Industrial Jobs the Highlight of First-Quarter Economic Development

The big news in economic development over the past three months? Industrial and manufacturing jobs.

That’s the crux of the ’s first-quarter report, which Executive Director Charlene Coulombe-Fiore delivered to village trustees Tuesday night. Over the first three months of 2011, Montgomery has welcomed 77 new jobs, all of them related to industrial projects.

Roughly 18 of those jobs were made available by Abbey Paving Company and its affiliate, Fluid Defense, which consolidated operations into a single building at 2001 Greenfield Avenue this year.

A further 11 of them were brought to the village by General Pump and Machinery, a North Aurora company that purchased 1760 Commerce Drive and, in Coulombe-Fiore’s words, brought it back to life. This company specializes in industrial pumping equipment, and hopes to triple in size in the near future, Coulombe-Fiore said.

Fox Metro Water Reclamation District also plans a move into Montgomery, having bought 1135 South lake Street, a building Coulombe-Fiore said has been on the market for some time.

In addition to bringing in new businesses, the MEDC has concentrated on improving its membership over the past three months, Coulombe-Fiore said. The economic downturn took its toll on the MEDC membership, which now lists 31 businesses as partners.

This quarter, the MEDC welcomed two more: Ozinga, a returning member, and VVF Illinois Services.

Next week, the MEDC will organize a tour of VVF, whose 92-acre facility sits at 2000 Aucutt Road. VVF, an international company, produces soap and soap products for companies like Dial, and employs 383 people in Montgomery.

“We want to continue to make them happy and work with them,” Coulombe-Fiore said.

The MEDC is now in its eighth year. The gives an annual grant to the corporation. For 2011, that grant totaled $55,000. Last week, the MEDC held a breakfast meeting with professional tips on enhancing use of social media. The breakfast had roughly 60 attendees.