“Your Advocate for Business Success”

First Industrial Tour at Aquascape Designs, Inc. on September 26, 2012 with 90 Members in Attendance

Vision Statement – The Vision of the Industrial Committee of the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce is to develop and strengthen the relationships between the industrial businesses and the entire business community.

Mission Statement – Collaborate with the Industrial businesses as a value-added informational resource to encourage, support, and sustain business viability through opportunities that allow the sharing of issues, ideas and solutions for businesses.

Goals – Education, Promotion, and Networking.

January of 2012 was a new beginning for the St. Charles Chamber Council for Industry, a group of dedicated Chamber professionals who came together to focus on developing and strengthening the relationships between the industrial businesses in St. Charles and the entire business community.

Every day we drive by our industrial parks with little thought to the contributions that these companies make to the success of our city. According to NORBIC, an economic development organization located in the State of Illinois' Northeast Economic Development Region, “manufacturing directly employs 961,000 Illinois workers; its direct and indirect induced demand generates another 1.4 million positions in other industries, or nearly one third of total state employment.”

This often unnoticed business sector makes up a large percentage of our business community, employs thousands of workers, and pays a considerable portion of our tax and utility revenues. There are 48 businesses in St. Charles, most being industrial based, that are ranked in the highest rate class for utility usage. Their contribution alone makes up more than $1.5 million in electric utility fees in just one month.

The following data was compiled in 2011 and broken down gives a more precise picture of the importance of our industrial base in St. Charles.

Total Businesses in St. Charles:          2,400

Total Employees in St. Charles:          30,976

By SIC Codes (Standard Industrial Classification)

                                                       Businesses                              Employees

                                                Number           Percent            Number           Percent

Manufacturing                             139                 5.8                   4,714               15.2

Transportation                              60                  2.5                      328                1.1

Wholesale Trade                        139                  5.8                   1,545                5.0

                                    Total     338                14.1%               6,587              21.3%

While these businesses continue to grow and support our community, we as a Chamber of Commerce, need to work on finding ways to support this growth and provide resources that will benefit the continued success of this vital business group.

In April of this year, the St. Charles Chamber Council for Industry surveyed the industrial businesses to gain insight into the challenges they are facing and the issues they feel are most important to their continued growth. The results were both revealing and startling. The survey revealed that the most urgent issue facing them is the ability to find skilled labor and young people interested in pursuing careers in manufacturing industries. It would be beneficial to our community to encourage and guide our youth toward the opportunities that these local businesses have to offer. The manufacturing community cannot sustain growth without the ability to draw on skilled, educated workers and these resources should be available within our city and county borders.

We can help the sustainability of these businesses and our “Made in America” products by encouraging our community to get involved in the support and sharing of issues, ideas and solutions that will benefit and help to grow our industrial community. Not only will this benefit our Chamber, but will provide new networking and job opportunities for our entire city and local area. If you know of an industrial based business that would like to be involved in the Chamber, invite them to share their ideas on how we can partner with them and provide value to their business.  If you are an industrial business and would like to highlight your facility, please contact the Chamber to schedule a tour.

WE NEED YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU, OUR DEDICATED CHAMBER MEMBERS!

Co-Chair: Deborah Scott, Costco Wholesale

Co-Chair: Dan Stellato,  Batavia Enterprises, Inc.

                                        Alderman, City of St. Charles

LOOK FOR IN 2013: 

1.  Our next tour will be during the first quarter, and

2.  We are implementing an Industrial scholarship program for Spring of 2013
(please contact the Chamber for more information).

2013 St. Charles Chamber Council for Industry