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Fillmore Linen Service opens, promising 175 West Side jobs – Austin Weekly News
The first business at the $40 million-Fillmore Center in North Lawndale has opened, promising to add more than 175 local jobs.
Fillmore Linen Service, an industrial-scale healthcare laundry facility located in the 169,000-square-foot restored building at 4100 W. Fillmore St. launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 26.
The previously vacant building was purchased in 2022 by the Steans Family Foundation for $3.3 million, and is now known as the Fillmore Center. The massive development project aims to bring businesses and jobs to North Lawndale.
Fillmore Linen Service, which occupies 45,000 square feet of the refurbished space, will function as the project’s anchor business. It has already singed on two clients, Rush University System for Health and Lurie Children’s Hospital, and will process, officials estimate, up to 28 million pounds of laundry for each year.
Monique Scott, 24th Ward Alderwoman, addressed a crowd of more than 200 people during the ceremony.
“We’re always thrilled to have a new business venture in North Lawndale, but this is not just a new business venture — it’s a transformation for our community,” she said. “Fillmore Linen Service is poised to become a pillar of our local economy. It will provide jobs, support our local businesses and contribute to the overall vitality of North Lawndale.”
Funded through a collaboration of partners, including the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, North Lawndale Employment Network, West Side United, Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, Chicago CRED, UCAN and the Steans Family Foundation, Fillmore Linen Service aims to boost the median income in the community by offering job opportunities with potential for skills advancement.
Executive Director for the Steans Family Foundation Patricia Ford said the main objective for the development of the Fillmore Center is employment for residents from the West Side.
“We know that increasing economic opportunity for residents is a game-changer and we know that employment is oftentimes a barrier so we want to remove the barriers that get in the way,” Ford said.
Ford said Fillmore Linen Service will provide not just jobs, but career paths for employees and that being background-friendly is one of their missions.
“We think in order to reduce violence you’ve got to give people opportunities and a second chance,” she said. “We really want to increase economic opportunity for residents.”
Ayesha Jaco, executive director at West Side United, said they are interested in seeing how Fillmore Linen Service impacts the median income and unemployment rate in North Lawndale over time.
West Side United, a health equity collaborative, believes that four impact areas – economic vitality, education, health & healthcare and neighborhood and physical environment – are the keys to reduce the life expectancy gap between downtown Chicago and the West Side.
“This initiative is true to our mission of what we want to do in terms of addressing the life expectancy gap by not just looking at access to care but by creating opportunities like this,” Jaco said.
According to the Steans Family Foundation, the Fillmore Center will be placed into a community benefit trust by the foundation after a completion period, which will eventually allow local residents to share in and control profits from the building.
“The fact that a portion of the profits will go back to the employees is just a game-changer for us in North Lawndale and it serves as a model for others coming along and trying to do this in communities that are similar to ours,” said Jesse Green, executive director of the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council. “These permanent jobs at Fillmore Center will allow individuals to be able to provide real hope and real opportunities for their families.”
Green said he feels Fillmore Linen Service will demonstrate what is possible for investors who are considering bringing businesses to North Lawndale.
“We have the workforce here to rise to the occasion,” he said.
Additional businesses that are slated to open in the Fillmore Center after the renovations are done include Kribi Coffee Air Roastery, Southside Blooms and Curlmix. Rather than a retail location, Kribi Coffee Air Roastery plans on opening a production facility for their wholesale business within the Fillmore Center.
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