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2008 Articles and Press Releases
Will County's Future 'Golden'
May 3, 2008
Southtown Star
Interstates 80 and 355 present "golden corridors" for economic development, making Will County the premier spot for business growth in the Chicago metro area in the near future, according to John Greuling, president and CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development.
"It is our best opportunity for the highest quality development that is going to happen in Will County for the next 50 years," Greuling told a crowd of area business people and elected officials at the CED's Eye-Opener Breakfast on Thursday in Frankfort.
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Will County becoming global hub for railroad industry
April 28, 2008
The Daily Journal
As diesel gas prices hit historic highs, there is another transportation milestone unfolding -- the rebirth of the railroad industry, which is transforming Will County into a global hub as the home of the third-largest container port in North America.
Each day, milelong trains carrying hundreds of semitrailer boxes pull into the Burlington Northern Logistics Park and other shipping facilities at Elwood.
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Energy Efficiency Workshops
ComEd and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will offer a series of workshops in June to introduce new energy efficiency and demand response programs that will provide significant savings for local government and business customers. There’s more information at www.Illinoisenergy.org or www.ComEdCARE.com. Pre-register at http://events.ABCsignup.com/EEworkshop.
A regional approach to plan an airport
April 13, 2008
Chicago Tribune
It is with great disappointment that we must point out that the Chicago Tribune has once again failed to recognize the regional approach Will County has taken to plan an airport to be built entirely within our borders.
Your April 3 editorial "Pick up the Peotone pace," regarding the proposed airport in Will County, misrepresents our approach to making the airport a reality.
Thousands of hours have been put into researching, reaching out and consensus building. In listening to and learning from our regional partners, we have come up with a plan endorsed by a coalition of business and labor leaders that includes the Will County Center for Economic Development, the Joliet Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce, the Southland Chamber of Commerce and the Building Trades Councils from Cook, Will, Kankakee and Grundy Counties.
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Keep new sales tax revenue for roads
March 19, 2008
The Herald News - Opinions
Government officials get excited with the promise of new money, and so it is with the new sales tax revenue Will County will receive from the mass transit funding bill agreed to by the governor and the Legislature. The bill promises almost $20 million in new dollars to the county in its first full year of collection.
As the fastest-growing county in Illinois and one of the fastest growing in the country, Will County government is under a lot of pressure to expand public services. It's only natural that county officeholders and department heads want to latch on to any source of new money for their needed projects.
As critical as those needs may be, it is the position of the Will County Center for Economic Development that every cent of the new sales tax revenue should be spent on needed road improvements in Will County. After all, it was the intent of the governor and legislators that the money be used for roads to soften the increase in the sales tax to fund mass transit.
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Life at the Top
Chicago Captures the Top Metro Crown for the Third Straight Year
March 2008
Site Selection Magazine
The City of Big Shoulders carried a big load in 2007. By recording 236 corporate facility projects, Chicago easily captured its third consecutive No. 1 spot in Site Selection's annual Top Metropolitan Areas ranking.
Chicago's victory – its third consecutive win and sixth in the last seven years – was so dominant that its project count more than doubled runner-up metro Cincinnati and accounted for the vast majority of Illinois' 362 facility announcements statewide.
In fact, a case could be made that Chicago propped up a Midwestern economy that was hit with automotive plant closings and job layoffs in many traditional manufacturing centers.
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CED wins Annual Award
for Business Excellence
March 3, 2008
The Business Ledger
Twenty-two companies, organizations and agencies will be honored March 26 by The Business Ledger as recipients of Annual Awards for Business Excellence (AABEs) for 2008.
The receipients will be recognized at a reception starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Danada House, 3S501 Naperville Road, Wheaton.
The AABEs, given for business achievement, growth and community involvement, are being presented to suburban companies, business organizations and non-profits for the 18th time.
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Joliet Among America's Greenest Cities
February 8, 2008
The POPSCI Ranking
America's 50 Greenest Cities
Want to see a model for successful and rapid environmental action? Don't look to the federal government—check out your own town. Here, our list of the 50 communities that are leading the way. Does yours make the cut?
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Interstate 355 extension tabs New Lenox
as suburban Chicago hotspot
February 1, 2008
Midwest Real Estate News
Big influxes of residential, retail and industrial development look to contribute to southwest suburban sprawl.
