business expansion

Planning a Business Expansion? We can help.

Planning a new business expansion in Chicago or the greater Chicago region? Looking to relocate to the DuPage County area? Choose DuPage can provide expert guidance, key resources and valuable business connections to help you navigate the challenges of business development.

Located just west of Chicago, DuPage County is a global hub for a diverse range of industries and sub-sectors, from data centers and logistics to advanced manufacturing, healthcare, food processing and more.

Now, small businesses, start-ups and large corporations alike are choosing DuPage to relocate or expand their business, and Choose DuPage is helping them make it happen

Why DuPage?

DuPage offers businesses a variety of benefits, from a strong talent pipeline to a collaborative business climate, a strategic location, and more.

At a time when businesses around the world are struggling to navigate their supply chain and get ahold of the materials they need, DuPage is strategically located at the center of a global cargo gateway.

Here, millions of tons of cargo move through three nearby international airports (O’Hare, Midway, and the DuPage Airport). DuPage is also located near the nation’s largest inland port, the busiest railroad hub in the U.S., and a highway system that connects businesses in Chicagoland with cities across the Midwest market and beyond. DuPage’s location makes it easier for businesses to access goods, customers, and vendors along the supply chain.

Meanwhile, as businesses compete for talent, DuPage offers one of the nation’s leading talent markets. Our strong workforce ecosystem and seamless talent pipeline are built on national-caliber educational institutions and a diverse economy, as well as organizations and programs that help connect employers to workers.

With more than 640,000 workers in DuPage with a diverse range of skills and educational attainment levels – plus the nearby Chicago talent pool – businesses in the region have access to the workforce they need.

In addition to a strategic location and a strong workforce ecosystem, DuPage offers tax incentives for expansion, as well as low commercial property taxes, close proximity to millions of consumers across Chicagoland, and opportunities to connect with other businesses in a collaborative environment.

The challenge of expansion and relocation

Although it’s often the result of a business’ growth, the process of expanding or relocating to a new area is often one of a business’ greatest challenges.

Whether it’s a start-up that’s expanding its customer base or a well-known corporation opening a new customer service center, most businesses must eventually expand or relocate.

To do so, they may have to purchase new assets, open new units, hire and train additional staff, develop new marketing strategies, move their business to a new location, or add additional square footage to a current location. Expansion or relocation requires a major material investment and a number of difficult decisions, and success ultimately comes down to good planning, solid data and insights, and some help from those who know the market best.

Many businesses struggle to expand or relocate not because they lack the will to do so, but because they don’t have the right knowledge, resources and local connections. Expansion often requires training new employees, finding a location to expand their operations, and connecting with vendors and other businesses in the area along the supply chain—and that requires deep knowledge of the local market.

Before a business expands or relocates, they should strive to understand the market in which they are doing business. They should research local market conditions to understand where their sector is heading, whether the area has the workforce to support their business, and how the regional economy is expected to perform in the future.

Unfortunately, most start-ups and small businesses don’t have the time or resources to thoroughly research the area in which they are expanding. Even for larger businesses, finding reliable, relevant data and building connections within the local supply chain is often difficult.

How Choose DuPage can help

Choose DuPage is an alliance of DuPage County’s public and private sector leaders, representing a wide range of industries and interests within DuPage. Together, we are committed to helping our region and our business community thrive.

As local insiders and experts in the DuPage and greater Chicagoland region, we have the resources, connections and expertise to connect you with incentive programs, help you find the right location for your business, and use reliable, relevant data to understand the region’s economy and business climate.

Industry-Sector Reports: Plan smarter with valuable insights and key data points on your market.

Understanding the present and projected future conditions of a local market is critical to successfully expanding within or relocating to a region.

How is the market expected to perform over the coming years? What is the current state of the workforce for your subsector? How can you connect with vendors, suppliers and other businesses along your supply chain?

Choose DuPage can provide a detailed industry-sector report with critical information about factors like workforce, supply chain, and the overall business climate in DuPage for your industry.

Site Selection Assistance: Work with a local expert to find the right space for your business.

When relocating to a new area, selecting the right location can ultimately determine a business’ success or failure. However, if you are unfamiliar with the area, choosing the right site can be difficult.

