Governor Quinn Announces Illinois Ranks #5 in Nation for Best Corporate Locations
Illinois Gains Over Last Year’s Ranking
CHICAGO, IL – March 4, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Pat Quinn today announced that the state of Illinois has been ranked #5 in the nation for new and expanded corporate facilities. Illinois moved up two spots from last year’s seventh place ranking, according to the annual analysis by Site Selection magazine, one of the nation’s premier corporate real estate and economic development publications. In 2012, Illinois had 322 corporate facilities locate or expand in the state.
Governor Quinn has made job creation and economic growth his top priority.
“More and more companies are choosing Illinois to invest and grow their business,” Governor Quinn said. “I’m committed to advancing Illinois’ competitiveness, and using every tool at my disposal to expand businesses headquartered in our state and encourage others to locate and do business here.”
Illinois joins Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia on the list of the top ten states with the most locations and expansions. With 311 projects, the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet metro area ranked second on the list of cities in the tier one, top ten metropolitan areas list. Illinois companies that have relocated or seen significant expansions this year include Walgreen, Nippon Sharyo, Chrysler, Woodward and LaFarge among others. Chicago maintained its #2 ranking among the metropolitan areas category for the second year in a row.
To be included in the rankings, new facilities and expansions had to meet at least one of three criteria: (1) involve a capital investment of at least $1 million, (2) create at least 50 new jobs or (3) add at least 20,000 sq. ft. (1,858 sq. m.) of new floor area.
“Illinois has the attributes that are most important to business,” said Adam Pollet, acting director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “We have a strong and diverse economy, premier logistics network, skilled workforce and an entrepreneurial spirit driven by innovation.”
The Governor’s Cup analyses, issued by Site Selection magazine, are regarded by corporate real estate analysts as “the industry scoreboard.” Site Selection is the senior publication in the corporate real estate and economic development field and the official publication of the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC, at www.iamc.org). The magazine’s circulation base consists of 44,000 executives involved in corporate site selection decisions, most at the CEO/President/COO level.
For more information on why Illinois is the right place for business, visit illinoisbiz.biz.
