Chicago, surrounding counties partnering to boost region’s economic development

The city of Chicago, Cook County and six neighboring counties are teaming up in an effort to take a more regional approach to landing new businesses and other projects that could spur economic development in the region, officials said.

Now, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties will work with Chicago and Cook County as part of a pilot project managed by World Business Chicago.

McHenry County Chair Mike Buehler said Wednesday that the members of the new partnership have been meeting as a group for nearly two years. Throughout those meetings, many members said it felt like those surrounding Cook County and Chicago were competing with the metropolitan area rather than working in tandem, Buehler said.

“I feel [those concerns] have been addressed,” he said. “Instead of competing, we’ll be working with each other to benefit the region.”

The new coalition, announced Wednesday in downtown Chicago, marks a shift in thinking compared to years past in which counties and the city often competed against each other for attracting and retaining corporate headquarters and other business ventures.

Perhaps the biggest example in recent years was McDonald’s deciding to relocate its corporate headquarters from Oak Brook to downtown Chicago in 2016, bringing with it 2,000 employees, which caused a number of protests. Also in 2016, Motorola Solutions relocated its operations from Schaumburg to Chicago.

The partnership will start as a three-year pilot program managed by economic development agency World Business Chicago. In total, each county will contribute based on its size, with the total coming in at $1 million per year across all partners, according to a news release from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

Other organizations involved include the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, Choose DuPage, Lake County Partners, McHenry County Economic Development Corporation, Will County Center for Economic Development, World Business Chicago, along with others, the release states.

“I am very proud to have the seven counties as part of this,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in the announcement. “Any economic win for a region is a win for everyone. The counties, cities and towns represented in this town are in fact the economic engine of our state.”

Much of the focus at the announcement was aimed at improving transportation, the overall job market, the environment, closing equity and racial gaps, and helping move beyond the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are five priority sectors as well, which are manufacturing, transportation, distribution and logistics, healthcare and life sciences, innovation and venture capital, and financial services, World Business Chicago spokesperson Andrew Hayes said.

The plan for the next three years will be to make 150 “pro-Chicagoland decisions,” Hayes said, which are directing companies who are relocating or expanding to set up in the best spot possible across the region. There also will be 500 shared investment opportunities, Hayes said.

Lightfoot noted there have been efforts made in the past to bring a similar partnerships to fruition as it has been something asked for by counties surrounding Cook County.

“This has been a topic for many, many years,” Hayes said. “The right principles and the right players were not at the table. And then the pandemic forced us to work better together.”

Choosing sites for businesses with a regional perspective will keep businesses in the state and strengthen the area, Will County Center for Economic Development President Doug Pryor said. He said companies know the Chicago area more than they do political boundaries separating cities and counties.

“We are looking to do a much better job of celebrating regional wins,” Pryor said. “Economic development is an incredibly competitive space. ... The ability for us to market ourselves together and all of our assets will be important for our future success.”

DuPage County Chair Deb Conroy, who was elected in November and is the first woman to serve in the role, said at the announcement Wednesday that each county has had success with their own individual projects at times, but the new partnership will help “fully realize the region’s potential.”

“Our partnership in no way impedes individual economic development efforts, but it enriches each counties access to information and support to help us all land the projects,” Conroy said.

Buehler said Wednesday he thinks the partnership could be beneficial to helping grow McHenry County.

“Any time groups of leaders get together to look at the region as a whole, I think there’s potential benefit,” Buehler said.

One project beyond the city that could be helped by the partnership is the Interstate 90 and Route 23 interchange that sits south of Marengo in McHenry County, Buehler said. Being the first entrance from I-90 into the county, officials are hopeful the spot could become an economic boon for the area.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kane County Chair Corinne Pierog said the county is looking forward to the “unique partnership” with both the city of Chicago and other collar counties.

“There is strength in numbers and this partnership will help to quicken the pace of post-pandemic recovery for Kane County businesses and its residents,” she said in the statement.