Growing company wants to expand in Vernon Hills
A growing national company with global connections has a tentative green light to proceed with a plan to build a regional office in what has been an unused parking lot in a Vernon Hills business park.
Village trustees informally approved the concept by Anton Paar USA. The company in 2019 opened an office in Vernon Hills but has outgrown its space and wants to expand the operation.
Anton Paar designs, manufactures and distributes precision equipment related to the measurement and analysis of dissolved carbon dioxide and is the self-described global market leader in the field.
According to information provided to the village, customers include international companies from a variety of industries including chemical/pharmaceutical, petroleum, food, soft drinks, breweries and Formula 1 racing teams.
In Vernon Hills, the company has grown from 12 to 18 employees and expects to double that number within five years.
"The facility on Lakeview Parkway is the office for a 12-state region," said Andrew Jennings, community development director.
"Now that they've established in this area, they are working to purchase property and construct their own building."
Anton Paar wants to build a two-story office/warehouse on 2.75 acres at 600 Hickory Hill Drive in the Corporate Woods business park on the village's southeast side.
The site is a parking lot that was built as auxiliary parking for since-departed larger business across the street but can be sold and developed separately, Jennings said.
The building of about 20,000 square feet would provide offices, a warehouse, a showroom and areas for equipment maintenance and repair. It would not include manufacturing or distribution, according to Mark Daniel, an attorney who spoke on behalf of the company.
Sites in other communities were identified, but Vernon Hills was chosen because the lot on Hickory Hill Drive fit well with the design, according to Daniel.
"You're replacing this parking lot with 36 well-paying jobs and an address for a large national corporation that has global connections," he said.
"This is not speculation. They're in Vernon Hills now (and) they would like to remain."
According to information provided to the village, Anton Paar USA was established in 1986 as the largest subsidiary of Anton Paar GmbH, which was founded in 1922. Anton Paar USA is its exclusive U.S. distributor of all product lines.
The informal village board consensus allows the company to proceed with a detailed review of the plan by the village staff and the advisory planning and zoning commission, which will make a recommendation for an official village board vote.
"It completely fits with the zoning and everything," said Trustee Thom Koch Jr. "There's nothing that would be a significant variation of any kind."