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Economic Alliance outlines $2.5 billion in local investment, flags housing and workforce gaps
Summary
Tim Nugent, president of the Economic Alliance, presented the organization's annual report, citing roughly $2.5 billion in investment over five years, more than $8.8 billion in exports, roughly 7,000 local manufacturing jobs, and an ongoing need for housing and workforce training.
Tim Nugent, president of the Economic Alliance, presented the organization’s annual report to the Kankakee County Board, saying the group works with municipalities, realtors and state partners to retain and attract employers and to market county assets.
Nugent told the board that the Economic Alliance tracked about $2,500,000,000 in investment in Kankakee County over the last five years and said county exports total about $8,800,000,000 over the same period. He said the county has roughly 7,000 manufacturing jobs and that manufacturing wages produce nearly $933,000,000 in payroll locally. Nugent also highlighted two recent large projects the alliance helped advance: a CSL Behring expansion (listed among the county’s largest projects) and a Goshen announcement the alliance identified as the state’s largest project in 2023.
Nugent described workforce and housing challenges as pressing constraints on growth. He said Kankakee County’s unemployment rate had been about 5.2 percent — roughly 3,000 people — and that a recent labor-shed analysis shows available workers for manufacturing roles within a 30–45 minute drive. Nugent urged use of existing training funds and partnerships with KCC (Kankakee Community College) and the local career center to upskill residents; the alliance said some training can be provided at no cost to employers through available grants.
On housing, Nugent said the county has not returned to the levels of homebuilding seen in the early 2000s; he said annual county homebuilding in recent years had often fallen below 100 new homes. The alliance has promoted an enterprise zone incentive aimed at lowering costs for builders (Nugent noted the incentive can reduce or eliminate sales tax on building materials and cited potential savings "up to $10,000" per unit). Nugent also said the alliance secured a $4,100,000 federal grant for roof repairs at the former Roper/Diversitech facility in Manteno to help keep roughly 140 workers employed there.
Nugent closed by pointing board members to alliance materials including an annual market profile and Thrive Magazine; he encouraged county leaders to invite alliance staff on economic-development calls and to use the alliance as a local point of contact for prospective employers.
Board members asked about local business counts (Nugent said the alliance tracks larger employers and manufacturers while municipalities track smaller retailers) and about reuse options for the former Cigna/data center building; Nugent said the property had received some interest but faces typical repurposing challenges and high renovation costs.
The Economic Alliance presentation was informational; the board did not take formal action on agenda items tied to the presentation during the meeting.
