Economic Development

Officials are pursuing commercial, retail and large-scale industrial investments across the area.

The DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation’s longtime executive director, Paul Borek, is set to retire, the agency announced recently, along with plans to begin the search for Borek’s successor.

Community leaders came together Thursday to offer Sycamore-centered updates on economic growth, parks and education in what the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce billed as a state of the community address.

State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, is partnering with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to help local businesses receive recovery funding through a state grant program implemented to help those greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Area businesses gathered Thursday in DeKalb for a seminar to discuss what they called low workforce participation rates and how to attract and retain employees.

Film production has been a growing part of Illinois’ economy, with a record high of $630 million in economic impact in 2021.

Blackhawk Hills Regional Council in Rock Falls awarded a grant for $233,000

The Blackhawk Hills Regional Council in Rock Falls was awarded a grant for $233,000 to be used to plan further development of the portion of the Great River Trail that runs from Savanna south to the border with Whiteside County.

Borek: The DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) is pleased to announce Katelyn Lancaster as the DeKalb County Marketing Manager for the Opportunity Unbound Branding Program.

The project, along South Galena Avenue across from Walmart between Keul and Bloody Gulch roads, has plans to include the construction of a dozen buildings.

The plan would include looking at transportation conditions and trends as well as workforce needs, engineering designs, and traffic routing and congestion.

During a 35th anniversary event for the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, area leaders said jobs and economic growth since 2020 far outpace trends dating back decades, due in part to county rebranding efforts and development in the city's south side.

More than 3 years in the making, the project went from an idea to a vision to a reality after working with developers, landowners, and state and local government officials, Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said.

The Gateway Project is a major development on 27 acres along South Galena Avenue across from Walmart between Keul and Bloody Gulch roads with plans to include the construction of a dozen buildings.

In about two weeks, the Hillcrest Shopping Center on DeKalb’s north side will be demolished, part of a yearslong plan by the city of DeKalb to rehabilitate the space which once housed businesses and residents alike.