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Illinois Northeast Region

Regional Hubs

  • Chicago
  • Aurora
  • Joliet
  • Naperville
  • Elgin
  • Waukegan
  • Cicero

Counties

  • Cook
  • DuPage
  • Lake
  • Will
  • Kane
  • McHenry
  • Kendall
  • Kankakee
  • DeKalb
  • Grundy

Key Industries

  • IT
  • Energy
  • Life Sciences & Healthcare
  • Manufacturing & Agribusiness
  • AgTech
  • Food Manufacturing
  • Machinery

Major Employers and Headquarters

Higher Education

Unique Facts

  • Population 7,655,490+; Workforce of almost 4,000,000
  • Home to several Fortune 500 companies; 275 digital startups launched annually; over two-thirds of Illinois’ manufacturers are located in the Northeast Region, with 10,000+ manufacturing facilities (2020).
    3rd largest container hub in the world
  • 4 hours or less flight times to all North American destinations
  • Northeast Region is home to the United State Navy Boot Camp which serves as a major economic driver to the State
  • Home to the Illinois Medical District (IMD), which is made up of over 560 acres of medical research facilities, labs, a biotech business incubator, and two universities. The IMD is anchored by four major hospitals.

Chicago facts

  • #1 metro for Big Ten Alumni & #1 city for Recent Grads (2020)
  • Ranked “Top Metro” for corporate expansions 7 consecutive years (2020)
  • 416 business expansions/relocations (Chicago MSA); $5Binvestment (2020)
  • #1 in Foreign Direct Investment (2019)
  • 1,800+ foreign based companies accounting for $140B+in FDI (2020)
  • Home to many of the world's leading stock exchanges, including the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and the Chicago Board Options Exchange, making the Chicago area a leader in the financial services industry

Region Specific Assistance

Renee Wott, MPA
Northeast Regional Manager
(O) 312.793.9573
Renee.Wott@Illinois.gov

Joe McKeown
Northeast Region Manager
312-814-1457
Joseph.Mckeown@illinois.gov

Agnes Masnik
Northeast Region Manager
312-882-6840
Agnes.Masnik@illinois.gov

Sacella Smith
Northeast Region Manager
312-639-4029
Sacella.Smith@Illinois.gov

The Illinois Department of Commerce is Your One-Stop Resource
  • Site Selection
  • Customized Workforce Training
  • Regional & Local Collaboration
  • Expedited Permitting, Licensing & Other Approvals
  • Connection to Key Stakeholders and Civic & Business Partners
  • Potential Financial Support
  • And more!