In searching for the right location, Trim Masters narrowed its choices down to three states and chose Illinois largely because of its assistance. The state will provide more than $187,000 in job training funds and $500,000 in infrastructure assistance to help finance water and wastewater projects. In addition, the city of Lawrenceville will donate the plant site.

"The enthusiasm of the people in the Lawrenceville area was one of the reasons we chose to locate here," said Philip Ashcraft, Trim Masters' senior vice president and general manager. "That local support, combined with an excellent labor pool and the incentives offered by the state of Illinois, helped to make locating in Lawrenceville an easy decision for Trim Masters."

Illinois was also the victor when Alcoa decided to build its $48 million, 165,000 square foot manufacturing facility in the state. The company's Aerospace/Commercial Rolled Products Division will locate an automotive aluminum sheet finishing operation in Danville's Southgate Industrial Park, where it will initially create 35 new jobs.

"Our need was for speed and Danville is a community with a vision and the strategies to meet our needs," said Tim Wilkinson, division vice president, explaining the company's decision to locate in Danville. "The educational facilities are exactly what we need and there is a strong sense of family values here. Danville is clearly the No. 1 place to build a facility in the Midwest."

Alcoa was also attracted to Danville because of important incentives. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) and the Illinois Department of Transportation offered nearly $1 million for road, sewer and water line development. Also, the DCCA offered as much as $700,000 for worker training.

The Bloomington-Normal area in central Illinois stands as a good example of the state's business advantages. Three interstates--I-39, I-55 and I-74--converge in the area and it is served by Union Pacific, Amtrak and five commercial air carriers. Both Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University are in the Bloomington-Normal area, and the area is also served by the state's community college system. The area's education system contributes to its educated population. More than 65 percent of the work force has some post-scholastic education.

Quincy is another Illinois city that attracts business.

With state and local assistance, Knapheide Manufacturing Co. built a 400,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Quincy. The Illinois DCCA provided a $500,000 grant to help install water and sanitary sewer lines. It also offered job training and loan funds. The Illinois Department of Transportation provided nearly $500,000, a figure matched by Adams County, to upgrade and construct surrounding roads. And the city of Quincy provided a $500,000 loan plus $83,000 for water and sewer improvements. Also, the Quincy and Adams County Enterprise Zone was expanded to include the Knapheide project.

Illinois boasts a competitive supply of energy resources. It ranks high in the nation in coal production and has an extensive natural gas pipeline network. Also, the state offers a state utility tax exemption on gas and electricity and investor-owned electric and gas utilities offer economic development incentive rates.

A pro-business climate in Illinois helped attract Zenith Electronics Corp. to the state.

The company is building a $100 million state-of-the-art picture tube manufacturing facility in Woodridge and investing $80 million in its Melrose Park manufacturing facility. The Woodridge operation will create about 280 new jobs, and with the Melrose Park expansion, the company will add 120 to its current payroll of 2,800.

Illinois' assistance played a role in Zenith's decision. The Illinois DCCA will provide as much as $600,000 in Industrial Training Program grant funds, and the Illinois DOT will finance half of the cost of construction of an access road for the company's Woodridge site. In addition, the Village of Woodridge will help finance the road and will offer the company utility tax rebates.

"We at Zenith are proud of our reputation as an Illinois business leader, a reputation that no doubt will be enhanced by our new state-of-the-art operation in Woodridge," said Zenith President and CEO Peter S. Willmott. "We appreciate the tremendous assistance from the state of Illinois, Will County and the village on this important Zenith competitiveness initiative."

Illinois' assistance programs also helped attract Weber-Stephen Products Co.

The company, which manufactures charcoal and gas grills and accessories for international distribution, announced in 1996 its plan to invest $14 million in a 300,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Huntley. The combined manufacturing facility and Midwest/international distribution facility represents a cooperative effort between Weber and The Prime Group, Inc.

The Illinois DCCA provided a $287,500 Industrial Training Program grant for worker training, and the Illinois DOT provided $530,000 for road construction and improvement.

"We are delighted to be expanding our operations into Huntley and look forward to a long relationship with the village of Huntley," said Jim Stephen, president of Weber-Stephen Products Co. "We are thankful to the state of Illinois for its assistance."

Illinois also boasts a competitive edge when it comes technology. The state ranks high in the country in the total number of industrial research and technology labs. Among these labs are Abbott Laboratories, Amoco, Archer Daniels Midland, Caterpillar, FMC, General Electric, Illinois Tool Works, The Marmon Group, Motorola, Nalco, Staley, Stone Container, Sunstrand, Underwriters Laboratories, Universal Oil Products, WMX Technologies, and Zenith Electronics.

As a matter of fact, science and technology are tools by which Illinois is strengthening its economy.