ILLINOIS WINS 2017 GOLDEN SHOVEL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD
FROM AREA DEVELOPMENT MAGAZINE
Awarded for the large numbers of high-impact economic development projects that resulted in significant investment and job creation
Chicago, June 20, 2017 – Congratulations are in order for the state of Illinois and the combined work of economic development organization at Intersect Illinois and the Department of Commerce and Economic Development, as the state was named a 2017 Golden Shovel Awards winner from Area Development Magazine. These awards recognize states compiling healthy rosters of new and expanded facilities, and Illinois won the 12+ Million Population Category.
Per the magazine, Area Development’s annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards recognize states for their achievements in attracting high-value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities. The group collected information from all 50 states about their top-10 job-creation and investment projects initiated in 2016 (only those projects that actually had monies invested, “broke ground,” began an expansion, started new hiring, etc. were considered). Based on a combination of weighted factors — including the number of new jobs to be created in relation to the state’s population, the combined dollar amount of the investments, the number of new facilities, the diversity of industry represented — five states achieving the highest weighted overall scores were awarded Area Development’s 2017 Gold Shovels in five population categories: 12+ million, 8+ to 12 million, 5+ to 8 million, 3+ to 5 million, and fewer than 3 million. Runners-up in each of these population categories were awarded 2017 Silver Shovels.
Intersect Illinois was proud to host the Keidanren delegation on May 14-15. The Japanese’s delegation, equivalent of the US Chamber in Japan, stopped on their Midwest tour in Illinois in support of the long-standing relationship between the area and Japan. The working relationship between the state of Illinois and Japan dates back more than 140 years and includes an office in Japan, which is one of the oldest State Trade and Investment Offices in the country, dating back to 1983.
Gov. Bruce Rauner's nonprofit economic development corporation has a new CEO, and he's coming from upstate New York.
Mark Peterson, currently the president and CEO of the economic development engine for the Rochester, N.Y., region, on Thursday was named CEO of Intersect Illinois. He will assume his new position June 15.
INTERSECT ILLINOIS SELECTS NEW PRESIDENT & CEO
CEO Mark S. Peterson Will Join Ten New Board Members to Continue Intersect Illinois’ Mission
CHICAGO, IL — May 18, 2017 — Intersect Illinois today announced that Mark S. Peterson will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer effective June 15th, 2017. Jim Schultz will continue to serve on Intersect Illinois’ Board.
Downers Grove has landed a massive aerospace development with the announcement Thursday that Rexnord Corp. is staying put in the western suburb.
Milwaukee-based Rexnord is planning to build a 248,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and aerospace headquarters, which is expected to be completed by 2019.
More than 600 business owners participated in inaugural program year
(Chicago, IL) – CORE (Creating Opportunities for Retention and Expansion), a statewide
coalition of economic development professionals designed to retain jobs and investments, and ensure existing businesses in Illinois remain economically viable, released the results from the first year study of over 600 businesses. Intersect Illinois participated during the first year to facilitate these visits to key businesses in the area.
“The Rauner administration saw a true need to begin communicating with the business
community to identify tangible ways we can assist their efforts to grow and create opportunities within Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “The inaugural year of the CORE program has been a great success due to our local economic development partners and the hundreds of businesses that offered up their time. The results of this study have provided the state with concrete areas to focus on that can create a more business friendly environment to produce jobs, attract investment and increase the quality of life in Illinois.”
A coalition of more than 150 economic development organizations and communities proactively reached out to area business owners over the year to survey and identify workforce issues, barriers to business growth, forecast future investment and employment, determine market share and competition, and better understand service provider satisfaction levels.
“The information points to an opportunity for us to work together in tackling difficulties and continuing to strive for improvement in the business climate through our collaborative and valuable partnerships and make Illinois the most attractive place to grow business,” said Ed Sitar, Economic Development Manager for ComEd and a member of CORE’s management committee.
Outreach efforts specifically targeted six key industry sectors whose health is crucial to the Illinois economy: Advanced Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Food Processing, Biotechnology, Energy, Financial Services, and Transportation and Logistics.
“The information is telling, and we now can identify where to specifically focus our efforts,” Intersect Illinois President Andria Winters said. “Our priorities will be our ‘High-Value’ and ‘High-Growth’ companies, the alignment of workforce with apprenticeships, employee training and early education to meet industry needs, as well as improving support for export promotion and expansion plans in international sales, and site selection and asset inventory for developers.”
The CORE initiative is led by a steering committee of representatives from the Illinois Economic Development Association, Intersect Illinois, Great River Economic Development Foundation, Grundy County Economic Development Council, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and three major public utilities: Nicor Gas, ComEd, and Ameren Illinois.
