Cook County Expands Manufacturing Grant Program into Chicago

Wed, 01/24/2024 - 12:00

(Cook County, IL) - Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced today the expansion of Manufacturing Reinvented, a $5 million grant program supporting manufacturers with the implementation of projects to improve a business’ competitiveness and resiliency, into the City of Chicago. The program, which launched in 2022, was previously offered in suburban Cook County. Over 225 manufacturers are already engaged in the program.

"As we expand Manufacturing Reinvented, we are reinforcing our support for the backbone of Cook County's economy. Manufacturing is not just an industry; it's a community of hardworking small business owners driving our local economy,” said President Preckwinkle. “This grant program reflects my administration’s commitment to the region and to the resiliency and competitiveness of this sector, which includes everything from food processing and packaging to metal fabrication and machinery. By broadening this program to include businesses in the City of Chicago, we will empower more manufacturers, further fostering economic growth and improved productivity in the region.”

Through this program, Cook County reimburses companies for up to $25,000 in eligible expenses associated with an approved project. Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) expert advisors also work one-on-one with manufacturers to define their project scope, evaluate solution options and chart a path forward.

Eligible projects include investments to:

Adopt automation
Improve cyber security
Build supply chain resiliency
Enhance productivity
Identify talent solutions
Improve visibility in the marketplace
Undertake strategic planning

Cook County is providing this investment with funding made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The application portal is open countywide today, Jan. 24.

Luiz Grisard, Regional Vice President of Human Resources & Legal Affairs with Bystronic, Inc. of Hoffman Estates, stated, “the possibility of engaging our employees and investing in their development through available funds provided a great opportunity to help our people grow. Our leadership skills training project allowed us to become more efficient and align our team with best practices to excel in their roles. By the power of collective thinking, we are coming together to solve problems and we’re excited how this training will propel us into the future.”

With less than 75 employees, Bystronic, Inc. is a world class original equipment manufacturer designing and building press brake tooling as well as providing after-sales service on laser cutting machines.

"As we expand the Manufacturing Reinvented program into the heart of Chicago, we're building upon the resounding success witnessed in suburban Cook County. The growth, resiliency, operational improvements, and workforce enhancements achieved by manufacturers in these areas are truly remarkable,” emphasized David Boulay, PhD., President of IMEC. “Now, with the inclusion of the City of Chicago, we are unifying and strengthening the entire Cook County manufacturing landscape. Together, we are not just creating success stories, but we are paving the way for manufacturing prosperity across Cook County."

The Manufacturing Reinvented program helps address key priorities identified by the County via a survey of over 1,000 suburban Cook County manufacturers. An in-depth review of identified priorities are outlined in the Urgent Needs of Manufacturers report published in March 2021.

Manufacturing Reinvented represents a highly customizable approach to addressing specific company needs. This approach is especially essential for the very small manufacturers, defined as companies with less than 20 employees whose urgent needs have been shown to fluctuate more drastically than larger firms. Cook County is home to 80% of the total manufacturing output in the state of Illinois and the sector employs over 192,000 people in Cook County alone. Small-sized firms constitute 70% of manufacturers both nationally and in Cook County. These firms are typically family-owned and closely integrated into the local economy.

Qualifications & priorities for this program include:

Businesses operating anywhere in Cook County
Businesses with a manufacturing NAICs code
Businesses located in communities hard hit by COVID-19 or businesses impacted by COVID-19

Interested businesses are invited to learn more about the program or apply by visiting www.ccmfg.org.

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About Cook County

Cook County is the second largest county in the United States, representing 5.2 million residents in Illinois. The President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cook County and oversees the Offices Under the President (OUP) which includes the Bureau of Economic Development (BED).

About IMEC

IMEC is one of 51 MEP Centers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. MEP Centers are part of the MEP National Network, which includes the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) and over 1,000 manufacturing experts at over 400 service locations, with the tools and resources to help U.S. manufacturers succeed and advance U.S. manufacturing. For more information, visit www.imec.org.