Attracting social media giant Facebook, who will invest over $800 Million dollars to build their DeKalb Data Center is a historical accomplishment for DeKalb, IL.  At peak, they will have 1200 construction workers to complete the project.  Upon completion, Facebook will employ 100 permanent people.

The DeKalb Data Center is one of 17 sites in the world, and one of 13 in the United States operated by Facebook.

Facebook’s mission- to bring to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer is impressive, demonstrating their commitment to Community.

The DeKalb data center will be powered by 100% renewable energy via the Lincoln Land Wind Project in Morgan County that will supply all of its energy needs. It will use 80% less water than the average data center and, once completed, will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold-certified, a high rating that indicates carbon dioxide emissions reduction, water efficiency, energy
savings, healthy indoor environmental quality, responsible use of natural resources, and thoughtfulness about environmental impact.

We are proud to have this strong community partner contribute to the health of DeKalb County, and for being a responsible environmentally friendly company.

To read the full article, written by Clare Kron, published in the Daily Chronicle, click on the link.

DeKalb Facebook Data Center News

Some DeKalb County residents who registered to receive a vaccine were fortunate to receive their first dose at Kish Hospital on Thursday.  DeKalb County Health Department officials have worked closely with Northwestern Medicine to coordinate the administration of the vaccine.

To get a “Closer Look”, please see the attached article written by Katie Finlon, published in the Daily Chronicle by clicking the link.

Northwestern COVID Vaccines

February 8, 2021

For Immediate Release:

Kish offers multiple programs, events for Black History Month

Kishwaukee College will offer several programs and events in February to celebrate Black History Month.

The month-long celebration will focus on the theme “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.” These programs reflect the College’s core values of inclusion and accessibility for all members of the Kish community. Kish students, staff, faculty, and members of the public are encouraged to attend this year’s offerings.

Kish’s annual Brown Bag series will be broken into four interactive discussions from 1-2 pm on Tuesdays during February and the first week of March. All discussions are open to the public.

Feb. 9 — My Play Brothers and Sisters: Blood and Kinship in the Black Family — This discussion will explore diverse notions of the Black family. Contemporary definitions of the family include people who may not be related by blood. Are fictive kin real family or not?

Feb. 16 — The Real MVP: Single Parents and the Raising of Black Children — Successful people come from a variety of family structures. Today, the historical increase in the percentage of families headed by a single parent is often argued to influence social problems like crime and delinquency. This discussion explores parenting and the raising of Black children.

Feb. 23 — Black and Bougie: Wealth, Class and the Black Family — The urban, suburban and rural American communities have a combination of the privileged middle class and underprivileged families. This interactive discussion will focus on class and its impact on Black family life.

March 2 — Teaching and Learning While Black: The Role of the Family in Black Education Attainment — This discussion explores the ways a student’s family serves as a support system for student success. Topics that will be explored include: Is college completion an individual achievement or group effort? How do families support those who go away to school?

Kishwaukee will offer several other events for student registration only, including a virtual Paint and Create, a virtual escape room, and a virtual Poetry Slam. For more information on all of Kish’s Black History Month events, visit www.kish.edu.

Black History Month is a time to reflect on the great contributions of Black people across the world. Kishwaukee College is excited to continue offering great programming to allow students to learn, reflect and honor those stories.

On Thursday, February 4th, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce hosted their Annual meeting in a virtual fashion.  DCEDC would like to congratulate two of our contributing members for receiving awards. Brian and Amy Oster of OC Creative, and DeKalb County Youth Services Bureau (DCYSB).

OC Creative was crowned the prestigious DeKalb Chamber of Commerce 2020 Business of the Year, while DCYSB received the acclaimed Nonprofit Organization of the Year Award for 2020.

Congratulations to our members for making DeKalb a better place to live, work and grow.

To read the full article authored by Katrina Miton, published in the Daily Chronicle, please click on the link DeKalb Chamber Awards OC Creative and DCYSB

DCEDC is proud to share founding member, Curran Contracting Company was recently named the Contractor of the year by the Illinois Road Transportation Builders Association.

In 2020, Curran Contracting worked on projects throughout the Northern Illinois Region.  Amazon-DLN3, ChicagoWest Business Center Roundabout, DeKalb Data Center (Facebook), and Crest Foods Co.  Curran were awarded and have begun working on the Illinois Tollway project.

