Governor Quinn Announces Rockford Area Businesses Expanding in Manufacturing and Health Care

MACHESNEY PARK – Governor Pat Quinn today announced that several Rockford area businesses are expanding, creating 94 jobs in the manufacturing and health care industries in northern Illinois. Manufacturing firms Curtis Metal Finishing Company and HMC Products Inc. joined medical billing company Practice Velocity, LLC at its headquarters in Machesney Park to talk about the new facilities that will bring new jobs and economic growth to the region. The announcement is part of Governor Quinn’s agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois’ economy forward.

“These thriving businesses need additional space for their expanding workforce, and they recognize that there is no better place to grow than in Illinois,” Governor Quinn said. “These expansions are creating good-paying jobs, providing work for the construction trade and attracting additional investment to the region.”

Practice Velocity is investing $5 million to turn a vacant department store into office space, creating 75 new jobs as demand for its medical billing software and server capacity grows. The new jobs – which increase the company’s workforce by 33 percent – will include software engineers, billing specialists, administrative personnel and other professionals. Practice Velocity currently employs 228 workers.

“In the 10 years we have called northern Illinois home, Practice Velocity has grown from just a handful of employees to a company of more than 200,” Practice Velocity CEO David Stern, MD, CPC said. “We are excited about our company’s future and how we can continue contributing to the economic growth of this community.”

Curtis Metal Finishing, an applicator of industrial coatings, is adding 27,000 square feet of plant space to an existing 93,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on North Alpine Road in Machesney Park. The family-owned company is investing $4 million in the expansion, which includes cutting edge equipment for a new line of surface finishing materials. The expansion will create 14 new jobs, boosting the firm’s Illinois workforce of 60 by 23 percent.

“We are committed to growing our business in Illinois,” Curtis Metal Finishing Company Vice President and General Manager Kurt Hoensheid said. “We’ve been operating our business in Illinois for 20 years and rely on the region’s skilled workforce and easy access to transportation to support our company as demand for our products grows.”

HMC Products’ expansion comes as the manufacturer of packaging machines needs more space to accommodate new orders. Currently the company is located in a 44,000-square-foot building in Eastrock Industrial Park and rents space in another building within the park. The company is moving into a new 90,000-square-foot facility at The Park 90 Corporate Center at the corner of Interstate 90 and Highway 173, adding five new jobs to its workforce of 34 employees – a 15 percent increase. Their total investment is $5 million and includes plant wide air conditioning, a new paint booth system, a new customer training room and an additional three acres of expansion potential.

“We are excited to grow in Illinois and be a part of the future growth of the Northern Illinois area,” HMC Products President David Kreissler said. “The close proximity to I-90 and Rockford will assist attracting the highly skilled employees our company requires.”

All three companies will be eligible for tax credits under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program, administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The tax credits, based on job creation, can be used against corporate income taxes to be paid for up to 10 years. Curtis Metal Finishing is also eligible for an Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) grant to keep its workforce trained in current technologies. Practice Velocity is also eligible for an ETIP grant, an Emerging Technologies grant and a loan through the federally funded Advantage Illinois program.

Under Governor Quinn’s leadership, the state of Illinois has worked diligently to identify and recruit companies with the potential to bring jobs and economic growth to Illinois. The state has added 244,300 private sector jobs since January 2010, when job growth returned to Illinois following a two-year period of declines during the recession.

For more information on why Illinois is the right place for business, visit Illinoisbiz.biz.

About Practice Velocity LLC

Practice Velocity, LLC develops software for medical record keeping, practice management and organization, primarily for urgent care facilities. It was founded in 2002 by three urgent care physicians who realized there was a need for an electronic means of organizing patient flow, billing records and information storage. More than 850 clinics throughout the United States currently use Practice Velocity products. For more information, visit practicevelocity.com.

About Curtis Metal Finishing Co.

Curtis Metal Finishing Co. was formed in 1963 and continues to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Commercial Steel Treating Corp. Both companies service fastener manufactures in the automotive, military and construction industries throughout the Midwest. As one of the largest bulk metal finishing operations in the United States, Curtis specializes in the application of engineered coatings on fasteners and small stampings. For more information, visit curtismetal.com.

About HMC Products Inc.

HMC Products designs and manufactures packaging machinery, as well as case cutters for the distribution industry and ships their products worldwide. HMC’s customers include companies in the snack food, food, cosmetic, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and household goods industries. In addition to office, inventory, engineering, and assembly staff, HMC employs skilled machinists to operate their 15 CNC machining centers as well as several conventional mills. For more information, visit hmcproducts.com.