< PreviousTESTIMONIALS FROM BUSINESS LEADERS 38 ILLINOIS INVESTMENT GUIDE WHAT BUSINESS LEADERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ILLINOISPhoto by Getty Images Illinois EDC has been a great partnerfor FormicTechnologies as we have looked to grow and expand our presence in Illinois and the Midwest. Formic has appreciated and valued the guidance, insights, feedback and thoughtful suggestions that the Illinois EDC team has provided. — JACK WAGLER,CFO, Formic Technologies Illinois EDC has been helpful in attracting potential businesses to the Decatur market by providing unique opportunities for exposure through curated networking events and conferences. This targeted approach has allowed for productive conversations about actual projects that may be a good fit for our community and the state. — NICOLE BATEMAN,President, Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County Illinois EDC is a huge asset to the state of Illinois. It [GAF] was my first interaction working a project start to finish with them. They are a really good resource. I’m not always keen on having an extra layer. They were impressive. — DENISE MULLIS,Senior VIce President, J.M. Mullis, Inc. ILLINOIS INVESTMENT GUIDE 39 Illinois EDC provides strong research and data analytic tools that support our own business development and attraction activities such as understanding industry trends and reaching decision-makers. The responsiveness of the entire team ensures that prospects receive white glove treatment when they are considering expanding their business in Illinois. — ED SITAR,ComEd Economic Development One benefit to working with state-wide economic development organizations, like Illinois EDC, is that they provide a great resource of data/information to assist foreign-based companies in deciding where to locate, such as readily available fact sheets on labor force and industry clusters/industries. – REINHOLD F. KRAMMER,Attorney at Law, Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd.40 ILLINOIS INVESTMENT GUIDE llinois’ transportation infrastructure is both well- known and well-documented. Statewide, the Land of Lincoln boasts five international airports; seven other commercial airports; all seven Class I freight railroads (the only state to have this); the third-largest intermodal port in the world; the third largest Interstate highway system in the U.S.; and two major inland ports and 14 waterway ports. With assets like that, is it any wonder that large-scale logistics end-users keep building new distribution warehouse facilities in the state? According to the Conway Projects Database of Site Selection Magazine, Illinois landed 1,312 such projects from 2020 to 2025 — the most in the nation during that time. Illinois reaps this haul because of its world-class transportation infrastructure. Tim Feemster, CEO and managing principal of Foremost Quality Logistics in Dallas, says that “the availability of rail — both intermodal and manifest — from the five major North American railroads in the Chicago area to reach Canada and both coasts for international inbound and outbound goods” is a key factor in Greater Chicago maintaining its place as America’s largest industrial market. He also cites “direct access to the St. Lawrence Seaway for ship traffic to Europe and the East Coast of the U.S.” as pivotal. Getting goods to market efficiently is a competitive advantage in Illinois. According to Feemster, “Transportation is over 60% of the cost of the overall supply chain in the U.S. Rent, labor and taxes are all in the 10% range. Most people do not realize how much the transportation cost impacts the location decision. They tend to focus on rent, labor and taxes. This can cause major profitability issues down the road as the company realizes the impact of the transportation costs on the profitability of the site.” TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE Roads, rivers, rails and runways add up to economic success in Illinois. by RON STARNER I Riding the Four To Victory The Great River Road is one of the most scenic drives in Illinois. Photo by Adam Alexander courtesy of Illinois Office of Tourism42 ILLINOIS INVESTMENT GUIDE How Illinois Wins Here is how Illinois wins. Within a 275-mile radius of Joliet in Northern Illinois, there is a population of 44.3 million people. Within a 250-mile radius are pretty much all the major markets of Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. Half of Iowa and the western arc of Ohio — including Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati — are within this radius as well. Moreover, within this circle there is a total labor force of 22.7 million workers. Travel southward to the region of Southwest Illinois and you find much the same access via transportation. Within a 250- mile radius of the bi-state Metro St. Louis region are 33.26 million people. That means that within a single day’s drive, a truck can go there and back to these markets: Champaign, Illinois; Kansas City; Memphis; Louisville; Indianapolis; and Des Moines. Shipping by truck is only part of the transportation story in Illinois. Rail and waterway transport are the two modes that elevate Illinois to top-tier status. According to Robynn Tysver, communications manager