Illinois Named One of Top 10 States for Corporate Locations in National Survey

CHICAGO - The state of Illinois and Chicago today were named among the top 10 locations for new and expanded corporate facilities. Illinois ranked eighth among states and Chicago first in the metropolitan areas category in the annual analysis by Site Selection magazine, one of the nation's premier corporate real estate and economic development publications.

"Illinois has great attributes that make us one of the top business destinations in the world - and just as important to our ability to maintain this reputation are the great companies that choose to invest here," said DCEO Director Warren Ribley. "We are as committed as ever to bringing good-paying, quality jobs to the state, by making the strategic investments that will help make Illinois even more competitive, more attractive and poised for growth.

In 2010, Illinois had 205 corporate facilities locate or expand in the state. Illinois joins Texas, Ohio, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Georgia on the list of the top ten states with the most locations and expansions.  With 184 projects, the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet metro area topped the list of cities in the tier one, top ten metropolitan areas list. Illinois companies that have relocated or seen significant expansions this year include Navistar, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Ford and Groupon, among others.

The Governor's Cup analyses, issued by Site Selection magazine, are regarded by corporate real estate analysts as "the industry scoreboard."  Site Selection is the oldest publication in the corporate real estate and economic development field and the official publication of the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC, at www.iamc.org).  The magazine's circulation base consists of 44,000 executives involved in corporate site selection decisions, most at the CEO/President/COO level.