“What we found in the first year is that despite the challenges that businesses are facing, there is tremendous opportunity for growth and investment,” said Mike Kearney, Director of Economic Development at Ameren Illinois. “While we have been conducting similar business retention and expansion effort in our territory for years, Ameren is proud to be a part of the bigger strategic effort to help facilitate growth and expansion throughout the state.”
CORE is available to Illinois communities and economic development organizations in need of business retention assistance at no charge. Since launching in 2016, over 150 economic development organizations and partners have conducted 600 visits with area companies in 55 counties. For more information, visit www.COREIllinois.org.
ILLINOIS WINS 2017 GOLDEN SHOVEL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD
FROM AREA DEVELOPMENT MAGAZINE
Awarded for the large numbers of high-impact economic development projects that resulted in significant investment and job creation
Chicago, June 20, 2017 – Congratulations are in order for the state of Illinois and the combined work of economic development organization at Intersect Illinois and the Department of Commerce and Economic Development, as the state was named a 2017 Golden Shovel Awards winner from Area Development Magazine. These awards recognize states compiling healthy rosters of new and expanded facilities, and Illinois won the 12+ Million Population Category.
Per the magazine, Area Development’s annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards recognize states for their achievements in attracting high-value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities. The group collected information from all 50 states about their top-10 job-creation and investment projects initiated in 2016 (only those projects that actually had monies invested, “broke ground,” began an expansion, started new hiring, etc. were considered). Based on a combination of weighted factors — including the number of new jobs to be created in relation to the state’s population, the combined dollar amount of the investments, the number of new facilities, the diversity of industry represented — five states achieving the highest weighted overall scores were awarded Area Development’s 2017 Gold Shovels in five population categories: 12+ million, 8+ to 12 million, 5+ to 8 million, 3+ to 5 million, and fewer than 3 million. Runners-up in each of these population categories were awarded 2017 Silver Shovels.
Intersect Illinois was proud to host the Keidanren delegation on May 14-15. The Japanese’s delegation, equivalent of the US Chamber in Japan, stopped on their Midwest tour in Illinois in support of the long-standing relationship between the area and Japan. The working relationship between the state of Illinois and Japan dates back more than 140 years and includes an office in Japan, which is one of the oldest State Trade and Investment Offices in the country, dating back to 1983.
Gov. Bruce Rauner's nonprofit economic development corporation has a new CEO, and he's coming from upstate New York.
Mark Peterson, currently the president and CEO of the economic development engine for the Rochester, N.Y., region, on Thursday was named CEO of Intersect Illinois. He will assume his new position June 15.
INTERSECT ILLINOIS SELECTS NEW PRESIDENT & CEO
CEO Mark S. Peterson Will Join Ten New Board Members to Continue Intersect Illinois’ Mission
CHICAGO, IL — May 18, 2017 — Intersect Illinois today announced that Mark S. Peterson will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer effective June 15th, 2017. Jim Schultz will continue to serve on Intersect Illinois’ Board.
FREEPORT, Ill. (AP) — MetLife Home & Auto will reopen the downtown Freeport facility it closed three years ago and add 150 jobs over the next three years.
The Journal-Standard in Freeport (http://bit.ly/2q6YEIH ) reports that officials told MetLife's approximately 200 existing employees the news this week. Current employees work from home.
The company will recruit 25 employees immediately and 25 more before year's end. They will add another 100 jobs in 2018 and 2019.
MetLife will refurbish part of the 171,000-square-foot office building and parking deck on the edge of downtown.
The company shut the Freeport facility in 2014 as part of moving 2,600 jobs from several states to a technology campus near Raleigh, North Carolina.
Freeport is about 110 miles northwest of Chicago.
Michigan-based electric vehicle startup, Rivian Automotive, just closed its purchase of the Mitsubishi Motors North America facility in Normal, Illinois. Records show that the factory was first purchased by liquidation firm, Maynards Industries, in June of 2016 for $2.5M, not including machinery, before Rivian’s recent acquisition for an undisclosed amount. The electric car upstart plans to invest $40.5 million into the factory over the next five years and begin vehicle production in 2019.
Rivian Automotive first began discussions with the town and factory owner in mid-September, before announcing on December 9 that they had entered into an agreement to purchase the facility. The Town of Normal gave the company an incentive package, including a five-year tax abatement and a $1 million grant contingent upon the hiring of approximately 1,000 workers and a $175 million investment into the site through 2024.
Auto parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate to open South Side plant, promising 300 jobs
Auto parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate is opening a new facility that will bring about 300 jobs to Chicago's South Side with help from city and state incentives, the city announced Thursday.
Urbana, Ill.-based Flex-N-Gate, which makes bumpers, radiators, hinges and a variety of other original equipment, will convert an existing warehouse to supply automakers, including a nearby Ford assembly plant.