for Union Pacific Railroad, “Illinois is the freight hub of North America, and Union Pacific is the largest of six Class I railroads that operate in the state. We have an extensive network of more than 2,300 miles of railroad track, 3,000 employees, and $1.7 billion in annual in-state purchases.” Just how important is Illinois to the rest of the country? Consider this: “Approximately 25% of all rail cars, and 50% of all intermodal containers in the U.S., travel through Chicago, Illinois’ central location,” says Tysver. “Proximity to Lake Michigan, and the size of Chicagoland’s workforce, combined with its long-held reliance on railroad service, helps Illinois maintain its status as a critical U.S. market.” UP operates three intermodal facilities in Greater Chicago. Combined, they complete more than 1.3 million container lifts each year. “These facilities help transport the products that can be found on store shelves and in businesses throughout the Chicago area, including food, cars and consumer products such as clothes and exercise bikes,” says Tysver. UP’s biggest intermodal facility in Illinois is the Global IV port in Joliet. This massive site of more than 700 acres handles 750,000 containers per year and has more than 4,000 parking stalls, according to Tysver. UP is not done growing in Illinois either, notes Tysver. “In 2024, we invested about $105 million into our Illinois infrastructure,” she “ Illinois is the freight hub of North America, and Union Pacific is the largest of six Class I railroads that operate in the state. We have an extensive network of more than 2,300 miles of railroad track, 3,000 employees, and $1.7 billion in annual in-state purchases. ” — Robynn Tysver, Communications Manager, Union Pacific Railroad Route 66 is the original highway across America. This sign in Joliet is part of a Choose Chicago marketing campaign celebrating the rich heritage of America’s first cross-country highway. Photo courtesy of Visit Joliet and Unidos Marketing Network44 ILLINOIS INVESTMENT GUIDE I O f recent history is any indication, the transportation infrastructure of Illinois will continue to expand courtesy of a number of federal and state funding programs. One project that is at the top of that list is a proposed $1 billion expressway that would connect Southern Illinois with St. Louis. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced on July 28 that it would seek public input as part of an ongoing $6 million study of the proposed Southwestern Illinois Expressway through Jackson, Monroe, Perry and Randolph counties. The project would take 10 years to complete and would include portions of Illinois State Roads 3, 154 and 13/27 from Carbondale to St. Louis. To learn more about this and other roadway projects in Illinois, we turned to IDOT Communications Director Guy Tridgell. Can you provide an update on the Rebuild Illinois program in terms of recently completed projects and major projects that are planned? TRIDGELL: Accomplishments through Year Six of Rebuild Illinois include almost $20.8 billion of improvements statewide on 7,897 miles of highway, 815 bridges and 1,181 additional safety improvements. Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,200 miles of highway and nearly 9 million square feet of bridge deck as part of Rebuild Illinois, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. Among the major projects that have been completed: The first two phases of the Interstate 255 reconstruction in Metro East, upgrades to the Murray Baker and Bob Michel bridges in Peoria, the rehabilitation of the I-280 bridge over the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities, I-57 pavement improvements through Cook County, a new Illinois 59-I-55 interchange in Will County, pieces of the I-57 expansion in Southern Illinois and the I-70 resurfacing near Effingham. Major projects ongoing or in the works made possible by the capital program: I-80 rebuild and expansion in Will County, passenger rail reintroduction between Rockford and Chicago, I-57/74 interchange rebuild in Champaign- Urbana, MetroLink expansion in Metro East, a new I-80 over the Mississippi River bridge in the Quad Cities, I-270 corridor improvements between Illinois and Missouri, Rebuild I-39 in Winnebago County, Bishop Ford Freeway resurfacing in Cook County and the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. What are the three biggest ongoing transportation infrastructure improvements projects that are currently taking place in Illinois? TRIDGELL: The I-80 reconstruction in Will County; the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program and its various elements in the Chicago region; and the new I-57/74 interchange in Champaign-Urbana. