Chicago
may get all the attention, but Springfield is coming in as a close second as a key
international business center. Springfield, with its Abraham Lincoln
historic sites, Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, Dana-Thomas Frank
Lloyd Wright House, Route 66, State Capitol Complex, and many other
attractions, is the preeminent international tourism business center in
Illinois, outside of Chicago. It has a
cohesive, pedestrian-friendly downtown where a visitor can easily walk to many
points of interest.
If
that hasn’t sold you, then allow me to continue. Many Springfield-area businesses conduct global
commerce, including Bunn-O-Matic, Solomon Colors, Brandt, GSI Group, ADM, LRS
software, ZG Worldwide business consulting, Hanson engineering, Novanis
software, and Tate and Lyle. JP Morgan (Chase)
Bank and US Bank provide international banking services. Springfield, being the state’s seat of
government, has government offices involved in international business affairs
and many associations having members with global interests. Further, much of the region’s agricultural
production is exported. The Midwest
Inland Port in nearby Decatur provides direct freight train service to the east
and west coasts. The University of
Illinois Springfield, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and
hospitals in the medical district are becoming increasingly global in personnel,
student population, and involvement. Airline service provides connections to international flights in Chicago
and Dallas. High-speed passenger rail
service will start the end of 2015, and with its increased frequencies will
likely attract many foreign riders who are used to rail travel.
Springfield
has many excellent hotels downtown and near the interstate highways as well as
fine restaurants, including ethnic cuisine varying from Chinese and Indian to
Italian, Mediterranean and Mexican. The
local population is also becoming more ethnically diverse.
The
cost of doing business in Springfield is low compared to the overhead paid in
major metropolitan areas. Because of
modern telecommunications much international commerce can be conducted anywhere
in the world. Springfield’s real estate
market is known for having many reasonably priced properties, including in the
central business district.
Keep
an eye out for Springfield as it continues to rise as a leading hub for global
business. And with ZG Associates
headquartered in major business hubs throughout the globe, you can trust that
ZG Worldwide will keep you up to date on local & global business news!
Contact ZG Worldwide today for more information.
