On May 7, 2026, Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli delivered the annual State of the City address.
“Made in Naperville” inspires this year’s speech
Thank you, good afternoon, and for all of our guests from out of town, welcome to Naperville!
I’ll be the first to admit — bubble gum wasn’t exactly on my State of the City bingo card this year. But it’s fitting. Naperville has more sweet treats per square mile than just about any city around. We’re the sweetest city on the I-88 corridor, which, if you ask me, makes us the sweetest city anywhere!
It’s great to be together again to learn more about the story of Naperville, because all of us need to share that story far and wide. But first, let’s give a big round of applause to the organizations that work for months to make today possible:
Kailyn Risvold and the staff at the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, my friends, Samir and Ash Lakhany and the Embassy Suites, and Jane Wernette and her team at NCTV17.
And of course, my wife Lynda, who makes my world better just by being in it. Together, we’ve made a family that is – and will always be – the most important part of my life. Next week, our daughter Hope will graduate from college. And just last week, our son Sam was promoted to the rank of captain in the United States Army. We’re so proud of them both, and we’re so proud that Naperville helped make them into the incredible young adults they are today.
That word.
Make.
The act of making things is how humans have measured progress since the dawn of time.
Think about everything you make in a day.
You make time. You make friends. You make a family. You make celebrations. You make space for goodbyes, and for hellos. You make headlines. You make pathways that give everyone equal access. You make music and art. You make memories. You make everyday life possible through your hard work.
In Naperville, that’s everything from saving lives, to teaching our kids, to being the number one place in the United States that makes America’s top-selling wheat cracker.
Yes, it’s true. Triscuits are made right here in Naperville, Illinois!
Others make the world safer through their service to the country.
And many of you, right here in this room, address the spiritual and mental health needs of our residents through your faith communities and charitable work, which often overlap.
If you’re the City Council, you make decisions on local policies that touch all of our lives. Now I’d like the entire City Council to stand for a round of applause for a job that’s never truly done. If you’re our city’s professional staff, you make sure the roads and utilities are well-maintained. Our police and fire departments respond quickly to calls for service. And that you have the right support teams to make every operation run smoothly.
All of this is what makes a safe, financially strong, sustainable, and thoughtfully developed city. You see, in Naperville, we strive to set the standard for how this should be done. Our utilities are dependable, our streets and public spaces are well cared for, and our residents can rely on the high level of service that defines this city.
I’d like to officially welcome our new Public Works director, Dan Randolph, who joined Team Naperville late last year. And I’d like our City Manager Doug Krieger, Deputy City Manager Pam Gallahue, and all of our directors to stand and be recognized for another year of excellent service. Doug and Pam have collectively dedicated 53 years to our City, and we are so fortunate to have their leadership.
We’re wired as people to be makers, dreamers, creators, and doers.
It’s that drive that pushes us through life’s big lifts and inspires us to build a strong foundation for the next generation of leaders.
So, this year, we’re changing what a State of the City speech looks and sounds like.
We’re focusing less on what the city is doing and more on what you, our business community, is doing. That’s because when we pause to really recognize what, how, and why our businesses innovate, we celebrate your role in our community.
Our businesses and community partners are what keep the state of our city strong. While it’s impossible to talk about or show every business in today’s presentation, I want to make one point clear. Every business, big or small, located north, south, east, or west is valued for what they do and for what they bring to our community.
What I tried to do was find examples of those makers who represent the past, present, and future of “Made in Naperville” and let them tell their stories in their own words.
Naperville started out as a farming community.
So it seems fitting to let a family that has been cultivating the land in and around Naperville since 1852 start the conversation.
I-88 corridor is the future of Naperville
Moving north, it’s no secret that I believe the future of the I-88 corridor is the future of our city. Our transition from a quiet farm town to where the best and brightest minds are figuring out solutions to today’s problems started in that very place. Advanced technology is the corridor’s past and will be its future.
But the corridor’s continued appeal isn’t just measured in square footage of newly occupied space. It can be measured by the continued reinvestment by those who have called I-88 home for decades.
Like our very own Nicor Gas.
In 1961, Northern Illinois Gas began relocating their headquarters to a brand-new building north of Naperville along the newly built East-West Tollway. They’d be joined soon by Bell Labs and Amoco, changing the landscape and future of Naperville forever.
And now, over 60 years later, Nicor continues to innovate right here in Naperville.
Last year, the Naperville Development Partnership released a report outlining strategies to reinvigorate the I-88 innovation corridor. The goal is to attract more business types that were identified in the report as having high growth potential. We’re excited to attract more companies in these sectors to our borders. Because companies know that when they say yes to Naperville, they’re saying yes to a place where growth is always on our mind.
