Month: October 2017

Marketing Committee Report: Executive Committee 10/9/17

Posted on | by brent

THIRD QUARTER WEBSITE ANALYTICS

Jul 1 – Sep 30, 2017

Total Website Visits: 8,040 +23% 

Top Pages Visited:

  1. Home Page
  2. Property Index
  3. Western Access O’Hare
  4. Blog Post: Amita Healthcare to Move HQ to Lisle
  5. Major Employers
  6. 2016 Annual Report
  7. About Choose DuPage
  8. Upcoming Events
  9. Blog Post: Rexnord Corp. to Build New Aerospace Facility in Downers Grove
  10. DuPage Business Center

Top Metros of Visitors:

  1. Chicago, Illinois
  2. Detroit, Michigan
  3. Indianapolis, Indiana
  4. Columbus, Ohio
  5. Washington, D.C.
  6. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  7. New York, New York
  8. Lansing, Michigan
  9. Portland, Oregon
  10. Boston, Massachusetts

Key Finding:

During the third quarter, there were 20 visits to the website from the Seattle metropolitan area. Those users visited the Home Page, Amita Healthcare Blog Post, Major Employers, and Western Access O’Hare. 

Click here to download a PDF of the report.

Choose DuPage Economic Indicators Report

Choose DuPage Third Quarter Economic Indicators Report Shows Strong Climate to Help Regional Bid for Amazon’s Second Headquarters

Posted on | by brent

DuPage County continues to boast low unemployment; lowest industrial vacancy rates in the region

Choose DuPage has released its 2017 Third Quarter Economic Indicators Report showing continued growth in DuPage County’s industrial market. Job creators and entrepreneurs are choosing DuPage County to build and expand their operations, while unemployment rates consistently remain lower than both state and federal levels. Data suggests DuPage County offers a business-friendly environment for a variety of industry sectors.

2017 Third Quarter Economic Indicator Report Highlights:

  • DuPage County has sustained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Chicagoland six-county region at 4.4 percent, lower than both Illinois (5.2 percent) and United States (4.5 percent).
  • Industrial vacancy rates dropped another .2 percent from last quarter to 5.2 percent; DuPage County continues to have the lowest industrial vacancy rate in the region.
  • DuPage County‘s current top job opportunities include positions in computers and mathematics, management, office and administrative support, sales, healthcare practitioners, business and finance, and transportation.

In addition to continued industry growth and steady absorption of both office and industrial vacancies, DuPage County is poised for the opportunity to welcome Amazon’s HQ2 to the region. Choose DuPage is working closely with the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and Intersect Illinois as part of the regional effort to bring Amazon’s second headquarters to Illinois.

“The potential West Chicago site includes the DuPage Business Center near DuPage Airport, which would offer a unique opportunity for a variety of reasons – as well as the McDonald’s campus in Oak Brook, which encompasses 100 acres, provides tollway access, and meets many of the other requirements outlined by Amazon,” said John Carpenter, president and CEO of the Choose DuPage Economic Development Alliance.  “As I’ve said before, our low industrial vacancy rate has created an incredible opportunity for developers in the region – this is a prime opportunity, no pun intended, for DuPage County.”

Low taxes and operating costs, strong labor demographics, an educated and skilled workforce, proximity to hotels and dining, as well as shopping, golf and recreational activities are just a few of the benefits DuPage County hopes will attract continued business development for the region. 

Applications Open for EDGE Tax Credit

Posted on | by brent

The Illinois Department of Commerce is pleased to announce that as of today – Tuesday, October 3, 2017 – applications for the new EDGE Tax Credit program are being accepted.

As you are aware, EDGE is a critical local economic development tool that incentivizes job creation and helps attract investment to every corner of Illinois. Last month, Governor Rauner signed House Bill 162 to extend the EDGE program through June 30, 2022. The legislation also made important changes to modernize the program to better serve businesses while offering more value to taxpayers.

After a thorough review of the new provisions, DCEO has submitted revised rules to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). This move allows the Department to begin accepting new applications immediately. Please note that any new agreements entered into during the JCAR process will be subject to amendments based on final rule approval. A copy of DCEO’s submitted rules can be found on our website.

If your company is interested in applying for an EDGE Tax Credit, please reach out to the Department at CEO.EDGE@illinois.gov.

Further updates will be provided as the rules process progresses. Thank you for your continued support of the Department.

Sincerely,

Sean McCarthy
Director
Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity 

 

Brisa Mobility

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Project Type: Headquarters Facility

Jobs: 15 New

Location: Esplanade in Downers Grove

Brisa Mobility is a Portuguese-based technology company that makes all the technology inside toll booth machines. They have been awarded a contract with the Illinois State Tollway Authority for new toll machines. Brisa will be working with another DuPage company to produce the machines, Elite Manufacturing.

Amita Health

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Project Type: Headquarters Facility

Jobs: 1,100 New

Location: Navistar Campus in Lisle

Amita Health is a healthcare network looking to consolidate its headquarters in Arlington Heights along with other facilities into the Navistar Campus in Lisle. The lease will be 225,000 SF. Currently, the project is being held up by a parking lot issue with the Lisle Village Board.

Click here to view a letter from John Carpenter to the Lisle Village Board in support of the project.

Hungarian Airplane Manufacturer

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Project Type: Business Attraction

Jobs: 6 New

Location: Toured DuPage Business Center/Airport

This company is looking to relocate their facility in Texas to Illinois. The facility would be for small training aircrafts. The project is challenged with the fact that the DuPage Airport does not have the type of fuel needed for their aircrafts.

Project Simba

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Project Type: Business Attraction

Jobs: 10 New, growing to 20 jobs

Location: Needs to be within 60 miles of O’Hare International Airport

This project is an Italian manufacturer of industrial machinery and mechanical components. With existing facilities already here, the company is looking to expand in the region. They plan to select a facility by December 2017 and occupy by March 2018.

Amazon

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Project Type: Headquarters Facility

Jobs: 50,000 New

Location: Seeking a location near a major metropolitan area, close to an airport, with access to tech talent.

Amazon is seeking 100 acres for their second headquarters facility that will allow them the ability to build up to 8 million SF of office space.

DuPage County has joined a regional effort and submitted two locations: the DuPage Business Center in West Chicago and the McDonald’s Campus in Oak Brook. The McDonald’s Campus in Oak Brook has been selected as one of eight potential sites that were submitted to Amazon.

Project Hive

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Project Type: Headquarters Facility

Jobs: 500 New

Location: I-88 Corridor

Project Hive is a large, retail headquarters  with $4 billion in sales that is looking to lease 200,000 SF. They are currently working with a consultant.

Rexnord Corporation

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Project Type: Retention, Expansion

Jobs: 25 New, 310 Existing

Location: Ellsworth Business Park in Downers Grove

Rexnord is a multi-platform industrial leader building a new 248,000 SF facility for manufacturing operations that will serve as their aerospace headquarters.