Suburban sprawl is at a standstill in many outlying Chicago areas, but New Lenox seems almost impervious to market trends as the completion of the Interstate 355 extension has opened the floodgates of development in the southwest.
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Exelon Nuclear Hosts High Schoolers
Looking to Learn About Nuclear Jobs
February 6, 2008
Inside Nuclear - News for the Employees of Braidwood Generating Station
Braidwood Station employees presented information regarding careers in nuclear power to more than 60 members of the Three Rivers Education Partnership at a career day on Monday, Jan. 28.
The event was held at the Services and Training Center in Wilmington and featured Braidwood employees from Chemistry, Engineering, Maintenance, Operations and Radiation Protection.
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Southland Chamber Backs Will County
January 23, 2008
The Southtown Star
The Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce is no longer staying neutral in the battle about who should govern the proposed south suburban airport.
The group's board of directors last week voted to support Will County in its efforts to gain control of the airport planned by the state near Peotone.
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CED Eyes Will County's Growth on I-55
January 17, 2008
The Herald News
Shorewood --
The was a bit of a nip in the air Tuesday, but there was no cooling off Interstate 55, which is "hot and getting hotter!"
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EPICENTER
Plans for Two More Intermodals Have All Eyes on Will County
January 12, 2008
The Herald News
ROMEOVILLE -- Do you ever wonder why Will County has become a global rail hub?
"We've got this big thing called Lake Michigan," explained Michael Mullen, CEO of CenterPoint Properties.
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CenterPoint unveils plans for 3,850-acre intermodal facility
January 10, 2008
Chicago Industrial Properties
CenterPoint Properties said Thursday it plans to build a $2 billion intermodal rail and industrial park on 3,850 acres near Joliet.
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2007 Articles and Press Releases
2008 CED Board of Directors Elected
December 20, 2007 – The Will County Center for Economic Development unanimously approved the slated Board of Directors for 2008 at its December monthly meeting held yesterday. Officers include Michael W. Hansen (sole owner of Michael W. Hansen, P.C., a Joliet law firm) continuing to serve as Chairman (a position he assumed earlier this year when the former Chairman, Roy Thygesen, resigned after accepting a new career opportunity in another community); Jeffrey Brickman (President & CEO of Provena St. Joseph Medical Center), Vice Chairman; Edward Dollinger (Edward Jones Investments), the most immediate past Chairman; Michael Rittof (President of Founders Bank in Minooka), Secretary / Treasurer; and Robert Gorbold (a litigation partner with Dykema Gossett PLLC) as General Counsel.
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Gov. Blagojevich announces $70 million financing for new world-class supercomputing facility at Argonne National Laboratory
December 4, 2007
CHICAGO – Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced a significant investment that will enable the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory to house the world’s most advanced supercomputers. Financed by $70 million in bonds issued by the Illinois Finance Authority (IFA), the new Theory and Computing Sciences Building will be located on Argonne’s campus in DuPage County. The new world-class facility will allow Illinois scientists to apply breakthroughs in supercomputing and pursue advances in nanotechnology, climate change, protein modeling and more, solidifying the fastest growing research program in Argonne’s history.
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FAA has Lewis on its radar
November 30, 2007
The Herald News
With recent reports of near-collisions in our congested skies, demand for skilled air traffic controllers has never been greater.
Many of the most capable controllers are nearing retirement.
In fact, an estimated 15,000 of them will be eligible to retire in the next decade, said U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Hinsdale. Understanding the seriousness of the projected scenario, the Federal Aviation Administration is expanding the number of schools that offer training, and Lewis University, a pioneer in aviation, will be one of the benefactors.
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Southland Pins Hopes on New Development
November 12, 2007
The Business Ledger
The south suburbs, long acknowledged as the blue collar bastion of the Chicago area, are bracing for a population explosion, which could bring with it the most diversified economy in the region.
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BOOM GOES WILL COUNTY
November 4, 2007
By Hal Dardick | Tribune staff reporter
Southwest suburban growth poised for takeoff when I-355 extension opens Nov. 11
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Local Communities Celebrate Opening of I-355 South Extension with Fall Festivals on the New Tollway
Salute to U.S. Troops and Family-Friendly Events
Scheduled Along the Roadway on November 11
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PANDUIT to Build New Worldwide Corporate Headquarters in Tinley Park
TINLEY PARK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Continuing its long time commitment to Tinley Park and Illinois, PANDUIT announced today that it has contracted, contingent on completion of due diligence and resolution of local incentives, to purchase a site in Tinley Park for its new corporate headquarters. The planned development includes a 250,000 square foot facility, in a campus environment, with initial employment exceeding 500 staff. The 52-acre site, along I-80 on the east side of 80th Avenue in Will County, allows for future expansion to accommodate an additional 1,200 staff.
