Eakas plans expansion, new jobs by early ‘25

Eakas Corp. in Peru purchased 80 acres from the Illinois Valley YMCA for $2 million in an expansion a company official said means new jobs.

We were very pleased with this announcement.”

—  Bob Vickrey, Peru's director of economic development

Eakas, an automative parts manufacturer, is “initiating a significant investment to expand [its] capability” at its existing plant, Eakas Vice President Jeff Wagner said in a statement Friday.

Wagner did not say in the statement how the new property will fit into those expansion plans but said it plans to add larger injection molding machines, a new state-of-the-art decorative finish line and increased warehousing to support new business from its customers.

“We anticipate construction and installation will last through the remainder of 2024 as we target completion in the spring of 2025,” Wagner said. “This investment will create an unspecified number of new jobs; however, prior to completion, Eakas will commence with hiring and training associate members for production startup in July of 2025.”

The parcel is located south of North 31st Road and west of Route 251, where Eakas is located. Eakas is a manufacturer of functional and decorative parts for the automotive industry, such as door handles and rearview mirrors.

The legal description of the parcel sold matches that of an 80-acre parcel bequeathed to the YMCA by Adele Link, who died in 2003. According to probate records, Link’s last will and testament directed funds for the YMCA to build a swimming pool, the Link Aquatic Center, as well as other properties disbursed to the YMCA and other heirs.

Bob Vickrey, director of economic development, said the city of Peru “welcomes the investment” by Eakas.

“We have worked with Eakas more than 30 years and were involved the past few months with the acquisition of the property from the YMCA,” Vickrey said. “We were very pleased with this announcement.”