Make no mistake: high-growth businesses already call the corridor home for three big reasons: proximity, opportunity, and talent. We have easy access to world-class research facilities like Fermilab and Argonne, along with international airports that make our city accessible to the globe. And for those businesses that want to expand their footprint – and maybe even spin up a new venture – they don’t have to go far.
There’s no shortage of workforce talent in Naperville
Companies like KeHe have workforce development programs to attract and keep high performers. Our reputation as a city where you can live and work makes the best and brightest college graduates want to start their careers right here. It’s that promise of easy access to our top-tier talent pool that’s already attracting new and cutting-edge companies to our borders, and it also inspires them to give back.
Talent isn’t just drawn to Naperville. It’s also made in Naperville.
Our very own North Central College is addressing staffing shortages in critical fields like healthcare. In fact, Naperville’s university is producing top talent across its health-related degree programs, including Doctor of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physician Assistant studies.
And the college is rolling out a new Entry to Nursing master’s program this fall to help meet the growing demand for nurses. These graduates may not have very far to go to start their careers, considering our very own Endeavor Health Edward Hospital offers world-class healthcare right here in our community. Their goal is to keep Naperville at the forefront of cardiovascular health care.
I was pleased to cut the ribbon for the new Endeavor Health Cardiovascular Center at 10 West Martin Avenue in 2025. This brand-new construction is now providing nationally leading outpatient cardiovascular care right here in Naperville. In addition, a planned three-phase expansion of Edward Heart Hospital starts this year to help meet growing inpatient needs while providing a state-of-the-art environment for physicians.
But Naperville isn’t stopping there.
The biggest health breakthroughs in our lifetime will come at the cellular level. And it’s right here in Naperville where groundbreaking strides are being made to slow down the impacts of today’s most devastating diseases.
Almost two years ago, I lost my dad.
And watching his cognitive decline in those last six months of his life, that’s something I still carry with me every single day.
I know I’m not alone in this room. Not even close. There isn’t a person here or someone they love who hasn’t been touched in some way by Alzheimer’s, by dementia, by cancer. That’s why it means so much to me that Naperville has always shown up for these causes. Our community has stood beside families walking this road for as long as I can remember. And now, just a block from where we’re sitting right now, there are people working to find the cure.
Right here. In our hometown.
I don’t know if my dad would have believed it. But I know he would have been proud.
And it’s that same pride and love for community that sets Naperville apart. Pride makes people invest in more than just their homes and families. It makes them realize the lifestyle they want isn’t in that big city 30 miles to the east. It’s right here.
It’s no wonder Naperville is the second-largest dining destination and retail sales tax generator in the state. And businesses are listening. They want to be part of a resilient community where people want to live, work, play, shop, and dine. Whether it’s coffee representing their culture, therapy and outreach services for life’s challenges, or making the adventure of parenthood a little brighter, Naperville is where entrepreneurs can get their start.
A vision for the future of downtown Naperville
50 years ago, a group of business leaders known as CAN/DO gathered to discuss a new trend: shopping malls. They knew that downtown Naperville needed a solid plan for the future to hold its own against these one-stop shopping destinations. And guess what? The vision they were talking about back then is where we are right now.
We all want success for the downtown. When doors open, people rightfully cheer, and I’m usually there cheering with them. But here’s something I’ve come to understand over the years: with doors opening comes the opposite effect, doors closing.
It seems counterintuitive, I know, but a healthy downtown actually needs a balance of both. Shoppers and diners are drawn to what’s new. A fresh storefront, a new menu, a concept they haven’t tried yet. That’s what pulls people off the couch and into downtown. It’s what gives them a reason to come back again and again.
And when a business moves on, it creates the opening for that next new concept, the one that sparks curiosity, brings first-time visitors, and keeps our regulars excited. What you don’t want is too many doors closing at once. That’s when a downtown starts to lose its momentum, and the foot traffic that every retailer depends on starts to fade.
A thriving downtown isn’t a moment in time.
It’s a living, changing place, and the steady rhythm of new arrivals is what keeps customers coming through the door. So I’m very happy to report that 2025 was a record year for new businesses downtown. We welcomed more than 15, including Barnes & Noble, Abercrombie & Fitch, Alo, The White Sheep, The George, Pronto Italian Sandwiches, and Avocado Theory. And within the last four months, Lilly Pulitzer, Free People, Le Macaron, and FP Movement have opened. At least 7 new restaurants and retailers will join that list over the next few months, including the highly anticipated opening of Brandy Melville later this summer.
But it’s not just downtown.
Thanks to the Chamber of Commerce, we’ve opened doors all throughout the community.
One of our videos mentioned that plans are underway to establish an I-88 corridor identity.
