Flanked by business and economic development officials, Mayor Tom Henry today touted plans to nab Navistar workers who may not view an Illinois suburb as greener pastures.

With the assistance of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and local business leaders, the mayor and other area boosters intend to use the two- to three-year window before Navistar International Corp. pulls up stakes as a period to attract other companies with the firm’s existing workforce of about 1,400.

“We know many Navistar employees want to stay here and we want them to stay,” Henry said during the news conference.