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Local Voices

New Technology Helps Naperville Drive Economic Growth

The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce recently strengthened its position as a regional economic development force, adopting new technology from a Chicago startup that creates unprecedented marketing potential from commercial real estate listings.

Naperville, IL – September 13, 2013

The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce recently strengthened its position as a regional economic development force, adopting new technology from a Chicago startup that creates unprecedented marketing potential from commercial real estate listings.

Naperville lies just 30 miles from downtown Chicago, but with more than 200,000 people—and at least 150,000 jobs—within a five-‐mile radius, the city is an economic power in its own right. By integrating the advanced property inventory platform from BrokerSavant with its website, the Naperville Chamber gives regional property availabilities wider exposure, and enhances its own visibility by drawing the attention of corporate site selectors.

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In its first days of operation, Naperville’s Property Index attracted nearly 60 property listings, and drew more than 3000 new, unique visitors to the Naperville Chamber website.

“We’re thrilled with the response so far,” says Naperville Chamber President and CEO Mike Evans, who led significant growth in nearby Bolingbrook before taking the helm in Naperville.

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“Any chamber of commerce that doesn’t think they’re in the economic development business is fooling themselves,” Evans adds. “While Naperville has experienced steady economic growth over the last decade, our residential growth has started to plateau. That’s why we’re focused on attracting new retail and consumer based brands to Naperville as a proven entry point into the suburban Chicago marketplace.”

“The first thing a new business needs is space,” explains BrokerSavant Founder and CEO Clay Rankin. “That’s why 91% of site selectors rate property information as the most important content on an economic development website. So a community that highlights its commercial real estate listings gets on a site selector’s radar screen before communities that don’t.”

Rankin describes how his company’s Property Index attracts site selectors to Naperville. “The Property Index aggregates all the listings in the area into a searchable, sortable interface, with all the data a site selector needs literally one mouse click away. And it’s built right into the Naperville website, so it reinforces the Naperville Chamber brand every time someone views a listing.”

Evans looks for the BrokerSavant technology “to boost communication and collaboration among our members when they search for available properties. Our entrepreneurial climate has never been stronger. Startups and beginning stage companies continue to succeed here in Naperville in the technology and financial industries.

“We see ourselves as a regional thought leader. There’s all kinds of technology out there, but our goal is to boost economic vibrancy within our region by harnessing technology in the most strategic way possible.”

AbouttheNapervilleAreaChamberofCommerce: TheNapervilleAreaChamberofCommerceisthe largest suburban Chamber in Illinois with an active membership of 1,400 organizations of every size and from every sector. The Chamber’s membership participates in more than 400 briefings, committee gatherings, events, and programs annually. Through its programming, the Chamber provides leadership for the benefit of region’s business community by promoting economic growth and advocating the interests of business. For its efforts in promoting free enterprise and the business community, the Chamber has been recognized with 5-‐Star Accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an honor bestowed on only 77 Chambers, out of the nearly 7,000 in the nation.

About BrokerSavant: BrokerSavant builds tools that help organizations and independent brokers thrive in today’s competitive commercial real estate landscape. The company was founded in 2009 by Claiborne (Clay) Rankin with the idea that local commercial brokers need to get their property information online for site selectors without distracting them from their other duties. Fueled by the brightest minds in software development, BrokerSavant pioneered a data aggregator that incorporates artificial intelligence to upload property flyer information online quickly, eliminating manual data entry. Leveraging that cutting-‐edge technology, BrokerSavant’s Property Index allows site selectors to navigate a streamlined, data-‐rich interface straight from an organization’s website. Based in downtown Chicago, BrokerSavant has numerous patents pending for its technology innovation. The company continues to introduce new tools that help municipalities and independent commercial real estate brokers (and the communities they support) succeed.

More info on Naperville's latest resource for Economic Development.

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