State trade fact sheets - Illinois

Boosting Illinois’ Clean Energy Goals

Bringing more clean energy options to Illinois, Canada-based zero-emissions vehicle manufacturer Lion Electric Company announced plans in May 2021 to build its first U.S. plant in Joliet, Illinois. Lion’s new plant will produce 20,000 electric buses and medium- and heavy-duty trucks annually in a $70 million, 900,000 square foot facility. This investment will bring 1,400 jobs to the state by 2027. With nearly 500 of the company's electric school buses already on the road, along with Amazon’s commitment to buy up to 2,500 more trucks from Lion by 2025, there is growing demand from school districts and companies for electric transportation options. While the Illinois facility will initially focus on vehicle manufacturing, Lion eventually hopes to expand to battery production that will complement its facility that is currently being built in Quebec.

Manufacturing Critical Supplies

The COVID-19 pandemic brought historic challenges to healthcare providers and supply chain leaders. Illinois-based Medline, a healthcare manufacturer, distributor and solutions provider, works with some of the largest healthcare systems and independent facilities in the U.S. and Canada. The company has approximately 20 manufacturing facilities and 45 distribution centers in North America and offers more than 300,000 medical, surgical and laboratory products, including many considered vital during the pandemic. From the onset of COVID-19, Medline employees worked around the clock to meet the surging and evolving supply chain needs of its healthcare partners. When personal protective equipment was in short supply, the company invested in air freight, created new manufacturing partnerships and repurposed its U.S. manufacturing lines to produce such high-demand products as face masks and hand sanitizer. All efforts were aided by a $2 billion, multi-year investment in new and expanded distribution and manufacturing facilities. Medline’s logistical and manufacturing solutions helped strengthen the healthcare supply chain in North America during the pandemic, and the company continues to help customers on both side of the border maintain stock levels of critical supplies.

Banking on a Better Future

Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO, headquartered in Toronto, is a highly diversified financial services provider — the eighth largest bank, by assets, in North America. The bank provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers. In the U.S., BMO employs over 12,000 employees; its retail bank boasts over 500 branches and provides clients access to over 40,000 ATMs nationwide. It is Chicago’s second largest bank in deposit share and ranks 12^th in U.S. commercial lending. As part of its commitment to Growing the Good in Business and Life, BMO is mobilizing over $300 billion for sustainable finance by 2025 and has committed $5 billion over five years to address key barriers faced by U.S. minority businesses, communities and families.