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Kankakee County Bullish on Jobs
The Kankakee-Bradley MSA is ranked #9 nationally in terms of job growth, according to recent analysis by The Christian Science Monitor.
The region is "staging a comeback with some of the strongest job growth in the nation."
The article contines, "The central Illinois metro economy saw a 5.8 percent bump in employment in trade, transportation, and utilities sector last year. Education and health services also performed well, with a 5.7 percent rise."
The article notes that the Village of Bradley has grown 24 percent in the past decade. Read more here. |
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EXPANSION BRIEFS
An excellent work ethic, local cooperation, and utility and freight cost savings were cited among the reasons J.R. Edwards Brushes & Rollers Inc. chose to expand locally. A 28,000 addition effectively doubles capacity at its Kankakee site, which opened in 1992. Twenty-five jobs are expected to be created in conjunction with the expansion, which was spurred by a recent contract with Home Depot Midwest.
Cornerstone Services Inc. has secured job placements for an estimated 25 people with disabilities in Kankakee County since its expansion here in 2009 after receiving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The agency recently relocated to 150 North Schuyler, Suite 204,
in Downtown Kankakee.
Construction continues on Olivet Nazarene University's
168,000 sq. ft. Student Life & Recreation Center, slated for completion later this year. Click photo for a virtual tour of the facility, highlights of which will include an eight-lane, 200 meter indoor running track with Mondo surface and
a 10-lane competition pool.
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Momence Gains Enterprise Zone,
Downtown Master Plan
Welcome news came to Kankakee County's east end in January, as the State of Illinois certified the expansion of the Kankakee County-Manteno Enterprise Zone to Momence. Local incentives provided to all commercial, industrial, warehouse and manufacturing outfits
located within zone boundaries include a 6.25 percent sales tax exemption on all building materials and some equipment purchased in Illinois. Both new construction and renovation of existing properties are eligible for the exemption. New construction also qualifies for a five-year property tax abatement. Read more here.
The City of Momence and Main Street Momence are also nearing completion of a master plan for the city's National Register of Historic Places-listed downtown district. The plan, prepared by Lakota Group of Chicago, outlines streetscape concepts and implementation strategies for the four-block traditional business district, major gateways and riverside green space. Read more here.
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EnterpriseU 2012 Underway
The 2012 edition of EnterpriseU, Kankakee County's dedicated boot camp and business plan competition for aspiring entrepreneurs, kicked off February 21 during National Entrepreneurship Week. Nearly 20 contestants have registered and are taking part in this year's customized consulting and coursework series. Business plans are due May 30, with competition finals taking place June 19.
Aaron Rice of GeekSpeak Inc. - a 2011 EnterpriseU winner - helps kick off the 2012 business plan competition
at a February press event.
EnterpriseU 2012 contestants gather in March for a program orientation at Kankakee River North restaurant.EnterpriseU is program of the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County, Kankakee Community College and the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley, supported by The Daily Journal, LinkPoint Media/Visible Ads, Momentum Momence, the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, WKAN, Kankakee Public Library, Kankakee Farmers' Market, 5 Stone Marketing, Heritage Development & Construction, National Bank of St. Anne, Wayba Productions and Todd Arseneau - State Farm Insurance. |
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Alliance Hails Illiana Recommendation
The Illiana Corridor committee - the organization tasked with planning a highway that would connect Interstate 65 in Indiana to Interstate 55 near Joliet - made its preliminary recommendation February 8 of a preferred route. The 47-mile "B3" route selected from eight initial prospects would run about two miles north of the Kankakee and Will County line, according to Mike Lammey, Kankakee County's transportation planner.
"This is a huge step. This is groundbreaking," Economic Alliance CEO Mike Van Mill told The Daily Journal.
"To have it this close to our boundary is a great benefit."
Van Mill calls the route a major driver for regional development.
Read more here. |
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