Political Rewind: Illinois Third Worst State for Business

Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters.

Survey: Illinois third worst state for business

A new survey backs up the belief that Illinois is not a business friendly state. Development Counsellors International, or DCI, a New York-based marketing firm, Monday released a survey of 322 company executives who ranked the 50 states as either good or bad for business. 

Illinois ranked as the third worst state in the country, behind California and New York in bad business climates.

The executives who participated in the survey said the bottom three states earned their rankings because of “taxes” and “too much regulation.”

But Illinois also earned a low ranking due to its “fiscal problems and budget deficits,” according to the survey. 

Mark Denzler, vice president for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, or IMA, which lobbies for hundreds of manufacturers statewide, said it should come as no surprise that Illinois’ government problems are becoming a business problem.

“Companies want stability and predictability, “said Denzler. “They understand that in some states maybe the tax burden may be a little higher in one state than another, or that workers compensation costs may be a bit lower. But they want stability and predictability.”

From Pekin to Beijing — it’s all business

The soybeans are still standing in Dan Farney's fields in Tazewell County, but they won't be for long.

In about two weeks, the acres and acres of soybeans that Farney has been cultivating this spring and summer will start their journey from Pekin in central Illinois to Beijing, China. 

"Pekin is right on the (Illinois River). The beans can go down the river, through the (Gulf of Mexico) and on to China," Farney said Tuesday from his farm southwest of Morton.

A lot more soybeans from Illinois will soon make a similar trek.

Gov. Pat Quinn, who is in the middle of an eight-day trade mission to China, announced Monday a deal that will allow Decatur-based agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland to sell 6.6 million bushels of soybeans to a Chinese food company. 

The soybean sale only strengthens the bond between the Illinois agricultural industry and China as well as Pekin and Beijing, formerly Peking.