A BIG congrats to our board member Martin Cabrera Jr., founder and CEO of Cabrera Capital Markets and Cabrera Capital Partners, on receiving the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award. He was recognized alongside Stephen Colbert, Earvin "Magic Johnson," and Darren Walker.

We recently got an inside look at @chicago's Jardine Water Purification Plant, the world's LARGEST conventional water treatment plant. 💧👏 Thank you to Chicago Department of Water Management for sharing your time and insights with us!

NEW: Silicon Catalyst is partnering with the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (#IQMP) to bring and help #quantum startups grow in #Illinois. We're proud to have played a key role in facilitating this partnership. Read more in the press release: https://bit.ly/4pp6RCx

Our board company ComEd is launching a new program in 2026 designed to help income-eligible customers through a percentage-based discount on their monthly electric bill. Learn about the Low-Income Discount program here: https://bit.ly/48FYxHE

As we approach 2026, it’s undeniable that #tech innovation drives economic leadership. Learn more about how the state is pioneering in #quantum computing, #AI, and #microelectronics in our #BeInIllinois blog: https://bit.ly/4rIF2GX

Great news: U.S. Steel is restarting a blast furnace at Granite City Works, a move that continues the mill's 100-plus-year heritage of steelmaking in Southwestern Illinois and supports hundreds of jobs. More in @wsj.com: https://on.wsj.com/3KyqQQ0

Food scientists at Eagle Foods' #BuffaloGroveIL facility played a key role in developing Hamburger Helper's new breakfast line. Innovations like these exemplify #Illinois' position as the #1 state for private food manufacturing. More in @chicago.suntimes.com#BuffaloGroveIL#Illinoishttps://bit.ly/4pkNsCV

Once a brownfield, a site on #Chicago's South Side is now home to a $40M urban biodigester project that is likely the first of its kind in the Midwest. ♻️ Read about the transformational Green Era Campus in the @chicago.suntimes.com#Chicago https://bit.ly/4amcCw6

#DecaturIL (#1) and #SpringfieldIL (#4) rank among the BEST affordable cities to live in the U.S. according to @usnews.com#DecaturIL#SpringfieldILased on factors like housing costs and the regional cost of living index. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Xps8jp

The Rock Island Defense Alliance and the Quad Cities Manufacturing Institute have joined forces to drive large-scale regional growth, #defense, and #manufacturing innovation, with Col. Shawn Creamer at the helm. 💥 Learn more via @uofilsystem.bsky.social#defense#manufacturingbit.ly/4p33Xn1

Our team recently had the honor of touring North Lawndale with @6figga-dilla.bsky.social, a #Chicago historian, social media icon, and host of "You Don't Know Chi" on FOX 32 News. Thank you, Dilla, for sharing your time, passion, and knowledge with us. 💚

As you shop this Black Friday + Small Biz Saturday, remember to #ShopLocal and #IllinoisMade. Retail is an important part of the state's economy, employing 1 out of every 4 Illinoisans and generating $112B+ in economic investment annually, according to the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.

As we approach the end of a historic year for #econdev in #Illinois, we are reminded of how grateful we are to share our state's business assets with the world. To our fellow #TeamIllinois partners, thank you for your energy, creativity, and dedication to Illinois. 💙

Illinoisans can now present their state ID in-person and in-app at select businesses, organizations, and airports with their iPhone through a new @ilsecofstate.bsky.social initiative. We're excited for this new era of convenience and digital innovation. 🪪 More: bit.ly/48emGVf

.O'Hare's passenger levels have risen above pre-COVID levels, signaling sustained recovery and momentum. 🛫 This news comes as the airport gears up for its busiest Thanksgiving travel period in history. More in Crain's Chicago Business: https://bit.ly/4oSF6Ca

We just dropped the November edition of our monthly newsletter, the Illinois Business Beat. 📰💕 Take a look at how the state is progressing in key industries, companies that have chosen to #BeInIllinois, #TeamIllinois spotlights, and more. Read it here: https://bit.ly/3XOsArl

