Governor Welcomes Boeing Executives to Illinois

CHICAGO -- Governor George H. Ryan joined House Speaker Denny Hastert and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley in welcoming Chief Administrative Officer John Warner and other executives from The Boeing Company to Chicago as part of the company's search for a new corporate home. The Governor and Mayor also attended a dinner reception for the Boeing executives at the Art Institute of Chicago hosted by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

"We wanted to take this opportunity to meet with Boeing's executives and show them first-hand that the entire business and civic community of Northeastern Illinois is embracing the possibility of Boeing calling Illinois its corporate home," said Governor Ryan.

Boeing executives announced on March 21st that they were looking to relocate their corporate headquarters and had selected metropolitan Chicago on a short list of potential sites. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) has been leading the state's efforts on the Boeing project, including assisting the City of Chicago and suburban communities that Boeing has identified as potential sites for its new corporate home.

"We want to give The Boeing Company a glimpse of what really makes Chicago a world-class city, what makes the Chicagoland region a wonderful place in which to invest and to live," said Governor Ryan. "To emphasize all of the Chicago area's outstanding qualities, Mayor Daley and I formed a Blue Ribbon Committee with the Civic Committee and World Business Chicago to help promote the Chicago area as Boeing's future home."

"Ever since this process began, we have been touting Illinois' pro-business environment under the Ryan Administration, our high-quality workforce and the cultural diversity the company executives are seeking for their new home," said DCCA Director Pam McDonough. "There has also been a real spirit of cooperation between the State, the City of Chicago and the suburban communities in the effort to bring Boeing to Illinois. Everyone realizes that landing this project will be an economic development boost for the entire region."

Boeing executives will be in Illinois through Thursday, April 19th. The company's decision on its new corporate home is expected to be announced in mid-May.

"We have the best people, the best families and the best employees in the world, and we have room for at least 500 more. It is a real pleasure for a world-class city to have the opportunity to compete for a world-class corporate citizen like Boeing," said Governor Ryan.