Two more Illinois companies turn Hoosier
Two Illinois businesses have announced they will leave for Indiana since the start of July. One of them, ironically, is named after the state of Illinois. Illini Hi-Reach is a rental provider of industrial equipment. Illini announced on July 2 that it will move its corporate headquarters from Lemont, Ill. to Crown Point, Ind. Less...
Two Illinois businesses have announced they will leave for Indiana since the start of July. One of them, ironically, is named after the state of Illinois.
Illini Hi-Reach is a rental provider of industrial equipment. Illini announced on July 2 that it will move its corporate headquarters from Lemont, Ill. to Crown Point, Ind.
Less than a week later, Superior Truss & Panel, a manufacturer of building trusses, announced it will move its operations from Markham, Ill., to Gary, Ind..
The combined moves will cost Illinois 65 jobs and $16.2 million in investment dollars, another hit to an Illinois economy that is down 26,300 private-sector jobs on the year.
Meanwhile, the Hoosier playbook continues to pay dividends. Not only did Indiana snatch two companies and 65 jobs from Illinois, but Indiana also announced that it will soon gain 400 jobs from California-based Systems in Motion LLC, a technology consulting firm.
For context, Illinois has created 500 net new jobs in the last nine months. Indiana claimed 400 new jobs in a single June 30 announcement.
Illinois has natural advantages over Indiana, but suffers from policies that hold the state back. Illinois needs to make reforms to get ahead of Indiana, including:
- Eliminating the income tax to modernize the tax code
- Slashing start-up fees and wait times to foster entrepreneurship
- Eliminating licensing requirements for low-income occupations
- Reforming employer liability laws including workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance
- Repealing the death tax to keep family farms and businesses intact