Intermountain Electronics, a manufacturer of backup power systems for data centers, announced a $12M expansion that will DOUBLE the size of its #CentraliaIL plant and add ~40 employees over the next year. 🌱👏 Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4pu7cUq

A historic moment for women's sports: #SpringfieldIL will be the home of the inaugural season of the Women's Pro Baseball League. ⚾ With all games taking place at Springfield's Robin Roberts Stadium, #Illinois again will be at the center of a sports milestone. https://bit.ly/4rdV0bL

This fall academic semester, #Illinois universities achieved their HIGHEST enrollment (~190K students) in 10 years. 👏 @govpritzker.illinois.gov and the Illinois Board of Higher Education announced the good news this week, pointing to the state's significant investments in education: bit.ly/47KEjNC

With 1 in 5 Chicago households experiencing food insecurity, food banks like the Greater Chicago Food Depository are integral to meeting basic community needs. We had a wonderful afternoon volunteering and learning about the organization's mission to #EndHungerNow.

The 2026 Adaptive #Quantum Circuits (#AQC26) Conference & Expo will take place in #Chicago. 🎉 Preeti Chalsani, our SVP and chief quantum officer, joined QM CEO Itamar Sivan in Boston for the announcement about AQC 2026.

As a longtime powerhouse, #Illinois' #manufacturing industry contributes $130B+ to the state's economy and employs 480K+. Read about how the state offers manufacturers a rare combination of history, innovation, and momentum in our #BeInIllinois blog: https://bit.ly/3LJrIle

With 2.3M sq ft under construction, #Chicago is the nation's leader in cold-storage construction, according to Newmark. Learn more in the Chicago Business Journal: https://bit.ly/49jrxXE

ICYMI: Maryland-based IonQ will build a quantum computer in #Chicago to advance cutting-edge research and cross-sector collaboration on the University of Chicago's campus! ➡️ Learn more in Crain's Chicago Business via John Pletz: https://bit.ly/3JSuQdO

ComEd continues to showcase why it's one of the best in the biz! ⚡ A benchmark study ranked ComEd #1 among similar utilities for the low frequency and duration of outages experienced by customers. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3XrIFDb

❗ We want to highlight YOU❗ Big or small, rural or urban — we're looking for #Illinois communities and their local EDOs to feature in the 2026 editions of our monthly newsletter, the Illinois Business Beat. Nominate here: bit.ly/4otjAUr

Join Cathriona Fey, our VP of #cleanenergy manufacturing and production, at an upcoming German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, Inc. networking event in #Chicago to meet with leading U.S. and German experts. 🔋✨ Register here: bit.ly/4o2yu36

From #EV parts manufacturers to battery innovators, #cleanenergy companies are charging into #Illinois. Sophie Sturdevant, our director of content marketing, takes a look at how Illinois is helping define the nation's #cleanenergy landscape: https://bit.ly/43h0k40

Join @illinoisdceo.bsky.social's regional economic development (RED) team and Courtney Fugate, our associate of site readiness, for virtual office hours about #Illinois' site readiness efforts, such as the Regional Site Readiness Program and #VettedSites. Register ➡️ bit.ly/4qL86x6

Fantastic news! #Illinois' two national laboratories — Argonne and Fermilab — will again receive $125M each from the U.S. Department of Energy over the next five years to advance #quantum research. ⚛️🥳 Read more in Crain's Chicago Business: https://bit.ly/4nI1mNP

We were honored to meet with site selectors from Site Selectors Guild last week for a multi-day tour across Southern Illinois, led by Southern Illinois Now and Ameren Illinois. 👏

P33 and the National Quantum Algorithm Center recently launched Grand Challenges, a program that aims to accelerate real-world #quantum solutions in fields such as #lifesciences, #energy, and #finance. 🚀 Register for an info session on Nov. 10: bit.ly/3LwOlJr

NEW from Site Selection magazine: #Illinois ranks #7 nationally for business climate. Up two spots from 2024, this high ranking is another reflection of the state's business assets and sharp focus on competitiveness.

