Nicor moves 200 jobs from Geneva

GENEVA -- The move of Nicor National's call center from here to Naperville will take about 200 jobs with it.

The call center will move in early 2010 to a 65,000-square-foot building on West Diehl Road, where the new Nicor National, renamed earlier this year from Nicor Services, will consolidate it with another office already in Naperville, but at another site.

The overall lease signed by Nicor with Keystone Property Group, which manages the East-West Corporate Center, is one of the 10 largest lease transactions in the Chicago area this year, company officials said.

While the new lease was hailed by Nicor officials and people in Naperville, it is bad news for Geneva.

"It's very disappointing," said Ellen Divita, Geneva's economic development director. "The building owner did everything he could, but this is just closer to their corporate office. There wasn't anything anyone could do."

Richard Caragol, Nicor public relations manager, said the new lease agreement will provide space for the company's current and future space needs. The lease at the new facility is for about 12 years.

"The Geneva location is used as our call center and business development, while the Naperville location handles corporate operations and support," Caragol said. "Our plan is to consolidate both of these into one location."

He said plans are to move the Geneva location in the spring of 2010, followed by the Naperville site. The entire consolidation process should be finished by 2012.

Divita said Rob Byrnes, owner of the building in Geneva, will continue marketing the Geneva site, which actually has two buildings. It also has six additional acres for new construction.

"It's a beautiful facility," Divita said. "He's got quite a few companies in there."

-- Correspondent David Sharos contributed to this report.