A.J.R. Industries, Inc.
117 Gordon St Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone : 847.439.0380 Fax : 847.439.0230
Email ajrind@sbcglobal.net
117 Gordon St Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone : 847.439.0380 Fax : 847.439.0230
Email ajrind@sbcglobal.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACTS:
April 27, 2006 Cheryle Jackson 312/814.3158 (office)
Abby Ottenhoff 312/814.3158 (office)
Rebecca Rausch 217/782.7355 (office)
Andrew Ross 312/814.8193 (DCEO)
Steven Mitchell 847/843.0500 (Noise Barriers)
Alan Wojtowicz 847/439.0380 (AJR Industries)
GOV. BLAGOJEVICH ANNOUNCES $300,000 IN HOMELAND SECURITY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
GRANTS TO TWO SUBURBAN CHICAGO MANUFACTURING COMPANIES THAT WILL HELP CREATE 34
NEW JOBS
CHICAGO – Continuing his efforts to attract and support businesses engaged in the homeland
security industry throughout Illinois, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced two $150,000
Opportunity Returns grants for Noise Barriers, LLC located in Schaumburg and AJR Industries
based in Elk Grove Village to improve the production and competitiveness of their homeland security
related products and create 34 new jobs and retain 41 more over the next two years. This funding is
being provided through the Innovative Product Grant (IPG) Program administered by the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Homeland Security Market
Development (HSMD) bureau.
“We need to ensure our homeland security companies can develop more effective products and
advance technologies that contribute to improving our national security. We are excited to be
working with companies like Noise Barriers and AJR Industries to meet the ongoing challenges in
the homeland security market by providing investment capital that creates new Illinois jobs,
supports the advancement of new technologies and improves our security,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
Noise Barriers, LLC, organized in 2004, is a manufacturer of sound control doors, windows and
panel systems that are used for a variety of purposes, including the testing of military equipment
and the construction of secure military and corporate conference rooms. Noise Barriers will use
the IPG grant for testing activities to achieve higher fire, sound transmission class, and blast and
bullet resistance ratings for its swing doors, sliding doors, modular panel system and window
products. The higher ratings will result in an increased demand for these products according to
distributors and suppliers working with Noise Barriers.
AJR Industries is a family-owned supplier of precision metal parts to a number of military
contractors, including Boeing, Hamilton Sundstrand, BAE, Northstar Aerospace, Lockheed Martin
and Sikorsky Aerospace. The company will use the IPG grant to assist with its purchase of two new
precision machining centers for its homeland security and defense related manufacturing. The
machines are used for precision and thread milling at compound angles and will increase AJR’s
production capacity and reduce production times for parts produced for existing and future clients.
(more)
“We are very grateful for this opportunity and the support from the State of Illinois to enhance our
business and continue to provide quality products for many of our customers in the homeland
security industry. I thank Gov. Blagojevich for this investment and for his contributions to help make
Illinois a leader in the development of the homeland security products of tomorrow,” Noise Barriers,
LLC Managing Director Steven Mitchell said.
“As a small manufacturing company, we are excited to be working with the State of Illinois to grow
and improve our business. Our large customers are all directly producing parts utilized in the
homeland security and defense industry, and this support will allow us to increase our capacity and
satisfy the demand within this growing sector. With this help from Gov. Blagojevich, we will continue
to achieve our goal of increasing our production,” AJR Industries President Alan Wojtowicz said.
DCEO’s Innovative Product Grant (IPG) Program was created to accelerate the commercialization,
improvement, and production of goods and services with an application in homeland security and
other sectors. IPG funds are intended to help create jobs and increase economic activity in Illinois.
IPG is the nation’s first state-funded grant program focused on developing products to meet
homeland security needs.
“We must continue to target specific sectors, like these homeland security industry manufacturers,
to advance products where there is great need. No other state in the country is better equipped than
Illinois to be a leader in the homeland security industry, and Gov. Blagojevich and I are committed to
delivering the capital to companies like Noise Barriers and AJR Industries as they continue to meet
the demands of this important industry,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
DCEO’s Homeland Security Market Development bureau is focused on supporting businesses
engaged in the homeland security industry, and the bureau offers a variety of tools designed to help
existing Illinois companies expand operations and utilize available state and federal programs and
services. For more information on HSMD, visit www.hsmd.illinois.gov.
Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most
aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all
approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10
regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to
opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each
region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to
businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital,
opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. It’s about
successfully partnering with companies and communities, large and small, to help Illinois reach its
economic potential.
April 27, 2006 Cheryle Jackson 312/814.3158 (office)
Abby Ottenhoff 312/814.3158 (office)
Rebecca Rausch 217/782.7355 (office)
Andrew Ross 312/814.8193 (DCEO)
Steven Mitchell 847/843.0500 (Noise Barriers)
Alan Wojtowicz 847/439.0380 (AJR Industries)
GOV. BLAGOJEVICH ANNOUNCES $300,000 IN HOMELAND SECURITY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
GRANTS TO TWO SUBURBAN CHICAGO MANUFACTURING COMPANIES THAT WILL HELP CREATE 34
NEW JOBS
CHICAGO – Continuing his efforts to attract and support businesses engaged in the homeland
security industry throughout Illinois, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced two $150,000
Opportunity Returns grants for Noise Barriers, LLC located in Schaumburg and AJR Industries
based in Elk Grove Village to improve the production and competitiveness of their homeland security
related products and create 34 new jobs and retain 41 more over the next two years. This funding is
being provided through the Innovative Product Grant (IPG) Program administered by the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Homeland Security Market
Development (HSMD) bureau.
“We need to ensure our homeland security companies can develop more effective products and
advance technologies that contribute to improving our national security. We are excited to be
working with companies like Noise Barriers and AJR Industries to meet the ongoing challenges in
the homeland security market by providing investment capital that creates new Illinois jobs,
supports the advancement of new technologies and improves our security,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
Noise Barriers, LLC, organized in 2004, is a manufacturer of sound control doors, windows and
panel systems that are used for a variety of purposes, including the testing of military equipment
and the construction of secure military and corporate conference rooms. Noise Barriers will use
the IPG grant for testing activities to achieve higher fire, sound transmission class, and blast and
bullet resistance ratings for its swing doors, sliding doors, modular panel system and window
products. The higher ratings will result in an increased demand for these products according to
distributors and suppliers working with Noise Barriers.
AJR Industries is a family-owned supplier of precision metal parts to a number of military
contractors, including Boeing, Hamilton Sundstrand, BAE, Northstar Aerospace, Lockheed Martin
and Sikorsky Aerospace. The company will use the IPG grant to assist with its purchase of two new
precision machining centers for its homeland security and defense related manufacturing. The
machines are used for precision and thread milling at compound angles and will increase AJR’s
production capacity and reduce production times for parts produced for existing and future clients.
(more)
“We are very grateful for this opportunity and the support from the State of Illinois to enhance our
business and continue to provide quality products for many of our customers in the homeland
security industry. I thank Gov. Blagojevich for this investment and for his contributions to help make
Illinois a leader in the development of the homeland security products of tomorrow,” Noise Barriers,
LLC Managing Director Steven Mitchell said.
“As a small manufacturing company, we are excited to be working with the State of Illinois to grow
and improve our business. Our large customers are all directly producing parts utilized in the
homeland security and defense industry, and this support will allow us to increase our capacity and
satisfy the demand within this growing sector. With this help from Gov. Blagojevich, we will continue
to achieve our goal of increasing our production,” AJR Industries President Alan Wojtowicz said.
DCEO’s Innovative Product Grant (IPG) Program was created to accelerate the commercialization,
improvement, and production of goods and services with an application in homeland security and
other sectors. IPG funds are intended to help create jobs and increase economic activity in Illinois.
IPG is the nation’s first state-funded grant program focused on developing products to meet
homeland security needs.
“We must continue to target specific sectors, like these homeland security industry manufacturers,
to advance products where there is great need. No other state in the country is better equipped than
Illinois to be a leader in the homeland security industry, and Gov. Blagojevich and I are committed to
delivering the capital to companies like Noise Barriers and AJR Industries as they continue to meet
the demands of this important industry,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
DCEO’s Homeland Security Market Development bureau is focused on supporting businesses
engaged in the homeland security industry, and the bureau offers a variety of tools designed to help
existing Illinois companies expand operations and utilize available state and federal programs and
services. For more information on HSMD, visit www.hsmd.illinois.gov.
Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most
aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all
approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10
regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to
opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each
region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to
businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital,
opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. It’s about
successfully partnering with companies and communities, large and small, to help Illinois reach its
economic potential.
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