* You have likely seen this nefarious billboard…

* Guess who just hired the creator?…

The new Illinois Business and Development Corp. has hired as its first marketing director—and, in fact, its first big hire at all—Kelly Nicholl, who until recently was the vice president for marketing of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.

In a phone interview as she prepares to assume her new gig next week, Nicholl, 53, admitted, “I guess I’m going to have to try to undo part of hard work in Indiana,” but added that she does not expect that will be much of a chore.

“There are great assets in Illinois,” said Nicholl. “That’s my job, to find those assets and put them in front of people.”

Nicholl kept a downtown condominium here during her stint in Indianapolis and said she “loves” Chicago.

“I’m really excited about trying all of the things I’ve learned about marketing the state of Indiana and trying them in Illinois,” she said. The trick is, “You’ve got to be top of mind”—the kind of place corporate locators think of without a lot of constant prompting.

Wait. She had a condo in Chicago all along? She “loves” the city but whacked us anyway?

Great.

       

67 Comments - Nony - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 11:52 am: Psssh cmon Rich she was just doing her job. - Harry - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 11:52 am: It’s called a job, Rich. - Formerly Known as Frenchie M - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 11:54 am: It’s just bidness. Bidness, which BTW Rauner, actually likes Illinois. Who woulda thought? Wait — I know. A lot of people woulda thought. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 11:55 am: “The money is just as green in Illinois and I miss my condo in Chicago when I’m pretending to not like it in Illinois.” Welp, I’m impressed. If you’re going to be a shill, market yourself as the biggest critic your employer can silence. With this thinking, I’m sure the Consulting Firm is mere moments away from hearing from Citizens for Rauner… Moments away… Any minute… Phone will be just ringing… Or a text… Text any minute… - Rich Miller - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 11:55 am: ===It’s called a job, Rich. === Just because it’s your job, don’t make it right, Hoss. - @MisterJayEm - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 11:57 am: Despite being paid to do so, she didn’t bad-mouth our state any more than our current governor. She’s been on-message for Rauner all along. – MrJM - Harry - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:00 pm: “Just because it’s your job, don’t make it right, Hoss.” God bless you, that you’ve never had to make a compromise with yourself in doing you job. Many of us have to draw the line at something illegal or deeply immoral, and speaking just for myself, there’s nothing on that billboard that strikes me as a lie or out of bounds in context. If you think it’s that strong, well, all the better that she is now on Illinois’ side. - Ahoy! - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:02 pm: ===It’s called a job, Rich. === Just because it’s your job, don’t make it right, Hoss.== We’re not talking about moral or legal actions here, she had a job to do and she did it. What the heck is the argument of was it right or not about? There is no right or wrong moral or legal dilemma here. Can someone who works in marketing for Wal-Mart shop at Target? Yes, I don’t get the hang up. - DuPage - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:03 pm: Pay for the same work is usually higher in Illinois, so she is probably getting a big raise to come work for Illinois. - Anon221 - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:05 pm: Here’s some help for a new website for the Illinois billboard- AState(Government)ThatWorks(Sometimes).com And, you could add “Indiananahnahnah”. /s - Chicago 20 - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:06 pm: The big question is how much is Rauner paying this Superstar? - cubird - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:08 pm: I am confused! Is she an in or out migrator? - Thinking - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:10 pm: We won’t know what the Superstar will be paid because it is not state agency that subject to FOIA. - relocated - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:11 pm: Further proof that marketing folks surrender their soul to the bottom line. - Anon221 - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:13 pm: Chicago 20- This “SuperStar” should be paid with PRIVATE monies. ILBEDC is supposed to be funded PRIVATELY. But… we’ll see. http://www.ilbedc.org/ - Magic carpet ride - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:14 pm: If we had a governor that actually supports our state this nonsense could be counteracted. - VanillaMan - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:15 pm: “I guess I’m going to have to try to undo part of hard work in Indiana,” but added that she does not expect that will be much of a chore. What does that say about her work? It is all smoke and mirrors? She doesn’t believe the results in Indiana are permanent? I hope it is a quote taken out of context. - Mama - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:16 pm: How can anyone publically crap on their home state & still sleep at night? I understand its her job, but its like stabbing your mama in the back to make a buck. - Bill F. - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:16 pm: Were there literally no other people available? The “Illinoyed” campaign wasn’t designed to lure businesses away (seriously…it was billboards. Do we not all shake our heads when we see candidates wasting $ on billboards?), it was designed to mock. This is classic Rauner. - Vole - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:17 pm: Nicholl: “The trick is” Illinois ain’t been tricked enough already? Rauner is just rubbing in the salt now. - Wow - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:17 pm: Madigan and the PR people he controls. - Arthur Andersen - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:18 pm: Sittin’ by the phone, OW. - siriusly - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:18 pm: “it’s my job” Okay maybe that is true if you work for Hertz and then leave to go to work for Avis. But these organizations are making substantial claims about our local economy and our communities. Their statements and their people need credibility. I find it ridiculous that the IL group would even for one second consider rewarding a person who was involved in an anti-Illinois campaign by hiring them. What a joke. superstars - Henry Francis - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:19 pm: And our transformation into the shangri-la that is Indiana takes another forward step. How is she being paid? Heck, who decided to hire her? Who is in charge of this “private” organization? Too bad we can’t FIOA them and find these things out. - The Bobs - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:21 pm: So this makes some double exempt Rauner hires at DCEO redundant, right? Let’s hope Governor CEO immediately eliminates that unnecessary expense. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:21 pm: - AA -, you tell them you’ll keep in line, you know, play the good cop… I’m tellin’ ya, - AA -, any second… any second… - VanillaMan - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:22 pm: Why does Illinois need to hire Kelly Nicholl? Why was she available? No one else could do that job? She is that indispensable? Why would we hire someone who made it a point to say nasty things about Illinois and expect her to suddenly begin saying nice things? Does she have any kind of conscience at all? She doesn’t believe what she was saying, and being paid to say, while working in Indiana? Where does the “it’s a job” crosses the line into “it’s professional hypocrisy?” - Anon - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:23 pm: Someone should check on her property tax exemptions on that condo and see if she owes the city she loves so much any taxes. - VanillaMan - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:27 pm: If she didn’t believe the things she said about Illinois, or the things she said about Indiana, why believe anything she says at all? What does her hiring say about Governor Rauner? Well, besides that he thinks we’re unworthy of having a state government, paying our bills, having any social safety net, taking care of our children, education, middle class earnings, unions or place to call home? Governors are supposed to be proud of their states, not belittle them with insults, hold their citizens hostage, and hire people who value their state like they value their brand of gasoline. - Gordon Willis - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:29 pm: The guv promised “to rip the guts out of Indiana”….another promise kept! - Jimmy CrackCorn - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:33 pm: ==We’re not talking about moral or legal actions here, she had a job to do and she did it. What the heck is the argument of was it right or not about? There is no right or wrong moral or legal dilemma here.== Nick Naylor: [out loud] “I just need to pay the mortgage.” Nick Naylor: [to self] The Yuppie Nuremberg defense. - Lester Holt's Mustache - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:34 pm: To be fair, pretty much every third person hired by Rauner is from Indiana too - no reason to start now. And senator Kirk doesn’t have anyone who does tourism that the gov can poach. Besides, after all the bad mouthing of Illinois he has done over the past year, someone who denigrates Illinois for a living would be right up his alley…. - Vole - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:35 pm: IllinoyyedNowPaysMeMoreThanAStateThatWorksToContinueToAnnoyIllinois.com And now ask yourself why so many people are attracted to Trump. - Wensicia - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:35 pm: Lighten up, she’s not a traitor, like Dunkin. She fufilled the expectations of her job and now plans to do the same here. It’s not like she was elected to either position. - Poolguy - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:36 pm: they hire someone who was responsible for a ridiculous and useless billboard ad campaign to lure IL businesses to Indiana? classic. - Annonin' - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:41 pm: Gotta love the depth of the conviction there…wonder if she realizes her bosses are workin’ 24-7 to be West Indiana? - wordslinger - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:44 pm: These spin doctors mean oogats to the economy. They’re just glorified corporate welfare processors. Mitch Daniels used to send out press releases claiming “jobs created” at vacant lots. - walker - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:45 pm: Yes she’s been on Rauner’s message all along. He’s still unfairly badmouthing Illinois in the never-ending-campaign. What will be interesting is to see if and how she’s allowed to contradict Rauner campaign speech