Downtown Businesses Owners Welcome MetroCentre Expansion

Rockford, IL - Downtown business owners have been clamoring for something large-scale to be done to attract people to the area. They think the $20 million MetroCentre renovation project and agreement with the Chicago Blackhawks to be home to their minor league team might be the key to drawing visitors from Chicago and the suburbs. Reggie Roberson is an Ice Hogs fan and the new owner of Swilligans Pub. He says business is working out well so far, but hed welcome the new people attracted to a minor league Chicago Blackhawks team. "It`ll get some more suburban traffic, some more outlying traffic for a little better brand of hockey," says Roberson. "You probably get a lot of rehab assignments for the players when they`re hurt. Those Blackhawks will probably play here and that always brings excitement." John Parthenios has owned the Parthenios Luncheonette for 37 years. He says with or without the minor league team and new MetroCentre events, he plans to stay for a very long time because hes already built a customer base in the community. "It`ll probably help me, it might not," says Parthenios. "It`s too early to tell. If it brings out of town people, it`ll be fine. Then we`ll have more business." The new Rockford events are intended to do more than bring visitors to the area, according to economic leaders. It would also draw more businesses. "Typically when you create that public investment, it`s to drive private investment," says Janyce Fadden, President of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council. "There`s plenty of opportunity around the MetroCentre for private development, and it`s being actively marketed." "The community needs it and it would support the restaurants and hotels," says Roberson. "Anything the MetroCentre can do to promote business is good for everybody."