Elk Grove Village economy gets a boost

Good news on the economic front for Elk Grove Village: the town’s industrial vacancy rate fell to 8.6 percent in the first quarter of 2013, a marked decline from 12.3 percent in the first quarter of 2011, and 11.8 percent last year.

“Village leadership is committed to maintaining a competitive and a business-friendly environment,” Elk Grove Mayor Craig Johnson said a statement announcing the positive news. “That pursuit is paying dividends as we strive to go beyond business-friendly as more businesses choose to expand and relocate in the village.”

Of the seven communities that make up the O’Hare Industrial Market, Elk Grove Village has the highest rate of net square footage of space occupied — at 498,357 square feet — according to Colliers International.

The village has processed 40 zoning applications in the first quarter of this year, which accounts for 581 jobs and an additional 845,235 square feet of industrial space, officials said.

That includes Creative Werks LLC, a candy packaging company presently headquartered in Bensenville, which is expanding to a 254,000-square-foot building on Brummel Drive between Busse Road and Lively Boulevard.

Other future tenants include, IMS Buhrke-Olson (107,000 square feet off Busse Road), CHIP Aerospace (83,000 square feet off Arthur Avenue), Panera Bread Commissary (51,800 square feet off Chase Avenue) and Assembly Unlimited Packaging (47,000 square feet off Pratt Boulevard).