When Christy George was named president and CEO of the Illinois Economic Development Corporation last September, she came to the job with considerable experience in leading large-scale efforts for the state. Among many other accomplishments on her resume were serving as executive director of the Chicago 2024 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention and serving as the First Assistant Deputy Governor for Budget and Economy under Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
A graduate of the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, George is also known for her work in guiding the landmark Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV Illinois) into law and overseeing multiple key initiatives during her time with the City of Chicago.
Now, she has another job: leading Illinois’ economic development efforts and ensuring growth and prosperity for all pockets of the state. In my recent interview with George, she made it clear that she intends to keep Illinois performing as a top three state in economic development — and hinted that she has her sights set on an even loftier goal.
When you worked in the Governor’s Office, you crafted the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV Illinois). How has this legislation aided the Illinois economy, and what were some of the state’s biggest project wins as a result of it?
CHRISTY GEORGE: That bill was a labor of love. It was probably the largest piece of legislation that I was able to work on besides the general budget bills. It was a companion to the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. That set Illinois on a path to attain 100% clean energy by 2050. We enacted provisions to increase our solar and wind production throughout the state and to maximize the efficient use of our nuclear fleet.
The main part of REV Illinois was incentivizing decarbonization of the automotive sector. Companies came to us and said that we were not as competitive as other states in this area, so we passed REV Illinois. It was a bipartisan, bicameral effort. Only two members of our legislature voted against it. We had a tremendous amount of support. We considered the needs of electric vehicle manufacturers, and the legislators just got it. Both Democrats and Republicans in Illinois supported it.
Because of REV Illinois, we landed Gotion — an EV battery maker that is making a $2 billion investment and adding 2,600 jobs; and electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian expanded. They have over 6,000 jobs now in what used to be a Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Illinois. We also landed an EV bus maker in Peoria, Damera, and an EV battery startup from Boston, Pure Lithium, is now moving to Chicago. We are seeing both small projects and large projects. Altogether, we have had over 20 project wins from REV Illinois since it was passed.
What did you learn from your time spearheading the state’s business attraction and engagement efforts that you can apply to your current position as CEO of Illinois Economic Development Corporation?
GEORGE: In that role, I became deeply familiar with the Governor’s passion for this state and his passion for economic development. His administration started after years of budget impasses and credit downgrades. He spent the first couple of years creating new revenue streams. He was building the infrastructure of Illinois. Our $45 billion Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan allowed for more projects to move forward.
The No. 1 thing I had to learn was to listen to the business community and the businesses wanting to expand and listen to the communities wanting to attract businesses. How could we facilitate answering those needs at the state level? Every day, it is important to listen first so that you can understand the company and client needs.
I have also learned how amazing the state is. That has helped me every single day in this role. I have learned so much about downstate Illinois. It has opened my mind to all the incredible assets of this state.
When you hosted the DNC Convention last year in Chicago, what feedback did you receive from the attendees about Illinois and its hospitality?
GEORGE: It helped that we had four days of incredible weather. We really showed off that week. People from around the nation fell in love with our city. My No. 1 goal was to make sure that from the attendees’ experience, they could see Chicago through our eyes. This is my chosen home. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I raised my family and built my career here. Convention attendees felt how welcoming Chicago is. They got to see Chicago in a way that is not portrayed in the news.
This is personal to me. My dad was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. I have family here. My mom is from Detroit. I went to undergrad in Ohio and law school here in Chicago. Law school brought me here and family kept me here. And the people of Chicago kept me here. It is hard not to love this city.
“Illinois has performed so well over the last several years, but we will unseat Texas. That is my goal.”
— Christy George, President & CEO, Illinois EDC
Illinois perennially performs as a top three state in total corporate facility project wins. What has enabled Illinois to remain in this top tier, and do you think the state needs to do anything more in this area?
GEORGE: Illinois has performed well over the last several years, but I am looking forward to unseating Texas [in top relocations and expansions]. After righting the fiscal ship in Illinois, there was a huge opportunity to promote our location as the capital of the Midwest and all the transportation assets we have. We are the only state where all of the Class 1 railways meet in two locations. When executives need to go from point A to point B, they do that at O’Hare. We have the largest nuclear reactor fleet in the nation — 11 reactors at six plants. That produces more than 50% of all of the energy in Illinois. We have seen increasing solar throughout the state, and we have seen growing wind production too. We have incredible natural resources. We have access to freshwater through Lake Michigan. We also have the Illinois River and the Mississippi River and all the aquifers throughout the state.
