Area industry poised to grow with new economy
With the federal government pushing billions of dollars in tax incentives for renewable and green technology, the sector is poised to be an economic driving force across the suburbs in the coming years.
From northern Lake County to the far West suburbs, businesses and governments are eyeing wind and solar energy as the ticket to progress. Meanwhile, in scores of towns in-between, corporations and mom-and-pop shops are getting in on the so-called "Green Revolution" and finding there is money to be made.
"We have lots of things going on," says Steve Ban, director of the technology transfer division at Argonne National Laboratory, near Darien in DuPage County.
Argonne serves as an engine for technology innovation in the region, spinning out what its scientists create into startup companies and new wings of mega-national corporations.
Recently, Ban has been working locally with Coskata and Silyte. Coskata is a major ethanol producer in Warrenville and Silyte is working in Chicago on batteries for electric cars. Both should benefit from the government's push to wean the auto industry off imported oil.
Argonne is also working with Advanced Diamond Technology, which creates man-made diamonds in Romeoville.
But not just startup companies are paving the way for the future of economic progress. Everyday service providers turning to green and renewable technology are beating their own paths.
Kay McKeen, who runs the nonprofit environmental group SCARCE in Glen Ellyn, helps promote such companies, like roofers who use environmentally friendly material.
"A lot more people are calling us wanting recommendations for companies," McKeen says. "We are having a hard time keeping up with the phone calls."
Bill Styczynski of Styczynski Walker and Associates designs and builds environmentally conscious homes. The credit crunch has stalled some business, but he has received a lot of calls in the last month and expects business to pick up in part because of tax credits and concerns about utility costs.
"The reality is, the interest is there," Styczynski says. "I'm optimistic."
And when Styczynski's business takes off, so will work for his list of contractors who specialize in green insulation and geothermal heating and cooling systems.
Still, the suburban renewable and green industry won't only rest on new and emerging companies. Existing giants like Tellabs in Naperville, Siemens in Buffalo Grove, Motorola in Schaumburg and Abbott Laboratories in Libertyville Township are sure to provide considerable growth as new technology leads the charge.
"This is a big growth area for the Chicago region and Illinois in general," says David Miller, president and CEO of the Illinois Biotechnology Industrial Organization, of pharmaceutical companies in particular. "It is an area that provides great prospects."
Meanwhile, when it comes to green and renewable, one can always count on recycling. Take Sims Recycling Solutions, which processes computers and other electronics at a facility in West Chicago.
Business has been down due to low resale prices for metals such as copper, but interest is steady and spokeswoman Amanda Hale expects a resurgent economy and renewed interest in environmentalism will soon prove a great combo for Sims.
"Things seem to be turning around," Hale says. "People still care about the environment."