Company to Relocate from Virginia and Create 90+ Illinois Jobs

CHICAGO - April 17, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Lafarge North America is investing approximately $10 million to relocate its U.S. headquarters from Virginia to Illinois. Lafarge, one of the largest cement, aggregate and concrete manufacturers in the world, will create more than 90 jobs in Illinois in the first two years and likely more than 100 jobs over three to four years. By moving its U.S. headquarters to Illinois, Lafarge will gain access to Illinois' pool of highly-skilled workers, world-class transportation infrastructure and central location. Governor Quinn personally recruited Lafarge and met with its senior leadership during a recent economic trade mission to Europe.

"Illinois is one of the best places to do business in the world," Governor Quinn said. "Our message to large and small business-owners is simple: We want you in Illinois and we have everything you need to grow your business in our state. Today we welcome Lafarge and tomorrow we look forward to more global corporations choosing Illinois."

Prior to selecting Illinois for its new U.S. headquarters, Governor Quinn hosted Lafarge at a business investment luncheon with several other European-based companies during his recent economic development trip to Europe in March. The Governor also met one-on-one with senior leadership at Lafarge to pitch Illinois as the best location for its headquarters by highlighting Illinois' world-class transportation infrastructure and highly skilled workforce. The state is also providing a targeted business investment package worth about $6.3 million over 10 years to leverage the company's private investment. The package will support job training for workers and economic development, and is contingent on the company meeting its investment and jobs numbers.

In 1983, Lafarge North America became a subsidiary of Lafarge SA, one of the world's largest suppliers of construction materials, and has operated, directly and indirectly, in the United States and Canada. Lafarge  North America has grown to become one of the largest cement manufacturers in the United States, and a significant producer of aggregates (including crushed stone, sand and gravel), as well as gypsum wallboard. Since 1987, Lafarge North America's headquarters has been in the Herndon/Reston area of Virginia. The company is investing approximately $10 million to relocate its headquarters to the Chicagoland and is expected to open the headquarters this fall. Lafarge CEO John Stull attended today's announcement.

"As a leader in the building materials industry, it is important to us to be close to our operations and to our customers to help provide them with sustainable construction solutions. The location around O'Hare and along the I-294 corridor is an ideal area for us because it is central to our U.S. footprint. We also appreciate Illinois' commitment to other sustainable infrastructure projects, which will bring long-lasting value to your citizens," said John Stull, CEO for Lafarge North America's U.S. Cement and Aggregate & Concrete operations. "We thank Governor Quinn and the state of Illinois for welcoming us and we look forward to becoming part of the dynamic Chicago business community," continued Stull.

Lafarge North America in the United States employs approximately 4,500 people, with approximately 300 employed in Illinois. Lafarge is eligible for an Employer Training Investment Program grant to help increase the skills of its workforce and Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credits, which are based on job credits. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will administer the state's targeted investment package.

"Lafarge North America's relocation to Illinois shows that our state has what companies need to grow," said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Acting Director David Vaught. "Illinois has one of the largest economies in the world and with companies like Lafarge, we're going to advance our global competitiveness."

Under Governor Quinn's leadership, DCEO has worked diligently to identify and aggressively court companies like Lafarge that are looking to relocate and/or expand their North American presence. Illinois ranks first in the Midwest as a destination for foreign investment and has already attracted 1,597 foreign firms with 6,416 locations, which employ 323,362 Illinois residents. The governor will continue to build on this success by playing a key role in marketing Illinois' world-class attributes abroad and personally meeting with companies to recruit them to Illinois.

For more information on why Illinois is the right place for any business, visit www.illinoisbiz.biz.

Tax Preparation Assistance Program Helps Working Families File on Time

CHICAGO - April 10, 2012. One week away from the April 17 tax filing deadline, Governor Pat Quinn today urged working families to learn about tax relief available to them in Illinois and get the assistance they need to file their taxes. The governor continued his drive to get the word out about Illinois' EITC at Harold Washington College, which serves as a tax assistance center organized by the Center for Economic Progress (CEP). CEP President and CEO David Marzahl joined the governor and representatives from Walmart, who also announced a major donation to CEP to provide free financial services to working families.

