DeKALB – Paul Borek welcomed his 15th anniversary this week as he prepared to retire as executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation. He leaves a legacy of significant business growth for the community.
Borek, 68, expressed humility as praise from local and state leaders pushed him to move forward, stressing that much of the credit for the agency’s success goes to the people who worked with him.
“I am pleased to have had the opportunity to make a difference along with many, many, many partners who have been involved in all of our initiatives,” he said. “I am pleased to have worked with all DCEDC colleagues to make a difference for DeKalb County.”
Borek officially handed over the reins of the public-private partnership to his successor, Mark Williams, this week. So what’s next for the longtime corporate executive as he prepares to leave the office and hopefully spend some warmer winters down south?
“I’m handling a few things in the office, making sure the transition with Mark Williams is smooth and seamless, and taking care of travel plans with my wife Mary [Myers]Borek said.
Borek, who came on board to lead the agency on February 1, 2008, championed several initiatives during his tenure to attract businesses to DeKalb County. Nothing was more fruitful, community leaders said, than his efforts to create the DeKalb County Enterprise Zone. The Enterprise Zone is a common economic tool used by communities across the state to stimulate business growth. It creates financial incentives for companies to locate or expand their businesses in DeKalb County.
The zone provides tax incentives through state and local agreements and coordinates with the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The cities of DeKalb, Genoa, Sandwich and Sycamore, as well as Cortland and Waterman, have all signed agreements with the zone.
Since the Enterprise Zone’s inception in 2016, companies have invested more than $2.5 billion in facilities in the county. These include significant gains seen in just the last three years: social media giant Facebook’s parent company, Meta’s DeKalb Data Center, more than $1 billion worth of investments in Interstate 88, corridor, the Amazon warehouse, the Ferrara Candy Company, a Kraft Heinz plant and more.
DeKalb County Administrator Brian Gregory said the creation of the Enterprise Zone began about a decade ago with a meeting between himself, Borek and Mark Pietrowski, who chaired the DeKalb County Board at the time. The trio met at 3pm on a Friday and didn’t end until just before 9pm
“And from that point on, Paul took over the Enterprise Zone – and you heard the word shepherd earlier – he led that process,” Gregory said. “Paul was instrumental in making this happen. Paul treated every opportunity equally, regardless of whether that economic opportunity involved hundreds of millions of dollars in investments or hundreds of dollars in investments. He recognized and appreciated that these companies were making investments here in the county, and he was always a resource for them. More importantly, Paul treats people the same way.”
DeKalb County’s Enterprise Zone was certified on January 1, 2016.
Officials say about 8 million square feet of new commercial space has been developed in the last seven years. This created 3,500 jobs. The Enterprise Zone attracted 19 new businesses to the county and 19 local businesses expanded their operations.
Pietrowski, now mayor of Cortland, said Borek left a legacy of economic success in the community.
“The sky is the limit for this community now, and it is [the Enterprise Zone] We have prepared well to have a truly diversified tax base, which was the goal I set as county board chair and I know Paul did,” Pietrowski said. “We really want a lot of good employment opportunities here for the residents of this county.”
DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes said he was sad to see Borek retire because he believes he was the driving force behind state regulators allowing data centers in enterprise zones.
“I have seen him advocate time and time again for the City of DeKalb and for DeKalb County, and his leadership was instrumental in changing the Enterprise Zone to allow data centers, which was one of the catalysts for the creation of Meta “I can get out of here,” Cohen said. “So Paul was always a big advocate for the community.”
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Town and county officials praised Borek for his efforts to spur economic development at a DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation event Sept. 28 to celebrate Borek’s retirement.
Borek’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed by state officials, including a special message from Gov. JB Pritzker himself.
Pritzker wrote a letter to Borek, which was read by the agency’s chief executive, Mike Kokott.
“Your leadership and commitment have been instrumental in driving our state’s economic growth, and your retirement marks the end of a truly remarkable era,” Kokott read from Pritzker’s letter. “Over the past 15 years, your leadership has played a critical role in the revitalization of DeKalb County. The remarkable economic growth achieved in the last three years alone, representing three decades of progress, is a testament to your contribution.”
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Karen Hoyle, economic development agency administrator, has worked with Borek since 2010. In an emotional farewell, Hoyle said she will miss Borek’s mentorship.
“He was one of the best bosses I ever had in my life,” Hoyle said. “He’s humble, he’s kind, he’s intelligent, he’s considerate, he’s considerate. He’s someone who allows you to work together, and on important issues he’s just a really wonderful person.”
Borek said he plans to become a snowbird by wintering in Florida and hopes to take a river cruise in northern Europe soon.
As he enjoys the spoils of a career well spent, DeKalb County will continue to see the fruits of his labor.
“We are in unprecedented economic development that we have not seen since the invention of barbed wire, and Paul was a cog in that wheel that made that possible and an important cog in the wheel,” Cohen said. “I will always remember him. We have brought about transformative change in the city of DeKalb, whether it be through lowering property taxes or through affordable housing, whether through creating new jobs and creating historic investments in our community, and he has been a part of that, so I will always remember him.”
This story was edited on October 6, 2023 at 3:35 p.m. to correct a previous misspelling of Mark Williams’ name.
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