Bringing industries to small towns in rural areas was the focus of a seminar Monday at NIU, in which the Illinois lieutenant governor spoke.

About 30 small town representatives heard plans for an upcoming Illinois trade show and suggestions from Illinois Lt. Gov. George Ryan for expanded rural economic development.

Ryan, chairman of the Rural Affairs Council, said the state government is “here to lend a helping hand” to small rural businesses.

The seminar informed the representatives about the 1990 Illinois Community Expo. The expo will be held at the O’Hare Rosemont Exposition Center on May 31 and June 1. Representatives from DeKalb, Kane, Will and DuPage Counties attended the meeting.

The purpose of the Illinois Community Expo is to target industries and bring them to the community, said Doug Green, editor of Expansion Management magazine.

“The heartbeat of a community is a good economy,” Green said.

Kathryn Norton, a representative of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, said the corporation attended the expo last year.

“We found it to be very helpful for us to measure ourselves and our competitiveness against other communities,” she said.

Keeping a community profile of accurate information for industries to study is important, said Geoff Garr, Department of Commerce and Community Affairs member. “If you’re not fully prepared to answer a company’s questions, they’ll move on,” he said.