HANOVER, Germany — Monday, Gov. Bruce Rauner visited the world headquarters of Continental Tire in Hanover, Germany, to meet with company leaders and discuss support for their growing operation in Illinois. Continental is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world and the fourth-largest tire manufacturer, and it is the state’s largest private sector employer south of Peoria.
“Continental Tire has built a significant manufacturing presence in Illinois, and they are a valued investor in our economy,” Gov. Rauner said. “They are making high quality products and providing high quality jobs across the state. We are proud to be a part of their world-class operation and Illinois stands ready to support their continued growth and success.”
Back in Illinois, in conjunction with the governor’s headquarters visit, Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti met with company officials at the Continental Tire the Americas (CTA) plant in Mt. Vernon to discuss the importance of foreign direct investment and international trade.
“Our location, workforce, and transportation infrastructure make us an ideal candidate for foreign investment,” Lt. Gov. Sanguinetti said. “It is important that we continue to grow our manufacturing sector. The governor and I are working hard so that companies like Continental locate and thrive here, bringing with them more jobs and opportunity.”
Manufacturing is the third largest industry in Illinois, which is the fifth largest manufacturing state in the U.S. by output. Nearly 12,507 manufacturing firms call Illinois home, and together they employ more than 570,000 workers.
CTA employs 3,500 employees in Mt. Vernon as well as an additional 400 in Deer Park in suburban Chicago. The company recently added capacity for retread rubber production at its Mount Vernon facility, which will expedite delivery times of ContiTread premium retread products to North American customers. The ContiTread line offers a retread solution that "looks like new, runs like new," to cut down on cost and extend the life of the tire, as part of Continental's ContiLifeCycle cradle-to-grave approach to tire management. Prior to the addition, ContiLifeCycle licensed retread partners were supplied pre-cured tread rubber from a plant in Mexico.
The governor's office provided a list of those accompanying him on the European trip:
State of Illinois and Intersect Illinois Team
- The Honorable Bruce Rauner, Governor of the State of Illinois
- Major General Richard J. Hayes Jr., The Adjutant General of Illinois (Poland)
- Mark Peterson, President and CEO, Intersect Illinois
- Sean McCarthy, Director, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Erik Brejla, Assistant Deputy Director, Foreign Direct Investment, State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Kelly Nicholl, Chief Marketing Officer, Intersect Illinois
- Sharon Stead, Managing Director, State of Illinois Europe Office
- Jacquelyn Reineke, Communications and Media Relations, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Team Illinois Partners
- Jason Anderson, Economic Development Director, City of Rochelle
- Greg Baise, President and CEO, Illinois Manufacturers Association
- John Carpenter, President and CEO, Choose DuPage (Germany)
- Kevin Considine, President and CEO, Lake County Partners
- Mark Denzler, Chief Operating Officer, Illinois Manufacturers Association
- Kenneth Ender, President, Harper College
- Matt Gambs, Senior Vice President, Wintrust Financial; Board, Illinois Chamber
- The Honorable Piotr Janicki, Consul General of Poland to the Midwest (Poland)
- Anna Morzy, Former President, Polish American Leadership (Poland)
- Rabbi Yehiel E. Poupko, Rabbinic Scholar, Jewish United Fund (Poland)
- Ed Seidel, Vice President, Economic Development and Innovation, University of Illinois System (Germany)
- Mark Tomkins, President and CEO, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest (Germany)
- Terry Wilkerson, President, Rend Lake Community College
- Andria Winters, Senior Director-Business Services, CBRE (Germany)
