Illinois: New Era of Sunshine Pushes Clouds Aside -- Site Selection magazine, March 2000

Illinois: New Era
of Sunshine Pushes
Clouds Aside (cover)

New Tools to Help
Companies Compete

Chicago's
Robust Rebirth

Suburban Chicago's
High-Tech Flair

MCI WorldCom
Connects With Rockford

Quaker Oats Stays,
Expands in Danville

Southwestern Illinois:
Distribution Destination

Carbondale and the
Route 13 Corridor

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Suburban Chicago's High-Tech Flair

Like Chicago, the city's suburban areas are making substantial inroads in high-tech activity.

Lisle, Ill.-based Tellabs, a maker of high-tech equipment used by telecommunications companies, is about to begin construction on a $75 million building in Naperville, along Illinois' high-tech corridor. The 800,000-sq.-ft. (74,322-sq.-m.) facility will create some 2,300 jobs.

Highland Landmark III The high-tech leader's move is supported by a package of state and local incentives, including infrastructure and job training assistance, EDGE tax credits, municipal sales tax rebates and a High Impact Business designation (giving the company investment tax credits and tax exemptions on the purchase of building materials).

"Tellabs is committed to helping communications service providers build and migrate to next-generation, multiservice networks," Tellabs President and CEO Michael Birck says. "To do that, we must expand to meet our customers' growing and evolving needs. Tellabs is committed to the state of Illinois and to growing its operations along the high-tech corridor."

Right: New construction activity in suburban Chicago's Downers Grove includes Highland Landmark III, a 267,000 sq.-ft. facility developed by Opus North Corp.

Another big win for Illinois is Sprint PCS's 1,200-employee Bolingbrook customer care center, which officially opened in December 1999. The $17 million, 105,000-sq.-ft. (9,755-sq.-m.) facility handles new customer accounts, customer inquiries, account changes, service questions and other customer-related activities.

Chicago "This new facility is a prototype for the kind of high-tech businesses that we're working to bring to Illinois," DCCA's McDonough says. The agency provided Industrial Training grants to help train new employees in the use of high-tech computer equipment.

In a key development in heavy industry, Illinois-based Whiting Corp., which manufactures overhead traveling cranes, railcar maintenance equipment and metallurgical products, is building a 200,000-sq.-ft. (18,580-sq.-m.) plant in Monee. The move retains 250 jobs in the Chicago area.

"The Whiting Corp. has been an Illinois institution since the turn of the [20th] century," Gov. Ryan said at the facility announcement. "I'm glad they chose to remain in Illinois and contribute to the strong business climate here." The DCCA provided a $250,000 Industrial Training Program grant to help the company stay and expand in Illinois.

Above: Chicago is brimming with quality-of-life attractions. This colorful summertime shot was taken near the renowned Shedd Aquarium, on the shore of Lake Michigan.

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