The Rockford Region is America's best mid-sized international community. Rockford is more culturally diverse than 96% of other Illinois communities and the region's residents provide a diverse array of srevices and manufactured goods throughout the world.  Our business and industrial base continues to be strong and has gained momentum in recent years as it has both diversified and invested heavily in its core strengths.

2008 welcomed several significant investments in the Rockford Region in the areas of Global Trade/Innovation, Distribution/Logistics, and Education/Workforce. These investments in jobs, land, buildings, and/or equipment generate new wealth for our community, as most are made by primary employers whose goods and services are exported out of the region and new wealth is imported into the region. These commitments also serve as glowing examples of local companies that are able to compete on a global level because of the talents and resources that our region has to offer. When local companies win, the region - as a whole - wins. Join us in celebrating the following regional success stories for 2008.

Global Trade / Innovation

The Rockford Area has two times the nation’s average in manufacturing companies, and the following five expansions in 2008 strengthen our region’s capabilities.

Woodward is one of the world’s leading providers of energy control and optimization solutions for engines, aircraft and industrial turbines, and electrical power system equipment. To support its strong business growth, the company is investing in a $50 Million expansion of their Loves Park facility. The centerpiece of the expansion will be a state-of-the-art 45,000 sq. ft. test facility to design and test new products and systems. Construction will begin in spring of 2009. Meanwhile, a new “cafetorium” was completed in January of 2009 and serves as both a cafeteria and an auditorium. In 2008, Woodward added approximately 100 employees, growing their local workforce to more than 1,300 and remaining one of Winnebago County’s top ten employers.

Danfoss, one of Denmark’s largest industrial companies, embarked on a 129,000 sq. ft. expansion of its Danfoss Drives plant in Loves Park. The addition will double the size of the existing facility and its workforce, adding 250 technical jobs over the next four years. Company officials said that increased demand from domestic and global customers for the Danfoss variable-frequency drives designed and manufactured in Loves Park requires more space and personnel. The addition will consist of a state-of-the-art training center plus more production and office space. The entire facility will be LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design). This rating system promotes sustainability in design and construction practices in order to increase operating efficiency.

Acument Global Technologies may be a new name to the Rockford Area, but they knew of Rockford’s reputation and skills as the “fastener capitol of the world” and made it their world headquarters for Acument Aerospace. The new business division that designs and manufactures aerospace fasteners consists of Camcar Aerospace, established here in March of 2008, and Saturn Fasteners of Burbank, California, acquired soon thereafter. Saturn will remain in Burbank.

In less than 18 months, Camcar has grown to approximately 60 employees, and the company projects that their workforce may double in 2009. This is due to the booming global aerospace industry, as airplanes are being redesigned to be more fuel-efficient. Since launching new planes takes about 10 years, the industry tends not to be affected significantly by the economy. Acument Aerospace is housed in two buildings totaling about 60,000 square feet at 500 18th Avenue in Rockford.

Another company that ships locally made products all over the world is Parker Hannifin of Machesney Park. The manufacturer of hydraulic accumulators that are used at Hoover Dam, on oil rigs, and on construction equipment worldwide expanded its plant with a 30,000 sq. ft., $4 Million addition. The expansion enables the company to provide customers with more capabilities in power generation, active suspension systems, alternative energy solutions, and more.

The Global Accumulator Division of Parker Hannifin is headquartered in Machesney Park and also has plants in the United Kingdom, Brazil, China, and California. Accumulators are devices that store energy for hydraulic systems and are used by the entertainment, construction, agriculture, industrial, and other industries.

Liebovich Steel & Aluminum Company, founded in 1939, broke ground in October to add a new 80,000 sq. ft. warehouse and manufacturing facility in Rockford. The City of Rockford created the Preston and Central TIF Redevelopment Area to facilitate the expansion and stimulate further growth in the area that contains a brownfield site. Liebovich, a division of Reliance Steel & Aluminum Company plans to add 10 new jobs as a result of the expansion.

Distribution / Logistics

The Rockford Area is part of the third largest economic corridor in the United States, and three attractions/expansions make this region more desirable to businesses.

Tandem Development Group of Hoffman Estates broke ground this summer on a $40 Million air cargo center next to RFD. The four-phase 400,000 sq. ft. Chicago Rockford International Cargo Center in Rockford will have runway access at RFD, 20 truck docks, and low operational costs - about a third of the price of O’Hare International Airport.

“As the air freight industry consolidates to cut costs, we can help them do that,” said Paul Ahern, Principal of Tandem. He continued, “RFD is a proven performer in air cargo, and they are the 18th largest cargo airport in the country.” He added that it has all the benefits of O’Hare, but none of the drawbacks of congestion and high costs.

UPS is already using the ramps of the first-phase 72,000 sq. ft. spec building that became operational in January of 2009.

Con-way Freight, Inc., a $2.8 Billion freight trucking company with operations throughout North America, built a new 50,000 sq. ft. service center facility in Rockford’s newest commercial business center, the Rock 39 Industrial Park. The new facility, with 110 dock-doors for freight operations, more than doubles Con-way’s capacity in the region and represents a major expansion of Con-way Freight in the Rockford Area. It is just 10 minutes north of Union Pacific’s Global III Intermodal terminal and is in the I-39 Logistics Corridor.

Grainger, the leading North American supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and institutions, relocated its Rockford facility to a larger, more convenient location at 5862 Harrison Avenue. The new 20,000 sq. ft. facility provides business customers access to more than 22,000 products needed to maintain, repair, and operate their facilities in the Rockford Area, including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, lighting, and motors, as well as electrical and safety supplies. The company reports a strong increase in traffic and business due to the new location.

Education / Workforce

The competition for a good workforce continues, as more communities recognize the importance of recruiting employees. A top goal of the region is to increase the number of college-educated adults. To that end, three institutions expanded or introduced a Rockford Area location in 2008.

Upper Iowa University established a new center in the Rockford Area within sight of Interstate 90 with a $2.5 Million, 13,000 sq. ft. facility. UIU is a private, four-year, not-for-profit university that offers a Bachelor of Science degree in 12 majors in Rockford.

UIU-Rockford anticipates growth to 200 students by the end of 2010. UIU has a partnership with Rock Valley College to facilitate transfers to UIU; they work closely with Rockford Career College, formerly Rockford Business College.

In addition, the institution plans to create 15-20 new jobs in the next two years, primarily instructors, as well as office staff and recruiters.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s oldest and most prestigious aviation and aerospace university, began offering classes at RFD in Rockford this July. Their undergraduate and graduate classes will help supply a trained workforce for the growing aerospace i ndustry here.

They currently have 15 students in Organizational Behavior, Project Management in Aviation Operations, and Air Transportation Systems. “We hope to make the Rockford campus our largest civilian center in our worldwide network of campuses, with 1,200 enrollments per year,” said Melissa Aust-Barbee, Director of Academic support. Until a new aerospace education facility is built at RFD, Embry-Riddle’s classes are held at RFD’s administration building.

Established in 1862 as Rockford Business College, the institution changed its name to Rockford Career College in 2008. It also invested $1 Million into a 34,000 sq. ft. location at Colonial Village Mall in Rockford when it consolidated its two facilities. The college offers Associate degrees in Business Administration, Information Technology, Massage Therapy, Medical Assisting, Paralegal, Pharmacy Technician, and Veterinary Technician.

The new facility will allow the college to offer additional classes to meet growing demand, particularly in the medical assistant, veterinary technician, and paralegal fields. The current student enrollment of 600 is expected to grow to 900 in the new, larger space.