DeKalb County has always had a lot to offer. Now it’s time to take it to the next level.
Opportunity Unbound is an initiative by DeKalb County Economic Development Corp. to bring awareness to the area and promote the continued growth of our community.
DeKalb County is uniquely positioned to leverage the positive momentum of recent business attraction in the area — Ferrara Candy, Facebook and Syngenta – joining expanding established corporations Ideal Industries, 3M, Custom Aluminum Products, The Suter Co., Target and Meadowvale. These successes provide momentum to draw more talent, residents and visitors to the area to support business development.
Location is a key driver. Businesses enjoy speed-to-market at shovel-ready sites with expedited permitting from business-friendly communities. Residents and employees have their choice of urban, suburban, small town and rural lifestyles with easy access to the Chicago metro area. DeKalb County affords congestion-free access to Illinois and mid-American markets via interstate highways, rail and international airports.
In addition, businesses are able to draw from a large workforce with a population of more than 2.5 million within 45 minutes. This creates a competitive market and more opportunity for residents.
Education throughout DeKalb County provides a cradle to career opportunities, including strong preschool programs, high school AP classes, Kishwaukee College career and college prep programs, and Northern Illinois University, which ranks third among U.S. universities with less than $100 million in total research spending according to recent study: The Innovation Impact of U.S. Universities.
DeKalb County’s unique location and talented workforce attract top-tier international corporations and provide residents abundant opportunity to excel in one of many growing job sectors. This, in addition to affordable housing, quality healthcare and exceptional education, make our county a great place for families to work, live and thrive for generations to come.
Opportunity Unbound will help us reach our goals of increasing business and employment opportunities, creating sustainable population growth, increasing household income, and enhancing community quality of life.
This effort to build and enhance our county as a vibrant and thriving community will benefit everyone, but we need your help. The success of the Opportunity Unbound initiative will largely rely on the collective effort of individuals within our community.
Our generous investors drive the Opportunity Unbound program. They include Northwestern Medicine, Facebook, Ideal Industries, Waste Management, First Midwest Bank, Mike Larson and Curran Contracting. I encourage you to join our stakeholders in investing in the Opportunity Unbound initiative by contacting me at borek@dcedc.org or calling 815-895-2711.
You can also show your support by following Opportunity Unbound on social media to keep up to date on the initiative’s progress and economic development news. We ask that you show your DeKalb County pride, support local businesses and help make our county a welcoming community for all.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpportunityUnbound
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opportunity_unbound/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OpportunityUnb1
TikTok: Opportunity Unbound
DCEDC Presents: What’s Happening in Today’s Workforce
Join DCEDC and a panel of human resource, workforce development and education experts for an open discussion on current employee recruiting, hiring and retention trends across DeKalb County and the State of Illinois.
The purpose of the discussion is to share best practices and success stories, as well as link employers directly with helpful local contacts and resources to meet today’s talent acquisition and retention challenges.
Panelists will include Kelly Gillespie, owner of Express Employment Professionals of DeKalb; Glenn Edwards, technical specialist-workforce planning and development for Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center; and LaCretia Konan, dean of Workforce & Community Education at Kishwaukee College.
Gillespie trains, coaches and develops employment specialists to screen and recruit the right candidates for clients while getting job seekers in front of hiring managers quickly and efficiently. She will provide labor market data and describe the characteristics and conditions affecting today’s workforce.
Throughout his career, Edwards has helped companies transform how they develop their people resources to make a positive impact in their lives and get a return their investment. He will outline examples of best practices in talent acquisition and retention, as well as the cost of turnover.
Konan directs and leads efforts to form and manage strategic partnerships with businesses and industry leaders to address workforce needs. A priority of Kishwaukee College is engagement with local employers to assess needs and deliver programs or customized training. Konan will provide information on grants and other resources available to assist employers.
What’s Happening in Today’s Workforce is presented by DCEDC’s Business Retention & Expansion / Talent Pipeline Committee, co-chaired by DCEDC Vice President Jennifer Walker and Past President Paul Callighan.
This complimentary virtual event will take place at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, via Zoom. Participants may register at https://dcedc.org/events/.
• Paul Borek is executive director of DeKalb County Economic Development Corp.