Yes, I heard it at a presentation about the Illinois-State Trade Export Promotion (STEP) Grant Program that I attended last Friday.
The Rockford region received $58,500 for the STEP program and was the biggest recipient than other areas around the State of Illinois. That means we are real serious about exporting and we take advantage of available state funds.
The State of Illinois has a goal of doubling exports by 2014 to $82 billion. Since 2002, Illinois exports have grown $39.1 billion and totaled $64.8 billion in 2011, up 29.5% from 2010. Illinois ranks as the #1 state in the Midwest for exports.
Nice to see some positive #1 figures!
