K-town Business Centre

A Place-Based Strategy | A Hub for Innovation, Manufacturing, and Community Development

The K-Town Business Centre, located on Chicago’s Near West Side, exemplifies The Will Group’s dedication to revitalizing local communities through strategic investment and job creation. This 135,000-square-foot campus serves as a hub for manufacturing, logistics, and community-focused initiatives, bringing together multiple functions under one roof.

Our vision for Community & Commerce

Phase 1 of the project transformed a 3.3-acre parcel of land that had been off Chicago’s tax rolls for nearly two decades. The existing 60,000-square-foot facility supports contract manufacturing, EV charging stations, smart LED lighting, capacitor banks, electrical distribution, MRO warehousing, and more.

Phase 2 is underway, adding a 75,000-square-foot expansion designed to boost services and create clean energy jobs in Illinois. It also includes a collaboration with Inherent Homes, whose mission is to transform lives through homeownership by building prefabricated homes for vacant city lots using a local, diverse workforce.

With a total investment of $50 million, the K-Town Business Centre will become a vital economic engine in North Lawndale, ultimately creating and maintaining over 200 jobs. This project underscores The Will Group’s broader commitment to uplifting communities, ensuring the benefits of its work extend far beyond business operations into the neighborhoods of Chicago.

The Will Group team member assembling lighting fixtures at K-Town Business Centre

Benefits of Local Workforce Partnerships

Our commitment to local workforce partnerships extends beyond job creation. We aim to foster community ownership, enhance educational opportunities, and promote environmental and social responsibility.

Job Creation

Our partnerships lead to the establishment and expansion of facilities, creating crucial job opportunities for local residents, particularly in underserved areas.

Economic Development

By attracting investments and stimulating local economic activity, our efforts contribute to the broader economic development of the community.

Community Engagement and Involvement

We work closely with residents and community organizations, ensuring that the community has a say in the development and impact of our operations.

Education Opportunities

Through collaborations with educational institutions, we enhance local students' opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Environmental and Social Responsibility

By adopting sustainable practices, we ensure that our operations positively impact both the environment and the community.

Ecosystem Development

Our efforts create a thriving ecosystem that supports long-term economic and social growth.

Arial photo of the K-Town Business Centre with the Chicago city skyline in the background

Made by Chicago, For Chicago

Hire Local. Raise Standards City-Wide.

We believe that creating manufacturing opportunities with competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and a supportive work environment is key to building a stronger, more resilient economy. By fostering a workforce that is well-compensated and invested in their communities, we contribute to the growth of the global middle class and the overall economic stability of the region.

Good Jobs, Great Benefits: We offer our employees a full suite of benefits, including health, dental, 401(k), profit sharing, and ongoing professional development. These traditional opportunities create a solid foundation for personal and professional growth.
Creating Social Capital: Our focus on creating social capital means that we don’t just create jobs; we transform lives. By empowering our workforce, we foster a thriving ecosystem where economic growth benefits everyone.
Driving Economic Growth: The jobs we create are not only essential to our operations—they are the driving force behind a broader effort to uplift Chicago’s living standards and create long-term economic prosperity.

Success Stories

Hitachi – Manufacturing & Assembly

Warehouse Services

Overhead costs can run high when housing fixed assets involved in a turnkey manufacturing process. Additionally, labor costs remain one of the largest costs to any company, especially in the manufacturing industry. There is both direct and indirect labor to consider. Hitachi looked no further than The Will Group, a global leader in sustainable lighting, infrastructure, manufacturing, technological, and electrical turn-key solutions to assemble ComEd capacitor banks.

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Southern Company – Warehousing, Competitive Advantage, & Reduced Costs

Warehouse Services

Expanding and solving logistic concerns for companies is vital for enhancing customer satisfaction, gaining a competitive advantage, reducing costs, ensuring scalability, improving supply chain resilience, enabling data-driven decision-making, minimizing environmental impact, and maintaining regulatory compliance. In partnership with the leading energy provider, The Will Group provides 50,000 sq. feet of warehousing, logistic supports, and material handling at our Carol Stream, IL warehousing location.

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Portrait of Monique Scott, Alderwoman, 24th Ward

"As Alderwoman, native and resident of 24th Ward, I am grateful for the opportunity to bring jobs to The North Lawndale community," said Ald. Monique Scott. "It is my hope that our efforts to bring jobs to Chicago's west side will be joined by others seeking to revitalize this vital Chicago community."

Monique Scott

Alderwoman, 24th Ward

Portrait of Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago

"I believe the West Side of the city of Chicago is not just positioned to help provide direction for what investments will mean, not just for the West Side, but for the entire city of Chicago, but it also reflects where we can pull the city of Chicago together. And we certainly are close to the Loop. The challenges that we have on the West Side are not that much different than, in fact, they’re not different from the challenges that exist in the South Side of Chicago."

Brandon Johnson

Mayor of Chicago

Portrait of J. B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois

"Businesses owned by people of color are an essential part of our economy and can provide families and communities with a pathway to economic prosperity. We congratulate The Will Group today on an exciting milestone for their North Lawndale facility that is expanding innovative manufacturing in the region and helping boost investment and well-paying jobs."

J. B. Pritzker

Governor of Illinois

"As a company, our top priority is providing jobs to local residents. We believe that creating warehouse jobs with good pay, good benefits, and good working conditions is the key to growing the global middle class and aggregate demand that is needed to power the economy. By creating this social capital, the community begins to change, it creates an ecosystem in which we can be proud. These sourcing jobs are not only a driver of economic growth—they are also the vehicle through which economic growth is broadly shared to raise living standards city-wide."

Stephen L. Davis

Chairman & Founder of The Will Group

K-town Business Centre

Our vision for Community & Commerce

Benefits of Local Workforce Partnerships

Job Creation

Economic Development

Community Engagement and Involvement

Education Opportunities

Environmental and Social Responsibility

Ecosystem Development

Made by Chicago, For Chicago

Success Stories

Hitachi – Manufacturing & Assembly

Southern Company – Warehousing, Competitive Advantage, & Reduced Costs

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