SHOREWOOD -- The was a bit of a nip in the air Tuesday, but there was no cooling off Interstate 55, which is "hot and getting hotter!"

This climate assessment of the interstate corridor's business viability comes from the Will County Center For Economic Development, and was but one of many positive trends pointed out by the group's president and chief executive officer, John Greuling, during a luncheon speech at the Troy Township Community Center.

Greuling was the guest speaker at the Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce's Membership Luncheon on Wednesday, and during his speech, he gave an optimistic appraisal of Will County's future.

The "hot and getting hotter (From Shorewood to Coal City)" was among the topics Greuling discussed. So was the state of Troy Township, which he called "One of the fastest, if not the fastest, growing township in the state of Illinois, when you look at the numbers."

Greuling also spoke of the five-year strategic plan titled, "A Step Ahead of Tomorrow," which Will County currently is in the midst of.

Greuling called it a well-thought out and "deliberate" plan.

"You've got no business bringing in new companies unless the ones you've got are happy, that's our philosophy," Greuling said of the way they think about things over at the CED.

"If we're just building the landscape out, we're not creating the kind of world we want to live in 30, 40, 50 years," he said.

"Overall, we want to make sure the community feels good, feels good about growing in a healthy way," Greuling explained.

"The growth story in Will County is phenomenal," he said, noting that the county "is in the cross hairs for growth for the next 50 years."

Greuling also pointed out that the area has become a vital stop on the world trade road, and is the veritable gate to eastern America for goods from the Pacific Rim. This location has made Will County the largest "inland port" in the western hemisphere, he said.

With so many projects going at once, Greuling pointed out the importance of diversity in development.

"You just don't want housing, you just don't want the industrial," he said. "You have to have the retail. You have to have the service industries."

Will County and its communities are poised on the cutting edge of the economic frontier, Greuling said.

"The new global economy is an urban force," he said. "The revolution in the global economy has created a huge opportunity for the Chicago area, which translates into a huge opportunity for Will County."