Elgin council agrees to continue partnership with Elgin Area Chamber

The Elgin City Council agreed Wednesday to continue its partnership with the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce to provide economic development services for the city.

Elgin first partnered with the EAC in 2010, eliminating in-house business development staff and creating a public-private partnership they dubbed the Elgin Development Group.

As part of a new three-year deal, EAC will receive $355,000 per year to provide services, including small business assistance, business retention outreach, foreign trade initiatives and other similar programs.

“You have made Elgin so inviting for businesses,” council member Steve Thoren said. “I can’t compliment you enough for all that you’ve done.”

EAC’s Economic Development Director Tony Lucenko said despite changes in the business landscape, the city’s economy “is stable, it’s diverse and it’s holding its own.”

He said the EDG has brought over $1.42 billion in gross domestic product to Elgin over the last nine years.

“You guys just do so much,” council member Corey Dixon said. “I don’t think we can actually pay you enough for what you do. The billion dollars that you brought in … that’s amazing.”

Among their successes, Lucenko cited the recruitment of Pregis, a company that moved into a 500,000-square-foot building in Elgin last year and makes material-neutral packaging for companies like Amazon.

He said the company, which has 500 employees in Elgin, has added about $4 million to the tax rolls, benefiting the city, Elgin Area School District U-46 and multiple other taxing bodies.

“And this is just one project of many that we’ve brought to the community,” he said.

Mayor David Kaptain echoed the sentiment of many council members in saying the contract was money well spent.

“The return on our investment is extraordinary,” Mayor David Kaptain said. “That’s what the obligation of this council is to do for taxpayers, is to make sure we get the best return we can for our money, and I think that we’ve done that in this case.”