Village Profile Home Page | About our Company | Sales Opportunities | Community eStore | vpmobile.us

Barrington Career Center

The Barrington Career Center has been serving the region since 1994 and is a valuable resource for those who need help preparing themselves for employment in today’s workforce. Created by Barrington area residents who realized there was a need for such services, the Center provides things such as job skill building seminars, interview skills workshops and networking opportunities.

Monica Keane started out working at the Center as a volunteer before becoming its Executive Director in 2006. “It was my first time working for a nonprofit organization,” she says. Keane stresses that the Barrington Career Center is not an “employment agency,” but rather a place that works individually with people to prepare them for what is ahead in the job search. “The vast majority of our clients are in their 40s or 50s,” she points out, noting that many are either unemployed, underemployed or will soon be leaving one job and looking for another.

Dan McMahon was one of the Center’s clients. Today he is vice president of marketing with a company in the medical device industry, but he was once a participant in the Tuesday morning networking sessions at the Center. McMahon lost his job in 2002 when his company reorganized, and a number of friends and business associates recommended that he look into the Barrington Career Center as a resource for employment.

When he reflects on his experience at the Center he says, “When I meet someone who is looking for their next great opportunity, I immediately suggest that they get in touch with the Barrington Career Center. The skills required to conduct a successful job search are not intuitive to most of us. We need to learn them.” He says that the Center provides the tools to conduct a well-organized job search with the help of other people who are in the same situation, as well as the voluntary assistance of job search professionals.

Making sure that area residents are able to draw on the resources of such an organization is something that the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce has also recognized as important, and they have extended themselves in partnership to the Center. Chamber members are among the business professionals who contribute their time and talents there, and the two organizations also collaborated on a career fair in 2007. They continue to dialogue about ways to work together in a way that will help area residents who need this type of support. “We talk on a regular basis about workforce and development issues,” says Keane.

The Center assists more than 1,000 people each year in their search for employment. There are six computer workstations that have high-speed Internet access available for use, and clients also have access to printers, phones and fax machines to assist them in their job search. Two personality tests are offered (additional fee required) to help clients assess their best potential matches in various career fields and to help measure the subjects they enjoy most. This can be a tremendous help for those who are looking to switch fields.

The Barrington Career Center provides an important range of services for the community, and they have done well in supporting area residents in their search for employment, becoming a key resource in these challenging economic times. The Center is located at 600 Hart Road in Suite 275. For more information about their services, call 847-304-4157 or visit them on the Web at www.barringtoncareercenter.com.

BARRINGTON’S BUSINESS PROFILE

Overview: The Barrington region encompasses 90 square miles of land and has a population of 40,000 people. The area is located in four different counties: Lake, Cook, McHenry and Kane. It stretches across six townships and includes eight villages along with numerous unincorporated areas. The villages that make up the region are: Barrington, Barrington Hills, Deer Park, Inverness, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington and Tower Lakes.

POPULATION/HOUSING STATISTICS (Census 2000)

Barrington Area: Approximately 40,000
Village of Barrington: 10,168
Village of Barrington Hills: 3,930
Village of Deer Park: 3,102
Village of Inverness: 6,749
Village of Lake Barrington: 4,757
Village of North Barrington: 2,918
Village of South Barrington: 3,760
Village of Tower Lakes: 1,310
Households: 14,029
Estimated Average Home Value: $454,000
Median Household Income: $109,335
Median Age of Population: 41

CLIMATE

The Barrington area experiences four distinct seasons.

Average temperature in coldest/warmest months:

January: 24.5 F
August: 74.8 F
Average rainfall: 33.85 inches annually

TRANSPORTATION

Airports:

O’Hare International Airport: 773-686-2200
Lake in the Hills Airport: 815-455-7522

Bus:

Pace Suburban Bus Service: 847-364-7223
Dial-a-Ride: (available with one day notice) 800-273-5939

Railroad Service:

Metra: 312-322-6774
Amtrak: 800-872-7245

Charter and Rental Service:

Barrington Transportation Company: 847-381-1043

Valet Service:

On Your Way Valet, LLC: 708-214-7262

Distance to Major Cities:

Chicago: 35 miles
Rockford: 62 miles
Springfield: 212 miles
Milwaukee: 73 miles
Des Moines: 331miles

UTILITIES

Water/Sewer:

Village of Barrington: 847-381-7903
Village of Barrington Hills: 847-551-3000
Village of Deer Park: 847-726-1648
Village of Inverness: 847-358-7740
Village of Lake Barrington: 847-381-6010
Village of North Barrington: 847-381-6000
Village of South Barrington: 847-381-7510
Village of Tower Lakes: 847-526-0488

Electricity:

Commonwealth Edison: 800-334-7661

Gas:

NICOR: 847-697-5100

Telecommunications:

AT&T: 800-222-0300
Comcast: 800-COMCAST

Cable:

AT&T Cable: 847-362-6288
Comcast: 800-COMCAST

EDUCATION

The Barrington area is served by Community Unit School District 220 as well as several private and parochial schools, three community colleges and various other colleges and universities.

