A Colorado based company is bringing new businesses and a resource center to Cairo, Illinois.
Horizon Developer Group CEO Rondell Swope said the plan to start new businesses in the southern Illinois city started two years ago when he met with Mayor Tyrone Coleman.
Swope said Cairo was put on his radar by a friend who told him the town was 'suffering.' The cityhas long been plagued with economic downturn, racial tension and the neglect of its public housing residences.
Swope said the mayor’s vision to revitalize the city convinced him to bring businesses to the area. "Pretty much that’s what got me hooked, people would say 'hey not a good investment, you don’t want to invest in Cairo,' and we’re like yes it is a good investment,'" he said.
Swope said a laundromat, a taco restaurant, a coffee shop and a children’s fun center will open within the next year. He said they are also opening a 'Family First Resource Center' inside a former elementary school.
Swope said his company is funding the projects and seeking grants that focus on job creation. He said the businesses could bring 25 to 35 jobs.