The city of Naperville provides exceptional service to the community
To do this, we have to be able to talk about what makes Naperville so special overall. I believe we can sum it up in two words: high quality. At the city, we don’t just believe in providing services. We believe in providing exceptional service that makes people proud to live and do business here. Thanks to your investment and faith in the city, we can support our community through a range of revenue streams while maintaining a staffing ratio that reflects efficiency and responsible stewardship.
When we compare the number of city employees last year with that of almost two decades ago, we are serving 6% more residents with about 100 fewer employees. These are the facts that make me proud to say the 2026 budget was balanced AND features the lowest city property tax RATE in 56 years!
Make no mistake. Cities face increasing budgetary challenges each year. Residents often ask me why Naperville’s budget is so much larger than those of our surrounding suburbs. You see, unlike most municipalities in the region, we own and operate TWO separate enterprises: our Electric Department and our Water Utilities. The utilities are supported by the customers who receive their services.
So, if you break out these separate funds from our overall budget, you’ll see that our General Fund spend per 1,000 residents is one of the most efficient in the region. Our professional staff works hard to navigate rising costs and moderating revenues while investing in our employees, our services, and our infrastructure.
And because of our financial strength, the 2026 budget maintains our existing services and provides 6 full-time sworn positions for our Police Department’s mobile crisis intervention team. Now, this team will be better equipped to address mental health crises, a topic I’m passionate about and one that our public safety departments are leading on.
Public safety
In fact, our Police and Fire departments continue to pave the way for what’s possible in their respective fields. And we believe in sharing our service model with others.
Two of our very own firefighters, Danny Puknaitis and Michael Jost, invented a fire nozzle to better control and extinguish electric vehicle fires. Now, fire departments around the world use the Poseidon Nozzle that was first made right here in Naperville.
Public safety leadership doesn’t just protect our city; it’s made in Naperville, too. 14 employees who served under Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis and Police Chief Jason Arres at one point have gone on to lead police and fire departments in Illinois and beyond.
Thank you, Chiefs, for making our city, state, and country safer every day.
Education in Naperville
And it’s not just the city. Our schools are where future leaders discover their interests and potential. Every one of Naperville’s children attends a school with strong business education and entrepreneurship programs – and that’s what sets this community apart.
Naperville kids walk into classrooms across four districts every morning: 203, 204, 200, and 202, along with several private schools, and each one is shaping the next generation of leaders.
Our schools, Park District, and sports clubs have been the training ground for numerous Olympians and Paralympians over the years. The same grit and perseverance shown by leaders who came before us is evident in these young athletes and proves you are never too young to make your dreams come true in Naperville.
Many of you also make space, both literally and figuratively, for people to turn ideas into reality. In fact, the Naperville Public Library is where one entrepreneur got his start many years ago.
There are many more Joe Churas out there. Alongside the Candace Parkers, Trinity Joneses, Trisha Prabhus, Eric Klabels, Seth Bradys, Shruthi Ayyagaris, Aarvi Vakharias, and countless others who are yet to come. All of you will play a role in helping the next generation make their mark.
And to that, I say, “thank you.”
Whether it’s people, products, or everything in between, as makers, we’re wired to keep improving.
Take Bell Labs, now Nokia Bell Labs.
This Naperville location is part of the legacy that revolutionized how we talk on the telephone and helped create modern mobile communications. It was right here in Naperville where the digital technology that gave us call waiting, call forwarding, and speed dial was developed, later leading to 4G, 5G, and now helping shape the future of 6G – the next generation of wireless innovation.
And that was because this company dared to say, “I think” or “I wonder” and move past the status quo.
A city is no different.
We cannot simply sit back and hope the next dreamer, doer, innovator, or entrepreneur finds us. We have to go out and tell our Naperville story. When you talk to your network about Naperville, what do you tell them?
Do you mention our strong local economy? Our high-quality, high-caliber schools and the opportunities they create? Our commitment to public safety, to families, and to the quality of life here?
Do you tell them that innovation has always been, and always will be, part of who we are? The best and brightest are drawn to places that believe in possibility.
And Naperville will always be that kind of place.
We are a city where ideas and ingenuity come together with infrastructure, talent, and opportunity. We are a community where things are not just imagined.
They are MADE.
So today, I am asking each of you to shape Naperville’s future by being an ambassador for this city we love. Because when you tell someone about Naperville, and they tell their networks, and that story reaches somewhere else, you never know who may be listening.
It may be a future innovator. A future entrepreneur. A future employer. A future inventor. A future leader. A future family.
And they will help write the next great chapter of what is “Made in Naperville.”
It is a privilege to serve this city, and an honor to be your mayor. Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless Naperville.
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