CHICAGO – Following through on Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns pledge to support businesses in the Southern region, Maytag Herrin Laundry Products will launch its important facility upgrades after receiving state support. The company is getting a $385,000 grant to upgrade the shipping dock at the Herrin facility, making key improvements to its overall finished goods shipping process, allowing it to better serve its dealer customers and realize cost savings. Today, business and community leaders from Herrin and throughout the region met to celebrate the pending dock improvements.
“Maytag is a strong company that provides quality jobs in Southern Illinois, and it’s important that we support companies that are investing so much in this state, not only in product and infrastructure, but in their employees. The facility upgrades that we are supporting will help Maytag remain competitive in the global marketplace,” Gov. Blagojevich said. “Through Opportunity Returns, we’re investing in companies that invest in Illinois and securing a better future for businesses and residents across the state.”
Gov. Blagojevich announced the $385,000 investment when he launched his Opportunity Returns strategy in Southern Illinois in November of 2003. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is administering the grant.
“The support that we’re receiving from the State of Illinois is important to helping our company optimize our existing assets to more effectively serve our customers. We appreciate Gov. Blagojevich’s commitment to keeping our business strong,” said Ed Paulich, Senior Facilities Engineer at Maytag Herrin Laundry Products.
Maytag Herrin Laundry Products produces residential clothes washers and dryers, and the Maytag Neptune® Drying Center, a residential clothes dryer with hanging and lay-flat drying capabilities, along with conventional tumbling. The dock improvements will increase the capacity for outbound truck shipments of finished goods at the Herrin laundry facility by approximately 32 percent. Maytag Herrin Laundry Products is a manufacturing plant of the Maytag Corporation, headquartered in Newton, Iowa.
“We continue to see Gov. Blagojevich supporting businesses in Southern Illinois and investing in their future. These investments help secure quality jobs in Herrin and secure our region’s future,” State Senator Gary Forby (D-Benton) said.
“Companies like Maytag understand the value of doing business in a robust, forward-thinking state like Illinois. Our workforce is strong, our infrastructure is second-to-none, and our state’s business climate ranks among the best in the nation according to recent surveys,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said. “Illinois’ future is bright because Gov. Blagojevich is creating a better place to live, work and do business.”
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.