It helps to have an expert with a local perspective. At Choose DuPage, we have a deep understanding of the area’s commercial real estate market, and we can help you find a space that suits your needs.

Commercial Collaboration: Learn from peers and connect with businesses along the supply chain.

We offer a variety of opportunities for commercial collaboration, including classes, seminars and networking events. These meetings and events help connect you with other businesses in your industry and along the supply chain, as well as organizations along the talent pipeline that can help you recruit and develop your workforce.

Specialized Resources and Incentives: Access programs designed to help you achieve your goals.

From not-for-profit organizations providing training and consulting services to angel investment programs for start-up business expansion in Chicago and the Chicago area, DuPage businesses can access a wide range of resources and incentives to help achieve their goals. Learn more about these programs on Choose DuPage’s resources page.

Get in touch with Choose DuPage.

For more information on expanding or relocating your business in DuPage County, contact us at info@ChooseDuPage.com.

Illinois Ranks Third in Nation for Corporate Investment

480 projects accounted for 21,000 jobs and $3.5B in investment in 2021

Illinois ranks third in the nation for number of corporate expansion and relocation projects in 2021 in Site Selection’s annual Governor’s Cup report on economic development efforts across the country. The publication noted 480 Illinois projects in 2021 accounting for 21,000 jobs and $3.5B in investment, moving the state up from the number four spot in the previous year’s rankings.

“Companies want to be in Illinois to take advantage of our central location and productive workforce,” said Intersect Illinois CEO Dan Seals. “These rankings also reflect our focus on key industries like electric vehicles and healthcare, where Illinois has particular strengths.”

The issue also named the Chicago metropolitan area as the Top Metro for corporate investment for areas with populations over 1 million for the 9th straight year. The magazine sites food, e-commerce, manufacturing, life sciences and tech as being drivers for nationwide growth and notes that the Chicago region’s diverse economy makes it well-positioned to accommodate projects in these sectors.

“Illinois is the best place to live, work and do business and our state continues to be a national leader when it comes to having the ingredients businesses need to succeed,” said Sylvia I. Garcia, Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. “Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, Illinois continues to be a leader in world class talent, strong infrastructure and high quality of life.”

“The Governor’s Cups recognize not only the winning governors, but their entire economic development teams, and by extension, the many professionals throughout their states who work every day to attract new investment and retain and grow existing businesses,” says Mark Arend, editor in chief of Site Selection.

Site Selection’s yearly analyses are regarded by corporate real estate analysts as “the industry scoreboard.” To qualify, projects must meet one or more of these criteria: investment of $1M or more, creation of 20 or more new jobs or 20,000 sq. ft. or more of new space.


INTERSECT ILLINOIS is the statewide economic development organization focused on bringing new jobs and investment to the state. Intersect collaborates with industry, academic and government partners throughout the state. To date, Intersect Illinois has helped bring over 15,800 jobs and $4.7 billion in investment to Illinois.

diversity in business

How Diversity Creates Business Opportunities in DuPage

What makes a city, county or region a good place for a business expansion or business relocation?

Or how about a more basic question: What makes an economy strong?

While you may think that the answer to that second question is obvious, the world in which economies operate has changed drastically, as has our definition of economic strength.

Understanding how that definition has changed—and what makes for a strong economy in the 2020’s—is critical to finding the right place to grow your business.

Why Top Economies Have Shifted from Specialization to Diversity

Let’s start with the definition: What is a strong economy?

If you asked someone a century ago, they would probably point you to a place like Detroit, where the city’s economy was almost entirely driven by the automotive industry.

At the time, they were correct: Globalization wasn’t nearly as sophisticated as it is now, supply chains were simpler, and, in general, markets changed at a slower rate. By specializing in a single industry—or, in the case of many “factory towns” across America, a single business—a region could focus its workforce, recruiting efforts, education and resources on that industry. By doing so, they could outcompete other regions in that space.

Clearly, this is no longer the case. The collapse of Detroit’s automotive industry was shocking. However, after seeing much the same occur in factory town after factory town across America, it isn’t altogether surprising that a region couldn’t afford to be so specialized.

The Detroit automotive industry was robust and, in its heyday, untouchable. But its greatest strength in the 20th century—an acute focus on a single sector—proved to be a fatal flaw in the 21st.

