Big step forward

The planned construction of a new local office for Yahoo is on the fast track to open this fall.

The weather could have been better, but even the snow and ice couldn't dim the excitement surrounding Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony at the University of Illinois Research Park.

With UI officials, community leaders and company employees present, Yahoo broke ground on a planned two-story, 40,000-square-foot office building at First Street and Hazelwood Drive. Yahoo is moving from its current 24,000-square-foot quarters to the new facility, which will be south of the I Hotel.

In addition to the construction, the company plans to add about 80 employees over the coming year, bringing its total local workforce to roughly 200. The economic possibilities are many, including great employment opportunities for UI graduates.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo is a multinational Internet corporation principally known for its Web portal, search engine and related Web services, including email and news sites. Founded in 1994, its explosive growth is reflective of the astonishing advances in tech-related business. It's estimated that roughly 700 million people visit Yahoo websites each month.

That's a lot of eyeballs, explaining, in part, why the company's local office will focus on digital advertising.

Yahoo first moved here in 2007, filling a void created when Motorola closed its local office. So far, it's been a great partnership, one that shows every sign of continuing to grow.

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Big step forward