RANTOUL — Combe Incorporated, a hair and personal care product manufacturer, is expanding its presence in East Central Illinois.
The company plans to invest $30 million to expand and retain manufacturing operations in Rantoul, including relocating manufacturing operations from California to Illinois.
Rantoul Mayor Samuel Hall III said the project signals growing excitement in the village’s manufacturing industry.
“We’ve had a lot of interest in bringing some additional manufacturing and growing or expanding the manufacturing facilities that are out there,” he said. “This is part of an upward trend that we’re planning to keep riding the wave and pushing it even farther.”
Gov. JB Pritzker and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) are supporting the company’s expansion with a $5 million grant.
“When faced with options to do business elsewhere, Combe chose Illinois, affirming the strength of Illinois’ manufacturing workforce, and why Illinois remains a strategic location for manufacturing companies to grow,” DCEO Director Kirstin Richards said in a news release.
The company, which manufactures personal care, beauty and hygiene products, first launched its primary manufacturing facility in Rantoul in 1974.
The project is expected to create more than 20 new full-time jobs and retain 100 existing full-time jobs.
“Our roots in Rantoul run deep, and we are incredibly grateful to our dedicated team here, and this commitment ensures that these jobs remain in the community that has supported us for over half a century,” said Keech Combe Shetty, executive chair of Combe Incorporated.
Hall said he is proud that companies like Combe see the potential in Rantoul.
“[Combe] talked about this being the largest investment that the company has ever made,” he said. “[T]hat says a lot to have that type of faith in the growth and the current economy and potential economic development here in Rantoul.”
Hall said he does not have any firm timeline yet for when the expansion is expected to be complete.