Why is this? Why is extreme specialization no longer the hallmark of a strong economy? And what economic models have arisen to dethrone it?

The short answer is that everything is more connected than it has ever been. Our world economy is no longer divided into distinct regions; it’s globalized. The economy is like a three-dimensional spider web, where every point is connected to every other through complex and layered networks—AKA supply chains—that are often hard to see and harder to unravel. When a disruption occurs along one strand, it’s felt across all the others.

This is why it feels like change is occurring at such a rapid pace. It’s not necessarily that more change is occurring—though it may be—but that we feel every vibration.

The End of the Factory Town

Not surprisingly, the economies that flourish in today’s intricately connected markets are often the opposite of those that dominated yesterday’s siloed economies. While the image of a robust economy in America was once the “factory town”—a place where a single business or small group of businesses dominated the local economy—today’s most successful economies are characterized by their diversity.

What makes these diverse economies so powerful is that they have the flexibility to withstand fluctuations in today’s global economy, where markets experience disruptions at a greater frequency.

When a disruption occurs, more rigid economies tend to succeed or snap, either experiencing a boom period or giving way beneath the pressure. Diverse economies react differently. When a disruption occurs, certain sub-sectors may be negatively impacted; however, others may flourish within the new conditions, and their success will uphold the economy at large.

Rather than watching the market fearfully, hoping it will turn in their favor, diverse economies focus on succeeding within whatever conditions they are given, knowing their flexibility will keep them resilient through whatever change comes their way.

DuPage County: Diverse, Resilient and Ready

One example of an area with the economic diversity and resiliency to succeed in today’s market is DuPage County, Illinois.

Located just west of Chicago, DuPage is home to thousands of businesses from a wide range of industries. And while certain sectors—like healthcare, manufacturing and data centers—play a leading role in the region’s economy, no single industry represents more than 10% of the area’s GDP. No single sector dominates DuPage.

Instead, it’s the diversity of industries—as well as the conditions that help attract, retain and grow businesses—that make DuPage County a resilient economy today with a promising outlook for tomorrow.

There are numerous factors driving the success of DuPage’s diverse economy. There’s the strategic location; DuPage is located at the heart of a global freight gateway, a hub where numerous supply chains intersect at three international airports, the nation’s busiest rail gateway, the largest inland port in North America, and several major interstates.

There’s the high quality of life, with beautiful neighbors alongside culturally rich downtowns and some of the best school systems in the nation.

And there’s the commercial collaboration. DuPage businesses have a proud history of working together to solve shared problems and help one another reach their goals. Since the pandemic, those bonds have only strengthened, as businesses across the region work together, alongside community organizations like Choose DuPage, to solve supply chain challenges.

However, the factor that has most influenced—and has been influenced by—DuPage’s diverse economy is its workforce ecosystem.

Workforce Opportunities in DuPage

DuPage is home to more than 640,000 workers representing a wide range of education levels, skillsets, and industry specialties. There is also a massive talent pool accessible in nearby Chicago and other surrounding areas.

But it’s not only the size or even the diversity of the DuPage workforce that makes it so well-suited for the DuPage economy. It’s the entire ecosystem of talented individuals, national-caliber educational institutions, businesses, and organizations—like Innovation DuPage—that help bridge the gap between talent and employers.

The synergy between the businesses, talent and institutions forms the foundation of DuPage’s resilient, sustainable economy. Its impact can be seen across DuPage’s leading sectors, including:

  • Healthcare and Social Assistance (employing 74,000+ workers)
  • Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (employing 60,000+)
  • Retail Trade (employing 55,000+)
  • Food Processing & Distribution (employing 11,700+)
  • Administrative and Support, and Waste Management and Remediation Services (employing 54,000+)
  • Manufacturing (employing 54,000+)
  • Data Centers (with a 3.4% annual growth rate, the Chicagoland Region is ranked the #2 metro in the United States for this market)

How to find new business sites in DuPage

Looking for new business sites or business expansion sites in DuPage County, Illinois?

Choose DuPage has a number of resources to help:

View and learn more about some of the top sites in DuPage County on our featured properties page.

Explore an 800-acre West Chicago campus designed for a variety of sectors—including manufacturing, office, data centers and more—on our DuPage Business Center page.

