HUNTLEY – Hampshire-based air filter maker RPS Products Inc. plans to move part of its operations to the former Dean Foods building in Huntley.
RPS Products will employ more than 50 people in Huntley, according to local officials who helped with the relocation. The company could begin operations as early as June 1.
RPS President Dan Schuld cited the location's proximity to the I-90 interchange. The Illinios Department of Transportation is building a $69 million full Interstate 90-Route 47 interchange. The project is expected to be completed late this year.
"Our location in Huntley, only 1.5 miles from the new I-90 interchange, will allow us to be highly efficient in the transportation and logistical elements of our operations," he said in a press release. "Clearly, the new interchange was a significant positive factor in our decision to locate in Huntley.”
RPS Products sells its Best Air brand producs to major retailers in the United States. It plans to move into the former Dean Foods building at 12007 Smith Drive. The 65,000-square-foot building has been vacant for about a decade, said Victor Narusis, the village's business recruitment coordinator.
The village hasn't pledged financial incentives to the company, but Narusis said village staff plan to work with the company to see what incentives they can help secure from the state, ComEd, and other agencies to ease the transition.
The McHenry County Economic Development Corp. worked with village staff to facilite the move in a relatively short three-week span.
"The RPS move demonstrates our continued focus on growing Huntley’s industrial base," village President Charles Sass said in a statement released this week. "The addition of RPS to Huntley’s business community not only brings new jobs, but further diversifies the village’s tax base."
RPS is a leading supplier of residential home filters and related products.