In the midst of its 100th anniversary, the last 75 years at its headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Morton Grove, Ill., worldwide pump manufacturer Bell & Gossett rededicated its 500,000-sq.-ft.-facility on Dec. 7.

Village of Morton Grove Mayor Daniel P. DiMaria spoke during the event and announced Dec. 7 would be known as “Bell & Gossett Day” in the village. Currently, the Morton Grove facility has nearly 600 employees working there.

“Number one, Bell & Gossett brings jobs and puts Morton Grove on the map,” DiMaria stated.

Xylem Applied Water Systems President Ken Napolitano addressed the assembled crowd and stated the company “has competitive solutions for one and all and everything in between.”

Event attendees were able to take a factory tour of the Morton Grove facility that covers three acres. One of the major hurdles the Morton Grove facility staff has cleared is how it has streamlined its shipping and receiving capabilities. Throughout the plant, flat-screen TVs keep employees updated on the status of deliveries, breakdown and disbursement of materials and more.

Xylem – with 16,000 employees worldwide – enjoyed a successful 100th year in business in 2016 with the acquisition of Sensus, a smart metering network technologies and advanced data analytics company for water, gas and electric utilities, to its portfolio of solutions.

Mark Handzel, Xylem’s vice president of product regulatory affairs and director of HVAC commercial buildings, is proud of how the company has grown. He’s been able to witness it for his himself as a longtime Morton Grove resident.

“We’re known as systems experts,” he said. “I’m proud to be a local boy who grew up in its shadow.”