Illinois initiative supports technology job creation

Pledging to create an environment to attract technology jobs to Illinois and help stop the state’s “brain-drain,” State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka unveiled plans Monday for the first investment of the state’s Technology Development Fund.

Using a vacant Moline warehouse – a site that the city envisions becoming part of a new technology corridor — as a backdrop, Topinka said the state has committed its first $7.5 million of the $50 million fund to three Illinois venture capital funds that will invest in opportunities that will create new jobs. The announcement was part of a statewide tour, being dubbed the Technology Express, by Topinka, who also said Monday that she is considering a run for governor.

“Illinois has a great work force and jobs need to be developed to keep that work force moving ahead,” she said, adding that competition for jobs now goes beyond the neighboring states and around the globe. “We have many of the best universities in the country located right her in Illinois and we need to keep new technology and innovation right her to create new, high-paying jobs and keep these bright young graduates here.”

By Jennifer DeWitt

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