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Michael W. Hansen Assumes Chairmanship of the CED
September 1, 2007 - Michael W. Hansen has assumed the chairmanship of the CED board of directors ahead of his scheduled installation in January 2008. He succeeds Roy Thygesen who resigned as chairman after accepting a new career opportunity in another community.
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All Roads Lead to Will County
from the June 25, 2007 Edition of The Business Ledger
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BNSF Railway, Ridge property trust announce
memorandum on land deal
CHICAGO, IL, June 28, 2007 – Ridge Property Trust (Ridge) and BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for development by Ridge of a 2,000-acre, master-planned business park in Will County, Illinois. The project, RidgePort Logistics Center – Chicago, will ultimately consist of more than 20 million square feet of industrial distribution space and rail-served industrial buildings in addition to commercial and retail buildings to serve the park’s tenants and local residents.
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Jim Roolf Selected as Recipient of a 2007 Citizen Leadership Award
by the International Economic Development Council
Jim Roolf, President of First Midwest Bank, has been chosen as a 2007 recipient of the Citizen Leadership Award given by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). This prestigious award recognizes a community or business leader who is not an economic development practitioner, but plays a key role in the planning and designing of new and creative economic development activities.
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John Greuling Inducted into Lambda Alpha International - Ely Chapter
John Greuling, President & CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development, was inducted into the Lambda Alpha International – Chicago Ely Chapter - at a banquet on June 20, 2007.
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Stage Right Event Production Group, Inc. wins two "Telly Awards" for the production of "the Will County CED State of the County Address" and the "Will County CED 25th Anniversary Celebration Event"
March 23, 2007 - The awards were given in the categories of "Political Commentary" and "Live Events" for the production of the Will County Center for Economic Development's 25th Anniversary held last November.
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Business Facilities Magazine - Illinois Corporate Moves
ProLogis - Will County - an estimated 3,000 new jobs
Governor Blagojevich recently announced the boundary expansion of the Joliet Arsenal Enterprise Zone, which lends critical income and job creation tax credits to companies located within its borders, that will trigger new development or expansion projects that could create an estimated 3,000 new jobs and may spark $300 million in investment.
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Will County Chamber of Commerce
Position Statement on the Proposed Illinois Gross Receipts Tax Plan
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich in his recent budget address to the people of Illinois called the need to make sweeping changes in how business is taxed in Illinois a moral imperative.
The Will County Chamber of Commerce opposes the Governor's proposed Goods and Services Tax as patently unfair, and certain to not only cost Illinois citizens jobs, but also cost higher quality manufacturing jobs needed for the working middle class.
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CED Proposes Major Transportation Plan and Funding Options
Joliet - The Will County Center for Economic Development (CED) today introduced a major transportation blueprint for Will County - and the means to pay for it.
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Congressman Weller's Reaction to State of the Union
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jerry Weller (R-Morris) this evening issued the
following statement in reaction to the President’s State of the Union Address:
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Will County Becoming a Key Aspect for Industrial Businesses
On Tuesday, January 16 th, Adam Roth, Senior Associate with NAI Global Logistics, presented the 2007 Real Estate Forecast for the Will County Center for Economic Development, at the Empress Casino in Joliet.
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2006 Articles and Press Releases
State is Liable for $7 Billion in Pension Debt
November 28, 2006
Recently, a study issued by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability discovered the state’s pension liability has grown to an astounding $7 billion from 2004.
The debt made by the pension must be paid, according to the study, or it will start affecting other aspects of the state’s budget, including education and health care. The $7 billion debt is a result of failing to make full pension payments in the 2006 and 2007 fiscal years.
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25th Anniversary Celebration A Success
November 17, 2006
Leadership and looking to the future were the two major themes at the Will County Center for Economic Development’s 25th Anniversary celebration, which was held Thursday night at the Holiday Inn in Joliet.
