Report: Things look good for Rockford in 2015

ROCKFORD, May 4 — Northwest Quarterly reports that “good things are happening in Rockford” in 2015. Many communities in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin have seen signs of a recovering economy.

The article points to three important investments recently made in Rockford: the AAR Corp. MRO hangar going in at the Rockford Airport, Woodward‘s addition of a second campus in Loves Park and the renewing of Rockford’s downtown area. The downtown will soon have a $50 M hotel and convention center, a new indoor sports complex and several refurbished properties in the Mid-Town District.

Mike Nicholas, Rockford Area Economic Development Council‘s President, was quoted on the improvements, “The whole downtown area is getting a rebirth. It looks good. Rockford is at the top of the list for areas of the country that are creating a lot of entry-level jobs.”

In addition to Rockford, the article touts other cities in the area that have also seen a good start to 2015. Beloit, Rochelle, Freeport and Belvidere have all had big wins this year and expect the trend to continue.

Read the full article.