Business Hotspot: Springfield, IL

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.