Press Room

For Immediate Release - December 21, 2011

For More Information, contact Dawn Catanzaro 708-203-3745

 

 

Franklin Park, IL - Mayor Barrett F. Pedersen announced today that Interplex Daystar will expand operations in Franklin Park, saving over 70 jobs and adding numerous new jobs in the future.  The Village partnered with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Tollway to facilitate a fair purchase of Interplex Daystar’s current facility because it sits directly on the site line of the proposed Elgin-O’Hare expansion project.
 
“If it wasn’t for Mayor Barrett Pedersen, we would no longer be located in Franklin Park,” said Dan Carioggia, President of Interplex Daystar.  “While I knew that I would have to move out of our current building to allow for the Elgin O’ Hare construction, I also knew that I wanted to stay in Franklin Park and invest and grow here.  Mayor Pedersen was able to cut through some red tape with the state to get our buy-out offer completed in time for us to facilitate an expansion in the Village.”

 

In the absence of a buyout offer from the state, the company, which is growing substantially, could not expand to house the additional equipment needed to handle new business.  Without the buyout agreement, the firm’s corporate headquarters was pressuring management to leave their Franklin Park location and consolidate their operations with another Interplex location out of state.  That is when Mr. Carioggia reached out to Village Hall for help.

 

“I am pleased we were able to work with our partners at IDOT and the Tollway to resolve the situation both equitably and expeditiously,” stated Mayor Barrett Pedersen. “Given our current economic reality, creating and retaining jobs for our citizens must be our highest priority.  Franklin Park must always be ‘open for business’ and our staff has been working closely with business to encourage expansion, investment and relocation that will bring high quality, sustainable jobs to our Village.”

 

Interplex Daystar, Inc. is a custom metal stamping and injection molding company that supports the automotive, communications, consumer, medical and electronics markets.  The firm currently operates in a 52,000 square foot facility at 11535 Franklin Street and will expand into an 112,000 square foot facility at 11130 King Street in the spring.  The company employs many workers from Franklin Park and expects to be adding substantial new jobs as the firm’s business continues to ramp up.

 

“We are pleased that our partnership with Franklin Park and Mayor Pedersen allowed us to expedite the purchase of this property and retain these jobs.  This is the model of community cooperation we hope to employ in all our projects,” said Kristi Lafleur, Executive Director of the Illinois Tollway. 
 

As part of the agreement with Interplex, the Tollway will provide 70 acres of stormwater management for a flood prone area that will benefit many business and industrial users based in Franklin Park.

 

“Acquiring property for roadway construction can often be a long and difficult process.  However, when everyone works together, including local government, the process goes more smoothly and can be a key to helping create and retain jobs,” said Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider of the Illinois Department of Transportation.  “Congratulations to the Mayor, Interplex and Franklin Park on a successful conclusion to this important effort.”

 

“Our decision to stay and grow in Franklin Park is a direct result of the Village’s ‘pro-business‘ attitude,” said Dan Carioggia.   “I was able to obtain a new construction permit on the same day I emailed the Village’s Building Department to request one.  That is not possible everywhere.”

 

Several firms have chosen to expand or relocate in Franklin Park recently including Hill Mechanical who invested $8 million to renovate a building and added 50 new workers and Multigroup Logistics that brought 100 new jobs to their River Road address.  These business owners also indicated that the improvements in the Village’s Building Department made their relocation smoother.

 

“We continue to work to improve our customer service and our goal is to become a ‘business friendly’ village that welcomes new firms and assists existing businesses,” Mayor Pedersen stated.