Romeoville hopes to attract more businesses from overseas – Joliet Herald News

Updated: November 22, 2013 8:12PM

Rising wages for manufacturing workers overseas may benefit the village of Romeoville, officials said.

Trustees approved a new agreement with Performance LLC, a Holland, Mich.-based company that helps connect overseas companies looking to “reshore” their businesses in the United States.

Village administrator Steve Gulden said that after a couple of decades of manufacturers taking advantage of lower wages overseas, many are looking to move operations back to the United States due to rising wages and increasing shipping costs.

Many, he said, are looking for proximity to major cities and places to either build or invest.

“We’re in a great location near Chicago,” Gulden said, “and we have a great industrial and technology corridor.”

The six-month extension of the Performance LLC deal includes a $25,000 spending cap. A previous agreement with the company had a $20,000 cap.

The expense will be worth it if Romeoville attracts interest, investment and new manufacturing, said Gulden, who noted that a Chinese delegation visited earlier this month.

Mayor John Noak said the partnership will help Romeoville compete with other cities that also are looking to attract business from overseas. Attracting one manufacturer would pay for the investment several times over, he said.

“The potential to capture some of this lost manufacturing is enormous,” Noak said.

Trustee Jose Chavez pointed out that the village already has had some success in attracting business from overseas.

Pollmann, an Austria-based component manufacturer, has its North American headquarters and manufacturing facility at 950 Chicago Tube Drive in Romeoville. The company employs 90 people locally.

“That’s a great example of one of these companies that didn’t go to China,” Chavez said.