ATI Physical Therapy, Goodwill Among New Business Announcements

The Village of Lemont is preparing for a wave of new businesses in 2012.

Mayor Brian Reaves announced four new businesses—Goodwill, ATI Physical Therapy, Art Logistics and Unlimited Carrier—during the village board meeting Monday night, and said plans should be finalized in the next two weeks for an additional three.

Reaves said the village has been working recently with several companies, including major retailers, that are interested in bringing their business to Lemont.

"There's a lot of stuff going on. I wish I could announce everything that comes across my desk ... on a weekly basis," he said. "Some stuff is pie in the sky, some stuff is exciting, some stuff you look at and think, 'Could we pull that off? Could we not pull that off?' There are a lot of opportunities that may have been once looked over in Lemont, that major retailers are looking differently because they are downsizing the size of what retail is."

ATI Physical Therapy to open clinic in Centennial Plaza

ATI Physical Therapy will open a clinic later this year just south of in Lemont's Centennial Plaza.

The company specializes in physical therapy, sports medicine, work conditioning and hardening, and women's health. It boasts more than 150 locations in six states, including more than 70 in Illinois and a corporate office in Bolingbrook.

Chief Financial Officer John Egofske, a Lemont resident, attended Monday's meeting, along with several local ATI representatives.

"We are a community company. We're very proud of the excellent service that we provide not only to our patients, but the atmosphere we provide for our employees as well," he said. "We're proud of what we do, and we look forward to serving the people of Lemont."

ATI will join , , ,  and  in Centennial Plaza.

 is set to open a small theater in the old Blockbuster Video location in May or June.

Goodwill hopes to partner with local organizations

Patch  that Goodwill Industries of Metropolitan Chicago will open a 21,000-square-foot retail and donation center in the former Sears Hardware location, 1146 State St., later this year.

Goodwill stores sell previously donated items such as clothing, kitchen accessories and more. The garden center in the former Sears will be turned into a donation center for residents to drop off used items.

Mayor Reaves said the company signed a long-term lease and plans to put about $1 million in improvements to the current building.

"(Goodwill is) a great corporate citizen and a great corporate partner," he said. "We look forward to them coming in, and we'll do whatever we can to help them out."

According to Goodwill's website, 84 percent of revenue from all retail centers go toward its mission of providing training, employment and supportive services for people with disabilities or disadvantages. Goodwill also offers vouchers and discounts at its retail centers for those in need.

Ray Divello, a regional manager for Goodwill, said the company looks forward to partnering with organizations in Lemont.

"We're really grateful the community opened its arms to us, and we hope to be good neighbors," he said.

Freight companies move corporate headquarters to Lemont

Two freight companies, Art Logistics and Unlimited Carrier, will move their headquarters to Lemont this year, Mayor Reaves announced. 

Art Logistics—currently based in Addison, IL—specializes in hauling various non-perishable freight throughout the United States, according to the company's website.

The company will move its offices, dispatch center, warehouse and truck maintenance operations to 13065 Main St., Reaves said.

Two buildings totaling 37,000 square feet will be constructed, including a 21-bay warehouse and a 5,000-square-foot office.

Unlimited Carrier, an integrated transportation service company, will move its corporate offices from Lansing, IL, to Lemont in August or September. The company will take over the building at 13555 Main St., which was formerly occupied by Ashland Chemical.

The Lemont office will be used as Unlimited Carrier's base of operations for all dispatch, accounting and office functions. The outdoor area will be used to store approximately 25 trailers.

The company will bring 38 quality jobs to the community, and hopes to hire an additional 12 employees in the coming year, Reaves said.