Help wanted: Some of Freeport's largest employers hiring, expanding

FREEPORT — Many local employers, including manufacturers, retailers and the city's largest health care organization, have changed the way they hire more than two years into the coronavirus pandemic, according to a local economic development analyst.

“I think everybody has adjusted their wages throughout the recovery from COVID,” Greater Freeport Partnership executive director Mark Williams said. “They’re looking at ways to become more flexible on hours and more inclusive in their hiring processes. That work-life balance is important for a lot of the workforce.”

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Freeport’s unemployment rate stood at 5.1% in May, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security compared to nearly 13% during the onset of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.

The manufacturing sector is in dire need of additional employees, according to Williams.

“We are working with some manufacturing companies from assembly to CNC machining that are looking at expanding,” he said. “Just about every one of our food manufacturers in the rural areas of the county are growing and hiring people. Health care is always needing replenishment of its workforce.”

FHN Memorial Hospital, 1045 W. Stephenson St., is the city’s largest employer with nearly 1,100 workers, according to figures from the Greater Freeport Partnership.

Despite that, the health system still had about 175 job openings in early June.

“The shortage of health care workers has really hit us hard and so we’ve seen a significant decrease in our employment rolls which has caused us to take a look at how we get people to fill some of those positions,” FHN CEO Mark Gridley said in a June 7 interview with the Journal Standard.

Ingrown Farms, a cannabis cultivation facility at 3597 E. Colby Road, is in the market for at least 50 employees.

The entry-level wage starts at $16 per hour and several positions are eligible for same-day job offers, according to the company.

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“For the most part, we’re trying to attract some more manufacturing jobs because they’re the better paying jobs,” Freeport City Manager Randy Bukas said. "We have at least three manufacturers that are looking for people but are having a hard time filling some of those positions. But, we’ve also got a lot of retail that will be happening at the end of this year and the beginning of next year as well.”

The city of Freeport announced June 13 that developer Freeport IL LLC plans to invest more than $11 million for the redevelopment of Meadows Mall, 1888 S. West Ave., to accommodate new retailers and expanding or relocating tenants.

Marshalls and Five Below are expected to open by mid-November in what will be called “The Meadows” while Pet Supplies Plus is expected to open in mid-2023.

Anytime Fitness plans to expand by 50% at The Meadows.

The redevelopment of the mall is expected to generate at least 100 construction and retail jobs, according to Williams.

“We are focusing on quality of life here, too because we want this to be a good place for talent to want to live," he said.

Ken DeCoster: kdecoster@rrstar.com; @DeCosterKen

This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Jobs hiring in Freeport, Illinois: Many employers hiring, expanding