CEO Talks Will County Attributes

CEO Talks Will County Attributes

by | Jun 17, 2022 | Will County News

In the news

CEO Talks Will County Attributes

CEO Doug Pryor of Will County Center for Economic Development with Richard Frederickson

Richard Frederickson and CEO Doug Pryor of Will County Center for Economic Development

Doug Pryor, President & CEO of the Will County CED recently sat down with Richard Frederickson to discuss a bit of history of the organization and share some current economic development wins and his excitement for the future.

A few highlights: (what we learned)

  • We can build anything here in Will County!
  • The assets that brought companies here in the past are still here today!
  • 1 in 7 homes built in Illinois are built here in Will County!
  • The Lion Electric manufacturing plant landing here is a signal about our competitiveness in this space!
  • Electric vehicle manufacturing isn’t the only kind of energy space Will County is attracting.
  • Other broad development stories and wins are happening here!

Check out and share: https://youtu.be/xhoolAWFAgc

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CEO Talks Will County Attributes

CEO Talks Will County Attributes

Jun 17, 2022 |

Doug Pryor, President & CEO of the Will County CED recently sat down with Richard Frederickson to discuss a bit of history of the organization and share some current economic development wins and his excitement for the future.

read more

Harbor Freight Celebrates New Distribution Center in Joliet, Will County

Harbor Freight Celebrates New Distribution Center in Joliet, Will County

by | Jun 17, 2022 | CED News, Will County News

In the news

Harbor Freight Celebrates New Distribution Center in Joliet, Will County

Harbor Freight Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Harbor Freight Tools opened its new 1.6 million square foot distribution center located at 3401 Brandon Road in the CenterPoint Intermodal Center with a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony that included Harbor officials, Will County Executive, Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, officials from Joliet Township High School District, Will County CED President, Doug Pryor, and many guests. This new center will allow the retailer to efficiently deliver products to more than 300 stores in 16 states in the Midwest.

In recognition of the importance of public high school trades education for the country’s future, and the career pathways being developed in the Joliet community, the Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC provided a $100,000 grant to the Joliet Township High School District #204. In addition, the company itself is donating $10,000 in gift cards to help update and furnish trades classroom spaces at two local high schools, Joliet Central High School and Joliet West High School, plus a Full Bank Tool Cart in the schools’ colors.

Harbor Freight Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for new distribution center in Joliet, Will County

A company spokesman expressed thanks to its Joliet partners, including local contractors and crews who built the new facility. The new distribution center will reduce the company’s carbon footprint by eliminating the need to transport products to the region from either coast. The state-of-the-art center contains the latest in technology, including automatic storage and retrieval and robotic operations. Hiring is underway with approximately 800 jobs with competitive wages and benefits offered.

The CED’s Doug Pryor shared that work on this project began locally with our first call in August 2017.

“Sometimes good projects can take a long time.”

One thing that stood out for Doug was the extraordinary time that Harbor’s senior leadership spent planning for this project and how it would bring benefit to the community and to their customers.

“Companies like Harbor, committed to being strong employers and advocates for your business, help raise the economy of the region and make sure that Will County remains a location of choice for residents and businesses now and in the future.“

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CEO Talks Will County Attributes

CEO Talks Will County Attributes

Jun 17, 2022 |

Doug Pryor, President & CEO of the Will County CED recently sat down with Richard Frederickson to discuss a bit of history of the organization and share some current economic development wins and his excitement for the future.

read more

Lion Electric Project Named Finalist in REJournals Illinois Real Estate Awards

Lion Electric Project Named Finalist in REJournals Illinois Real Estate Awards

by | Jun 4, 2022 | Will County News

In the news

Lion Electric Project Named Finalist in REJournals Illinois Real Estate Awards

The CED was pleased to nominate this significant Joliet – Will County project for consideration in the 2022 REJournals Illinois Real Estate Awards.

Lion Electric Project Named Finalist in REJournals Illinois Real Estate Awards

The Lion Electric Company, an innovative manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles headquartered in Canada, announced the development of a 900,000-sf production facility in Joliet’s Clarius Park. The Will County facility will be Lion’s first U.S.-based location. The project will bring end-to-end OEM manufacturing vehicles back to Joliet creating jobs for local trades during construction, and more than 1,400 permanent jobs within five years.

The CED assisted Lion through the site selection process and worked closely with the City, County, Intersect Illinois, the Governor’s Office and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development to help bring the project to fruition.

“Will County has a proud heritage of manufacturing in a broad range of industries and projects like Lion Electric will help ensure that manufacturing will be a part of our future,” noted Doug Pryor, President and CEO for the Will County Center for Economic Development.