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently released its annual report on the Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks in America and listed the I-294/290/88 congruence in Chicago as the No. 2 most congested truck bottleneck in the country. Is there any ongoing plan or work in place to address this? TRIDGELL: The Illinois Department of Transportation has been coordinating with the ongoing Illinois Tollway’s Central Tri-State reconstruction project, which includes the reconstruction of the I- 290/88 interchange at I-294 interchange. The $700 million to $800 million interchange component is part of a broader $4 billion corridor-wide upgrade. Major ramps — including from westbound I-290 to northbound I-294 and from Roosevelt Road to southbound I-294 — remain closed with posted detours. For the latest maps and alerts, visit the Illinois Tollway’s I-290/88 Interchange project page. Illinois is proactive about keeping its roads in good shape and addressing bottlenecks. Chicago region commuters have many options beyond driving: Metra commuter trains, Amtrak’s national passenger rail service, and the “L.” Rebuild Illinois is REBUILDING ROADWAYSILLINOIS INVESTMENT GUIDE 45 says. “The significant investments we’ve made in our facilities and our network help improve rail efficiency in Chicago and help Union Pacific offer safe, best-in- class rail service that meets the needs of our customers.” A Port to the World By water, the Illinois International Port District is a major player in expediting the flow of commerce through Illinois and to the world. Home to the Port of Chicago, this district is instrumental in shipping goods to the Atlantic Ocean via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and to the Gulf of Mexico via the Illinois Waterway and the Mississippi River. Erik Varela, executive director of the IIPD, says that “IIPD secured both state and federal grant funding last year, aimed at making huge improvements to the Port of Chicago, including investments in zero-emissions equipment and the reconstruction of our 100-year- old dock wall. These grants are worth tens of millions of dollars, will modernize the IIPD and will have positive impacts on our community, Chicago and the state.” Besides Chicago and surrounding Northern Illinois, perhaps the best example of a community incorporating all elements of transportation into its regional economy is the Southern Illinois region anchored by Carbondale. Deb Barnett, executive director of Southern Illinois Now (SI Now), says that her region’s strong suit is something she calls the “R4 Advantage.” By R4, she means roads, rivers, rails and runways. “This strategic blend of regional assets makes Southern Illinois a powerful logistics and transportation hub for businesses,” Barnett says. “The region is intersected by major Interstates like I-57, I-24 and I-54, placing 80% of the U.S. population within a two-day trucking distance.” Other regional transportation assets include: • Being located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. • Home to five port districts. • Home to five Class I railroads. • Veterans Airport in Marion and Southern Illinois Airport in Carbondale. Barnett adds that this infrastructure attracts businesses. “Companies like Continental Tire, General Dynamics and AISIN benefit from the region’s connectivity and workforce,” she notes. “Prysmian Group and Manner Polymers expanded here due to the efficient highway and rail access. Also, AECI Schirm chose Southern Illinois to better serve Midwest markets. These businesses leverage the R4 Advantage to reduce transportation costs, improve delivery times and streamline supply chains.” Chicago Rockford International Airport, located 68 miles northwest of Chicago, is a prime transportation resource for people and businesses in Northern Illinois. Photo courtesy of Chicago Rockford International Airport46 ILLINOIS INVESTMENT GUIDE hicago’s quantum ecosystem centerpiece is taking shape at the former US Steel South Works plant on the city’s southeast side. e -acre Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) was announced by Governor JB Pritzker in July . PsiQuantum, which is building the fi rst utility-scale, fault tolerant quantum computer in the U.S., will serve as the anchor tenant. Other tenants will include the IL- DARPA Quantum Proving Ground, for testing quantum technology prototypes, Infl eqtion, and Australian company Diraq. “ e Diraq mission is to design, build and deploy the world’s most cost-eff ective quantum computers, with the most compact footprint, allowing for mass deployment in data centers worldwide,” said Diraq’s CEO and Founder, Andrew Dzurak, in a statement. “We recently set up operations in Silicon Valley and Boston, and we are looking at suitable options for expanding our presence. e IQMP represents an exciting opportunity that can support our U.S. growth strategy.” Is there interest in the park from other quantum players outside the U.S.? “Absolutely,” says Preeti Chalsani, senior vice president and Chief Quantum Offi cer at the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). “In addition to Diraq, the IQMP has received interest from, and is in talks with, many international companies looking to establish U.S. operations in Illinois. Our unmatched infrastructure, transportation, workforce, and existing quantum ecosystem, along with other attractions, make the IQMP and Illinois in general a highly desirable location for this emerging industry and quantum businesses, no matter their size.” C by MARK AREND ILLINOIS QUANTUM AND MICROELECTRONICS PARK GRAVITATIONAL PULL A rendering of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park Image courtesy of Alex Mack, PsiQuantum Corp. Why Chicago’s Quantum Industry Has aNext >