now. - LizPhairTax - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 12:52 pm: Let us throw some money at this she-Proft! - Judgment Day - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:01 pm: “Further proof that marketing folks surrender their soul to the bottom line.” ———- So what? She obviously did a decent job. That billboard is proof. It’s all about creating a ‘buzz’, and the billboard did it’s job. First step in the process…. In the same time period, what did we (State of Illinois) do in terms of business development? Except fail…… It seems like all Illinois accomplished in terms of business development during that time period was to be a political patronage dumping ground for Blago and Quinn appointees. At least if you had to work with them, it sure seemed that way. If part of the job requirement is ’selling your soul’, at least get somebody competent on your side - not like the clown shows we had to deal with from the previous 2 administrations. - Rich Miller - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:02 pm: ===It’s all about creating a ‘buzz’, and the billboard did it’s job=== Unclear on the actual concept. - Sulla - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:04 pm: The larger point is that it sounds like DCEO is actually going to do some marketing. This is in itself news because DCEO didn’t do a single thing in the area of counter-marketing when those recruitment billboards went up in 2011. Or in 2012. Or in 2013. Or in 2014. Love or hate the guy - at least Shultz has got DCEO to finally get off its collective butt and start doing something. - Poolguy - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:06 pm: creating a buzz? they’re not selling soft drinks or a new line of potato chips. not the same thing. what companies were seriously considering moving to Indiana cause they drove by a billboard? - wordslinger - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:10 pm: –The larger point is that it sounds like DCEO is actually going to do some marketing.– Is that a gag? What’s the pitch? Gov. Death Spiral’s greatest hits on what a hellhole Illinois is to do business in? What’s the point of spending any money on marketing at all when that is the regular message coming out of the governor’s office? - James Knell - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:12 pm: “Hoosiers are Loosiers”… there… has the Illinois economic boom started yet? Welcome Kelly Nicholl economic development superstar! Who needs public universities when we have you. *snarky* - Henry Francis - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:14 pm: Sulla - DCEO hasn’t done much of anything in over a year since the change in administration. But don’t take my word for it, go straight to DCEO. http://www.illinois.gov/dceo/Media/PressReleases/Pages/PressReleasesByYear.aspx?ArticleYear=2016 - Chicago 20 - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:19 pm: Illinnoyed - symbolism over substance and Rauner bought into it. - Because I said so... - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:20 pm: I love that the Governor is paying people to come to Illinois while college students are fleeing in masses because our universities are on the verge of closure. - Annonin' - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:23 pm: Did ya get the fee? Is she a $uper$tar or BiGBrain? How many years did she work for Madigan or Rahm or Daley? - efudd - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:23 pm: For those “she was doing her job” crowd- a turncoat, by definition, has no loyalty. How you ever respect, much less trust, a person like that is beyond me. The fact that she was doing it for cash, well, there’s a word, or profession, for people like that. Also, don’t be surprised when you need them the most they’re the first one out the door. - Chicago 20 - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:25 pm: - We won’t know what the Superstar will be paid because it is not state agency that subject to FOIA. I guess we will have to wait for their 990’s. - Judgment Day - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:29 pm: “Unclear on the actual concept.” ———– Am involved in 2 marketing efforts right now. It’s some innovative, small software products that we have to run a ‘gorilla marketing” (think: Small, innovative, edgy, inexpensive) effort on. We’re trying to penetrate the ‘noise’ that surrounds potential users (and buyers). That’s what she was doing, and guess what, that was an effective pitch. Nobody has to like it, but that billboard starts to cut through the ‘noise’. Was taught a long time ago by a real pro in the marketing/advertising business that the best marketing efforts were “Deception based upon the Truth”. And she hit us (Illinois) hard. It’s not personal, it’s just business. IMO, you want to play in the business development game, you better have some sharks on your side. - Poolguy - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:33 pm: I think you mean guerilla marketing. but if deceptive billboard ads helped lure businesses to Indiana, more power to them I guess. - wordslinger - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:36 pm: –’gorilla marketing”– Guerrilla marketing, dude. As in unconventional tactics, like guerrilla warriors. Gorillas are large primates in central Africa. - Poolguy - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:36 pm: I hope Illinois businesses weren’t duped into moving to Indiana, and now feel stupid to move back - Sulla - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:41 pm: Henry Francis Shultz is completely rebuilding the State’s ED program. I would consider that to be “doing something”. Now - I’m no expert on running 500+ employee organizations, but I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that the kind of change they’re working on within DCEO might take more than a year to complete. And a lot of that work is unsexy culture-change stuff that doesn’t make for thrilling press releases. