Navistar CEO to meet with state leaders

Navistar CEO Dan Ustian confirmed Wednesday that company officials will meet with Gov. Pat Quinn and Attorney General Lisa Madigan next week to talk about Navistar's aborted proposal to move its international headquarters to Lisle.

"I don't know how much good it will do, but I am doing it out of respect of their offer," Ustian said.

Ustian thanked a group of about 200 people for supporting Navistar's proposed move to the former Alcatel-Lucent building at 2600 Warrenville Road at an "appreciation" party Wednesday evening at the Lisle Hilton. He also noted the company had spent close to $5 million on the proposed Lisle move from its current locale in neighboring Warrenville.

Ustian announced nearly two weeks ago the company was no longer considering a move to Lisle because of opposition he claimed was using the public hearing process to "misrepresent Navistar and many of our supporters."

The announcement of Ustian's planned meeting with state leaders comes a day after Madigan sent opponents of the Navistar move a letter offering assistance to mediate the differences between the two sides. It's unclear if the opposition will be meeting with Quinn and Madigan at the same time as Navistar officials.

Several residential neighbors have opposed Navistar's move to the 87-acre campus because of concerns over future air quality restrictions, noise, outdoor operations and future development limitations.

Mark Daniel, an attorney for the resident opposition group Citizens for Healthy Development, said he wasn't privy to any meeting scheduled with state leaders.

Ustian said the company had made considerable concessions already, but the company was still besieged with opposition, lawsuits and threats of lawsuits.