CARY Illinois Lift Equipment Inc. has filled the space left vacant by Fox Valley Systems after a 2013 explosion.
Although the equipment sales and repair business has moved into the 80,000-square-foot space, 640 Industrial Drive, Cary, construction on the inside of the building is ongoing.
The building faced considerable damages after the explosion, which injured three workers and resulted in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration citing Fox Valley Systems a marking and striping company for 26 safety violations.
Mike Lopez, the owner of Illinois Lift Equipment Inc., chose the location based off the lot size, which provides for outdoor storage for their inventory of used forklifts and other construction equipment.
This is the companys fourth move since Lopez bought it 10 years ago, and he plans to keep the business in Cary. The business previously was located in West Chicago.
This location was probably the best fit for us, Lopez said. We were looking for a few months at other buildings. The biggest reason that we bought the building wouldve been the lot size and the building size.
The renovations are expected to be complete in August. Lopez said they are starting from a clean slate as all the old interiors were torn out before they bought the building. Because of this, Lopez said, they were able to customize the building to their needs.
Lopez bought Illinois Lift Equipment Inc. when it focused on painting and servicing equipment for local companies. He geared the company toward sales, which are mostly out of state, Lopez said. The company sells new and used equipment ranging in cost from $12,000 to $100,000, he said.
Lopez has 30 employees, and whether more jobs are added depends on the growth of the company, he said.
Having Illinois Lift Equipment Inc. in Cary is a benefit for existing businesses in the village that use lift equipment, Cary community development director Brian Simmons said.
Simmons said it also is beneficial to have one of Carys larger vacant buildings occupied.
Illinois Lift, theyre coming in and theyre taking over the entire building, Simmons said, So its very positive for the community from the standpoint that you have a user utilizing one of the largest buildings we have in town. It was our largest vacancy.
Simmons said the property continued to generate property taxes even when left vacant, which amount to about $70,000 a year. The village of Cary directly receives about $3,000 to $4,000, and the rest goes to Cary Community Consolidated School District 26 and Crystal Lake-based School District 155, Simmons said.