But the biggest advantage of all in Illinois is the fact that we have a talent pool of 6.5 million workers. Companies need our engineers. The University of Illinois produces 3,500 engineers annually. That is more than Cal Tech, MIT and Stanford combined.
“We call ourselves Team Illinois for a reason. We have amassed a large number of partners. We work together to ensure that growing companies find what they need to achieve their goals and prosper.”
— Christy George, President & CEO, Illinois EDC
We have also built competitive incentives. The question is: How do we continue to stay at the top? We do that by listening to industry and adapting to what they need. Here in Illinois, we are very stable and we have one message for companies. We call ourselves Team Illinois for a reason. We have amassed a large number of partners. We work together to ensure that growing companies find what they need to achieve their goals and prosper.
Chicago has won the Top Metro award from Site Selection for the past dozen years in a row. Why is Chicago annually the best place in America for corporate facility investment deals?
GEORGE: We have an incredibly deep bench of talent in such a small radius. We have incredible, world-class universities at University of Chicago, University of Illinois and Northwestern. Chicago State is building more curricula to connect with quantum and microelectronics. We are a hub for innovation with over 100 incubators and accelerators.
Another reason for our success is that businesses feel so connected to the civic community. We have such a diverse economy in this city. I do not know of any other city in America that can do what we do. I have spent time in New York, San Francisco and other big U.S. cities. Chicago is second to none.
If you were sitting across the table from another CEO, what message would you share with that leader on why they should invest in Illinois?
GEORGE: The first thing I would share with them is that if you are thinking long term, Illinois is the place you want to be. Whether it is climate resilience or natural resources or commitment from the state, we can check all of those boxes and more. We offer a great combination of affordability and abundant resources. We have attractive and livable spaces for your workforce. We have incredible and expansive worker training programs. We have the third-largest community college system in the nation. The community college system in America started in Joliet, Illinois, with the founding of Joliet Junior College in 1901.
A key part of this administration has been education. We are focused on making sure that companies can hire from today and scale for tomorrow. We support all people without exception. We are very inclusive. We are a partner for your people and your business.
What is Illinois’ best-kept secret?
GEORGE: I will give you two. The first is a very small Brazilian restaurant that I love to frequent in Chicago. Our culinary scene is so good. We are not just deep-dish pizza and hot dogs. Our eateries really make our city shine.
Secondly, we as a state are quietly and quickly becoming a leading destination for science and technology. We are leading advanced physics technology. We are landing multimillion-dollar advanced science deals. We are the quantum computing hub for all of North America. In fact, In fact, we recently hosted the Global Quantum Forum. People came from over 20 countries People are coming from 20 countries. We sold it out within days. That is currently our best-kept secret.
What is the biggest misconception about Illinois?
GEORGE: There are two big misconceptions about Illinois. One is our taxes. People look at our corporate income tax and think it is not worth it. Our taxes allow us to have better schools and a stronger social support system. That is why we have so many assets. Illinois is still affordable. Because of all the incentives we have, we have a number of ways to abate taxes: payroll withholding; an income tax credit; etc. Every single year, we are constantly thinking of new incentives to help companies come here and expand.
The second big misconception is crime. Illinois gets a bad rap. Overall, we have decreased crime. We have less violent crime than many other states. The superintendent has helped deliver the lowest violent crime rate in Chicago since the 1960s. We are seeing improvements. Overall, Illinois is a safe place. You can raise your family here and feel safe.
Downstate Illinois does not attract as much media attention as Greater Chicago and Northern Illinois. What would you like the reader of this publication to know about the downstate region of your state?
GEORGE: There are huge opportunities for affordability downstate. First of all, they have incredible assets — Illinois State University; Bradley; University of Illinois; SIU-Edwardsville; SIU-Carbondale; and many more. We can meet workforce needs anywhere.
Secondly, we have seen some of the best sites in Illinois located downstate. That is the best place to launch a large manufacturing facility. Communities across downstate are interested in investing in more aggressive incentives [to attract large projects]. There are also other assets particularly in the agriculture sector that are attractive. I was just in Carbondale and visited with the National Corn and Ethanol Research Center. Also the iFAB Tech Hub in Decatur, who works on biofermentation projects and other advancements, is a tremendous asset to the state. The bottom line is that Illinois has great assets throughout the state.
