxagy

A few powerful moments from an extraordinary evening.🥂 The inaugural 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration brought together...
06/11/2026

A few powerful moments from an extraordinary evening.

🥂 The inaugural 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration brought together more than 200 residents, business leaders, educators, artists and civic partners to celebrate something bigger than any one person or project: the power of collaborative transformation.

From the stage of the The RPL Nordlof Center to Rockford Public Library's 3rd floor terrace overlooking the Rock River, the evening was filled with stories of vision, perseverance, partnership and hope.

Congratulations once again to our 2026 honorees:

🏆 Transformers Honor: Downtown Rockford's Transformation
🏆 Ignitors Honor: Rockford Promise

Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared the experience and continues to help write the next chapters of the Rockford Region's story of transformation and progress.

We hope you enjoy looking back through a few of our favorite moments from a remarkable celebration in downtown Rockford. Please follow us on our website and socials for news and updates. There's more coming from the 1834 Alliance.

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Ignitors Honor recognizes an idea that continues to build lives a...
06/05/2026

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Ignitors Honor recognizes an idea that continues to build lives across generations.

Rockford Promise began with a simple belief: every student deserves access to educational opportunity and the hope it delivers. Today, that belief is helping transform families, careers and our community.

Read the inspiring story behind our inaugural Ignitors Honor recipient on the 1834 Alliance website, and be sure to enjoy our documentary film.

https://1834alliance.org/ignitors-honor/

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Transformers Honor recognizes an achievement more than four decad...
06/05/2026

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Transformers Honor recognizes an achievement more than four decades in the making.

The transformation of Downtown Rockford is a story of vision, persistence and hundreds, if not thousands of people who believed the heart of our city was worth fighting for.

Read the inspiring story behind our inaugural Transformers Honor recipient on the 1834 Alliance website, and be sure to enjoy our documentary film.

https://1834alliance.org/transformers-honor/

Can't join us at the Nordlof for the 1834 Honors & Celebration? Join us live online! While our in-person seating for ton...
06/04/2026

Can't join us at the Nordlof for the 1834 Honors & Celebration? Join us live online!

While our in-person seating for tonight’s inaugural 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration is nearly at capacity, we want to ensure our entire community can still participate.

You can experience the entire program—including our original documentary films and the presentation of our two inaugural transformational honors—completely live from home.

Let’s come together digitally to honor the extraordinary dreamers and doers who are redefining the Rockford region.

🗓️ Tonight, June 4
⏰ Program begins promptly at 6:00 PM CDT
📺 Watch Live on YouTube: https://f.mtr.cool/acrogqklcn

"If we can put a smile on the face of a guy like Alderman Victory Bell, that makes me proud."Josh Jeffers has revitalize...
06/04/2026

"If we can put a smile on the face of a guy like Alderman Victory Bell, that makes me proud."
Josh Jeffers has revitalized historic properties across the Midwest, yet when he talks about Colman Yards, he spends less time on buildings and capital stacks and more on people and inspiration.

He speaks with admiration for Alderman Victory Bell, whose nearly four decades of service to the 5th Ward kept dreams of a better southwest Rockford alive. He praises the business owners, residents, public officials and earlier developers who believed in the city long before Coleman Yards was conceived.

In fact, Jeffers is quick to acknowledge that his work is made possible by those who came before.

"We're really not the pioneers in downtown Rockford," he said. "Revitalization here has already begun."

Today, J. Jeffers & Co. is helping write an exciting new chapter for the former Barber-Colman campus—fully aware of the fact that the biggest projects rarely begin with the people who finish them.

They begin with those who chose to dream first.

Join Joshua Jeffers and other transformers June 4 at The RPL Nordlof Center as the 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration showcases the dreamers, doers and collaborators moving our community forward.

🎟️ Free Tickets: https://f.mtr.cool/wtnauzrsjp For those unable to book in advance, a standby line will be available at the venue to accommodate guests if seats open up due to no-shows.

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411 Kent St
Rockford, IL
61102

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