What Intersect Illinois does

Intersect Illinois, now operating as the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC), is a state-funded nonprofit economic development organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Chicago. The organization operates as the statewide entity for attracting new businesses, jobs, and capital investment to Illinois, providing site selection assistance, industry connections, and data analysis to companies evaluating Illinois for relocations or expansions. It also runs a foreign direct investment program targeting international companies considering U.S. entry into the Midwest.

The organization's core products are a Site Selection Tool — an interactive, searchable database of vetted properties across Illinois with filters for incentives and proximity to transportation — and a Business Growth Tracker, a public-facing dashboard monitoring company relocations, expansions, new jobs, and capital investment since 2022. Adjacent resources include the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park initiative, the 'Why Illinois: The Global Quantum Hub' publication, and annual research reports. The underlying technology stack is a standard property database plus a deal-tracking dashboard; the differentiated asset is the curated data and the multi-stakeholder coordination role.

Illinois EDC's business model is government appropriations rather than commercial revenue: services to companies are free, and the entity is governed by a board of directors and an Executive Advisory Council reporting ultimately to the State of Illinois. Go-to-market combines a self-serve site selection portal, a multi-channel content and social marketing operation, event-driven outreach, and an enterprise field-sales motion that coordinates utilities (ComEd, Ameren Illinois), educational institutions, and municipalities to close expansion deals. The organization reports 998 company relocations/expansions, 27,100+ new jobs, and $23.9B in capital investment facilitated since 2022.

Name

Intersect Illinois

Legal name

Illinois Economic Development Corporation

Website

https://intersectillinois.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Illinois EDC (formerly Intersect Illinois) is a state-funded economic development organization that provides free site selection, data analysis, and partner coordination to companies relocating to or expanding in Illinois, having tracked 998 deals, 27,100+ jobs, and $23.9B in capital investment since 2022.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of General Economic Programs (92611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling (EDAAAOAE)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Site selection assistance
• Corporate relocation support
• Business expansion consulting
• Foreign direct investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Economic Development Services: As a state-funded economic development organization, Illinois EDC provides free site selection, data analysis, and business connection services to companies considering Illinois. Funded by state government appropriations rather than direct revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Intersect Illinois, doing business as the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC), provides free site selection assistance, industry and municipal connections, and comparative data analysis to companies evaluating Illinois for relocation or expansion. Services are delivered by a statewide team that coordinates with utilities, workforce partners, and local municipalities, supported by an online Site Selection Tool and a Business Growth Tracker dashboard.

Product overview

Intersect Illinois operates as the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), a statewide economic development organization offering a platform of interconnected services rather than a single software product. The core offering consists of site selection assistance through an interactive property search tool with filters for incentives and transportation proximity, supported by a Business Growth Tracker dashboard that monitors company relocations and expansions statewide. The organization also provides industry-specific resources including the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park initiative, Why Illinois: The Global Quantum Hub publication, annual The State of Business research reports, and fiscal year annual reports. Services include site assistance and coordination, industry connections, and data analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Selection Tool Interactive online search tool that lets companies find available properties throughout Illinois, with filters for available incentives and proximity to transportation infrastructure. It is targeted at companies evaluating Illinois for relocation or expansion.
• Business Growth Tracker Real-time tracking dashboard monitoring company relocations and expansions in Illinois, displaying metrics including number of relocations/expansions, new jobs created, and capital investment since 2022.
• Site Assistance and Coordination Consulting service that helps companies identify properties meeting their needs, gathers supporting data, coordinates site visits, and organizes meetings with potential partners and service providers throughout the site selection process.
• Industry Connections Service Service that connects companies with industry peers, local leadership, utilities, and other partners, while collaborating closely with the State of Illinois and local municipalities to support business attraction and expansion.
• Data Analysis Service Analytical service that provides companies with data to evaluate the benefits of different Illinois locations and compare Illinois' assets against other competing locations, including labor force, industry cluster, and incentive data.

Quantifiable outcome

• 998 company relocations/expansions facilitated since 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ameren IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Ameren Illinois, a utility company, joined Illinois EDC's board of directors to strengthen collaboration on economic development initiatives and infrastructure support for businesses expanding in Illinois.
• Joliet Junior CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Joliet Junior College joined Illinois EDC's board to support workforce development and training initiatives for businesses locating or expanding in Illinois.
• IMECcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026IMEC (Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center) joined Illinois EDC's board to support manufacturing sector growth and provide operational excellence resources to Illinois manufacturers.
• ComEd Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComEd Economic Development works with Illinois EDC to provide research, data analytic tools, and business development support for companies considering expansion in Illinois.
• Midwest Inland PortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidwest Inland Port collaborates with Illinois EDC to attract potential businesses to the Decatur market through networking events and conferences.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JobsOhio: Ohio's private nonprofit statewide economic development organization, operating under an identical model: site selection, business attraction, and incentive coordination for corporate relocations and expansions. Directly competes with Illinois for the same Midwest corporate prospects.
• Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC): Indiana's statewide EDC offering site selection, incentive packages, and business attraction services. A primary competitor for Illinois, particularly for manufacturing and logistics prospects in the Midwest.
• Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC): Wisconsin's quasi-governmental statewide economic development agency, providing similar site selection, business financing, and workforce development services to attract and grow businesses.
• Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC): Michigan's public-private partnership economic development organization, actively competing for advanced manufacturing and EV investment — directly relevant given Illinois's growing EV focus.
• Missouri Partnership: Missouri's nonprofit public-private economic development organization, providing site selection and business attraction services, often competing with Illinois for central-U.S. distribution and manufacturing prospects.
• Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development: Kentucky's state government economic development agency, particularly strong in advanced manufacturing and EV (multiple Ford/Louisville-area wins) — directly comparable model and competitive set to Illinois.
• Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development: Tennessee's statewide economic development department offering site selection, incentives, and business recruitment services, with notable success in automotive and advanced manufacturing.
• Georgia Department of Economic Development: Georgia's statewide economic development agency, known for aggressive business attraction in logistics, manufacturing, and film — a benchmark for state EDC performance against which Illinois is measured.
• Iowa Economic Development Authority: Iowa's state economic development authority, similar model providing site selection, incentive coordination, and business retention services for a competing Midwest state.

Others

• Site Selection Group: Private consultancy providing site selection and location advisory services to companies — operates as a third-party advisor that often works alongside state EDOs like Illinois EDC during prospect evaluations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IllinoisEDC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IllinoisEDC
• Facebookfacebook.com/illinoisedc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/intersectillinois
• Instagraminstagram.com/illinoisedc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Intersect Illinois