June marked the four-year anniversary of the Greater Freeport Partnership; when the Northwest Illinois Development Alliance (NIDA), Freeport Area Chamber of Commerce, Freeport Downtown Development Foundation, and Freeport/Stephenson County Convention & Visitors Bureau all became one.
The end of June will also mark the retirement of Tess Dahm, Director of Administrative Services for the Partnership, and the glue that kept our organization together and moving forward through the Partnership’s evolution as we know it today. Tess served as the interim executive director for eight-months prior to my arrival as the executive director in May of 2020. She also served as the associate director of NIDA and its predecessor organizations for twenty-one years. Therefore, we celebrate Tess Dahm for her 25+ years of committed service to her work and community.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Tess professionally for most of those 25 years, but through the Partnership, I’ve come to know the level of commitment Tess has to the betterment of Freeport and Stephenson County and to her knowledge of the economic development profession. I, along with the rest of the staff, will miss Tess being here at the office, but we know we will see her in the community from time to time as she gets to enjoy her family.
This past week on Thursday, we were able to surprise Tess with a retirement reception at the Wagner House and with the help of Tess’s family and friends, the surprise was a success. A special thank you to Senator Brian Stewart for presenting the Senate Recognition Certificate of Appreciation of Tess’s 25+ years of service. If you have time this week, please stop in the office or shoot her a message of appreciation of her service to the community.
Mark Williams is the Executive Director for the Greater Freeport Partnership. He can be reached at mwilliams@greaterfreeport.com or 815-233-1356.
