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
- Aurora University
- DePaul University
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Loyola University Chicago
- Northwestern University (#9 nationally ranked university)
- University of Chicago (#6 nationally ranked university)
- University of Illinois at Chicago
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
312-305-1892
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!