HARRISBURG - Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced that a $630,000 Opportunity Returns grant is being awarded to the City of Harrisburg in Saline County to support Midwest Fabrication & Repair, Inc. in expanding its operations, which will include the purchase of a new building and the installation of new robotics equipment. It also will allow for the creation of 40 new jobs. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is administering the grant and comes as part of the Governor’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy for Southern Illinois.
“Harrisburg is a great community with thriving local businesses and hardworking men and women, and we want to help put even more of them to work. We recognize how important Midwest Fabrication & Repair is to the local economy, as well as to the customers it serves around the world. We will continue investing in companies and communities that are investing in Southern Illinois to help create more and better jobs,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
Midwest Fabrication & Repair began in Jim Ozee’s garage in 1991 with $35,000 and one employee and has since grown in to a $3.5 million company with nearly 60 employees. The company started out doing automotive and mining fabrication and later added agricultural parts manufacturing. Both business segments have been operated out of the same building for many years, and the company’s growth has necessitated the construction of a new building for its manufacturing production.
“We greatly appreciate this assistance from Gov. Blagojevich and the City of Harrisburg. The funding will support our much-needed building expansion, so we can continue to work and grow with the customers in our automotive and mining fabrication business like automotive giant Toyota and, in our manufacturing business, with new customers like industry leader, John Deere, and Cioti, Montana and Bush Hog,” Midwest Fabrication President Jim Ozee said.
“Gov. Blagojevich has demonstrated a real commitment to build, grow and invest in Southern Illinois companies like Midwest Fabrication that will make our region more prosperous, both now and in the future, and create more new jobs,” State Senator Gary Forby (D-Benton) said.
“It has been proven over time that Opportunity Returns is vital in building up our companies and communities and creating more good jobs. Gov. Blagojevich’s continued support is helping to put some of our burgeoning local businesses on the road to even greater success,” said State Representative Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg).
Last week, Gov. Blagojevich announced Illinois added more new jobs than any other state in July. In July, Illinois led the nation in monthly job growth by creating 29,800 new jobs. This is the second time this year Illinois has created more new jobs than any other state, which has never happened before in recorded history. Illinois also led the nation in job growth in April. The total number of new jobs created this year is almost 70,000, which is the best start to a year since 1998 and more new jobs than all Midwest states combined. The Illinois unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in July, falling lower than the national rate, which is 4.8 percent, for the second consecutive month. This is the first time this has happened in more than seven years. Since January 2004, Illinois has gained 144,300 new jobs, which is almost 60,000 more new jobs than the next closest Midwest state. These statistics were compiled by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has posted its July data at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/laus.pdf
Site Selection Magazine ranked Illinois third in the nation for attracting new and expanded corporate facilities in 2005.
“Midwest Fabrication & Repair is a true local success story, and we are grateful for Gov. Blagojevich’s support in taking the company to the next level and helping it compete with the leaders in its industry. With this grant, the company will be able to purchase a new building, update its existing equipment and, ultimately, add to its workforce,” City of Harrisburg Mayor Ron Morse said.
“This Opportunity Returns grant will enable Midwest Fabrication to take its business to another level by becoming stronger and more competitive in the marketplace. By unlocking the potential of local businesses on the verge of tremendous success, we can create jobs and keep our economy strong and growing. Gov. Blagojevich made a commitment to creating new jobs and providing a better, stronger future, and this is further evidence of how we are achieving these goals everyday across Southern Illinois,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
The Illinois Finance Authority has also approved more than $700,000 in low-interest loans to help finance the purchase of new equipment and the acquisition and improvement of the 43,000 square-foot industrial building.
“Our role is to help businesses and communities grow by providing affordable financing to projects that create jobs and improve the quality of life in Illinois," said Jill Rendleman, interim director of the Illinois Finance Authority. “We’re proud to be able to support the expansion of Midwest Fabrication, which will create and retain jobs locally and help fuel economic growth statewide.”
Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.