With much aplomb, Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor boasted last week the city has, “over a half-billion dollars of economic development projects underway.” That statement was included in her letter to the Chicago Bears, offering city space for the team’s planned new stadium.
She added that Waukegan, “is making unprecedented progress.” Apparently, Centerline Design & Fabrication Inc., a city-based company, missed the memo.
That’s because the small firm is moving to Wisconsin, the latest Illinois company to be poached by the Badger State. While a tiny portion of Waukegan’s employment base, this latest company to bolt for the border continues to show the state’s weakness when trying to retain and welcome new industry.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported earlier this month the fabrication company is moving its headquarters from Wadsworth Road, between Lewis Avenue and Green Bay Road on Waukegan’s far, far north side, to the city of South Milwaukee.
Centerline is leasing space at the former Bucyrus International campus in South Milwaukee, which at its peak employed more than 2,400 people. Ironically, the Bucyrus product line, including a range of material removal and material handling products used in surface and underground mining, was purchased by Caterpillar Inc. in 2011.
Caterpillar made its home in Lake County from 2017 until last year, when it moved its global headquarters and nearly 250 jobs from Deerfield to a suburb of Dallas. Caterpillar, one of the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, continues to employ some 17,400 Illinoisans, mainly in the central part of the state.
Caterpillar production at the 27-acre South Milwaukee site ended in 2016. It is now being redeveloped as a corporate and manufacturing campus.
Which is what led Centerline to South Milwaukee after outgrowing existing space. The move will allow the company to expand operations, and possibly add skilled staff.
“We at Centerline are excited to now call South Milwaukee our new home,” Adam Buckley, company president, said in a statement.
According to the company’s website, Centerline makes custom metal fabrications for residential, commercial and industrial uses — equipment platforms, display fixtures, tables, railings, stairways and all manner of structural steel work. The company creates everything from small parts to entire assemblies.
“Centerline Design and Fabrication, Inc. provides high quality turnkey manufacturing of commercial and industrial goods to regional and national markets,” Buckley said. “With the expansion and relocation of our headquarters to downtown South Milwaukee, we will now be able to offer even more high-volume production, while also providing gainful employment opportunities to the Milwaukee-area economy.”
Seems like more and more companies are excited and happy once they leave Illinois. Those relocations usually are in the nearby business-friendly states of Indiana, where several new electric vehicle battery factories are planned, and Wisconsin, which continues to drain firms from the Land of Lincoln.
This is happening even though Illinois has ponied up millions of dollars for economic development programs in the past and in the 2024 budget signed the other day by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The budget adopted by the legislature includes $400 million to close major economic development deals, and attract businesses and jobs to the state. Money is also set aside for expanded workforce development programs to build industries of the future: Data centers, electric vehicles and clean energy.
Another $20 million is available to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets Capital Program to provide additional community revitalization funding.
Some of that DCEO cash is headed to Park City, where ground will be broken June 21 for a long-awaited flood improvement project which will affect more than 800 properties when completed late this year. Another $90 million in new capital funding for DCEO’s Enterprise Fund Grant Program will provide competitive funding to attract and retain businesses in Illinois.
Then there’s $10 million to fund a “one-stop business portal” to foster entrepreneurship. Plus, there’s $55 million in new capital funding for so-called “prime sites” investments, providing grants for large-scale projects making substantial capital investment and job creation commitments in Illinois.
Also included in the budget is money to attract new business in the form of $20 million for a Fast-Track Workforce Program. That will provide resources and support to major relocating or expanding employers for employee screening and recruitment, along with customized job training.
All told, that’s certainly a lot of money for economic development.
There are various reasons companies choose to settle in a certain location. Whatever those decisions include, they seem to be ignoring Illinois.
State and local officials need to determine why that is happening. Until they figure it out, Illinois will be an afterthought when it comes to companies looking to stake a claim.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
Twitter: @sellenews
