National survey highlights Illinois ranking as second in country for new and expanded facilities
CHICAGO – Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced one of the nation’s premier economic development publications ranks the Chicagoland area as the top metro region in attracting new and expanded corporate facilities. The Governor also praised the fact that the survey ranked Illinois as second in the nation for these types of business expansions.
The combined metro area of the city of Chicago/Naperville/Joliet ranked #1 in new and expanded corporate facilities with 236 projects, outperforming Cincinnati, St. Louis, Houston, Minneapolis, Nashville, Dallas, New York, Detroit and Virginia Beach. The entire state claimed 362 new projects in 2007, trailing only Ohio. The Chicagoland metro area ranked number one last year, while Illinois came in sixth in comparison to other states.
“In our competitive, global economy, companies have more choices than ever when it comes to where they want to do business. We’re working day in and day out to aggressively promote our state’s many strengths and competitive advantages, turning them into economic opportunity for working families throughout Illinois. This survey reaffirms that the business community and leading corporate executives are well aware of all Illinois has to offer, and, in increasingly large numbers, deciding to call our state home.” Gov. Blagojevich said.
In 2007, Gov. Blagojevich and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) partnered with a number of major companies who came to or expanded in Illinois, including Allstate, AIG, Fabritech, General Mills, North American Lighting and Panduit.
“Illinois has successfully created a business climate that encourages innovation and investment. Our goal is to make the kinds of investments that will help businesses thrive and continue creating more quality jobs throughout the state,” said Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Jack Lavin. “Illinois has everything a world-class corporate headquarters could want – the best and the brightest people, strong business incentive programs, unparalleled infrastructure and a great quality of life.”
The yearly analysis performed by Site Selection, the oldest publication in the corporate real estate and economic development field, and the official publication of the Industrial Asset Management Council, is regarded by corporate real estate analysts as “the industry scoreboard.” The information in complied from Conway Data Inc.’s New Plant database. The magazine’s circulation base consists of 44,000 executives involved in corporate site selection decisions, most at the Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Operating Officer levels.
Gov. Blagojevich’s regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. The strategy is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Illinois is successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help the state reach its economic potential.