""Too many families do not receive the tax relief they deserve simply because they don't have the information and means to access it," Governor Quinn said. "We want our working families to know about the Center for Economic Progress and Illinois' Earned Income Tax Credit, which will support economic growth and help them keep more of what they earn."

Earlier this year, Governor Quinn championed and signed a tax relief law to help working families across the state and grow the Illinois economy. The Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit law doubles the state's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) over two years, saving low-income workers an extra $105 million per year and helping almost a million families who filed it. The new law also benefits all Illinois taxpayers by raising the value of the personal exemption and indexing it to inflation.

To benefit from Illinois' EITC, also known as the Earned Income Credit (EIC), taxpayers must include it on their tax returns. While more than 2.5 million state residents benefited from the Illinois EITC in 2010, many people who are eligible for the state's EITC don't file for it. The not-for-profit CEP estimates that between 10 and 20 percent of eligible taxpayers did not file for EITC last year. At the event, representatives from Walmart announced a $50,000 donation to CEP to provide more free tax preparation and other financial services to low-income working families.

"At the Center for Economic Progress, it's our mission to continue providing important tax and financial services to hard-working, low-income families in Illinois," said Dan Nielsen, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the CEP. "That's a mission made possible because of the investments of companies like Walmart and the ongoing support of Governor Quinn."

"Giving back to the communities where our Illinois associates live and work is part of our commitment at Walmart. We know we can make the greatest impact on our communities through the support of causes right here in our own backyard," said Walmart Vice President and Regional General Manager Karisa Sprague. "We are pleased to support the Center for Economic Progress and the work they do in assisting low income working families. The free financial assistance they provide to families is an invaluable service."

The CEP Tax Counseling Project provides free tax preparation assistance at tax assistance centers across the state. Their services are provided free of charge to families making less than $50,000 annually and to individuals with yearly incomes under $25,000. More than 28,000 Illinois taxpayers filed returns through the program in the 2010 tax season, with more than $50 million in state and federal tax refunds returned to clients.

For more information on the Tax Counseling Project, contact the Center for Economic Progress in Chicago at 312-630-0273, or its toll-free statewide number 888-827-8511 or visit its website www.economicprogress.org. For information on the Tax Assistance Program call 312-409-1555 or 312-409-4318 (Spanish). Details are also available on the IDHS website at www.dhs.state.il.us and the Department of Revenue website at www.revenue.state.il.us. Information about filing federal taxes online can be found at www.irs.gov.

About the new Illinois EITC Law:

The new law marked the largest increase in Illinois' EITC since its inception in 2000, by phasing in a 5 percent increase over two years. The law boosts the state's EITC from its current level at 5 percent of federal EITC, to 7.5 percent in tax year 2012 and 10 percent of federal EITC in tax year 2013. More than 2.5 million state residents benefited from the Illinois EITC in 2010.

Under the new law, a single mother with one child, earning minimum wage ($12,800 a year), will save $154 on her taxes. A married couple with three children earning $30,000 a year will save $199 on their taxes this year.

Uniquely pro-growth and pro-family, the EITC is available only to those with earned income and provides incentive to work as well as much-needed tax relief to the lowest-income families. EITC also boosts local economies through increased consumer demand. A 2006 Brookings Institution study found that every dollar a family saves through this tax credit translates into $1.58 of activity in local economies.

The law also improves the value of the standard personal exemption for all taxpayers in Illinois and ties its continued growth to the rate of inflation. The personal exemption will increase by $50 (to $2,050) in tax year 2012, and the value of the exemption will be indexed to the cost of living adjustment each tax year thereafter. The personal exemption change benefits all taxpayers, regardless of income.

