"When President Roosevelt signed the Wages and Hours Bill into law, he gave workers benefits and protections that no other country had seen before, and put Americans on a path toward a fair standard of living.

"What was landmark legislation then is common-sense today. We know that children shouldn't be abused and forced to work. We know there should be limits on how many hours a week someone works. And we know that no one should work 40 hours a week and live in poverty.

"If the minimum wage had kept pace with inflation it would be $10.75 today. Raising the minimum wage is good for workers and good for growth. It puts purchasing power back into the hands of hardworking Americans, helps reduce poverty and strengthens the economy.

"As we work to build a majority to raise the minimum wage in Illinois, let's remember this is about dignity and decency.

"The hardworking people of our state deserve the opportunity to earn a decent living. Building an economy that works for everyone makes our state stronger and more competitive, not the other way around."

Governor Quinn first proposed raising the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour in his 2013 State of the State address. Studies conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago show that an increase of $1 in the minimum wage generates approximately $3,000 in household spending per year, greatly improving purchasing power and strengthening our economy. Six out of every 10 minimum wage workers are female, including many single parents. Additionally, nearly two-thirds of small business owners support raising the federal minimum wage because they believe it will help the economy and in turn enable them to hire more workers, according to a recent survey conducted by the Small Business Majority.

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ICS Nett Inc. (ICS), an established Washington D.C. consulting firm, has launched a new division that takes a fresh approach towards Human Capital Management. David Thielen recently joined ICS and was tasked with developing and launching a service that offers small businesses, mid-size and large enterprise customers credible and qualified talent. In just two months, Thielen, with a depth of skill and experience in Human Capital Management, helped create Customer Oriented Enterprise Resources (COER). COER is a practice that has been developed based on a combination of proven industry expertise and critical success factors that have enabled ICS to exceed its goals over the last decade. By combining proprietary technology built on data analytics with deep customer and mission success knowledge, COER achieves with its approach what no other firm has been able to realize with human capital management solutions.

"We wanted to make a statement not only with what we're launching but also by how we're launching it", says Thielen, Director of COER. "COER has developed a video announcing the launch of an ideology within the corporate arena. This is something that hasn't been seen before in our space and we hope it communicates at every level our commitment to innovation, our dedication to quality, and our position as a trendsetter in human capital management."

Watch the video here: http://www.ics-nett.com/coer

The video outlines how COER takes a unique approach by focusing on the client's enterprise and by targeting companies of any size and virtually every industry including energy, healthcare, media, legal and manufacturing. "The response to the video has thus far been fantastic", says ICS Founder and CEO Khurram Shah. "It has generated a buzz internally and I'm hopeful it will generate a similar buzz nationally as clients and customers begin to realize the unique benefits of this new service."

One such benefit of COER is its proprietary tracking software that matches the candidate's skill set with the client's requirement and environment. Additionally, every candidate is interviewed by COER's Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to ensure they meet every requirement. "Our solution is based on the needs of our partners" says Becky Lewis, VP of Human Capital Management. "We interview our partners to understand not only their specific skill set in their industry but also to learn about their unique environment to ensure our candidates will be an ideal fit for their organization long-term."

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About ICS Nett Inc.

ICS is a leading provider of innovative technologies and solutions within Intelligence, IT, ICT, Transit, Defense and Logistics markets located in Vienna, VA. ICS is an experienced company that is able to demonstrate significant expertise by partnering with its clients and by reducing the risks associated with traditionally long-term and large mission critical projects. ICS delivers success for its customers by combining carefully selected best practices and a refined agile methodology, with a mission-driven management approach. COER is the new Human Capital division targeting the entire United States to companies of all sizes. More information about ICS can be found at www.ics-nett.com

Since Taking Office Governor Quinn Has Achieved $220 Million in State Savings by Eliminating More Than 2.5 Million Square Feet of Leased Space - Equivalent to Emptying Out Chicago's Trump Tower

CHICAGO - As part of his ongoing budget review, Governor Quinn today announced that the state of Illinois had again cut property leases to save an additional $55 million by continuing to downsize the space it leases in the upcoming fiscal year. This brings the total savings accomplished since the Governor took office to $220 million in property leases through consolidation, elimination or negotiation - roughly the equivalent of space in Chicago's Trump Tower.

Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to make state government efficient and accountable to taxpayers.

"Making government more efficient and doing more with less each year is always a priority," Governor Quinn said. "That's why as part of my ongoing budget review, we are continuing to downsize and eliminate space that the state leases, which will save taxpayers an additional $55 million this year alone."

When Governor Quinn took office, he directed the state to undertake a comprehensive effort to negotiate better lease rates for offices, and to close or consolidate duplicative, outdated or unnecessary space. That effort has resulted in $220 million in savings to date, including this year's additional $55 million, and cleared out 2.5 million square feet of leased space, roughly the equivalent of Chicago's Trump Tower. In addition, state facility closures are saving taxpayers an additional $100 million annually.

Moving offices of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) - from 32 W. Randolph St. in downtown Chicago to significantly less expensive space at 33 S. State St. saved taxpayers more than $4 million and eliminated 142,643 square feet of leased space.

Other recent lease cost-saving moves include :

·         The state is vacating two Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) offices on Chicago's North Side, consolidating the offices into new space at 5040-5060 N. Broadway to save state taxpayers about $118,000 a year.

·         The DHS is moving from the Hay Edwards Building into the Harris Building in Springfield, saving taxpayers $1.4 million a year in lease costs.