Community Unit School District 220:
847-381-6300
www.cusd220.org

High Schools: 1
Middle Schools: 2
Elementary Schools: 8

Creative Learning Montessori School:
847-382-3421
www.creativelearningmontessori.org

Elgin Academy:
847-695-0300
www.elginacademy.org

Fox River Country Day School:
847-888-7910
www.frcds.org

Quest Academy:
847-202-8035
www.questacademy.org

St. Anne’s Catholic School:
847-381-0311
www.sacardinals.com

Trinity Oaks Christian Academy:
847-462-5971
www.trinity-oaks.org

Area Colleges & Universities: Roosevelt University, Northern Illinois University, Keller Graduate School of Management, Harper College, Lewis University, North Central College, Lake Forest School of Management, Illinois Institute of Technology, Ray College of Design, University of Illinois-Chicago, College of Lake County, DeVry Institute, Northwestern University, McHenry County College, Columbia University and Webster University

HEALTHCARE

Barrington area residents have convenient access to a variety of quality healthcare options.

Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital:
847-381-9600
www.advocatehealth.com

Alexian Brothers Hospital Network:
847-385-7112
www.alexian.org

Mercy Barrington Medical Center:
847-381-3000
www.mercyhealthsystem.org

Northwest Community Hospital:
847-618-5570
www.nchorg

BARRINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT

The Barrington Public Library District serves residents of all or part of Algonquin, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hoffman Estates, Kildeer, Lake Barrington, Lake Zurich, North Barrington, Palatine, Port Barrington, South Barrington, Tower Lakes, and some unincorporated areas. It covers a 72-square-mile area, making it the largest library district in Illinois.

Barrington Area Library:
847-382-1300
www.barringtonarealibrary.org

BUSINESS/INDUSTRY

The Barrington area is home to more than 1,100 firms with an estimated employment of 18,000 people. The retail sector includes more than 200 stores and restaurants, and there are five full- service financial institutions in the area as well.

Retail Sales Volume by Category:

Automobile and Filling Stations: 62.8%
Agriculture and All Others: 8.5%
Drugs and Miscellaneous Retail: 8.4%
Food: 7.4%
Furniture, Household, Radio: 4.9%
Drinking and Eating Establishments: 3.6%
Lumber, Building and Hardware: 2.3%
General Merchandise and Apparel: 2.1%

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

Professional, Management, Administrative and Scientific: 17.9%
Education, Health and Social Services: 16.9%
Manufacturing: 15.6%
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate: 13.1%
Retail: 11.3%
Information: 5.8%
Wholesale Trade: 4.7%
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services: 3.9%
Construction: 2.9%
Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities: 2.8%
Other Services: 2.8%
Public Administration: 1.9%
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Mining: 0.4%

EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATION

Management and Professional: 55.1%
Sales and Office: 30.5%
Service: 6.6%
Production, Transportation and Material Moving: 4.1%
Construction, Extraction and Maintenance: 3.7%

MAJOR AREA EMPLOYERS

Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Alden Estates of Barrington
Allstate Insurance
AT&T
Barnant Company
Barrington Community School District 220
C.T.I. Industries, Corp.
Claires Accessories
GE Medical Systems
Harris Bank Barrington
Hospice of Northeastern Illinois
Jewel-Osco
Motor Werks of Barrington
Pepper Construction Company
Quaker-Tropicana-Gatorade R&D (QTG)
Recon/Optical Inc.
Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.
U.S. Post Office
Village of Barrington

LABOR FORCE

2000 Trade Area Estimate for Barrington, Barrington Hills, Deer Park, Inverness, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington and Tower Lakes.

Total Labor Force: 33,534
Total Persons Employed: 23,052
Unemployment Rate: Less than half the national average

RECREATION, CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

There are several park districts in the Barrington area to choose from. Recreational amenities include one public and five private golf courses, swimming pools, baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, and picnic and play areas. More than 100 organizations exist in the region, representing various professional, social, business, civic and other interests.

CHURCHES

The Barrington area has 15 churches, representing 11 denominations

Sources: Village of Barrington, Business Development: www.ci.barrington.il.us/ExploreBarrington/ businessdevelopment.html; Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce: www.barringtonchamber.com/atglance.asp.