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CED Named “Business of the Year” by Joliet Chamber
Joliet , IL November 9, 2006 – The Will County Center for Economic Development (CED) was awarded “Business of the Year” Monday night at the annual “Celebration of Success” dinner held by the Joliet Chamber of Commerce. Jeff Pfeiffer, Chairman of the board of directors, accepted the plaque. Awards went to businesses marking significant milestones.
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CED recognized with "Beyond the Call Community Award" from AT&T Illinois
Joliet, IL November 2, 2006
AT&T Illinois announced today the Will County Center for Economic Development, along with two other organizations, has received special recognition for making a difference and improving the quality of life in Will county.
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Metra opens Train Station in New Lenox
On October 6, New Lenox and Metra officials dedicated a $2.85 million dollar commuter rail station, located on Laraway Road., just east of Cedar Road. New Lenox also has a train station that is located on Route 30 and Cedar Road, provides service to the Chicago LaSalle Street station. During the ceremony, New Lenox Mayor Michael Smith, U.S. Congressman Jerry Weller and Will County Executive Larry Walsh unveiled a plaque dedicated to the people of New Lenox.
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Magazine recognizes I-355 extension as No. 1 road project
September 28, 2006
By Susan DeMar Lafferty The Star
Roads and Bridges magazine has cited the Interstate 355 extension as the No. 1 road project of the year for 2006.
The publication's October issue will feature the project with the top 10 projects that the magazine has recognized for meeting challenging road specifications, having a positive impact on motorists and improving road safety without compromising the environment.
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Will County Center for Economic Development
Celebrates 25 years—An Amazing Journey
Frank Turk, Jr. knew what he had to do. Joliet, his hometown, was in trouble. A wave of factory closings eliminated thousands of jobs and a ripple effect created an economic disaster, the worst since the Great Depression.
By 1983, Joliet would set a national record: 26.5% unemployment. Long before that happened, Turk rallied fellow business leaders to figure out what happened, make sure it never happened again and rebuild the local economy.
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CEO John Greuling is Vice President for new MEGA Group
Chicago, IL - CEO & President of the CED, John Greuling was announced to be vice president for a new Chicago regional development group called MEGA. It stands for Metro Economic Growth Alliance.
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Business Ledger
The Will County Center for Economic Development…..
A Step Ahead of Tomorrow
Will County today has become the hottest thing going in the metro-Chicago region. Consider the following:
- Will County is the 4th fastest growing county in the United States, adding 140,000+ people between April of 2000 and July of 2005;
- By the year 2030, Will County will have over 1.1 million people, second only to Cook County in Illinois in total population;
- Joliet, the Will County Seat, is the fastest growing city in Illinois and the 15 th fastest growing in the U.S;
- More than 18,000 businesses call Will County home today;
- The I-355 Tollway extension connecting I-55 with I-80 through the heart of Will County will open over 23,000 acres for new commercial and residential development;
- Industrial and retail development in Will County is leading the metro area with over 20 million square feet of new space added in the last two years alone;
- Over 3 million visitors now visit Will County each year to enjoy NASCAR races, minor league baseball, two casinos, thriving downtown's and multiple recreational opportunities.
Read the full article.
Illinois State Senate Appropriations Testimony
Statement of
John E. Greuling
President & CEO Before the
Illinois State Senate
Appropriations II Committee, Hearing on Public-Private Partnerships for Public Infrastructure
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CED Campaign Close Remarks / May 17, 2006
Last September seems light years ago when the “Step Ahead of Tomorrow” campaign entered its General Phase with an amazing kickoff event hosted by Johnny Greuling and his alter-ego. the Amazing Carnac.
Read the full article.
Aviation Chairman Praises Will County
Airport Plan To Governor Blagojevich
Mica says plan ‘provides necessary foundation’
Will County Executive Larry Walsh recently expressed his appreciation for federal support of the county’s airport plan from the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation.
Read the full release.
Business-Labor Airport Coalition
Airport Government Position Statement
As a coalition of regional business and labor organizations, whose member companies and unions represent 137,000 voters in Will, Grundy, Kankakee and Cook Counties, we offer a new proposal for governing South Suburban Airport, since efforts to date have failed to bring agreement, despite good intentions.
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Cabinet member: Commerce chief tours Elwood site
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez on Wednesday called the distribution hub here the future of the American economy.
Read the full release.
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