As the world’s 19th largest economy, Illinois is a global economic powerhouse that ranks No.1 in the mid-west as a destination for Foreign Direct Investment. Over 300 companies from the UK have made Illinois home, such as Tate and Lyle, HSBC, AON plc, BP plc, FirstGroup plc, Dyson plc and Renishaw. These companies are part of Illinois’s global business community, which includes nearly 2,000 foreign companies and 12 Fortune Global 500 companies. In addition to a cosmopolitan business community, Illinois is home to 34 Fortune 500 companies and 29 S&P 500 companies.

Companies from a wide variety of industries ranging from manufacturing to financial services have chosen to grow their businesses in Illinois, creating a diverse business community that fosters cross-sector connections and collaboration.

As the nation’s third largest manufacturing state, Illinois has a rich history, producing everything from heavy machinery to plastics and aerospace equipment. Recently, advanced manufacturing technologies have opened up new opportunities for growth in Illinois. 2015 marked the grand opening of the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) in Chicago, a fi rst-of-its-kind public-private digital manufacturing hub that will bring together industry, universities, state and federal government, and non-profit organisations working side by side to solve the most pressing problems facing modern manufacturing. The research and technologies produced at DMDII will transform manufacturing and provide a training ground for the next generation of engineers,  programmers and production workers. DMDII has already begun to attract companies from across the country to utilise its resources and will cement Illinois’s position as the centre of advanced manufacturing in the United States.

Manufacturing in Illinois grew around its needs as an agricultural state, with industry titans such as Caterpillar Inc. and Deere & Co. anchoring agricultural manufacturing in Illinois for over a century and growing into billion-dollar international industries. Today, the state remains a leader in agricultural and food production, attracting companies from around the country to locate their headquarters in Illinois. The recent relocation of food processing giant ConAgra from Nebraska to Illinois attests to the state’s reputation as an industry hub.

Businesses from around the globe are drawn to Illinois due to its highly skilled workforce and position at the heart of the American logistics network.

With over 200 institutions of higher education, Illinois has no shortage of educated residents. World-class institutions such as University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana offer Illinois residents an education at a top university and attract students and faculty from around the world. One in three members of Illinois’s 6.6 million person workforce have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher, well above the national average of 28.8%, making it one of the most educated in the mid-west.

Chicago, the economic and cultural centre of Illinois, is a magnet for the brightest minds in the US. Recent graduates and young people from around the world are drawn to the diversity, vibrant cultural and arts scene, and the opportunities that can be found in the city. Chicago has a deeply rooted international community, with over 80 foreign consulates and consuls general, including the British Consulate General established in 1855 and over 100 international or ethnic chambers of commerce and international trade organisations. The British School of Chicago offers students ages 3 to 18 the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

The energy and drive of the people of Chicago are evident in the city’s budding technology and start-up sectors. Chicago is home to 2,100 digital companies, including locally founded tech companies such as GrubHub and Groupon, as well as mid-west outposts for Silicon Valley powerhouses like Google and Facebook. An emerging start-up scene and strong investment in research and development puts Chicago at the centre of Illinois’s innovation ecosystem.

Illinois’s central location within the United States places it at the heart of North America’s logistics infrastructure and provides easy access to a wide variety of domestic and international markets. With seven class I freight railroads and the third largest interstate highway system in the US, Illinois is one of the country’s largest transportation hubs for shipping and the largest intermodal port in the western hemisphere. The Mississippi River, Lake Michigan and a network of waterways provide Illinois a natural advantage in shipping goods to international markets.

Three international airports facilitate easy shipping of airfreight as well as business travel to and from Illinois via 11 nonstop daily flights between Chicago and the United Kingdom. Chicago Rockford International Airport is a growing cargo hub and home to UPS’s second largest US hub. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport offers the most flights in the United States to over 200 destinations and is the only dual-hub airport system in North America. O’Hare is a gateway, putting international travellers within a four hour flight of any destination on the continent.

Illinois has a strong connection to the global economy, with exports accounting for nearly 10% of the Gross State Product and totalling over $68.2 billion, making Illinois the largest exporting state in the mid-west and the fifth largest in the nation. In 2014, Illinois exports to the UK totalled over $1.6 billion, while UK imports in Illinois totalled $2 billion, largely in machinery and primary metal manufacturing. Illinois contains eight Foreign Trade Zones throughout the state, which offer time and financial savings to foreign companies shipping goods to Illinois. Foreign Trade Zones are located in Chicago, Rockford, Savanna, the Quad Cities, Peoria, Decatur, Granite City and Lawrenceville.

We invite you to grow your business in Illinois USA. So please make contact with our European office to learn more about our free and confidential services.