EDA Grant helps to create 350 jobs in Rochelle

           Economic Development Administration awards $2.4 Infrastructure grant  

Rochelle, IL: Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, John E. Bryson, announced today that the City of Rochelle has been awarded a $2.4 million Infrastructure grant. “We are very thankful for the support of the Economic Development Administration in securing this grant. This will allow us to expand our industrial corridors in Rochelle which will add 350 jobs today and hundreds more as the industrial base grows.” said Jason Anderson the Economic Development Director for the City of Rochelle. The grant will fund the construction of ~ 4 miles of the City of Rochelle Railroad System and increase the capacity of water and sewer utilities which will allow future industrial development. 

The City of Rochelle Railroad currently serves eight industries and switches on and off of the main lines of the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroads. The new rail infrastructure will provide rail service to two new industries that are currently under construction. Nippon Sharyo, a Japanese Rail Car manufacturing company and Coated Sands Solutions, a sand mining and processing company, both of these rail served industries expect to be operational later this year. 

“Our Economic Development Department has been working closely with the EDA for nearly a year on the grant application. We want to give special thanks to Congressman Manzullo, along with Senator Durbin, Senator Kirk and Congressman Hultgren, who all were instrumental in assisting the City on this important project. ” said Mayor Chet Olson.  

 “I want to congratulate the City of Rochelle and its Economic Development Department for their hard work in securing this extremely competitive federal grant,” Manzullo said. “It will help create 350 much-needed jobs in Rochelle today and many more in the future, opening up 2,000 more acres to industrial development.

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Mark you calendars for the Annual Kishwaukee College Employment Fair!

April 18th 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

April 19th 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Participating Employers

For more information, please contact the Employment Resources Center @ Kishwaukee College

815-825-2086  ext 4080

The resin-coating sand plant named Coated Sands Solutions is well on its way toward its operational target of Fall 2012.  The unusually warm weather has assisted in great progress being made on site.  Most of the footings and foundation has been poured, and structure construction will begin here in March.  At the plant, sand will be coated with resin, and then shippedout to drilling sites where new technology allows recovery of oil and natural gas from shale.

Nippon Sharyo plans to begin prodcution in May 2012 here at their new manufacturing plant in Rochelle. They've recently posted new job openings.  

For more information about their open positions please visit their website , or search for them on monster.com.

To apply for one of these specific positions please email your resumes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or fax it to (847) 228-5530 with specific job title included.

Nippon Sharyo Manufacturing, LLC is an equal opportunity employer.

Mark you calendars for the Annual Kishwaukee College Employment Fair!

April 18th 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

April 19th 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Employer Benefits

Kishwaukee College Invite Letter

Employer Registration 

For more information, please contact the Employment Resources Center @ Kishwaukee College

815-825-2086  ext 4080

The construction of the Chicagoland Skydiving Center's (CSC) new facility here in Rochelle has been helped immensely by the unusually warm and dry winter weather.  This photo shows the steel framework for the administrative support building being erected.  The new 20,000 sf facility will include a full-service restaurant & bar, retail space, grocery store, training rooms, rigging loft, offices, and an RV park.  All facilities should be completed this spring.

In season, the CSC is open seven days a week, weather permitting, from 7:30am to 9pm. As many as 500 jumpers a day can be accommodated on the weekends. CSC offers competitive pricing for tandem, solo, and licensed skydivers.

Follow the construction progress via their Facebook page

Coated Sand Solutions Facility to Locate in Rochelle Illinois

Rochelle, IL – Officials from Coated Sand Solutions and the City of Rochelle announced today they will be locating a new resin coating facility in Rochelle, IL. While officials conducted their site search over the past year they referred to the operation as “Project True Grit.”

“We’re excited to join the Rochelle community. We are an industry that depends on rail access and Rochelle offers excellent rail service through the City Rail System to both the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific Railroads” said Joe Ebens, Plant Manager for Coated Sands Solutions.

The resin coating facility will be located south of I-88 on Steward Road. The facility will be built in phases with start up targeted for September 2012. The capital investment in the project will be in excess of $40 million and will create more than 70 new high-paying jobs.    

“Coated Sand Solutions has come to Rochelle because of the City of Rochelle’s pro-business approach and great access to transportation infrastructure. This is exactly the type of facility that drives economic development in our community,” said Jason Anderson, Rochelle’s Economic Development Director. “Not only will they hire locally, but contractors, materials and construction labor will primarily be from the local community.”

The Rochelle facility is the first for Coated Sand Solutions and will use a-quartz mined from existing U. S. Silica Company deposits in areas in close proximity to Rochelle.

Joe Ebens, Coated Sand Solutions Plant Manager

Jason Anderson, Economic Development Director-City of Rochelle

Americold has seen tremendous growth in 2010-2011 and has added almost 25 new jobs here at their two plants in Rochelle. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, they are the world leader in temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution to the food industry. Americold possesses the largest cold-storage distribution network, having 182 warehouses world-wide with a combined 1.1 billion cubic feet of storage.