“The Lion Electric development is a welcome addition to the City of Joliet,” remarked Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk. “This facility is going to have a tremendous impact on our local economy by immense investment dollars and creation of high paying skilled-labor positions. Furthermore, this is an indicator that on a national scale the City of Joliet and the State of Illinois can compete for major employers and manufacturers who are seeking to grow.”

The Joliet location will become Lion Electric’s sole manufacturing facility in the United States, the largest global facility, and a showcase for consumers. Lion Electric was especially attracted to Joliet for its robust logistics industry, talent pool, and the Illinois climate change policy which aligns well with the electric vehicle market.

At full production, the facility will produce 20,000 all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles per year made by American workers. This factory is on-schedule to be operational before the end of the year.

The 2022 REJournals Illinois Real Estate Awards winners will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday, July 13th.

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CEO Talks Will County Attributes

CEO Talks Will County Attributes

Jun 17, 2022 |

Doug Pryor, President & CEO of the Will County CED recently sat down with Richard Frederickson to discuss a bit of history of the organization and share some current economic development wins and his excitement for the future.

read more

Groundbreaking for Central Steel & Wire Company in University Park

Groundbreaking for Central Steel & Wire Company in University Park

by | Jun 2, 2022 | Will County News

In the news

Groundbreaking for Central Steel & Wire Company in University Park

It was a great day attended by many for the the new Central Steel & Wire Company headquarters and operation hub relocating to the Village of University Park from Chicago.

Central Steel & Wire Company Groundbreaking

The 900,000-sf building is located at Steger Road and Central Avenue and should be completed next spring.

Central Steel & Wire was founded in 1909. Ryerson, which employs about 3,900 people at about 100 industrial metal processing centers in North America, was founded in 1842 and acquired Central Steel & Wire in 2018.

Central Steel & Wire buys rolls of steel, aluminum, and other metals from mills, then processes and fabricates them into everything from structural I-beams used in construction to sheet metal used to make household appliances.

Ryerson CEO Eddie Lehner was on hand and spoke passionately about manufacturing here in the U.S. and the importance of creating family-wage manufacturing jobs. “The more we manufacture in this country and do it the way we’re going to do it in University Park, the more broad-based prosperity will increase.”

Doug Pryor, CEO and President of the Will County Center for Economic Development explained “They were looking at southeast Wisconsin – they were looking at northwest Indiana. It’s a huge win for Will County and makes a bold statement about our workforce and job creation successes.”

Central Steel will employ at least 300 people at the University Park center. Gateway 57 Business Park is being developed by Venture One Real Estate and CRG.

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CEO Talks Will County Attributes

CEO Talks Will County Attributes

Jun 17, 2022 |

Doug Pryor, President & CEO of the Will County CED recently sat down with Richard Frederickson to discuss a bit of history of the organization and share some current economic development wins and his excitement for the future.

read more

Celebrating Jim Roolf’s Decades of Leadership

Celebrating Jim Roolf’s Decades of Leadership

by | Jun 1, 2022 | CED News

In the news

Celebrating Jim Roolf’s Decades of Leadership

Jim Roolf, a longtime member of the CED Board of Directors, past Chairman, and Frank Turk Jr. Award recipient, attended his final meeting as a regular member of the Board in May.

Ruth Colby-2022 CED Board Chair, Jim Roolf, Doug Pryor-CED President & CEO

Pictured: Ruth Colby-2022 CED Board Chair, Jim Roolf, Doug Pryor-CED President & CEO

Jim has represented First Midwest Bank (soon to be Old National Bank) for more than 20 years with the CED. With a clear vision of the economic development possibilities for Will County, Jim worked on or chaired many important committees, coalitions, and councils that helped move Will County forward. Among his many accomplishments Jim served on the Illinois Tollway Board at a critical time and helped lead the development of the long-promised I-355 extension, one of many important Will County projects for which Jim has been an essential catalyst.

Jim Roolf Speaking at Opening

Jim Roolf Speaking at Opening

Jim has been a fierce advocate for Will County and we are excited that he will continue to work with the CED through committees and working groups offering his experience, knowledge, and humor. Thank you, Jim, for being a strong leader and for all of your work to help the CED and Will County be more successful!

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CED Announces Eye Opener Breakfast

CED Announces Eye Opener Breakfast

May 19, 2022 |

We are pleased to be back in person for this mid-year briefing on key developments, initiatives, and economic indicators in Will County. We extend our deep appreciation to our presenting sponsor, First Midwest Bank and our event sponsors, Cadence Premier Logistics and Heartland Bank & Trust Company.

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