In 2001, REDCO secured the financial backing of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program and what was then the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs to purchase 289 acres of prime land just ¼ mile north of Illinois Highway 13 between Marion and Herrin. The land became known as the REDCO Industrial Park and is valued at nearly $5 million. The mortgages held by the two governmental agencies included only about half of the acreage in the industrial park, which allowed for negotiations to make available un-mortgaged land for prospective industries.
REDCO reached an agreement with Aisin Holdings of America to provide some 45 acres of land for the building of an auto parts manufacturing facility, Aisin Manufacturing Illinois, LLC (AMI) in the center of REDCO Industrial Park. Additional grants and loans from both the state and federal governments allowed REDCO to complete infrastructure improvements that brought water, sewer and a road to the park’s new tenant. AMI broke ground in August of 2001 and began production of sunroof and door assembly units the following summer with 200 employees. The facility has now doubled its initial space to some 300,000 sf and employs nearly 700 workers.
Aisin purchased an additional 25 acres of land and established two additional manufacturing facilities between 2003 and 2005. Aisin Light Metals, LLC (ALM) now has a 129,000 sf facility located just south of AMI that employs more than 100 workers in an aluminum extruding operation. The most recent facility, a 67,000 sf building to house Aisin Electronics, Illinois LLC (AEIL) employs 120 workers to produce electric motors and other electronic components for various makes of automobiles. Current employment by the three Aisin facilities in Redco Industrial Park is nearly 1000 workers.