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History

In the 1970s, farms being sold gave way to large developable acreage in Hoffman Estates. Economic development was driven by the needs of this burgeoning community. It was this type of “need” that prompted the call from then Mayor Virginia Hayter to George Moser, a banker and owner of Stonegate Development Corporation. “George, we need a real bank in Hoffman Estates, not just a Savings and Loan!”

In 1979, the charter was issued and the First National Bank of Hoffman Estates was formed. Today we know that bank as Charter National Bank and Trust. Land was available but not being developed, so Moser, with a handful of involved business owners, formed the Hoffman Estates Business Association (HEBA), which began the Village’s first efforts at economic development and business retention.

The interchange developed at Barrington Road in the 1980s brought new interest to central Hoffman Estates. Moser, again responding to the needs of the community, established the first industrial section in Hoffman Estates, the Tollway Center, and the first office park known as Governor’s Square. Thirty-five acres at the corner of Barrington Road and Higgins became the Northwest Corporate Center, attracting the Village’s first motel, the Budgetel, and a gas station thanks to Stonegate Development Corporation. The Village of Hoffman Estates was going through explosive growth, as was the region, as HEBA joined forces with a regional Chamber of Commerce, Northwest Suburban Association of Commerce and Industry (NSACI).

It was in 1989 when Sears Roebuck and Company announced their intention to move from their downtown tower to build a new corporate headquarters that Hoffman Estates stepped into national prominence. Mayor Michael O’Malley and Trustee Bill McLeod contacted business owner and banker Moser and attorney Cary Collins to assist in the negotiations. They hired a helicopter and took the decision makers from Sears Roebuck on an aerial tour that ultimately led to Sears building their new merchandising headquarters on the Village’s west side, creating Prairie Stone Business Park. Known as a community rich in developable acreage, Hoffman Estates continued to attract corporate giants like AT&T and Siemens. When Fortune 500 companies build corporate headquarters, travelers are not far behind, so the Village welcomed another lodging facility, the LaQuinta Inn and Suites.

On May 15, 1990, Mayor O’Malley, Trustee McLeod, Moser and Collins gathered to write the by-laws, incorporate and establish the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce. Jill Blodgett was hired as the initial Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, serving for 17 years before retiring in 2008. The Chamber continues to benefit from the advice and assistance of its founders with now Mayor McLeod actively serving on the Board of Directors, Moser serving the Village of Hoffman Estates as Chair of their Economic Development Commission and attorney at law Collins providing 24 years of service as a Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor. Recently the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce enacted a comprehensive strategic plan designed to ensure the vitality and retention of every business in membership. To carry out the newly defined mission the Chamber hired Cheri Sisson in June of 2008 and the rest as they say, is history!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOFFMAN ESTATES!

As the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce comes upon its 19th anniversary, the Village of Hoffman Estates is hitting a milestone with its 50th birthday on September 19, 2009. Though the Village was incorporated on this date in 1959, it was the year 1954 that saw the beginnings of today’s Hoffman Estates.

Sam and Jack Hoffman, owners of the Father and Son Construction Company, purchased a 160-acre farm in 1954 to be utilized as land for a subdivision. This acreage was located east of Roselle Road amid Higgins and Golf roads. The new subdivision, which was composed of half-acre lots, welcomed its first homeowners in late 1955. As more people continued to make this growing community home—approximately 8,000—residents voted to incorporate as a Village on September 19, 1959, with the charter issued on September 23, 1959.

Hoffman Estates expanded greatly through the 1960s and 1970s, spurring further growth in residential developments and public facilities such as schools, library branches and Village departments. The population hit 22,000 in 1970, which exploded to 27,000 in 1980 and 46,363 by 1990.

The Village experienced a transformation from a primarily residential community to one that became attractive to businesses of all kinds during the late 1980s and early 1990s. A new hospital (today’s St. Alexius Medical Center), new retail complexes, major business headquarters and modern business parks began springing up throughout Hoffman Estates. That development continues to this day.

“The Village has planned a year of events to celebrate our anniversary,” said Bev Romanoff, Hoffman Estates Village Clerk. “It started with a bus tour in September, followed by a tree lighting with fireworks in November and an opportunity for residents to call distant family members in December. There is also a Tartan Day Parade in April, a family picnic at our 4th of July Festival and we will wrap up the celebration with a gala at the Sears Centre Arena on September 26, 2009.”