Small town packs a big punch in the corporate real estate game.
An estimated 500 runners competed in the annual Run for the Bagel road race in Mattoon, Illinois, on July 18, part of the 40th annual Bagelfest celebration in this blue-collar town of 17,000 people in East Central Illinois.
Beyond the ribbons and medals bestowed to top finishers, though, the real winners were the mom-and-pop shops and other merchants in this Coles County community whose first settlements took place 200 years ago.
Today, Mattoon is thriving due to the commercial and industrial success of employers who continue to invest here because of the character, work ethic, productivity and ingenuity of its people.
A report in the March 2026 issue of Site Selection magazine confirmed that the micropolitan area of Charleston-Mattoon ranked No. 25 out of 542 micros in the U.S. with four corporate real estate projects in 2025 — the second straight year this micro area placed in the top 100. It also ties Charleston-Mattoon for the top spot in Illinois.
“This performance is attributable to the work of our partnerships,” says Mattoon City Manager Kyle Gill. “People here work together to accomplish initiatives. It goes back to our heritage of volunteerism. People give their time to make Mattoon a better place. We are down to earth. We are willing to do the work. We figure out ways to say yes.”
Case in point: the 150-acre Emerald Acres Sports Connection — a $70 million multi-use athletics complex that was developed by Rural King and opened in December 2024. With 20-plus mixed-use fields and courts, the venue hosts a dozen major competitions each year, generating 580,000 visitors and $238 million in economic impact.
“Rural King saw what a youth sports complex did for other cities,” says Gill. “The nearest youth sports complex to Mattoon was 60 miles north. We were always known as a baseball and softball town; now we are back in the game.”
Alex Melvin, owner and chairman of Rural King Farm & Home Store and RK Real Estate and Development, says the impetus for the creation of Emerald Acres “was around future growth and the heart of our people. We’re trying to deliver a great place to live. The only way to attract shopping and restaurants was to do something like Emerald Acres. We now bring out-of-state people to Mattoon, where they stay and spend their money.”
Chick-fil-A, Texas Roadhouse, Ross and Sierra soon followed. RK Real Estate recruited these major national brands to sign leases at Emerald Acres.
“We’re going on our third hotel,” says Melvin, whose $3 billion sales empire boasts 165 stores nationwide and just announced a major distribution center in Virginia. “Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital is growing like crazy. People now see Mattoon as a better place to locate a business. I believe people will see all the great work we are doing in Coles County. This has a long tail to it.”
“People in Mattoon work together to accomplish initiatives. People give their time to make Mattoon a better place. We are willing to do the work. We figure out ways to say yes.”
— Mattoon City Manager Kyle Gill
Site readiness grants from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will enable even more growth, say Gill and Dr. Darci Cather, assistant to the city manager, grants and strategic initiatives. “The City, in partnership with Coles Together, secured a $2.3 million grant to upgrade the substation at our industrial park,” says Gill. Our Community Development and Planning Director Alex Benishek and Dr. Ronda Sauget, executive director of Coles Together, partnered with Ameren and Agracel to make this grant happen. Before, companies were bypassing Mattoon and choosing other sites because of electrical capacity constraints. The upgrades will be done by 2026, and we can then locate new businesses and expansions in the park.”
Cather says the city recently received a second DCEO site readiness planning grant for the park and the 1000 North Corridor. “That will enable us to complete water and sewer studies,” she says. “It will enable us to build out capacity. Employers will be ready to go.”
Located roughly in the middle of St. Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago, Mattoon rests in the sweet spot of the Midwest industrial corridor. With a median age of 40.8 and median household income of $51,597, Mattoon supplies a ready and qualified workforce.
“We have a robust workforce,” says Gill. “People will drive 45 to 50 miles to work here. People who live in the suburbs of Chicago will commute to a job in Mattoon.”
Cather says, “Lake Land College is a tremendous workforce-development partner, providing customized training and upskilling that help local employers remain competitive,” Cather says. “The strength and dedication of Mattoon’s workforce consistently earn praise from our employers. When another state recently attempted to recruit a Mattoon company, the company chose to remain here largely because of its skilled, reliable workforce, approximately 80% of whom live locally. Now, instead of relocating, the company is considering bringing additional operations and employees to Mattoon. That speaks volumes about the workforce and business environment we have built here.”
Melvin says other employers should contemplate the same. “We are pro-growth in Mattoon,” he says. “If a business wants to do something, we are here to help them. We are a place for entrepreneurs. We feel like we can compete with anyone in the world. Rural King is a $3 billion retailer, and we compete against the best in the world. It goes back to the people of rural America. We have a hard work ethic and a can-do attitude. Rural American culture is still thriving. One day, Rural King will serve people in 1,000 communities. That is our vision — and it all starts right here in Mattoon.”
This Investment Profile was prepared under the auspices of the City of Mattoon.
For more information, go to https://mattoon.illinois.gov/ or email Economic & Community Development Director Alexander Benishek at benisheka@mattoonillinois.org.
