Politics & Government
Village: Hundreds of Jobs En Route to Skokie
The new Super Walmart, XSport Fitness, are said to bring in about 600 plus jobs. Construction permits are also on the rise, something that hasn't been scene since the recession hit in 2007.
Walmart’s arrival in Skokie may be attracting much of the publicity, yet other factors are at work to prompt the first job boom in the village since the recession’s onset in 2007.
In addition to the expected 350 jobs generated by Walmart on the far southeast side of Skokie, another 200-plus jobs could arrive in the same vicinity if XSport fitness is approved for a 24-hour health club operation at 3448 W. Touhy Ave., said Peter Peyer, Skokie’s community development director.
More companies ranging from downtown restaurants to a trucking booking firm to retailers at Fashion Square have been adding jobs from the several-dozen to hundreds in the last few years, starting to reverse the effect of large layoffs.
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“I think there’s definitely an economic recovery going on,” said Tom Thompson, Skokie’s economic development coordinator. “There’s some pent-up demand for companies to employ more people. Skokie is blessed to have the commercial and industrial areas to facilitate that growth.”
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Thompson rated Walmart's job gain as the largest single job generator in Skokie since North Shore Health Systems moved some 500 jobs into the Illinois Science and Technology Park east of downtown in the mid-2000s, before the recession struck.
Walmart was ahead of Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s in Old Orchard, which Thompson estimated each generated between 250 and 300 jobs when they moved into the shopping center in the 1990s.
Largest commercial/industrial job generator in recent years has been Command Transportation, 7500 Frontage Road. Thompson estimates Command as a startup has stocked its offices with up to 300 jobs.
They line up trucking for companies all over the country that need to ship products,” he said. “They play the middleman or the scheduler.”
Ross’ Dress for Less clothing store in Fashion Square preceded Produce World’s arrival with what Thompson estimated were 50 to 60 jobs. Produce World hired more than 30 new employees when it opened in February.
Building permits, construction valuation rise
Underlying the job growth are jumps in both village building permits and valuation of work since last year, which end up promoting construction and other jobs.
“Building permits are up 8 percent from last year,” Peyer said. “The valuation of work being done is up 47 percent, because we’ve had some large projects. Old Orchard was being renovated, and so was Skokie Hospital. There were build-outs at the Science and Technology Park.”
“There’s nothing to show an area turning around like construction,” said Thompson.
Cash value of the construction valuation went up from $75 million to $110 million since last year, Peyer said.
“Permits went down significantly (during recession), but they didn’t stop,” he said. “What we had were a lot of smaller permits for business remodeling, home remodeling. Then institutional work picked up, like Skokie Hospital.”
New restaurants coming to the center of the village are under-rated as job generators.
“Any kind of restaurant operation is generally not just a couple of people,” Thompson said. “It might be more like 10 to 15 people. Wait staff, people cleaning up, cooks.”
The big jobs prize is yet to come – if it comes.
“There’s always been a projection or plan that the Illinois Science and Technology Park will eventually provide 3,000 to 5,000 jobs,” Thompson said. “That will depend on further building on that site. That can’t be provided by the current lease-up of space. If they do their complete build-out, we will likely end up with 3,000 to 5,000 employees.”
The park’s development is supposed to be speeded by the opening of the Yellow Line’s Oakton station on Monday. Grand opening is scheduled for June 24.
“This tech park will become more and more attractive once that station is open,” Thompson said.
Despite the job growth, 1990s-style boom times have not yet come back.
“The Nineties was more steady,” Thompson said. “It was year after year consistently good for awhile. So this is more like we went downhill, and now the recovery is starting to take place. Now there’s an influx of jobs.”
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