Lake County company that tests NFL players moving

Wonderlic Inc., a testing firm that works with the National Football League, is moving its corporate offices to Vernon Hills from Libertyville.

The family-owned company signed a deal to lease 26,116 square feet at 400 N. Lakeview Parkway in the Continental Executive Parke. In the beginning of the year, the company will leave its space at 1795 Butterfield Road where it has operated for years.

Wonderlic, whose tests are used by schools and companies to assess job candidates and employees, will occupy the entire second floor and a portion of the first floor at the Vernon Hills building that was formerly home to Baxter Credit Union. The space has been vacant since Baxter moved out two years ago to go to a larger location.

The Lake County company has made a big name for itself over the years. Eldon F. Wonderlic first created the personnel tests in 1937 from his Chicago apartment. The U.S. Navy used his tests during World War II in picking people for pilot training and navigation. In 1950, Wonderlic published the first study of job applicant test scores.

The company now provides testing for Mensa International, a high-IQ society.

No one knows for sure who first used the Wonderlic tests to forecast performance on the football field. But according to Wonderlic's website, Dallas Cowboys Coach Tom Landry played a big role early on in the firm's work with the NFL. The coach discovered that Wonderlic scores helped tell how well players could learn a playbook and adapt on the field.