Economic Development

Randolph County is a leading agricultural, food processing, mining and manufacturing center in southwestern Illinois so there are thousands of available work opportunities across multiple skills sets. Our secondary schools, the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center, the Illinois Small Business Development and International Trade Center of Southern Illinois University, and Southwestern Illinois College help our workers with updates and training on the latest efficiency models and technology.

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The Randolph County workforce consists of many very sincere, hardworking, honest people who possess various levels of skills and who are dedicated to their jobs. We feel that Randolph County is a good place to do business because of this. We are pleased that we are located in Randolph County.

Don Welge, President and CEO
Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation

Our workforce is loyal, disciplined and highly skilled. Their work and continuous improvement help ensure the profitability of companies like Gateway FS, Knighthawk Coal Company, Southern Illinois Crankshaft, Dorma, Spartan Light Metals, Red Bud Industries, R & D Machine, The Material Works, Roeslein Red Bud, G & S Foundry, Kaskaskia Brewing Company, Dynegy, Peabody Energy, Flex-Line Automation, Total Titanium, Southern Illinois Transfer, Secon Rubber and Plastics, Gilster-Mary Lee, Precision Laser Manufacturing, and a variety of retail and commercial businesses.

Our Companies

Crafts people hand finish ophthalmological surgical instruments and machine precision crankshafts for the oil and gas industry. Highly trained assemblers create complex liquid canning and modular systems. We import steel and aluminum for EPS and other value-added services. We manufacture custom coil processing installations and rubber and plastic products. There are light and heavy metal foundries, window and door component makers, specialty conveyor lines engineered and built. We make beer and wine, and food products like marshmallow, boxed pasta dinners, shredded wheat, chocolate drink mix, popcorn, prepackaged snack cakes, and many others.

Randolph County is a major agribusiness producer in the Midwest. 200,000 acres of corn, wheat and soybeans grow here yearly to help fill America’s food basket. We have been mining coal for decades to help generate electricity for the nation’s power grid. There are hundreds of driving jobs delivering coal to Mississippi River docks, farm grains to mills, and food products, aggregates and manufactured goods all over America.

We honor the heritage and tenacity of our workforce. They know that success depends on their energy and ingenuity … that their dedication to hard work and American values has helped our community prosper for three centuries. Find your dream job at one of our companies or other businesses in Randolph County.

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