To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here. Mayor Emanuel touts another first place finish as President Trump continues criticism Wednesday, Mar 1, 2017 * Press release… Mayor Rahm Emanuel and World Business Chicago (WBC) today announced that for the fourth consecutive year, Chicago ranked as the “Top Metro” in the United States for corporate investment by Site Selection Magazine. In 2016, the Chicago metro area saw more new and expanding corporate locations than any other area in the country. “This is the fourth straight year the city of Chicago has been America’s number one city for corporate investment, a testament to both our talent and the investments we are making in our future,” Mayor Emanuel said. “Leading the country in corporate investment means more jobs and opportunities throughout Chicago. The city of Chicago has a bright future, and it is clear that businesses from across the country and around the world want to be part of what we are building here.” The progress is continuing in 2017 - this past week alone, KPMG and GE Healthcare announced they are adding more than 1,000 jobs to Chicago. Today Mayor Emanuel joined Hickory Farms to announce the company is relocating its corporate headquarters to Chicago from Ohio. In 2016, WBC tracked a record 350 business expansions and relocations in the Chicago metro. These projects accounted for more than $2.8 billion in investment and nearly 14,000 new jobs. Major relocations and expansions last year included: Beam Suntory, Mars Wrigley, McDonald’s, Wilson Sporting Goods and Motorola Solutions. “When corporations choose Chicago, they join a tightly knit corporate community in a global city of talent and innovation, a city with engaged business and civic leaders,” WBC President & CEO Jeff Malehorn said. “We have global markets; our economy is diverse; our talent is diverse and we have unmatched assets. All of this serves up Chicago to be top of mind for companies making location and expansion decisions.” “The Chicago area is a frequent first place finisher in our ranking of metros according to new and expanding projects announced the previous year,” Mark Arend, editor of Site Selection said. “This means corporate facility planners seeking a large metro location are finding in Chicago the location assets they most require.” A key source for the corporate relocation community, Site Selection Magazine focuses on new corporate facility projects with significant impact, such as headquarters, manufacturing plants, R&D and logistics sites. In order to be considered, new facilities and expansions must meet at least one of three Site Selection criteria: (a) capital investment of at least $1 million, (b) create at least 20 new jobs or (c) add at least 20,000 square feet of new floor area. Site Selection is published by Conway Inc., which is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. There’s no doubt that part of the city is doing very well. Other parts are doing horribly, however. * Tribune… President Donald Trump briefly returned to a favorite target during his first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, assailing gun violence in Chicago while pressing support for law enforcement to ensure public safety. Trump said it was essential to “break the cycle of poverty” by also breaking “the cycle of violence.” “In Chicago, more than 4,000 people were shot last year alone — and the murder rate so far this year has been even higher. This is not acceptable in our society,” Trump said to applause. “Every American child should be able to grow up in a safe community, to attend a great school, and to have access to a high-paying job. But to create this future, we must work with — not against, not against — the men and women of law enforcement,” he said. * Meanwhile… Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday publicly acknowledged he plans to build a high school in Englewood as part of his “holistic” strategy to fight crime by rebuilding long-neglected neighborhoods. The mayor let the cat out of the bag during an appearance at the vacant site of the old Kennedy-King College. The purpose of the news conference was to highlight a previously announced plan to sell 18 acres of city-owned land at North and Throop to private developers and rebuild the outdated vehicle maintenance facility on the Englewood site. The project will bring 200 jobs to the impoverished Englewood community. In conjunction with the move by the city’s Department of Fleet and Facilities Management, the city is marketing a 4.9-acre property across the street for retail development. * Related… * Emanuel may go it alone — without feds — to push police reforms: Although the mayor has signed an “agreement in principle” to negotiate a consent decree that may never happen, he promised once again to implement the reforms without or without court oversight. “I don’t want to do what Ferguson, Cleveland or Baltimore have done. We’re not gonna do it to officers. We are gonna listen to what officers need and actually give them the support so they can be professional and pro-active,” the mayor said. * 44 killed in Chicago in February; 94 murdered so far in 2017: Since Jan. 1, at least 515 people have been shot in Chicago, according to Chicago Sun-Times data. * Guaranteed Rate hiring nearly 300 in Chicago this year * Outcome Health plans huge new HQ in River North - Posted by Rich Miller

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