Glenview's Innovative Spirit Praised As Meat Company Prepares To Open

GLENVIEW, IL — A national meat manufacturer that will open a plant in Glenview praised the region for its dedication to innovation along with a skilled workforce that will be part of its operation.

Both Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) praised a decision by UPSIDE Foods to open a 175,000-square-foot facility in Glenview that will produce ground cultivated chicken products, Pritzker’s office announced last week. The company has plans in the future to expand to other “whole-textured” products that will be manufactured at the facility.

The operation is set to bring 75 jobs to Glenview and Pritzker praised Morrison’s steadfast advocacy to prioritize job creation and economic development.

“I enthusiastically welcome this new facility, which is a significant investment to our community,” Morrison said in a statement released by her office last week. “It underscores our commitment to technology, innovation, and business development.

“UPSIDE Foods’ decision to open a facility in Glenview highlights the area’s strategic location for its pro-innovation business environment and skilled workforce.”

Morrison said she worked alongside Pritzker to bring the manufacturing plant to Glenview after UPSIDE Foods officials praised the region for an “esteemed legacy” of meat production as well as a shared commitment to innovation and sustainability, and strategic geographical advantages.

The company said it will serve as an ideal hub for large-scale production, distribution, and sale of cultivated meat products as a way of continuing a line of innovative businesses in the region. Pritzker said that UPSIDE recently became the nation’s first FDA-approved cell-cultivated meat manufacturer and commercial seller.

The Glenview manufacturing plant will become UPSIDE’s first large-scale production facility, the company said.

“Here in Illinois, we are a hub for tech and innovation, thanks to our talented workforce and prime location in the heart of the Midwest,” Pritzker said last week. “This new facility is a significant investment in our communities – creating new good-paying jobs while advancing our ambitious clean energy goals to create a more sustainable future.”