UPDATED 12:53 p.m.
DEERFIELD, Ill. – Caterpillar is once again giving the State of Illinois the equivalent of a cold shoulder.
More than five years after Big Yellow announced it was moving its corporate headquarters out of Peoria and to the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, the company now says it’s moving its headquarters to Irving, Texas in the coming months.
The company, in 2017, moved three hundred employees to Deerfield, and scuttled plans to build an office tower complex in Peoria.
Now, Cat says their new headquarters in Irving is at an existing Cat facility, and has a presence there since the 1960’s.
“We believe it’s in the best strategic interest of the company to make this move, which supports Caterpillar’s strategy for profitable growth as we help our customers build a better, more sustainable world,” said Jim Umpleby, CEO, in a news release.
The company notes Illinois still has the largest contingent of employees. There has been no other announcement about any moves other than the moving of the corporate headquarters.
“Caterpillar continues to have a significant presence in Peoria as an employer and as a civic and philanthropic leader. We wish them well with this move and will continue to support their employees and team members here in Peoria.” — Statement from City of Peoria
“Illinois is on the rise: we’ve built more small businesses than our big state counterparts like California, Texas, New York and Florida; we continue to be a leader in attracting large and midsize corporate relocations; our GDP growth is outpacing its pre-pandemic rate and we’re at our highest population in state history. It’s disappointing to see Caterpillar move their 240 headquarters employees out of Deerfield over the next several years when so many companies are coming in. We will continue to support the 17,400 Illinoisans who work for the company in East Peoria, Mapleton, Mossville, Pontiac and Decatur – which remains Caterpillar’s largest manufacturing plant in North America after the company’s recent expansion. My administration will continue to drive job growth throughout the state, making clear to the world why Illinois is the best state in the nation to live, work, play and do business.” – Gov. JB Pritzker