The City of Rochelle-owned railroad (CIR) continues to grow to meet the needs of both planned and future industrial demands. Work has begun on the new rail spur off the CIR to the new Nippon Sharyo site. The existing crossing and spur on Caron Road, south of I-88, will be modified for this purpose. In addition, the CIR is soon to be extended east across Steward Road, south of the IRE ethanol plant, in order to serve the planned construction of at least one new industrial plant there.

The City has also recently purchased a 1.5 acre strip of land along Caron Road, at the southeast corner of Creston and Caron Roads. This land is for additional planned storage track to help us serve our industrial clients. Finally, the Creston Road CIR crossing will be replaced this October 2011, for both needed repairs and also to handle future, heavier rail volume.

The presence of both the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads continue to make us a “logistically-strategic spot” for existing and future industrial clients. The CIR gives our industries direct access to either railroad. This dual access offers our clients competitive transportation pricing, thus giving them an advantage in their marketplace.

Nippon Sharyo plans to begin prodcution in May 2012 here at their new manufacturing plant in Rochelle. They've recently begun posting job openings on their website for the following positions:

• Metal Fabrication Administrator
• Maintenance Manager
• Assembly Manager
• Purchasing Agent
• Lead Electrical Assembler
• Lead Interior Assembler
• Lead Mechanical Assembler

For more information about their  open positions please visit their website , or search us on monster.com.

To apply for one of these specific positions please email your resumes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or fax it to (847) 228-5530 with specific job title included.

Nippon Sharyo Manufacturing, LLC is an equal opportunity employer.

Quick Start of Rochelle received a "Supplier Quality Excellence Award" from Caterpillar on Thursday, September 1st. Five members of Caterpillar's Quality Team came to Rochelle to present the award and tour of the Quick Start manufacturing facilities.

Rochelle-based, Quick Start, an industry-leading manufacturer of Diesel Engine Ether Injection Systems, is also gearing up for more growth. Since moving into their new location just over a year ago, Quick Start has experienced over 25% growth and has hired the equivalent of 4 full time positions from the Rochelle area. Increased customer demand and in-house improvements in manufacturing technologies are spurring new plans for growth and expansion. President Allen Brue believes this growth will bring new jobs and states that "Rochelle continues to be the perfect location for Quick Start to serve our customers".

The construction of the Nippon Sharyo production facility continues to move quickly toward its start-up target date of May 2012. Nippon Sharyo, the City of Rochelle, and numerous contractors have worked hard to stay on schedule, despite ground excavation delays due to rainy weather earlier this summer. Parts of the concrete foundation have been poured and walls will be erected in a couple of weeks. Expansion of the City Rail to the Nippon site should begin in about a month.

Rochelle, IL – The Rochelle Municipal Airport (Koritz Field) will be part of an upcoming 18-month study commissioned by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to measure the benefits that the Illinois airport system has on local economies.  Over 100 airports statewide will be examined, and the results will allow IDOT’s Division of Aeronautics, along with state aviation and economic development leaders, to enhance the state’s aviation network and create more jobs. 

“We believe the ‘Airport Economic Impact Study’ will show that the Rochelle Municipal Airport is becoming an economic engine, creating a magnet for new and sustainable jobs”, explained Rochelle City Manager, David Plyman.  “This study will provide the necessary information for Federal, State, and Local officials to justify future development and funding of infrastructure for continued economic growth.”

“We’re excited about professional business organizations, like the Chicago Skydiving Center, coming to Rochelle.  Their move here has already begun to benefit our local economy.  We’ve seen increased business to Rochelle hotels, restaurants, and stores because of their presence.” stated Rochelle Mayor, Chet Olson.  The international transportation and infrastructure consulting firm headquartered in Columbia SC, Wilbur Smith Associates, was selected to conduct the statewide study. 

See the story, "The I-39 Logistics Corridor: Moving Cargo Here, There and Everywhere", in the Northwest Quarterly Magazine.

The City of Rochelle and Ogle County, announced today the completion of Rochelle's Industrial Gateway Project with the opening of the Steward Road Overpass. The $6.6 million project created a grade separation over four sets of railroad tracks and the intersection of Caron & Steward Road and opened 1,000's of acres for industrial development.

The project was funded by the Economic Development Administration, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the BNSF Railroad, the City of Rochelle Railroad and Ogle County. Ed Rice, Ogle County Board Chairman said "This project will bring development opportunities to the region for many years". In addition to the overpass, the project included improvements to the Steward Road and Richie Road intersection and the widening to a 3 lane cross section of Steward Road to the Lee County/ Ogle County line.

Rochelle, Illinois – On October 20th 2010, Nippon Sharyo, USA Inc. announced its decision to expand operations in the US, including the establishment of its own passenger railcar production facility in the City of Rochelle, Illinois.

The new strategy is focusing on two elements, one to increase competitiveness in the expanding passenger rail market in the United States, and the other to respond to the increased desires for "localization" of railcar assembly. The new production facility is also expected to reduce total production costs by reducing transportation costs and by mitigating the risks of exchange rate fluctuations. Having a new production facility in the US also offers greater flexibility for production planning and delivery schedules while increasing the "local content" for Illinois and providing job opportunities in the Region.