State Representatives Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) and Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) issued the following statement today upon the announcement that the Ferrara Candy Company will move into a new 1.6 million-square-foot distribution center in the ChicagoWest Business Center near Interstate 88 by the end of 2020:
“Today’s announcement from Ferrara brings a significant investment of 1,000 new jobs that will boost our local economy in the DeKalb region, with 500 new jobs in the first phase alone. We have both said that creating jobs is one of our top priorities. As part of the bipartisan state budget and capital bill approved by the General Assembly last year, we were able to enact pro-business reforms that will lay the groundwork for thousands of new jobs for years to come. Specifically, these reforms included the creation of the Blue Collar Jobs Act to attract large-scale construction; reinstatement of the Manufacturer’s Purchase Credit to encourage further investments in manufacturing in Illinois; and elimination of the Franchise Tax. Passage of these pro-business reforms made it possible for DeKalb to land Ferrara to the ChicagoWest Business Center, and the capital bill secured the funding necessary to prepare the site for such a large investment.
“We would like to recognize and thank Paul Borek, Executive Director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas and Mayor Jerry Smith for all of their combined efforts and support to showcase DeKalb as the ideal location for the jobs and opportunity that will be brought by Ferrara’s decision to invest in our community. We’d also like to thank Governor Pritzker for supporting these critical reforms and the staff at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for their assistance in securing these investments.”