RECENT EVENTS
September 21, 2011 Business Roundtable
Business Assets - Resources that attract
Business to DeKalb County
Companies face many critical decisions over their lifetime. Exactly where they decide to do business is one of the most important. Each company needs the right mix of local policy, available property, and workforce composition to suit its needs. The focus of this Business Roundtable was on the reasons and incentives that influence a company's decision to locate or relocate where it does. In this case, DeKalb County.
Brad Blankenheim, Senior Group Leader at the DeKalb Target Distribution Center, noted that this Target facility has reached the top tiers of performance in the company after only five years of operations. It is a company leader in efficiency, safety, and cost control measures. In selecting DeKalb as the location for this distribution center, Mr. Blankenheim said that the quick access to eight Interstate Highways and the central location relative to large markets in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Detroit and Cincinnati were important factors; the company has been able to save $1 million by utilizing over 3,500 backhaul loads.
The workforce available in DeKalb is another benefit for Target. Though most employees at the center come from DeKalb, the company has also taken advantage of the access to Rockford and Fox Valley labor pools by drawing workers from those locations as well. In addition, proximity to Northern Illinois University (NIU) makes a sizable student population available to Target and other local employers.
Target was also able to secure property tax abatement incentives
from eight taxing bodies, in addition to infrastructure assistance,
demonstrating an exceptional level of community partnership early
on. Once the distribution center was in place, Target and NIU
developed a Strategic Partnership in the field of Operations Management
and Information Systems, and has subsequently hired nineteen leaders
from NIU.
Scott Gilmore continued the discussion by explaining the factors that led his company, Smart Motion Robotics, Inc., to select Sycamore over other locations in northern Illinois when they relocated from Gilberts last year. Smart Motion Robotics, Inc. is a world leader in robotic systems, and had specific requirements for its future site. Ultimately, Sycamore provided the right combination of transportation access, proximity to their current workforce, and local goods and services.
While several locations provided the desired Interstate access
and tax incentives, many were simply too remote. Individual contacts
in DeKalb County and the City of Sycamore were critical to ensuring
that the required tax incentives were secured. Furthermore, community
resources afforded by a university community ensured that the
DeKalb-Sycamore area had the necessary amenities for the employees
and their families (i.e. shopping, hotels, and cultural amenities).
The opportunity for engineering and technical partnerships made
the location truly outstanding. Mr. Gilmore also stressed the
importance of having DeKalb Airport nearby and having several
high end business and industrial parks to choose from. Smart Motion
Robotics has prospered in Sycamore, and is already considering
further expansions.
Thomas N. Gearhart, Jr., CPA, CEO at Midwest Orthopaedic Institute in Sycamore, concluded the program by detailing the various factors that influenced the physicians at his company to settle in DeKalb to establish and operate their practices. As members of a medical institution, the doctors provided reasons for individual specialists to do business in DeKalb, an alternate view on the decision from that of a business.
All the physicians listed the demand for their services in DeKalb
as a reason for the selection, as well as the strong sense of
community as a positive aspect. Proximity to Chicago metro area
amenities and O’Hare International Airport also played a key role,
while later physicians noted that the opportunity to work with
the professional staff at the Midwest Orhopaedic Institute was
also noted as a factor in their decision.
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DCEDC September 2011 Business Roundtable |
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