KEDC Meets With Site Selectors at Chicago Event

June 10th Event Sponsored by the Illinois Development Council – Day at the Ballpark

For Immediate Release

On June 10, 2010, KEDC’s Executive Director, Russell Medley, participated in the Illinois Development Council’s annual “Day at the Ball Park” Site Selectors Event at US Cellular Field in Chicago. The White Sox played the Detroit Tigers but most of the focus was on the potential for deals, trends in site selection market, and getting the word out about available buildings and sites in Illinois communities. The event is purposely limited to 10 economic developers and 10 site selection consultants to encourage networking and one-on-one discussions.

“I met up with consultants from Deloitte & Touche, KPMG, Ady International Consulting, Pollina Real Estate, Grubb & Ellis, Jones Lang LaSalle, Duff & Phelps, True Partners Consulting, Szatan & Associates, and Pepper Construction”, stated Medley, “I was able to discuss the benefits of a Kewanee location and find out more about what types of businesses are in the market at this time.”

According to the gathered consultants, there is great movement in terms of new projects and all reported being busier now than they have been in the past three years. They are working on a wide range of industries including renewable energy, warehouse/distribution centers, and call center projects returning from overseas.

Many mentioned that surrounding states have active marketing outreach programs to consulting firms. Illinois does not and most consultants found that it was difficult to work with the state. All mentioned that Illinois’ economic development programs need to be reformulated to be consistent with today’s business environment. Illinois still has an attractive tax climate (minus property taxes). However, the gathered consultants agreed that any increase in taxes will drive more businesses away and a number of companies cross Illinois off the list because of the uncertainty with regards to a tax increase and the political climate. Most were hopeful that once the November election is over, there would be a more focused direction with regards to economic development, the state’s business climate, and taxes.

“Everyone I talked to was interested in receiving more information about Kewanee and being included on email newsletter lists, “ stated Medley, “ However, most mentioned that Western Illinois is usually not a top spot for projects because no one knows about the area. They rely on constant communications about the area’s attributes and benefits in order to steer clients there and that’s where we fall down as a region”.

KEDC is expanding its communications infrastructure to include a continuously updated and fresh website, social media, and targeted communications to site selectors about Kewanee as an advantageous business location. In this way, we will be able to put Kewanee on site selection and corporate real estate professionals’ radar as a community that is open for business and welcoming of new additions to our corporate community.

KEDC’s Mission:

KEDC serves as the catalyst for the retention, development, and attraction of quality jobs in Kewanee, Illinois. As a leadership organization, KEDC works to enhance community assets by stimulating capital investment, business diversification, and community improvement in order to grow and expand Kewanee’s prosperity and the quality of life of its residents. 

Contact

Russell Medley, Executive Director
Kewanee Economic Development Corporation
rmedley@kedcorp.org 
(309) 853-5000
www.kedcorp.org