The Economic Development Partnership Council, comprised of key employers and municipal leaders in Oak Brook and Oakbrook Terrace, guides the partnership’s work to attract and retain businesses for Greater Oak Brook. One of the most important accomplishments of the past year was IRS approval of the partnership’s 501 c3 tax- exempt status. This new status means that the organization’s work may be supported by private grants and tax deductible business contributions.
YEAR IN REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
- Worked with landlords and landord representatives to market Greater Oak Brook's properties to prospective office and retail tenants in Chicagoland, around the nation and internationally.
- Helped maintain Greater Oak Brook's high office and retail occupancy rates.
- Engaged new office and retail tenant representatives via meetings, events, written correspondence and regular electronic communication.
- Helped recruit and facilitated the largest office project wins in Greater Oak Brook.
- Hosted the Fourth Annual Commercial Real Estate event, which attracted 50 office and retail tenant representatives.
- Hosted the Third Annual Experience Oak Brook Luncheon, which attracted 60 meeting planners from international, national and Chicagoland associations and organizations.
- Presented four building fairs that reached a total of 3,200 employees in Greater Oak Brook. The objective of the building fairs was to keep Greater Oak Brook’s current office tenants and their employees engaged and spending dollars in our communities, promoting Greater Oak Brook’s hotels, restaurants, retailers and other businesses.
- Continued to strengthen the work of the Greater Oak Brook Transportation Project (pilot shuttle bug program) by helping the Lake County TMA survey nearly 1,000 Greater Oak Brook employees about their transportation needs. Routing work to determine the viability of an Oak Brook/Oakbrook Terrace shuttle was begun in December.
- Expanded the chamber's partnership with Choose DuPage and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) by presenting a joint event in June; also presented a September joint forum with Choose DuPage highlighting local commercial real estate leasers who discussed the regional and local office and retail market - and current positives and challenges for attracting and retaining businesses here.
- Continued to build partnerships with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to strengthen import and export trade opportunities for local companies by supporting reauthorization of the charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which helped finance $37.4 billion in U.S. exports last year.
- Strengthened the chamber's international trade partnerships with foreign consulates, commissioners and international trade organizations to reach foreign investors by working with the Uruguay and China Consulate offices to promote trade with local companies.
Pictured Above:
Left to right: Jeff Shay, Arden Realty/JLL; Ed Harrington, CenterPoint Properties; Trustee John Baar, Village of Oak Brook; Jeff Krusinski, Krusinski Construction; Dennis Marx JMG Financial; Dennis Hiffman, NAI Hiffman; Council Chairman Tom Midura, Graycor; Marcy Berry, Pancor; Kris Plencner, Royce Realty; President Gopal Lalmalani, Village of Oak Brook; Jeff Mann, CBRE; Laure Kosey, Oak Brook Park District; Community Development Director Bob Kallien, Village of Oak Brook; Chuck Ungaro, Ace Hardware; Jeff Kennedy, Village of Oak Brook Commercial Revitalization/Streetscapes Committees; Bob Sanford, Village of Oak Brook Commercial Revitalization Committee; Mihaela Dragan, Building and Zoning Administrator, City of Oakbrook Terrace; Village Manager Rick Ginex, Village of Oak Brook; Michael Foster, ComEd; Ken Green, Comcast Business Services; Fred Stein, Redbox.
