Office Depot Departure Raises Fears In Illinois About ADM
From the Bloomington Pantagraph
Office Depot’s decision to move its headquarters out of Illinois is raising alarm bells about the possibility that Archer Daniels Midland could follow suit.
On Tuesday, Office Depot Inc., which recently merged with OfficeMax, announced the newly formed company will put its headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., not at the existing OfficeMax offices in Naperville.
Officials with the office supply giant had spent time in the Capitol this fall seeking a package of state tax breaks designed to keep the corporate headquarters in Illinois.
Decatur-based ADM also is seeking tax breaks from the state to move about 200 executives and support staff out of Decatur and into the Chicago area. Other, out-of-state cities also have been competing for the headquarters.
While the Senate signed off on a package of sweeteners for both companies, the House left town until late January without taking up the legislation.
Hours after the Office Depot decision was aired, state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, called on Gov. Pat Quinn to call the House back to a special session regarding ADM’s tax breaks.
“We have to do what we can to keep job creators in the state of Illinois,” said Brady, who is running for governor. “The leisurely, passive attitude of the governor and House sends a powerful message to all businesses in Illinois, that they don’t really feel any urgency to protect jobs and assist employers.”
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Bloomington Pantagraph
Office Depot’s decision to move its headquarters out of Illinois is raising alarm bells about the possibility that Archer Daniels Midland could follow suit.
On Tuesday, Office Depot Inc., which recently merged with OfficeMax, announced the newly formed company will put its headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., not at the existing OfficeMax offices in Naperville.
Officials with the office supply giant had spent time in the Capitol this fall seeking a package of state tax breaks designed to keep the corporate headquarters in Illinois.
Decatur-based ADM also is seeking tax breaks from the state to move about 200 executives and support staff out of Decatur and into the Chicago area. Other, out-of-state cities also have been competing for the headquarters.
While the Senate signed off on a package of sweeteners for both companies, the House left town until late January without taking up the legislation.
Hours after the Office Depot decision was aired, state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, called on Gov. Pat Quinn to call the House back to a special session regarding ADM’s tax breaks.
“We have to do what we can to keep job creators in the state of Illinois,” said Brady, who is running for governor. “The leisurely, passive attitude of the governor and House sends a powerful message to all businesses in Illinois, that they don’t really feel any urgency to protect jobs and assist employers.”
Read more in our daily News Update...