Motorola Chooses Elgin For New Distribution Center

CHICAGO -- Governor George H. Ryan today announced that Elgin will be the location of a new Motorola distribution center that could employ 1,000 workers in the next five years.

"Motorola has called Illinois home for nearly 70 years. I'm pleased the company has decided to locate yet another new facility here," Ryan said. "My administration is committed to working with high-tech companies such as Motorola to ensure our citizens have opportunities to work at the jobs that are driving the New Economy."

Motorola has announced the distribution center, which will contain approximately 300,000 square feet of distribution and technical support space, will be constructed on an approximately 30-acre site on Galvin Drive in Northwest Corporate Park. Northwest Corporate Park is located in the northwest quadrant of Interstate 90/Northwest Tollway and Randall Road. Construction is expected to begin in August, with first occupancy targeted to begin by the second quarter of 2001.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) assisted Motorola with the project by designating it a High Impact Business. The designation allows Motorola to receive investment and sales tax credits and an exemption on the state utility tax for 20 years.

"By continuing to work with Motorola on their expansion needs, the state of Illinois is realizing long-term benefits through the creation of new jobs that will boost the local economy in and around Elgin while strengthening the state's position in the global economy," said DCCA Director Pam McDonough.

Approximately 500 positions with the company's Accessories and Aftermarket Division (AAD) distribution operation based in Schaumburg, will relocate to the new Elgin center. AAD's distribution operation provides parts and accessories for Motorola's two-way radios as well as cellular, paging and other wireless communications products.

"We are experiencing continued growth in our wireless communications businesses, and increasingly we have been constrained in our current distribution space," said Merle Gilmore, Motorola executive vice president and president of the company's Communications Enterprise. "The Elgin distribution center marks an important step in our strategy to optimize support for our customers while maximizing efficiencies in our business. We are excited about becoming a corporate citizen of Elgin and are looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with the greater Elgin community."

Motorola remains one of Illinois' leading high-technology companies, employing more than 24,000 people at major facilities located throughout the state.