Business and government leaders from across DuPage County gathered at an Oak Brook hotel Thursday to discuss the future of the county’s economy.

The event was the official kickoff for Choose DuPage, a public-private partnership devoted to promoting DuPage as a location for businesses of all varieties. The DuPage County Board has committed $2 million over four years to the economic development group.

Choose DuPage hopes to raise an additional $3.5 million from the business community. So far, the private sector has contributed about $1.3 million to the effort, the group announced at a luncheon at the Doubletree Hotel.

Founded in 2005 as DuPageBiz, Choose DuPage was born out of the County Board’s efforts to retain businesses and attract new ones. The idea was to get leaders in the business community to take a stake in local economic development, County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom said.

“We always knew that if this was going to become a reality, it was one of those things that was going to have to be started by us,” he said.

Schillerstrom said the group will serve as a forum for communication among businesses and between the business community and local government.

Roger Hopkins was brought on board in December to lead Choose DuPage. Hopkins was executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corp. from its founding in 1988.

Most of the money that Choose DuPage raises will be used for marketing to attract new businesses and encourage existing businesses to stay in the county, Hopkins said. About $1 million of the funding will be used for job training and workforce development through partnerships with WorkNet DuPage, the DuPage Workforce Board and the College of DuPage, he said.

Hopkins said one of the group’s goals is enticing national and international corporations to locate their headquarters within the county. Information-technology, health care and engineering firms also are being actively sought, he added.

Another goal for Choose DuPage will be to encourage local governments and developers to incorporate environmentally friendly designs as a primary element of development and redevelopment projects, Hopkins said.

Don Holbrook, a national economic development expert, delivered the keynote address at the luncheon. He said the local, national and international economies are in a transitional phase, and it will take careful planning to make sure communities are not left behind.

“I firmly believe Choose DuPage is doing all the right things to keep you in the winner’s circle for years to come,” Holbrook said.