Or, for assistance with site selection, business plans and expansion strategies, submit a Request Information form here.

1211 W 22nd Street Oak Brook

Nexdigm Expands its Global Presence with New Office in DuPage County

The Consul General of India, State of Illinois, and Choose DuPage joined Nexdigm to announce the company’s first North American office in Oak Brook, Illinois. Nexdigm is an employee-owned, privately held, independent global organization that helps companies across geographies meet the needs of a dynamic business environment in professional and business services. Nexdigm currently serves hundreds of US business clients.  

Speaking on the occasion from his Oak Brook office, Guljit Singh, Group Executive Chairman, said, “Our expansion is not limited. With this office and our new offices in Poland and UAE, we hope to increase collaboration on a global scale. It will help our customers choose between onsite and offsite services per their requirements. Additionally, we can now service our clients round the clock.”

For Nexdigm, this is a multimillion-dollar investment in the region and will create several high-paying jobs. This location will initially support several key senior advisers situated in North America who play a significant role in the management and functioning of the company. In addition, 12 new executives and their teams will serve a wide range of industries, with a specific focus in healthcare, food processing, banking and financial sectors. Over the last decade, the company has grown on many continents, employing over 1,300 people in the US, India, UAE, Poland, and Japan, providing transnational support to numerous clients through their 12 offices worldwide.

The Oak Brook office grand opening was attended by several government dignitaries along with senior leaders of prominent multinationals and industry associations.

Nexidigm

“Over the past 18 months, I’ve gotten to know Nexdigm, and we have organized several activities with them focusing on specific sectors and areas where we can collaborate. They have, of course, a great understanding of India and the US markets, and I’m really excited that they now have a physical presence in the US, and that too in the Chicago area, the heart of the US mid-west, an area that is under my jurisdiction,” said Amit Kumar, Consul General of India in Chicago.

“We congratulate Nexdigm on choosing Illinois for their first U.S. location,” said Margo Markopoulos, Director of Office of Trade at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “Illinois continues to welcome new companies to our state, thanks to our location, diverse industries, and skilled workforce. Nexdigm joins over 2,000 foreign-based companies that have located in Illinois, and who employ over 300,000 Illinoisans. The Illinois Department of Commerce is excited to work with Nexdigm as they continue to grow their footprint, right here in Illinois.”

“DuPage County and Choose DuPage is thrilled to welcome Nexdigm to Oak Brook, Illinois,” said Greg Bedalov, President and CEO of Choose DuPage. “Nexdigm’s choice of DuPage County and Oak Brook for its first North American offices signifies a tremendous commitment to our region. We are dedicated to working with Nexdigm to assure its long-term success and extremely grateful for Nexdigm’s investment in DuPage County. The new office marks a significant milestone in Nexdigm’s journey.”

For current and future opportunities, and more information, visit www.nexdigm.com

About Nexdigm

Nexdigm is an employee-owned, independent, global organization serving clients from more than 50 countries. Harnessing our multifunctional and digital capabilities across Business Services and Professional Services, we provide our customers, both listed and privately held firms, with integrated solutions navigating complex challenges. Nexdigm resonates with our plunge into a new paradigm of business; it is our commitment to Think Next.

 

Glendale Heights Industrial Lease

Pair of Industrial Leases in Glendale Heights Totals Over 300K SF

Lee & Associates, the largest broker-owned commercial real estate firm in North America, has closed a pair of industrial lease transactions totaling 311,444 square feet in Glendale Heights, Ill. 

Jeff Janda, SIOR and Michael Plumb, Principals at Lee & Associates’ Illinois office, represented owner Link Logistics on two leases at neighboring buildings 101 & 500 Regency Drive.

101 Regency Drive, a 150,784-square-foot building, was leased to United Business Mail. The tenant was represented by Steve Kohn with Avison Young.

500 Regency Drive, a 160,660-square-foot building, was leased to a hardware company, represented by Chris Lydon and Fort Richardson with Avison Young.  


About Lee & Associates

Lee & Associates offers an array of real estate services tailored to meet the needs of the company’s clients, including commercial real estate brokerage, integrated services, and construction services. Established in 1979, Lee & Associates is now an international firm with offices throughout the United States and Canada. For the latest news from Lee & Associates, visit lee-associates.com.