Motorola Selects Deer Park for New Office and Research Campus

CHICAGO -- Governor George H. Ryan today announced that Motorola will be combining several offices scattered across the Northern suburbs of Chicago into a single office and research campus in the Lake County Village of Deer Park.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will be spending $6 million in Illinois FIRST funds to make a number of improvements to already congested roads in the area. Plum Grove Road will be extended south from Rand Road to Lake Cook Road, while Lake Cook Road will be widened from two lanes to four lanes between Quentin and Rand Roads.

"We are glad to see Motorola continuing to extend the Illinois roots which were set down by Paul and Joseph Galvin in Chicago back in 1928," Ryan said. "Motorola's decision to bring a vast number of workers together at Deer Park is a reflection of the longstanding commitment between one of the state's largest employers and the people of Illinois."

The new site will initially accommodate 2,800 current Motorola employees, but continued company growth could mean the addition of several hundred new jobs over the next five years.

Motorola initially plans to build two, 280,000-square-foot office buildings on a 69-acre parcel on Lake Cook Road between Quentin and Rand Roads with a two-story commons building connecting the 7-story office towers.

Motorola has also built into their plans for the campus a means of expanding for future growth to accommodate new employees.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) assisted Motorola with the project by designating it a High Impact Business.

"We are pleased to be sharing in Motorola's resurgence in the New Economy," said DCCA Director Pam McDonough. "The company's ongoing success in the global marketplace means even more high-quality, high-tech job opportunities for Illinois workers."

Being in Deer Park means we are well positioned to accommodate future growth in knowledge-based talent right here in Illinois," said Merle Gilmore, Motorola executive vice president and president of the Communications Enterprise. "Today there are more than 24,000 Motorolans employed in Illinois - a number we're very proud of - a number that marks Motorola as Illinois' second largest private employer," he said.

"We're also proud of the job our people do each day - the commitment they display in helping ensure that Illinois remains as one of the top high-tech locations. From cellular phones to two-way radios to wireless network infrastructure, Motorola has made Illinois a primary source to a world marketplace that hungers for the very best in communications technology," Gilmore added.

Motorola is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions.