Good news for Chicago: More jobs are on the way.
Bad news for Illinois: Another business is leaving for Indiana.
Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday made separate announcements about new jobs being created in Chicago.
Quinn touted a $146 million rail crossing project on the city's south side that is estimated to create more than 1,200 jobs during the construction phase. The project is meant to improve safety and freight efficiency to make Chicago more commercially competitive.
Meanwhile, Emanuel showed up with EMC Corporation Chairman and CEO Joe Tucci to announce the information technology company opening a new office in the city, adding 200 new Chicago jobs over the next two years.
“EMC is a global leader in information technology," Emanuel said, "and will drive forward Chicago’s technology economy and presence in this space.”
On the flip side, Illinois-based Modern Forge has decided to move operations to Merrillville, Ind. The company plans to invest about $17 million in a 150,000-square-foot facility and build an additional shop on the 40 acre property, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
"Other states are offering other front-end goodies than we do," The business knows that it's the long-term arithmetic that matters," said Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Once Forge is moved in, its facility in Blue Island is expected to close. The company's president, Greg Hyman, expressed disappointment, saying that while the company's roots are in Blue Island, and the community has worked hard to keep them, the state and Quinn were not responsive.
"I have a message for Governor Quinn: I heard from the governor of Indiana. I never heard from the governor of Illinois," said Hyman.
Quinn responded to the criticism, saying the state did make an offer.
"We wanted them to stay in Illinois. We made an offer to them. They decided to move to Indiana and actually reduce their number of jobs. I wish they would stay here. We did make what I thought was a generous offer to them, but that's their choice," he said.
This derails efforts made by Quinn to keep businesses, such as Motorola Mobility and Caterpillar, in the state.
Still, the governor was focused Tuesday on what's new -- more jobs and a new project.
"This major project will create thousands of jobs by improving the flow of goods and services through one of Chicago’s major manufacturing areas," Quinn said. "My administration is committed to investing in infrastructure and jobs in every region of our state."
