News & Events

Meijer, which operates 230 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, has broken ground on its expansion in Bradley, Illinois. Part of the company’s plan to invest more than $400 million in nine new and 32 remodeled stores across the Midwest this year, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer is replacing the former Kmart Super Center site at 990 N. Kinzie Ave., starting with the special use-granted conversion of an adjacent commercial parcel with a vacated Taco Bell restaurant into a six-pump, 250,000SF gas station.

According to the recently released 2015 Metropolitan Area Export Overview, authored by the International Trade Administration, Kankakee County experienced a 74 percent increase in its world exports from 2014 to 2015. The year-over-year increase from $753M to $1.3B was the 16th greatest bump among metropolitan statistical areas nationwide. The bulk of the growth can be attributed to chemical manufacturing output, specifically products made here by Sun Chemical and Dow Chemical.

Among 3,141 counties nationwide, Kankakee County is ranked 307 in attracting and developing skilled labor, with 2011-15 skilled job growth of 8%, according to Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI)’s newly released Talent Attraction Scorecard.

The Grundy Livingston Kankakee Workforce Board has sought and received a $500,000 Illinois Talent Pipeline Grant to provide on-the-job training for local dislocated workers in the process of securing new positions at CSL Behring Kankakee. The funds are provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and funded under the federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act.

Too often, students across Illinois have graduated from high school unprepared for their next step in life, whether it is college or career. Therefore, we applaud Governor Rauner and the General Assembly on the passage and signing of HB5729, the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act (PWR) to address this need.

The Economic Alliance, in partnership with the Village of Bourbonnais and Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau, kicked off the 15th year of Chicago Bears Training Camp at Olivet Nazarene University with a Developers Day event on July 28. Attendees included Greater Chicago commercial and industrial real estate brokers, developers and manufacturers, along with local business leadership.

After initial assessment, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has determined that the Kankakee Downtown Historic District is eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. In correspondence dated July 5, the agency informed local project partners that the proposed district meets National Register criteria for both historical and architectural significance. The City of Kankakee, Kankakee Development Corp. and the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County are pursuing the honorary National Register of Historic Places designation in an effort to secure tax incentives for preservation-based property rehabilitation.

Both attendee and exhibitor registrations are now being accepted for the 2nd Annual ACCELERATE Small Business Conference & Expo, to be held Thursday, September 8, 2016, at the Kankakee Community College Riverfront Campus in Kankakee. The day-long event, which attracted more than 100 small business owners in its 2015 inaugural year, will feature education, networking and promotional opportunities, along with keynotes by Spikeball CEO and Kankakee native Chris Ruder as well as best-selling author Summer Alexander. Cost is $30 for Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce members, $40 for non-Chamber members. Breakfast and lunch are included. A Chamber Business After Hours, open to all registered attendees, will conclude the day’s events.

Against a backdrop of a steadily declining middle class, the Kankakee-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is showing outstanding growth in its proportion of middle-income individuals. According to a new report by Pew Research Center, the Kankakee-Bradley MSA – which shares boundaries with Kankakee County – saw growth in its share of middle-income adults, from 60 percent in 2000 to 62 percent in 2014, positioning the area among the Top 10 U.S. Middle-income Metros.

Aqua Illinois has announced plans to complete $15 million in improvements to the Joseph Donovan Regional Water Treatment Plant in the City of Kankakee over the next two years. This investment is part of Aqua’s 2016 capital plan of $15 million for the Kankakee Division, $10 million of which is allocated for water distribution system upgrades.