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:45 pm: ===Now - I’m no expert on running 500+ employee organizations, but I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that the kind of change they’re working on within DCEO might take more than a year to complete. And a lot of that work is unsexy culture-change stuff that doesn’t make for thrilling press releases.=== Lemme guess, they are going to run this like a business. Ugh. “Never mistake activity for achievement.” - John Wooden. K? K. - Judgment Day - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:49 pm: “I think you mean guerilla marketing. but if deceptive billboard ads helped lure businesses to Indiana, more power to them I guess.” ———- You do much traveling over on the east side of Indiana within the last few years? There’s been a LOT of expansion of small businesses over on the Indiana side of the boarder. Manufacturing in particular. Not necessarily big - 4, 6, 10, 12 jobs at a time. But it’s been happening. And not near as much on the Illinois side. They (Indiana) has been doing some stuff right. Question is, can we learn? - Poolguy - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:51 pm: can we learn? - so you’re saying that’s proof the billboard ads actually worked? that’s all i was trying to ask. - Judgment Day - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:52 pm: Word, Android decided to ‘edit’ my text. Take it up with Google (sorry, “Alphabet”). - Judgment Day - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 1:57 pm: “so you’re saying that’s proof the billboard ads actually worked? that’s all i was trying to ask.” ———— Unknown. But it apparently sure caught people’s attention. Isn’t that part of the objective of advertising? - Henry Francis - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 2:08 pm: Sulla - what has been done to “completely rebuild the ED program”? Please indentify something (other than the empty ilbedc.org website that remains unchanged since the day it was launched) Also, has Schultz really been doing yeoman’s work on “completely rebuilding the ED program” while still running his personal businesses? Apparently he’s kept his day jobs. https://www.linkedin.com/in/openpraireschultz - Honeybear - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 2:18 pm: -Shultz is completely rebuilding the State’s ED program.- Nope, my buddy over at DCEO says that Schulz doesn’t do Jack. He and the others are only working on the private economic development corporation. I don’t know about you but I can’t see how that is even legal. The EDC is a private entity and here we have a PUBLIC agency head spending all his time. The people over there have had it with their management. Maybe I don’t know what the laws are for DCEO but I didn’t think you could do that. I’ll admit as well it’s hearsay but I think the guy I know would know. It just seems to me that a lot of work is done in the dark and that’s only going to get worse with the non-foia EDC. Again, I don’t know how you can get away with non-FOIA and be a public private partnership. Sorry, I think I just went into a Marxist fever-sweat. - West Side The Best Side - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 2:29 pm: Wouldn’t it be “gorilla marketing” if she was trying to get people to visit the Brookfield Zoo instead of the Indianapolis or Michigan City zoos? - Chicago 20 - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 2:35 pm: - There’s been a LOT of expansion of small businesses over on the Indiana side of the boarder. It all depends where you are. In East Chicago, Hammond and Gary you see a lot of blight. Many of those new buildings new the highways are just relocated Indiana businesses. There are also more than a few Indiana businesses that have relocated to the south suburbs in Illinois at least until the TIF credits last. - Chuckvegas Alum - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 2:42 pm: “Just because it’s your job, don’t make it right, Hoss.” Nice John Mellencamp plug, haha. - Judgment Day - Friday, Mar 18, 16 @ 3:39 pm: “In East Chicago, Hammond and Gary you see a lot of blight. Many of those new buildings new the highways are just relocated Indiana businesses. There are also more than a few Indiana businesses that have relocated to the south suburbs in Illinois at least until the TIF credits last.” ————– Areas around the Lake on the Indiana side? Yeah, they have real issues. Sort of like the economic situation on the South side of Chicago. Driving 41 North (and closer) to the IL-IN border is an eye opener. They have some job growth. Relocated businesses? Sure, there’s some of that. But, here’s the biggie. Most of the time, when they relocated, THEY STAYED HOME. And when they expanded, again, they tended to stay home. That’s why the whole Carrier deal was such a shock (1200 jobs from IN to Mexico). That’s been unusual for them. If the only way we can lure business to IL is TIF credits, then we have got issues. Because most of that is all local government money. That means you are mostly shorting your local tax districts. 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