Grant Will Help ARDL Create 12 New Southern Illinois Jobs
CHICAGO – Continuing his efforts to attract and support businesses engaged in the homeland security industry throughout Illinois, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced a $110,000 Opportunity Returns grant for Mt. Vernon-based ARDL Inc. to establish an ambient air monitoring, sampling and analysis service at its laboratory, a critical tool for identifying a chemical or biological weapon’s presence in the air. This grant will create 12 new jobs and retain 24 more over the next two years. This funding is being provided through the Innovative Product Grant (IPG) Program administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Homeland Security Market Development (HSMD) bureau. IPG is the nation’s first state-funded grant program focused on developing products to meet homeland security needs.
“The key to advancing Southern Illinois in the global economy is to encourage innovation through investment and to support the development of new and existing technologies that will create a safer, cleaner, healthier and more efficient world. This investment in ARDL demonstrates our continued commitment to helping Southern Illinois businesses meet the ongoing challenges in the homeland security industry and create high-paying, high-tech jobs,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
ARDL is a full-service environmental testing laboratory with associated field services. It has been providing commercial laboratory services from its Mt. Vernon facility since 1971. ARDL’s current clients include the US Army Corps of Engineers, Region VII of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the URS Corporation at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. ARDL has a strong interest in the homeland security market, and previously offered to volunteer its services to the Illinois Terrorism Task Force in the event of an emergency. The grant will be used to help pay for sample collection devices, analytical equipment, cleaning apparatus and the hiring of new technical staff to perform the ambient air analysis services.
“In order to boost the economy, we must help our growing Southern Illinois companies identify new market opportunities in order to advance their technologies and turn them into successful products. We are committed to making the kind of investments that will support the advancement of technologies and services that help make us secure and create more good jobs,” State Representative Kurt Granberg (D-Centralia) said.
“This innovative product grant will help ARDL become the first commercial lab in Illinois to have the capability to analyze ambient air service, making it one of the few labs in the nation to offer such a service. We are thankful to Gov. Blagojevich for investing in our company and helping us compete in this industry,” ARDL President L. V. Gibbons, Ph.D. said.
DCEO’s Innovative Product Grant (IPG) Program was created to accelerate the commercialization, improvement, and production of goods and services with an application in homeland security and other sectors. IPG funds are intended to help create jobs and increase economic activity in Illinois while strengthening the state’s competitive position as a leader in science and technology innovation.
“In just a short period of time, Gov. Blagojevich’s IPG Program has already made an immediate and lasting contribution to the homeland security industry by providing almost $4 million in working capital to businesses to accelerate the commercialization of new and innovative homeland security products and services. Investments like these are the key to protecting the public and creating good jobs now and in the future. Southern Illinois businesses have a strong track record at adapting to the changing demands of the global marketplace, and Gov. Blagojevich and I are committed to continuing to expand the markets for an industry in which Illinois is emerging as a national leader,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
DCEO’s Homeland Security Market Development bureau is focused on supporting businesses engaged in the homeland security industry, and the bureau offers a variety of tools designed to help existing Illinois companies expand operations and utilize available state and federal programs and services. For more information on HSMD, visit www.hsmd.illinois.gov.
Gov. Blagojevich recently announced that Illinois added more new jobs than any other state in July. In July, Illinois led the nation in monthly job growth by creating 31,100 new jobs. This is the second time this year Illinois has created more new jobs than any other state, which has never happened before in recorded history. Illinois also led the nation in job growth in April. The total number of new jobs created this year is 76,400, which is the best start to a year since 1998 and best in the Midwest. Since January 2004, Illinois has gained more than 151,000 new jobs, which is also best in the Midwest.
Last week, it was announced the Illinois unemployment rate dropped to 4.4 percent, which is its lowest level since October 2000. It has remained at or below the national rate for five consecutive months, which is the first time this has happened in seven years. The state has dropped below the national unemployment rate for the third time this year, which is the first time this has occurred in eight years. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security compiled these statistics.
Site Selection Magazine also ranked Illinois third in the nation for attracting new and expanded corporate facilities in 2005, and Business Facilities Magazine named Illinois the top state for biotech growth last year.