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What's New
Kendall: More jobs, jobless July 28, 2008 The news didn't arrive at exactly the best time. This month, Money magazine named Kendall County the second-fastest-growing county in America in terms of job growth. From 2000 to 2007, the county enjoyed a spike in job growth of 64 percent, according to Money's August issue. Tooele County in Utah won the No. 1 ranking by a landslide. Job growth in the historic mining area grew by 123 percent. The magazine described Kendall County as a rural area outside of Chicago exploding with growth, from its residents and public services to its shopping centers and highway improvements. Editors also mentioned the $30 million courthouse expansion to the Kendall County Government Center in Yorkville. But on Thursday, Kendall County also recorded the largest spike in its June unemployment rate among counties in the Fox Valley, according to state employment data. The jobless rate jumped 52 percent, from 5 percent in June 2007 to 7.6 percent this June, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Kendall County joined Kane, DuPage and Will for having higher year-over-year unemployment rates. Additionally, more people across the state were unemployed this June compared to last June as a result of the overall lull in the economy. But officials are hoping the latest labor data is just a minor setback. Kendall County is still the fastest-growing county in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And that's a fact that's making many Kendall communities think and act fast. The focus now is on attracting a mix of jobs and industries as they deal with the growth that's undoubtedly ahead.
Just the first steps Yorkville is still in its infancy. At least that's what Lynn Dubajic, executive director of the Yorkville Economic Development Corporation, likes to say to remind herself that this city of 15,240 people has come a long way in one decade. "There wasn't even a Jewel, there was no Panera, Culver's or Blackstone (restaurant)" in 2000, she said. "The economy was at the cusp, but it hadn't taken its first step." Yorkville has since turned into a pop-up town of retail, banks and the new Rush-Copley Healthcare Center on Route 34. And a lot of that growth happened recently. From 2007 to 2008, Yorkville added more than 1,000 jobs in retail, hospitality, private practices and public services, according to Dubajic. Still on the way are more retail centers and services along Route 34. The area of Cannonball Trail and Route 34 has the potential to employ 3,000 people in the next three to five years, she said. But the city is nowhere near where it could be, Dubajic said. The city wants to strengthen its industrial parks, particularly Lincoln Prairie, a 325-acre development along Eldamain Road, which includes a Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail spur that's been inactive for years. "Certainly, the diversity of jobs has changed significantly over the past five years," she said. "We're seeing more professional opportunities with engineering, attorney offices, title companies coming into Yorkville."
Harder to attract But that diversity in employers is becoming tougher to attract, said Michael Cassa, executive director of the Oswego Economic Development Corporation. He credits the village for preparing its infrastructure for major companies wanting to come to town. Thoroughfares like Orchard Road, parts of Route 34 and soon Route 71, have been widened to handle increased traffic. It's the kind of amenities companies and developers are looking for when expanding or relocating. But in a gloomy economy, not as many companies are taking such risks, Cassa said. "It's harder now for companies to make million-dollar investments in your town. To a lot of firms, it's not the time to expand operations," he said. Some companies have gladly put a stake in Kendall County, like Anfinsen Assembly, which opened a 112,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in 2004 in Oswego. The company just recently expanded by 50,000 square feet and brought jobs in the process. Then again, it really depends on who you ask about job growth in Kendall County. Art Sheridan, Plano's economic development director, said the city is expecting to benefit from the boom happening to their neighbors like Yorkville and Oswego. "It's beginning to spur some greater interest in areas to the west, and Plano has enjoyed a large population growth, which in turn indicates there are apparently greater opportunities for employment in the area," he said. And if trends continue with development along bustling Route 34, Plano would definitely like to benefit. The city recently acquired the former Monarch Foundry on Route 34 in hopes of redeveloping it as the gateway to Plano.
Kendall's work force - Here's how the jobs in Kendall County break down:
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