The property currently has a 330,000-sf industrial building on the site, says Sue Mroz, the economic development director for Winnebago County. Chemtool plans to renovate the 330,000-sf building and construct a 75,000-sf office addition which will house the company's global headquarters, says Mroz, who helped facilitate the deal. "Some of (the facility) had problems. There was a hole in the roof (and) there were some electrical issues," she says.

The estimated cost to acquire the land, renovate the building and construct the addition is reportedly $40 million. Chemtool is expected to move into the facility this year, Mroz says. Reload had been leasing the 330,000-sf building and will continue to occupy some of the building until August when a new Reload facility is completed in Rockton, Mroz says. Beloit Corp. had owned and occupied the property until it closed its plant in the late 1990's. Beloit's parent company went bankrupt and Mallory Properties acquired the site, which is part of a TIF district, she says.

Chemtool's headquarters is currently at 8200 Ridgeland Rd., Crystal Lake, IL. The privately-held company was founded in 1963. Chemtool's clients include Boeing, John Deere and Caterpillar, Mroz says. The company will be consolidating the Crystal Lake facility, which houses the global headquarters and manufacturing, and a facility in Elkhorn, WI where they have 60,000 sf that is used for service and distribution, Mroz says. The facility is expected to create between 200 and 250 jobs and employ a total of 500 to 600 people, she says.