Check out their latest edition of The Curran Connection to learn about the exciting activity that is taking place at this dynamic company.  The Curran Connection

The DeKalb City Council gave their approval for a ComEd substation.  This substation is for the future Facebook DeKalb Data Center.  DeKalb City Manager, Bill Nicklas said during the City Council meeting Monday night that city staff was enthusiastically in support of the proposal.  The joint interest of ComEd and Facebook collaborating in making the facility would serve the plan and also the area well.

To read the full article published in the Daily Chronicle, written by Katie Finlon, click on the link City Council Approves ComEd Substation

Timely decisions are important to the projects and all that are involved. The City of DeKalb exemplifies what a friendly business climate should be to work with. ComEd’s ability to provide clean and renewable energy to the Data Center will enable this site to operate on 100% renewable energy.

DCEDC is proud to share that two major projects in DeKalb County have been recognized and awarded by prominent national organizations.

Facebook Inc. d/b/a/ Goldframe, LLC  has started construction of its 12^th data center in the City of DeKalb, an $800-million investment of a 907,000-square-foot building.  Upon completion, the data center will employ a staff of approximately 100. Staff will consist of technicians, engineers, facility managers, logistics professionals, and security personnel.  It will also be one of the most energy- and water-efficient data centers in the world. Energy giant, ComEd will provide clean renewable energy to the site from their proposed substation that will be built near the site. Minneapolis, MN-based Mortenson is the General Contractor for the mega project.

Ferrara Candy Company’s $100-million distribution complex, a 1.2-million-square-foot distribution center, and a 468,000-square-foot packing center have been completed by Krusinski Construction Co. and expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2021.  Upon completion, Ferrara will employ approximately 500 employees.

Facebook Inc, d/b/a/ Goldframe, LLC was recently awarded the prestigious 2021 Corporate Investment Community Impact Award, also known as the CiCi Award, by Trade & Industrial Development, a national site selection publication.  Ferrara was named the winner of the Industrial Broker Transaction of the Year by the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks Chicago Chapter, a development trade association.

The national recognition of the projects is a priceless promotion of DeKalb County as a competitive, productive, and profitable location for corporate investment and business operation.

As part of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, DCEDC’s 4^th goal is to brand the “DeKalb County Experience”, focusing on the county’s unique assets.  The branding program is called “Opportunity Unbound”. Implementation and execution of this program will accelerate the attraction of business, investment, and human resource talent to DeKalb County.  Increased business and community development will expand and diversify the tax base; help reduce tax rates and enhance the quality of life in the county.

DCEDC extends our sincere congratulations to Facebook and Ferrara.  We will continue to work in harmony with our countywide businesses, community partners/residents, and public partners as we continue our work of enhancing DeKalb County.

To read the articles published in the Daily Chronicle, please click on the link- Daily Chronicle 01262021

Community Impact.  A company’s decision to locate a new facility or expand an existing one can have a profound effect on a community, and it can go well beyond a simple business decision.   The project demonstrates how site selection can make a difference in the community where the company has chosen to locate.

Here in the City of DeKalb, IL social media giant Facebook, Inc. d/b/a/ Goldframe, LLC is one such notable project.  They plan to invest well over $800,000 million dollars into the county during their buildout of one of the most sophisticated and state of the art data centers in their portfolio.

To read the article authored by Tracey E. Schelmetic, as published in the current edition of Trade & Industry Development, please click on the link. Trade & Industry Development CiCi Awards Facebook Project Goldframe LLC DeKalb Co IL

DCEDC is proud to have played a key role in the attraction of Facebook, working closely with the City of DeKalb,  CEO Jerry Krusinski, Krusinski Construction Company, the Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, the designating and participating units of government of DeKalb County, IL, energy supplier ComEd, and many others to secure this tremendous WIN for DeKalb.  Facebook has been a strong community partner since they announced their project on June 30, 2020. They recently donated $10,000.00 to the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund.

Congratulations to each entity on this tremendous achievement.

Mega utility provider ComEd’s application to erect a substation located to the southwest of tech giant, Facebook’s state of the art data center has been approved by the City of DeKalb’s Planning and Zoning Commission.  The proposed substation awaits approval by the DeKalb City Council.

ComEd’s existing ability to provide high voltage and clean energy to the site was a competitive advantage for this recent win!  This is an important next step for the buildout of this 500-acre site.