John Deere set to bring jobs to Chicago with Fulton Market lease

Chicago’s Fulton Market scored a tenant that’s expected to bring in more than 150 jobs.

John Deere signed a lease for more than 38,000 square feet at 800 West Fulton Market, Crain’s reported. While the company’s hiring plans haven’t been disclosed, a person familiar with the deal said the offices will be for engineers aiming to improve its GPS technology. The office can accommodate between 150 and 200 workers.

The state and city are providing Deere with incentives connected to hiring for the office.

The lease suggests the downtown area is still popular for companies seeking to capitalize on the city’s young, tech-savvy workforce. Milwaukee Tool recently leased almost 70,000 square feet in the Old Post Office building on West Van Buren Street. The heavy tool manufacturer said it would be hiring engineers for its new office, which can accommodate more than 300people.

Datassential, which provides data tools to food and beverage companies, leased more than 13,000 square feet at 1201 West Lake Street. A 121,000-square-foot office building at 1320 West Fulton Street will soon be the home of Farmers Business Network, Nolan Transportation Group and Dude Products.

The building Deere will soon call home was developed by New York-based Thor Equities. The recently completed 19-story structure is 70 percent leased, with Aspen Dental as the largest tenant.

Deere recently reached a new labor contract with union workers, which ended the first strike the company had since 1986. The contract increases pay and boosts benefits over a six-year period.

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[Crain’s] — Victoria Pruitt