Category: News

Suburban Office Vacancy Falls to 8-year Low in Second Quarter

Posted on | by brent
By: Ryan Ori, Crain’s Chicago Business Suburban office vacancy fell to an eight-year low in the second quarter, as expanding companies continued to boost demand for office space. Overall vacancy fell to 20.3 percent in the quarter, down from 21.3 percent in the first quarter and 23.7 percent a year earlier, according to Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle. It was the fifth consecutive quarterly decrease in unused space. Continue reading →

Wheaton City Council Selects CCS International to Analyze Costs of Downtown Strategic Plan

Posted on | by brent
By: Jessica Cilella, Daily Herald The Wheaton City Council will work with an Oakbrook Terrace-based firm to analyze the cost of its estimated $52 million downtown strategic and streetscape plan. Suzanne Fitch was the only council member to oppose working with CCS International to define the costs and scope of proposed construction. Councilman John Prendiville was absent. Continue reading →

Current Economic Environment in DuPage County

Posted on | by brent
Below is a recap of the presentation Economic Development Director, Bryan Gay, gave at Powering the Future, where the region’s economic development leaders discussed the current and future economic state of their respective counties. Presentations offered insight on future development projects, priorities and policies impacting the electrical trades in Chicagoland. Continue reading →

Why Export?

Posted on | by brent

How Exports are Fueling the U.S. Recovery

Exports represent a staggering 54% of GDP growth in the top 100 metropolitan areas in the United States. Traded sectors are key to high-quality economic growth. One tradable export job is the equivalent to three local jobs, and there are 5,690 jobs created per $1 billion in exports. While the United States’ middle-class consumption has remained relatively steady since 2000 and is projected to remain stagnant, countries such as India and China are going to exponential growth in middle-class consumption. Continue reading →

Illinois Route 390 Construction Update

Posted on | by brent

Project Overview

The first phase of the Western Access O’Hare project includes building the new Illinois Route 390. The Illinois Route 390 Project scheduled to be complete by 2017 is improving the existing portion of Illinois Route 390, formerly known as the Elgin O’Hare Expressway, from Lake Street (U.S. Route 20) to I-290 and extending Illinois Route 390 east to Illinois Route 83 along the current Thorndale Avenue with bridges and frontage roads to accommodate local traffic. Continue reading →

Western Suburbs Voted One of the Best Places to Start a Business in Illinois

Posted on | by brent
Mentoring and helping others come naturally to the people around Chicago. So says Nick Rosa, founder and a managing director of Sandbox Industries, an incubator turned venture capital firm. Since founding Sandbox in Chicago in 2003, Rosa has worked with numerous entrepreneurs, and he’s not sure if it’s the tough Illinois winters that bring people together, but there’s an ethos of supporting others without a “what’s in it for me” attitude, he said. Continue reading →

Hamilton Partners Aids in New Downers Grove Commute Option

Posted on | by brent
Employees at the Esplanade office complex will have a new Downers Grove commute option that began April 6, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Metra, Pace, the Regional Transportation Authority, Transportation Management Association (TMA) of Lake Cook and other partners. On April 6, 2015 Pace began operations on Route 465 Belmont Station – Esplanade, offering four morning and three evening trips between the Esplanade and the Belmont Station on Metra’s BNSF Line. Continue reading →