Panelists discuss county's assets

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MALTA - The recent wintry weather in DeKalb County probably wasn't a selling point when TransWare Enterprises Inc. was thinking of moving to the Midwest from California. “It's 70 degrees today in San Jose,” Eric Jones, a senior engineer with the company, replied when asked Tuesday about the weather during a business roundtable meeting of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corp. But there were plenty of draws for the engineering consulting group - which provides engineering, software, technical support and management services to the nuclear energy and computer industries - that now resides on Mediterranean Road in Sycamore. Jones was one of three panelists to speak Tuesday during the roundtable. The others were Norm Walzer, senior research scholar at Northern Illinois University's Center for Governmental Studies, and Frank Griffin, senior vice president of Grubb & Ellis, a real estate advisory firm. The three men were invited to get different perspectives on the attributes the county can use to lure new businesses to the area, DCEDC Executive Director Paul Borek said after the presentation. “We can identify what's special and unique about the county, what hidden assets we have,” he said. Among the major assets of the county are access to transportation and markets, the technology provided by NIU and the fiber-optic capabilities of the area, Walzer said. Many factors go into a company's decision on where to locate, Griffin said, including interstate access, where employees live and who the business' competitors are. TransWare Enterprises was looking to relocate because most of the nuclear energy industry is east of the Mississippi River, Jones said, with 13 plants in Illinois alone. The company also saw recruiting opportunities in DeKalb County, with the ability to tap into NIU for future employees, and the county's cost of living is significantly lower than that of California, Jones said. The good reputation of Sycamore's public schools also played a role, as did the actions of former DCEDC Executive Director Roger Hopkins, who spent a day showing businesses to the company and answering questions, Jones added. “After two days of driving around Sycamore, we really fell in love with it,” he said. Walzer said studying patterns and trends can help the county decide what direction to go in - such as what industries to focus on inviting to plant roots in the community. The manufacturing sector, for instance, provided 5,753 jobs in the county in 2001, but that figure was down to 4,792 by 2006, according to information Walzer presented on Tuesday. “That's not a major drop, but it could be a major drop, depending on what you decide to do as a region,” he said. “It could be good or bad.” Construction, on the other hand, provided 1,448 jobs in the county in 2001 and 2,001 jobs by 2006, he said. But he also stressed the need to look at trends from a regional view - such as including Ogle County when looking at manufacturing jobs. Other issues to watch include population growth, the growing emphasis on trade and transportation, and opportunities for entrepreneurship, Walzer said.