New Rockford residents mingle at ‘Made for Rockford’ mixer atop Embassy Suites

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — New arrivals to the Rockford area were welcomed to the city at a social mixer event at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center on Monday night.

The “Made for Rockford” event was hosted by GoRockford, the second since the program was established to introduce new residents to the Forest City.

Mayor Tom McNamara was among those who hosted the new residents at The Top rooftop restaurant at the Embassy Suites, at 416 S. Main Street.

“The response to our first New Resident Mixer was incredible. We saw how much people value the opportunity to connect and feel at home in their new city,” said Whitney Martin, Made for Rockford Program Director. “The energy in the room was amazing, and it was clear that one event wasn’t enough. That’s one of the reasons we`re back with a second mixerto keep building those connections and helping new residents discover all the reasons Rockford is a great place to put down roots.”

Roger Raley, who moved to Rockford six months ago, said he found a thriving community.

“It was an opportunity that was right time for me, right time for the business. I really came here to run the business, but what I found is Rockford’s a really cool community,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff happening. Downtown is especially being rejuvenated, there’s a lot of restaurants, there’s things to do, it’s very close to Chicago, close to Milwaukee so I’m pleasantly surprised about what I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”

GoRockford’s Made for Rockford initiative hopes to highlight the community and attract people to the city.