By the end of 2015, the community has the potential to gain 156 new jobs with the confirmed opening of two new industries and the likely opening of a third, said Cook County Economic Development Director Lisa Collins. The new industries would represent a total capital investment of $35,250,000.
One of the three projects is Blue Sky Biomass Georgia, located in the former SierraPine plant.
Blue Sky Biomass Georgia is in the process of converting the former particleboard production facility to a wood pellet production facility.
A small number of employees have already been hired to assist with the facility conversion, with full operations expected to begin in early 2016. The wood pellets will be used for industrial power production as well as residential and district heating throughout Europe. The company plans to be in full operation by early 2016, and will create over 100 new jobs for the 24/7 operation of the facility. The total capital investment is approximately $32 million.
Also, local leaders have confirmed the opening of “Project Fir” with a formal announcement and groundbreaking ceremony occurring in a few weeks. The industry will create 16 jobs with a total capital investment of approximately $650,000 for Phase I. “Project Fir” is the first industry to locate in the new industrial park, and the company will provide custom agricultural formulation products. Ms. Collins stated the initial announcement will involve Phase I of the industry, with plans for a Phase II within 24 months. She also said that synergies between the new company and two existing companies, BASF and Micro Chem, are being explored. “The EDC will examine workforce and industry data to determine other potential industries that can be recruited to Cook County to create buyersupplier and shared resource clusters,” she said.
Another company for which a groundbreaking announcement may be made by the end of 2015 is “Project Rig,” a trucking repair, parts, service and sales industry. Project Rig is expected to involve a capital investment of $2.3 million and create 40 jobs.
“The Cook County EDC hopes the community will share in our our excitement as we welcome these new companies to Cook County,” Ms. Collins said. “Last year, we lost one of our largest employers, and these three new industries will not only bring back the number of jobs lost, but will add more jobs, and create more diverse job opportunities for our local citizens.”
In 2015, Ms. Collins and the EDC worked with a total of nine industrial prospects, representing a total capital investment of $331,950,000 and 770 new jobs. Three of the nine prospects should locate in Cook County, another chose a location in a neighboringstate, with the remaining five active prospects representing an additional total capital investment of $257 million and 494 jobs if they choose to locate here. The industries represent manufacturing, solar, and farm equipment.
“Because competition for new industry is global, to be able to land one third of our prospects this year is tremendous,” Ms. Collins said. She added, “An industry looks at all aspects of a community before making a decision to relocate. Location, education, healthcare, workforce, low crime, infrastructure, recreation, housing and cultural amenities are just a few areas that must be strong to compete with other communities vying for the same prospect. In early 2015 the EDC hosted a community stakeholder meeting during which local leaders discussed ways to improve the community in order to assist in the recruitment of new industries. Our community leadership has come together and is investing in positive change to make us more competitive in the global marketplace.”
Last year, the EDC embarked on a new branding and marketing strategy that yielded some very positive results determined by the total number of visits tracked at the website, www.cookcountyedc.com. On the website and during EDC officials’ visits to industry events in such cities as Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas, “we let (prospective industries) know that we’re a rural community, but we offer abundant land, a great location and strong, committed leadership,” Ms. Collins said.
Eighty-five percent of prospective company inquiries to the EDC are about availability of existing buildings in which plants can be set up, Ms. Collins noted. “We have branded ourselves the Steel Building Capital of the South because we have four metal building fabricators right here in Adel,” Ms. Collins said. “We emphasize to the prospective industries that our companies can build a new structure quickly and for a reasonable price, much like what you would pay to retrofit an existing building. In fact, this is how we were able to convince Project Fir and Project Rig to call Adel home.”
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