Rochelle, along with the state of Illinois, is no longer in the running for the Toyota-Mazda plant.
Jason Anderson, Economic Development Director for Rochelle, confirmed he received the call from Mark Peterson, president and CEO of Intersect Illinois telling him the news the state is no longer being considered.
No other details were given to Anderson, although an article in Crain’s Chicago Business on Wednesday afternoon stated the reasons appeared to be the “lack of shovel-ready sites and the state’s failure to adopt a right-to-work law.”

“Mark did not have any details when we spoke, but after the dust settles we will debrief, talk about what went down and why Illinois was eliminated,” Anderson said.
Although this is not the best news, Anderson said he remains positive.
“I see nothing but positive things for Rochelle. We got so much notoriety from being on [Toyota-Mazda] the list. You don’t get considered for a $1.6 billion project if you’re not in the game. This proved we are in the game for big projects,” Anderson said.
Anderson also noted ever since Rochelle was on the radar for the automaker project, he has received numerous inquiries, including two this week from industries doing site searches.
“My dad always said when it comes to being a good salesman you will land a whale once in a lifetime, but you have to keep fishing for the small fish,” Anderson said. “It would have been nice to win, but we are excited…the fact we now have been recognized.”