MATTOON - When you call for one of those Illinois tourism brochures, chances are you're talking to someone in Coles County. Inquire about getting a transponder that quickly lets you past Chicago-area toll plazas (without carrying change), and you'll be connected to Mattoon. And soon when you call a major orthopedic supplier of things such as walkers, you'll be talking to someone here too. All of those were among the service examples Wednesday at a formal opening of the Consolidated Market Response facility in the Mattoon business park off North Sixth Street Road.

The facility, with 28 employees, has been operating since October. The official "grand opening" ceremony was complete with company Vice Chairman Richard Lumpkin using a forklift to break the ribbon. The 15,000-square-foot "fulfillment center" processes about 700,000 pieces of mail a year for CMR clients that do business locally, regionally and nationally. CMR also has about 450,000 items printed locally for its clients. The center processes requests for clients, then mails or ships items through either the Mattoon post office or the United Parcel facility.

"This does mark another step forward for CMR and the economic development of Coles County," Lumpkin said. Among the clients are the state tourism department, the tollway authority, Aetna insurance, Xerox, and Ameritech, said John Woodruff, CMR's senior manager. The Mattoon location is the fourth for CMR, a Charleston-based division of McLeodUSA. Other offices are in Champaign and Racine, Wis. CMR had revenue of $12.5 million in 1998. The new location enhances the growth opportunities, Woodruff said. Local economic development and political leaders attended the announcement, as did Steve Gray, the chief operating officer for McLeod.

Visitors look over the facilities at Consolidated Market Response.
Photo by Doug Lawhead

Used with permission from Mid-Illinois Newspapers
Publishers of the Mattoon Journal Gazette and the Charleston Times-Courier

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Coles Together
400 Airport Road
Mattoon, Illinois 61938
(217) 258-5627 FAX (217) 235-9492