Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has announced the awarding of more than $11.2 million in Opportunity Returns support for Lowe's, which will allow the home-improvement retailer to build a 1.4 million square-foot regional distribution center in Rockford, Ill., that will bring 500 new jobs to the area. The new facility, which will be the size of approximately 30 football fields under one roof, will have more than five miles of conveyors moving 32,000 products through the facility. The center, its first in Illinois, will serve more than 100 Lowe's stores in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan.

"We are continuing to invest in companies that invest in Illinois. Lowe's is another nationally-renowned company that has decided that Illinois is a great state to substantially grow its business. By forging this partnership with Lowe's to build its new distribution center in Rockford, we are bringing more good jobs to the area, boosting the economic vitality of the entire region and creating more opportunities for our working families to get ahead," Gov. Blagojevich said.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will provide the support for Lowe's new distribution center. DCEO will make available Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) corporate income tax credits over the next ten years based on job creation numbers; a Large Business Development Program (LBDP) grant; Enterprise Zone benefits, including sales tax exemptions and tax credits for job creation; and Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) job training funds that will help enhance the skills of its workforce. IDOT will also make available $3 million for key roadway improvements needed to build the new distribution center.

"We appreciate the work and support at the both the state and local level to make this a win-win project," said Mike Mabry, Lowe's executive vice president of logistics and distribution.