Skip to main content

SCAM ALERT: DCEO has been made aware of organizations receiving fraudulent “notice of award” letters claiming to be from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. These are not legitimate notices from DCEO. If your organization receives a notice, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission and/or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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

Large Employers:

Corporate HQ:

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 Senior Region Manager
312-305-1892
Renee.Wott@Illinois.gov

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