Will Cook Enterprise Zone
CLICK HERE: Explore development opportunities and incentives supporting business growth across Will and Cook Counties.
Other Enterprise Zone Partners
Cal-Sag Enterprise Zone
Calumet Enterprise Zone
Our Mission
The Chicago Southland, a subregion of the State of Illinois, is one of the Midwest's most strategic locations for foreign direct investment in the supply chain for battery manufacturing, electrified transportation, Al-enabled logistics, and distributed energy systems. The region combines availability of industrial sites and building, access to research Universities and National Labs, freight infrastructure. regional workforce programs and strong state policy support .
Reggie Greenwood Bio
Reggie Greenwood focuses on building the industrial ecosystem for next-generation energy and mobility technologies, including battery manufacturing, electrified transportation, AI-enabled logistics, and distributed energy systems.
He previously served as Director of the Supply Chain Innovation Center and Business Incubator at Governors State University, where he led initiatives connecting industry, research, and workforce development around emerging logistics and electrification technologies. At GovState, he served as the Principal Investigator for an NSF-supported initiative to develop an Advancing Smart Logistics Cluster in Illinois, and participated in a year-long program led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on technology-driven cluster development. He has recently completed work in Battery Energy Storage Systems and in Battery Manufacturing with IEEE.
Through this work, Greenwood developed partnerships with a range of advanced technology companies and supported the demonstration and deployment of emerging systems such as autonomous drones, electric yard trucks, and advanced battery technologies.
Greenwood also advises on workforce development and career pathway strategies supporting the growth of battery manufacturing, including work connected to the Gotion High‑Tech battery manufacturing facility in Manteno, Illinois.
The Will Cook Enterprise Zone is a partnership between the Villages of Matteson, Monee, Park Forest, Richton Park, and University Park and Will and Cook Counties.
Industrial Development
Promoting sites and Southland
Developing the Chicago Southland Rail, Highway, and Air Industrial Cluster: We are seeing an Industrial Boom with world-class projects in our region and this is a focus of our work. We continue to market our region and connect the value of South Suburban Airport to this E-commerce cluster. CSEDC plays a significant role in promoting opportunities in the Southland by digital marketing and industrial trade shows.
Integrated Workforce Programs
collaborating with partners
CSEDC meets regularly with over 100 businesses to connect them to our regional workforce partners. Critical partners include OAI, Inc, the Supply Chain Innovation Center and Business Incubator (SCICBI) at Governors State University, Ecommerce Management, and Calumet Manufacturing Industry Sector Partnership.
Southworks Robotics
Building talent pipelines from youth
Southworks Robotics is part of integrated education and workforce strategy in partnership with OAI, Inc. Together, we work with manufacturing and logistics companies to connect them to their talent pool development.
