More than 50 attendees gathered on a sunny day at Olivet Nazarene University to watch the first day of Chicago Bears training camp and learn about growth opportunities in Bourbonnais and the Kankakee County region.
The 2016 Developers’ Day program included a brief presentation by education partners Olivet Nazarene University and Kankakee Community College, utility partners ComEd and Aqua Illinois, and industry partner CSL Behring, a global bioscience leader in the midst of a $250 million expansion of its Kankakee site.
Speakers reinforced Kankakee County’s site location advantages, including a relatively low cost of doing business and growth-oriented regulatory environment, along with:
• The new Bourbonnais Parkway interchange• $1 billion+ in capital investment for 2014/2015• Labor force of 400,000 within 30-minute drive• 50 miles and less than 1-hour drive from Downtown Chicago• 5-year property tax abatement and sales tax exemption for new construction• Robust industrial base includes 6 Fortune 500/Global 500 manufacturers
“This is a great event. We have the opportunity to showcase Bourbonnais and our area to the greater Chicagoland region, with a new Interstate 57 interchange opening in 2017, providing direct access to thousands of commercial and industrial acres to development, Bears camp is a great venue to generate excitement,” said Bourbonnais Mayor Paul Schore.
In 2014, Olivet Nazarene University signed a nine year extension with the Bears to host its summer training camp. “We look forward to making Developer’s Day an annual event at training camp and highlighting our great community” Mayor Schore added.
