other than one company called manufacturing in wheeling back in 1958 byrd and glen keith started thepany in a storefront on cicero ave in chicago. their father had never made it past high school but both of them made it through college and eager to start on their own. they had one employee and a couple machines. they worked long hours, a second job and sacrificed much but they made it and their company took off. today, keats' manufacturing employed 110 illinois workers and has 75 machines running 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. this was not an uncommon path in our state and it wasn't just chicago and wasn't just manufacturing. it was peoria, decatur, agriculture transportation, a technology. lawyer was a place where people like dirt and glen cheese from all over the country and from all over the world wanted to come because illinois was a land of opportunity almost without parallel in america. today illinois is very different. the grandsons of burke and glen keith tell me they could not have started their company in illinois today. their grandfather started the company all its custome