Free Illinois JobLink service boasts nearly 92,000 statewide job postings; more than 51,000 resumes

CHICAGO - April 4, 2012. In his latest effort to boost the Illinois economy, Governor Pat Quinn today announced a new "help-wanted" system that connects job-seekers with jobs and makes hiring easier and more cost-effective for businesses. Illinois JobLink, developed by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), allows businesses to post job ads and individuals to post multiple resumes for free. Currently, there are nearly 92,000 total statewide job postings and more than 51,000 resumes posted on the system.

"We can increase economic growth in Illinois by connecting people who are looking for a job with employers who are looking to hire," Governor Quinn said. "During this difficult economy, Illinois JobLink is helping workers market their job skills and allowing employers to successfully find the help they need at no cost."

Illinois employers including Aon, Chrysler and Ford, have used Illinois JobLink to search for resumes and potential employees. Comparable private job boards can cost employers hundreds of dollars, and studies show that businesses prefer the key word search function to find employees with the unique skills that are needed. Using Illinois JobLink (www.illinoisjoblink.com), employers can create want-ads that require specific skills or search resumes using keywords such as salary, educational attainment and location. In turn, job seekers can create multiple resumes that emphasize their variety of skills.

"Hiring is time-consuming and expensive for employers. Illinois JobLink makes hiring easier by allowing employers to focus in like a laser on job seekers that possess the unique skill sets that they need," IDES Director Jay Rowell said. "It also helps our working families identify what job best fits their needs and puts them in a better position to pitch themselves to multiple employers at one time."

Illinois JobLink also pulls want-ads from Indeed.com, the largest employment site in the United States. Indeed.com collects postings from thousands of websites, including newspapers, associations, company career pages and job boards. Nationally, more than 550,000 jobs are available on Illinois JobLink.

While the Illinois JobLink service is available to everyone, including those who are currently employed, individuals collecting unemployment insurance are required to participate in Illinois JobLink. It also serves as another tool to connect veterans to jobs when they return home.

"We in the veteran advocacy community are excited by what Illinois Job Link offers to veterans," Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Erica Borggren said. "Helping employers find veterans is one of the most difficult pieces of the veteran unemployment 'puzzle,' and all job-seeking veterans can benefit from this powerful tool which allows the State's Veteran Employment Representatives to match veterans and employers."

Illinois JobLink replaced the previous Illinois SkillsMatch system and individuals and businesses with SkillsMatch accounts are encouraged to update their profiles, which were automatically transferred to the new system. IDES encourages job-seekers to set their resumes to public to ensure maximum exposure to businesses.

The state's comprehensive approach to helping match job seekers with employers is complemented by Illinois workNet® (www.illinoisworknet.com), a workforce development system administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).  Illinois workNet utilizes partnerships and technology to expand seamless and real-time access to employment resources, including assistance with hiring and training employees, recruitment services, and tax incentives to keep local Illinois businesses competitive. As of January 2012, the Illinois workNet portal has more than 234,000 individual, workforce and business accounts.

As Illinois'' employment agency, IDES works with employers to fill vacancies in several ways including hosting job fairs, providing interview space and connecting job seekers with ready-to-hire employers. Providing soft-skills training to job seekers, such as skills assessment, resume review and interview techniques can be combined with other training courses available through more than 60 workNet centers across the state. This multi-agency, collaborative approach identifies the skills needed by businesses and helps job seekers obtain the skills needed to meet those needs. For more information, visit http://www.ides.illinois.gov/.

Governor Secures State, Federal Resources to Help Southern Illinois Families, Businesses, and Local Governments Recover from Tornado

HARRISBURG - April 2, 2012. At the direction of Governor Pat Quinn, the heads of a number of state agencies today announced in Harrisburg up to $13 million of financial aid and construction projects to help families, businesses and local governments recover from the deadly tornado that ravaged several Southern Illinois communities on Feb. 29. The package put together at the Governor's instruction includes reimbursements to local governments for some of their disaster-related expenses, road improvements, grants to help homeowners repair or rebuild damaged homes, and low-interest business loans to create jobs and help businesses recover.