·         Five DHS offices in Charleston, Tuscola, Shelbyville, Paris and Effingham are moving into one new office in Charleston, saving state taxpayers $119,000 a year.

Since taking office and inheriting decades of mismanagement, Governor Quinn has enacted major reforms that are saving taxpayers billions of dollars. The Governor has saved taxpayers more than $3 billion by overhauling Illinois' Medicaid system, cutting Medicaid spending and rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. He also passed comprehensive pension reform that will save taxpayers more than $140 billion over the next 30 years.

Additionally, the Governor negotiated a historic contract with Illinois' employee unions that includes $900 million in savings for Illinois taxpayers. The Governor also enacted comprehensive worker's compensation reform that has saved state taxpayers more than $40 million to date. The state workforce is the smallest it has been in decades, with 4,000 fewer state employees than we had five years ago. All things included, over the last five years, Governor Quinn has cut state spending by more than $5.7 billion.

To build on this progress, Governor Quinn is proposing a five-year blueprint to secure the state's finances for the long-term and invest like never before in education and early childhood. The blueprint includes a historic $6 billion increase in classroom spending over the next five years, doubling the investment in college scholarships for students in need and increasing access to higher education through dual enrollment and early college programs. The Governor's plan was lauded by all three bond-rating agencies for its comprehensive approach to paying down bills, stabilizing the state's finances and enacting spending restraints.

For more information on Governor's Quinn's budget cuts please visit:

http://www2.illinois.gov/gov/budget/Documents/Cuts_to_Budget_FY09-FY15.pdf

Pilot Program Has Resulted in 18 Startups Actively Pursuing Partnerships with Five Leading Illinois Corporations

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by CEOs from some of Illinois' top companies and rising startups to announce the successful results of the inaugural "Corporate-Startup Challenge" program. The pilot program, conceived by the Illinois Innovation Council and managed by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC), has resulted in 18 startups actively pursuing partnerships with leading Illinois corporations. The partnerships vary by company, but include investments, contracts and mentorships. These partnerships with leading corporations are critical to the long-term success of the startups. The initiative is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to drive innovation and create jobs throughout Illinois.

"This innovative challenge is helping solve an important piece of the entrepreneurship puzzle - connecting startups with often inaccessible large corporations," Governor Quinn said. "This gives the startups important experience and business, while helping these large corporations continue to innovate and stay competitive in the global marketplace. This will create jobs and drive innovation throughout Illinois."

Participating corporations Allstate, John Deere, Molex Inc., Motorola Mobility and Walgreens first identified areas for potential collaboration. Then, they examined startups that had been referred through a network of more than 30 universities, incubators, accelerators, associations and not-for-profits. Connections were created between the corporations and promising entrepreneurs during "Demo Day" events.

On the heels of this successful pilot program that was launched last summer, Governor Quinn announced the kickoff of the second round of the Challenge with corporations ADM, Exelon Corporation and Hyatt Corporation.

"Illinois corporations are relying more than ever on technology and innovation to stay relevant and globally competitive," Illinois Innovation Council Chairman Brad Keywell said. "Connecting corporate leaders with innovative entrepreneurs helps those leaders address their own challenges, and opens the door for these emerging companies to gain feedback and expand their businesses."

More than 200 startups were referred to the program, and 62 of them were matched to at least one corporation. Of the 45 that were selected to present at one or more of the Demo Day events, 50 percent received engagement beyond the Demo Day and 18 remain in some form of ongoing partnership, including startups Servabo and SimpleRelevance with Allstate, Ploughman Analytics with John Deere and SiNode Systems with Motorola Mobility.

"A start-up like SiNode Systems can learn and grow from an introductory pitch to a corporation, but the Corporate-Startup challenge provided us with a much more meaningful gateway," SiNode Systems co-founder and CEO Samir Mayekar said. "Thanks to our participation in this effort, SiNode has had the opportunity to learn directly from Motorola Mobility's top battery engineers and we have now established key relationships to help us build value and create more high technology jobs in Illinois."

"As part of our global product development efforts and interest in supporting Illinois economic growth, Molex was a natural fit for the inaugural Corporate-Startup Challenge program," Molex Inc. Vice President of Marketing and Communications Brian Krause said. "The program team did an outstanding job at the front end, understanding our technology requirements and innovation direction and marrying those with entrepreneurs and startup companies - including those from the state's research universities - who were looking for a compatible growth strategy. We are very optimistic that the partnerships developed will prove valuable to Molex and the startup organizations."

"Illinois' differentiator is our diverse corporate community, which plays a central role in driving and supporting innovation, especially as customers to emerging Illinois businesses," ISTC President and CEO Mark Harris said. "The Corporate-Startup Challenge demonstrated the mutual value of better connecting the state's entrepreneurial community with these corporations and we look forward to continue growing the program with even greater participation and engagement."

Corporations and startups interested in learning more about the Corporate-Startup Challenge should visit IllinoisInnovation.com.

About the Illinois Innovation Council

The Illinois Innovation Council (IIC) is a diverse group of leaders convened by Governor Quinn to promote engagement, innovation and economic development. Its mission is to identify and advance strategies that foster and accelerate the innovation and economic growth that will create the jobs of today and tomorrow. For more information, visit illinoisinnovation.com/illinois-innovation-council.

About the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition

The ISTC is a member-driven, non-profit organization that harnesses the power of research and innovation to grow the state's economy. Created by the state of Illinois more than 20 years ago and with the support of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the ISTC drives public-private partnerships between industry, research universities, federal labs and government to increase research and technology-based investment, talent, awareness and job growth in Illinois. For more information, visit istcoalition.org/.