Arlington Heights lands tech firm, retailers

ChicagoMicro, a high-tech startup company, has moved 25 people in its sales and support staff to downtown Arlington Heights, the village announced Friday.

John Melaniphy, business and development coordinator for the village, envisions this as a first step in making the village a high-tech hub.

In addition, he said, two retailers that are coming into the Chicago market—hhgregg, an electronics and appliance retailer, and Ross Dress for Less—will move into vacant stores near Arlington Heights and Rand roads.

Julian Pretto said he started ChicagoMicro three years ago when his entrepreneurial spirit moved him to leave the tech giant CDW, where he had been for 13 years. ChicagoMicro provides information technology services for companies from telephones to network security to storage.

“My hope is we’ll attract other technology companies to look at the Northwest suburbs,” said Pretto.

ChicagoMicro is renting more than 8,000 square feet on the second floor at 216 W. Wing St., above the California Pizza Kitchen in the Arlington Town Square development. Pretto said he is consolidating his sales force and hopes to double the number of people working in his Arlington Heights office by the end of the year.

It will probably be months before hhgregg moves into the former Sports Authority space at the Annex of Arlington Shopping Center, said Melaniphy. Ross Dress for Less is talking about opening in the former Circuit City space in the Northpoint Shopping Center in the fall, he said.