Chicago Growing, Fourth Quarter 2013

This issue of Chicago Growing identifies 64 growing companies*, illustrated on the interactive map below (red map markers indicate a headquarters):

*Refers to data for new and expanding companies with a physical address in the 14-county Chicago region that meet at least one of these criteria: $1M investment, a net gain of 20,000 sq ft, a net gain of 50 jobs, a headquarters facility and/or WBC involvement. WBC captures project information at the time of announcement from media outlets, press releases, company websites, and WBC internal reporting on a rolling basis; the quality of each record depends on the availability of data and resources to input and confirm information. Data subject to revision.

During the fourth quarter of 2013, companies large and small expanded and located in Chicago, from Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) to Sustainable Solutions LED (SSL).

ADM chose to move its global headquarters to Chicago. “I am pleased to welcome ADM to Chicago and I look forward to the company’s continued success out of their new home,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “As I said throughout this process, our goal was to put the city’s best foot forward and highlight Chicago’s strengths: an outstanding workforce, globally renowned transportation and infrastructure, and excellent quality of life. These strengths will help ADM as it continues its growth in the future just as they continue to drive our economy forward every day.”

Throughout ADM’s Site Selection process, Mayor Emanuel marshaled all of the city’s economic development entities toward the goal of attracting ADM, including World Business Chicago, and the city’s Department of Planning and Development.

Smaller companies such as SSL also chose Chicago for their growth. SSL moved its offices and showroom (15 jobs) from Hinsdale to downtown Chicago with plans to add an additional 20 technical, engineering, sales and project management jobs over the next two years.

“Being headquartered in Chicago places us in the epicenter of the greatest concentration of sustainability-conscious businesses and organizations,” said Bill Ryan, CEO of Sustainable Solutions LED.

Ryan noted that the City’s commitment to sustainable buildings and access to highly-skilled talent were key reasons the company chose to relocate in Chicago.

This quarter’s Chicago Growing map shows additional companies that have grown or expanded in Chicago through December 2013.