Happy Bonfire Night! The U.K. and Illinois are strong trade partners, as the U.K. is the state's #1 FDI partner by employment. ICYMI: Earlier this year, @govpritzker.illinois.gov and British Consul General Richard Hyde signed an MOU to strengthen this partnership: bit.ly/3LIOSYJ

The #Chicago Quantum Summit is in full swing. 💫 Hosted by our board company Chicago Quantum Exchange, the summit is bringing together global leaders to discuss the exciting future of #quantum computing.

#Illinois will be the home of the DOE's largest #AI supercomputer, per a groundbreaking collaboration between NVIDIA and Oracle. 👏 Argonne's two new supercomputers will give scientists the most advanced AI infrastructure to propel scientific discovery: https://bit.ly/48NuPlD

With support from an EDGE for Startups agreement, four former employees of Gunite Corp. are opening their new business, Rockford Brake Manufacturing — a move that creates 150 new jobs and preserves the shuttered Gunite factory. Learn more in Rock River Current: https://bit.ly/43vKQsU

Happy Halloween! From being a candy powerhouse to harvesting the most pumpkins of any state, #Illinois is a big contributor to many of the holiday's traditions. Wishing our followers a safe and candy-filled day!

A blueprint for reliable, low-carbon electricity in the U.S. will be pioneered at Broadwing Energy's commercial-scale carbon capture and sequestration (#CCS) plant in #DecaturIL. Read more from our #TeamIllinois partner, the EDC of Decatur and Macon County: https://bit.ly/47dP2jo

In honor of #ManufacturingMonth, we met with Manner Polymers Plant Manager Brian Reynolds to discuss the company's new solar-powered facility in #MountVernonIL, which is setting new standards for PVC production. ▶️

What do Greater Peoria, Pasqal, and #ManufacturingMonth have in common? They're featured in the October edition of our newsletter! 🗞️ Read it here: https://bit.ly/4on4e3J

#Chicago’s violent crime remains near its lowest point in more than four decades — and the criminal homicide tally for June, July, and August of this year is the lowest in almost six decades, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Prysmian recently celebrated a $63.8M expansion of its 60-year-old facility in #DuQuoinIL. 👏 The project added 100K sq ft of space to Prysmian's cable #manufacturing facility and positions it for continued growth, stability, and innovation: https://bit.ly/3LvZcmP

Our Chairman John Atkinson has been recognized by the College of DuPage as a "Distinguished Alum." 🥳🎓 Drawing on his COD education, he has forged a dynamic career spanning industries — from insurance to education advocacy to economic development.

The Chicago Quantum Summit and #MidwestQuantumWeek are right around the corner. ⚛️ Led by the Chicago Quantum Exchange, the summit will bring together leading experts to discuss breakthrough research, the intersection of #quantum tech and society, and more: bit.ly/4pNzzh6ntersection

#Illinois just earned its 10th credit upgrade in 4.5 years. Moody's Investors Service raised Illinois' rating to A2, reflecting the state's significant strides in fiscal health under @govpritzker.illinois.gov's leadership. More here: bit.ly/3LrZ3AM

Our team had a wonderful day learning from some of the state's top #CRE players at Bisnow's State of #Chicago. Cathriona Fey, our VP of #cleanenergy, participated in a panel about the importance of community value in megaprojects.

We were pleased to participate in Northwestern University's The Healthspan Frontier, an inaugural event convening some of the brightest minds working at the intersection of #science, #tech, and longevity. Learn more about the event here: https://bit.ly/43q8fMb

In celebration of #ManufacturingMonth, we met with Greg Keown of Wieland Group to discuss the company's deep ties to #Illinois and $500M modernization project in #EastAltonIL.

We love to see it! @govpritzker.illinois.gov and @illinoisdot.bsky.social announced a historic round of investments in Metro East infrastructure focused on improvements to major corridors and streets, as part of the state's largest infrastructure project to date. More here: bit.ly/4o9IZ5y