BOLSTERING BUSINESS SUCCESS
From jobs to innovation to address local and regional needs, businesses and industries — large and small — are essential to driving Illinois’ economic power. That’s why we’re leveraging the University of Illinois System’s resources to ensure businesses succeed.
Through our strategic partnerships and targeted support for entrepreneurs, businesses, and industries, we’re helping fuel a thriving economy. By equipping learners of all ages with the skills to meet critical workforce needs, we’re strengthening talent pipelines and fostering innovation.
BUSINESS LEADERS ENGAGED STATEWIDE
The heart of American transportation
Chicago has long been a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, serving as a critical transportation hub at the crossroads of the nation. This legacy of driving economic outcomes for Illinois was the focus of our visit to CSX Transportation Intermodal.
Our tour of the intermodal yard underscored the vital role of seamless logistics in moving goods across the country and the incredible diversity of jobs and innovations required to power such an operation. From cutting-edge technologies to the skilled workforce behind the scenes, the intermodal yard demonstrated how this industry fuels a thriving economy by connecting communities and creating opportunities.
The visit also included a dynamic discussion led by Bedford Park Mayor David Brady, featuring stakeholders from engineering, industry, and manufacturing—the economic engines of Cook County. The conversation highlighted the importance of collaboration in strengthening Illinois’ economy and showcased how collaborations with industries are driving innovation, creating jobs, and contributing to a resilient and prosperous future for the region.
Incubating innovation
Established in 2018 and led by the U of I system, the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) aims to foster a thriving economy by promoting research, entrepreneurship, and public-private partnerships that generate solutions to pressing societal challenges. In collaboration with the state’s public universities — as well as industry, government and communities — we leverage our unique strengths to contribute to local and statewide innovation efforts.
We toured IIN’s Distillery Labs, a newly completed capital project, during our state tour and explored the ways this facility serves as a beacon of progress.
Distillery Labs, located in Peoria's Innovation District, is a 40,000-square-foot innovation hub designed to support startup founders and small businesses. By providing coworking spaces, mentorship programs, networking events, and tools, it empowers entrepreneurs to turn ideas into successful ventures.
Notably, Distillery Labs hosts the gBETA Distillery Labs program, a free, seven-week accelerator for early-stage companies with local roots, fostering growth and innovation. The hub also advances healthcare, medical technology, and biomedical innovations, collaborating with stakeholders to build a thriving ecosystem in the Peoria region.
Through facilities like Distillery Labs, the U of I System continues to strengthen its commitment to building a resilient and prosperous Illinois for generations to come.
Revving up the future of transportation
In Rantoul, we found the spot where the rubber literally will meet the road for the vehicles of the future: the Illinois Autonomous and Connected Track, or I-ACT, at the Illinois Center for Transportation.
At the in-progress I-ACT, researchers will evaluate and refine electrified, connected, and autonomous vehicles. The net-zero high-speed track will feature rural, suburban, and urban test roadways, as well as a multimodal area, to shape progressive and sustainable transportation to address state- and nationwide demand.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign facility continually innovates and evolves through the system’s longtime partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation. The partnership helps shape an even stronger state economy by future-proofing how people and the goods they need effectively and efficiently traverse our region and country.
Fueling entrepreneurial ecosystems
Decatur, famously known as the Soybean Capital of the World, boasts a rich legacy of industrial and agricultural commodity processing. Building on this strong agricultural foundation, the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub (iFAB) is poised to lead on a global scale, driving innovation in precision fermentation and biomanufacturing to shape the future of sustainable agriculture and industry. These sustainable processes transform biomass into food, medicine, and materials, significantly reducing waste and reliance on fossil fuels, positioning Decatur as a hub for cutting-edge advancements in sustainability and industry.
In July 2024, iFAB received a federal award of approximately $51 million from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
We visited Innovafeed and Primient and engaged in discussions with Decatur-area leaders about potential partnerships in future economic development initiatives. With more than 30 partner organizations focused on economic development, iFAB serves as an example of the U of I System’s ability to deliver excellence at scale through just one of our many networks of networks.
Feeding Illinois, and the world
In Teutopolis, our visit to the thriving Siemer Milling Company highlights how the strong connections between academia and industry — particularly in agricultural and food sciences — bolster rural, suburban, and urban economies and wellbeing.
Siemer Milling launched in 1882. Today, it employs 170 people and purchases 25 million bushels of locally grown wheat each year to produce some 750,000 tons of processed wheat products.
Showcasing UIUC College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences alumni and donor Richard Siemer’s work, this stop underscores the system’s commitment to advancing research and education in grain science, fostering innovation, and strengthening industry partnerships close to home and around the world. Built on farming and food-production foundations, the Illinois economy benefits from both the advancements and partnerships in this essential industry.
