Rivian’s growth changed this Midwestern town’s fortunes

O’Grady, then an executive with the Bloomington Normal Economic Development Council, stood outside the manufacturing plant and watched as its 1,000 workers exited for the last time. The plant had its good years, peaking at 3,000 jobs. Tax revenue from the its SUV production had been huge, he recalled. He worried about the impact on the school district.

O’Grady had feared this day might come. Two years prior, he reached out to Mitsubishi and was assured the plant wouldn’t leave town, he said.

Six years after Mitsubishi left, O’Grady, and all of Bloomington-Normal, can feel better about a day…