John Atkinson and Dan Seals: The naysayers have it wrong. Illinois is the place to be for businesses.

As first published in the Chicago Tribune: The naysayers have it wrong. Illinois is the place to be for businesses.

By: John Atkinson and Dan Seals.

Image credit to Lion Electric; an innovative manufacturer of zero emission vehicles headquartered in Illinois.

The makers of Pringles and Pop-Tarts, a leading maker of electric vehicle batteries, the first cultivated meat company to receive federal approval, an all-electric truck manufacturer. What do these companies have in common? They all announced plans to set up shop or expand in Illinois in the past year.

And they’re not alone. They join hundreds of new companies making billions of dollars in investments and creating tens of thousands of jobs in the Land of Lincoln. In fact, 382 companies relocated or expanded in Illinois in fiscal year 2023; that’s an average of more than one company every single day.

The Illinois naysayers and doomsday predictors are increasingly out of step with the reality here on the ground: Illinois is back and open for business.

It’s not hard to figure out why.

To read the full commentary in the Chicago Tribune from Intersect Illinois’ Chairman John Atkinson and CEO Dan Seals, click here.