ROCKFORD — A real estate developer in the Perot family of companies broke ground on Wednesday on the first building to fill a new logistics park south of the U.S. Route 20 and South Main Street interchange.
Hillwood is constructing a roughly 335,000-square-foot building on spec, meaning the structure is going up before there’s a confirmed user. The Dallas-based company, which operates its Midwest market from offices in Rosemont, says the site’s location roughly a mile from the Chicago-Rockford International Airport make it fitting for operations tied to air cargo, distribution or light manufacturing and assembly.
“I cannot recall the last time that we had someone want to build a spec building in our community that was not inside the fences at the airport,” Mayor Tom McNamara said at a groundbreaking ceremony. “I think that’s a big deal for our city. … I think it really shows the confidence that we are seeing in our community, and truthfully, the confidence we haven’t seen in our community for decades.”…