Town of Normal City Manager Pamela Reece announced Nik Duffle of Broken Arrow, Okla. as the Town’s new director of Economic Development, effective April 15.
“We are excited to welcome Nik to the Town of Normal. He will play an instrumental role in attracting and retaining businesses, community development and planning,” explains Reece. “Normal has a lot going on and we are excited to have someone who can focus solely on economic growth in the Town.”
“Although he comes to Normal by way of Oklahoma, Nik is no stranger to our community,” adds Reece. “We are fortunate he is willing to come home to share his talents with us.”
Duffle’s familiarity with the Town of Normal, McLean County and Central Illinois grew during his time at the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council (EDC). Duffle worked at the EDC for three years before relocating to Oklahoma to be the Vice President of Economic Development for Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation.
In Oklahoma, Duffle managed a million-dollar-plus budget dedicated to business attraction and retention, innovation districts, investor relations and workforce development.
“The community and opportunity in Oklahoma have been tremendous but I’m excited to come home to Central Illinois,” says Duffle. “When the opportunity at the Town of Normal came open, I knew this would be a great fit. I look forward to continuing to build upon the strong foundation established by City Manager Reece and her team.”
The Town has previously had this position, though no one has held it since Sally Heffernan filled the role. She retired in 2019.
About Duffle
Duffle moved to Broken Arrow in May 2023 to serve as the Vice President of Economic Development for the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation where he led a three-person team dedicated to business retention, business attraction, entrepreneurship and workforce development.
One of his signature projects included the creation of a new local incentive policy to assist with primary job creation and new capital investment. He and his team launched a talent attraction campaign, “Be in BA,” focused on attracting engineering and manufacturing talent to Broken
Arrow. He also began the process of a comprehensive entrepreneurship ecosystem assessment with the International Economic Development Council to better understand and assist local entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Locally, during his time in the Bloomington-Normal, Duffle served as the Project Manager for EDC, and he helped lead and coordinate a grant proposal for the Central Illinois Regional Airport resulting in a grant award of $1.25 million for industrial development and infrastructure. He served as the project lead for new businesses looking to relocate which required strong collaboration with the state economic development organizations and regional economic development partners.
Before joining the EDC, Duffle worked as the Community and Economic Development Coordinator for the Village of Forsyth where he led all planning and zoning and community and economic development initiatives. Prior to that, Duffle served as the Deputy Director of Advance for Office of Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.
Duffle earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Millikin University, Decatur. He has completed coursework and certifications through the International Economic Development Council and the Oklahoma University Economic Development Institute.
Duffle will relocate to Central Illinois in May.
