groundbreaking webCHICAGO – Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago) helped break ground this week on an $18 million industrial project in Little Village that will bring more than 200 new jobs to the area.

“Every job we create helps strengthen our community and gives residents on the Southwest Side an opportunity to provide for themselves and to contribute to their future,” Sandoval said. “I was happy to break ground on this project and I look forward to watching it grow.”

The new building will include 174,000 square feet of new industrial space on an 8.2-acre site at 2445 S. Rockwell St. The new building will include 18 loading docks, landscaped buffers and an underground storm water retention system.

More than 100 jobs are expected to be created long-term, while 100 construction jobs will be required in the building phase. The developer, Venture One, aims to lease the space to e-commerce operators and restaurant-related supply companies.

“The way we conduct commerce in America is changing, and I am happy that Little Village will benefit from the jobs created by e-commerce,” Sandoval said.

The new building will also contribute to local property taxes. In 2016, the vacant site collected just $16,000 in property taxes. The City of Chicago estimates the developer will pay more than $150,000 per year once the work is complete.

“Little Village is full of hardworking people—like my parents—ready to contribute and make life better for themselves,” Sandoval said. “This facility will allow many of our residents to do so. That’s a win for all involved.”

Sandoval MemorandumCHICAGO – Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago) and Sheila Morgan, President & CEO of the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council (ChicagoMSDC), made history Tuesday by signing a memorandum of understanding to begin a partnership aimed at increasing minority participation in state contracting.

The momentous partnership was cemented at a ChicagoMSDC Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee event at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

“Who would have known that a kid from the Back of the Yards would be speaking at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago today working to unite the Southwest Side of Chicago,” Said Sandoval, Chairman of the Special Committee on Supplier Diversity. “Today marks the beginning of a long road ahead to bring about economic justice to all the minorities that have been forgotten for generations, and we will not stop until we succeed!”

Sandoval reiterated his dedication to the advancement of opportunities for minority business enterprises, highlighting his long-standing devotion to promoting legislation to increase supplier diversity programs among corporate procurement departments. This led him to establish a Senate Special Committee on Supplier Diversity with the support of Senate President John J. Cullerton.

“We now stand shoulder to shoulder ready to become a beacon of hope for the communities we serve and live in,” Sandoval said. “This is how you combat crime and homelessness in Illinois. Expanding opportunities and creating jobs is how we will achieve peace on the Southside where I grew up.”

ChicagoMSDC is an Illinois supplier-development nonprofit organization that certifies Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) of all sizes and across a wide range of industries. It also provides educational programming to connect MBEs to greater resources while advocating for its members in the public and private sectors.

In support of their mutual mission, ChicagoMSDC and Senator Sandoval agreed to enter into the historic partnership to promote supplier diversity programs and dedicate resources to support efforts to increase supplier diversity across Illinois.

Office Info

Springfield Office:
Senator 12th District
111 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
217-782-5304

District Office:
5807 W. 35th Street
Cicero, IL 60804
708-656-2002