"This assistance package offers real solutions for the long-term recovery effort in Harrisburg and other communities," Governor Quinn said. "Recovery from this tornado won't happen overnight, but these resources will help residents and businesses of hard hit areas in Southern Illinois begin to rebuild their lives."

Following FEMA's denial of assistance for people affected by the tornado on March 10 and denial of an appeal on March 21, Governor Quinn moved quickly to secure support for people and businesses through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). That request was approved the following day, and the SBA began meeting with people interested in the low-interest, long-term loans on March 23.

"In the weeks since the severe storms and tornadoes hit Southern Illinois in February and early March, I have met with representatives from federal, state, and local emergency management agencies to discuss the ongoing recovery efforts in Harrisburg, Ridgway and surrounding areas," said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).  "I will continue to work with Governor Quinn and the Illinois Congressional Delegation to seek further opportunities for federal assistance to help these communities rebuild."

In addition to the SBA loans, the state's multi-agency relief package includes:

• Assistance from Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) - Up to $5 million from the Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) will pay for public infrastructure improvements, housing rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. In partnership with Ameren Illinois, another $1 million from the Energy Efficiency Trust will fund energy efficiency incentives through Ameren's Act on Energy program to benefit customers affected by the disaster. Additionally, DCEO will make as much as $750,000 in Workforce Investment Act grants available to cover wages for dislocated workers to participate in disaster cleanup and structured work-based learning.
• Assistance from Illinois Finance Authority (IFA) - Up to $2 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD) business loans will be available through IFA under a relending in Gallatin, Saline and Williamson counties. Loans from a minimum of $50,000 up to a maximum of $250,000 may be used for the purchase of land, construction or renovation of an industrial or commercial building or purchase of machinery and equipment. The IFA will partner with local banks to market the program to local businesses hurt by the recent storms and tornadoes.
• Assistance from Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) - Twenty-one municipal road improvements in Harrisburg will be completed at an estimated cost of $1.58 million.
• Assistance from Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) - Reimbursements up to $1.5 million to affected local governments for some of their disaster-related expenses will be made through the state's Disaster Response and Recovery Fund, which supports emergency response and recovery efforts.
• Assistance from Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) - IHDA will commit up to $1 million in federal HOME Funds using the Single Family Owner Occupied Rehabilitation (SFOOR) Program. Up to $40,000 per household in forgivable non-payment loans will be made available to homeowners in affected areas. The funds can be used to build or renovate destroyed or damaged homes.
• Delta Regional Authority - Governor Quinn secured $400,000 in federal funding to reimburse local governments for expenses related to debris removal.

"Ameren Illinois is delighted to partner with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to help make recovery a little easier for residents of the Harrisburg and Ridgway areas," said Michael Moehn, Ameren Illinois senior vice president of customer operations. "Through our ActOnEnergy® program and the Warm Neighbors Cool Friends Home Repair Program, residents will be able to receive the financial assistance they need to meet the highest energy efficiency standards as they repair and rebuild. This will allow them to save money today and in the years to come."

Governor Quinn has directed his staff to continue to work with local, federal and non-governmental agencies to secure additional support for families in the affected areas.

This assistance package is in addition to nearly $1.4 million of in-kind state assistance already provided to the affected region. Shortly after the tornado stuck, Governor Quinn surveyed the damaged area and activated the State Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the deployment of state resources and personnel in support of local response and recovery efforts. The state's response included large deployments from IDOT, the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois State Police, as well as assistance from several other state agencies and mutual aid organizations.

"The state of Illinois has been a trusted partner with us since the day the tornado struck," said Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg. "Recovery after a disaster of this magnitude isn't easy. This state assistance package will give our recovery efforts a significant boost. I appreciate Governor Quinn's continued commitment to helping our communities recover."

Governor Quinn directed state officials to start developing the state assistance package immediately after the state's request for FEMA assistance for individuals and subsequent appeal were denied. The administration has been exploring all possible opportunities to deliver relief and assistance to Southern Illinois' impacted communities.

Additional information about the state's response efforts is available at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.

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