Celebrating 25 years in town, TNI Packaging credits West Chicago for success
West Chicago, Illinois: November 21, 2013 - The year was 1988 when Jerry Marchese, the CEO of a company then called Tie-Net International, contacted his friend and commercial developer Tom Marziani looking for more manufacturing space for his business.
Tom and his wife Pearl not only suggested the City of West Chicago but immediately went into action and provided about 7,500 square feet of space in one of their buildings located on Wegner Drive and Washington Street.
Tie-Net manufactured various netting products used in the food, meat, poultry and nursery industries. West Chicago not only provided the huge work-force pool, but also easy access for trucks coming and going, ideal for any growing business.
It wasn't too long after moving into the building from Elmhurst that even more space was required. 7,500 soon became 15,000 and Tom and Pearl had to build an additional 20,000 square feet to accommodate the growing business that found prosperity in West Chicago.
In 1994, Tie-Net was sold, and a new company TNI Packaging, Inc. was born.
TNI Packaging still produces the unique red and green netting used for baling Christmas trees, which will soon be spotted on the tops of cars traveling to their place of honor in many homes around the community and across the nation.
The company now has its factory located on Charles Court and is content and determined to continue its business in West Chicago. Additional products include packaging items for the meat and poultry industry. Consumers who purchase rotisserie chickens from any of the nearby supermarkets, may be familiar with the covered elastic loop around the bird. TNI produces nearly 100 million of these loops in West Chicago each year.
“I had a good feeling that West Chicago was the place for my business”, said Marchese, “so I moved my home from Oak Brook to nearby Wayne to be closer to the factory. My daughter Jane shares some space, no actually a lot of space, in my building on Charles Court and operates Windy City Lights, a seasonal business providing commercial Christmas tree lights to landscapers like Kramer Tree Specialists in West Chicago, as well as the many municipalities here in the Midwest, including right here in the City of West Chicago”.
Marchese recognized city leadership as another factor in the success of his business, “I am proud to be a member of the West Chicago business community these past 25 years, and I attribute much of our success to the efficient form of government provided by past Mayor Mike Fortner, the late Mayor Mike Kwasman who was a good friend, and our new Mayor and also good friend, Ruben Pineda. After 25 years of observing the dedication of the City to the continuing prosperity of its business community and its efficiency as an organization, I would highly recommend any business or venture to consider West Chicago for their place of business.”
To learn more about TNI Packaging, visit www.tnipackaging.com; and for more information about Windy City Lights, visit www.windycitylights.com.