Alderman Laments Loss of Chicago Heights Laboratory

Chicago Heights is officially losing a laboratory that once employed one of its aldermen.

Silliker Inc., an international network of food testing and consulting laboratories, will be moving into a new $9.8 million facility in Crete's commercial park, the Northwest Indiana Times reports.

The transition will close facilities in Chicago Heights and South Holland, transferring as many as 150 workers to the new Crete location, which is scheduled to be completed in in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Ward Four Ald. Josh Deabel, who is currently a senior scientist with CSL Behring Biopharmaceuticals in Kankakee, said the new development is hitting him hard, with good reason.

"I used to work there, and for years they were looking to expand," Deabel said. "Well, now they are going to Crete and my worst fears about them leaving are being realized."

The new facility, west of I-394 between Steger and Richton roads,
will have a large impact on the future of the company, according to Silliker North America President Johannes Burlin.

"The Crete laboratory will be our most sophisticated building and will serve as a blueprint for future Silliker developments both here and abroad," Burlin said in a statement.

But Deabel says the loss of the laboratory speaks to a larger problem in Chicago Heights that needs to be addressed.

"My feeling on business in our town is that we are not reaching out to the business community to see what we can do to help them out and keep them part of the community."

Read "Major Commercial Development Underway in Crete" in the Northwest Indiana Times for more information on the new Silliker facility.