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Business & Tech

Business Comings & Goings: Ford to Invest Millions, Add Jobs for Local Plants

A look at new businesses coming into town and a fond farewell to those that have, for whatever reason, called it quits.

 

Ford Motor Co. plans to invest up to $200 million to expand its Chicago Assembly Plant and Chicago Heights Stamping Plant and add upwards of 1,200 jobs between the two plants.

Gov. Pat Quinn last week said the automaker will add a third shift at the Assembly Plant in Chicago’s Hegewisch community, which makes the Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Explorer. The investment will allow the plant to produce new sedan and SUV police interceptors.

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Ford will invest $117 million at the Assembly Plant and $86 million to upgrade the stamping plant, which makes body panels.

Currie Motors Option Extended

Currie Motors, which wants to move its car dealership from Olympia Fields to Chicago Heights, has been granted another extension of an option to buy city-owned land at 20937 Western Ave. The city entered into an option-to-purchase agreement with Currie in October 2009 for the land, which was the site of South Oak Dodge.

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The hang up has been Currie’s inability to finalize a deal for the Olympia Fields site.

The City Council voted 5-0 to extend the option until the Nov. 21 City Council meeting. Chicago Heights is expected to receive $332,000 for the sale of its six acres of land.

Crematorium OK’d for Homewood

Homewood has approved a special-use permit that will allow the Cremation Society of Illinois to build a crematorium at 17859 Bretz Drive. The society operates two other crematoriums in Romeoville and Rockford.

Annual Legislative Breakfast

The Southland Chamber of Commerce will hold its Annual Legislative Breakfast on Friday, Oct. 28, from 8-10 a.m. at The Horton Group, 10320 Orland Parkway in Orland Park. For information, call 708-957-6950 or visit their website at www.chicagosouthland.com.

Season of the Witch

Remember when Halloween was all about candy and carving pumpkins? Those days are long gone and Halloween is now the second biggest retail season behind Christmas and a Halloween City seasonal shop is now open at 4824 Lincoln Highway in nearby Matteson.

Job Training

Cook County Works is proving $15 million to community groups to provide employment and training services in South and West Cook County, and is turning over operation of Illinois Employment Training Centers to local agencies.

Local agencies that will receive funds include Prairie State College, South Suburban College and Moraine Valley Community College, Aunt Martha’s Youth Service Center, Bloom High School, Calumet Area Industrial Commission, National ABLE and Maximus Inc.

 

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bob@chicago-patch.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.

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