CHICAGO: America’s top meat company is following in the footsteps of hedge fund Citadel and Boeing Inc with plans to move white-collar workers out of the Chicago area.
Tyson Foods Inc said yesterday it is shifting all of its corporate teams to its longtime headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, the company said in a statement.
That means about 1,000 employees from downtown Chicago and its Downers Grove suburb will relocate, as will workers in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota.
The relocation comes as Chicago struggles with rising crime, high-profile corporate departures and fewer downtown workers in the post-pandemic era.
About half of the jobs being moved are in Chicago, a Tyson spokesman said. He added that the decision was based solely on the desire to bring its corporate team together, and not related to crime or high taxes.
“While we’re disappointed to learn of this decision, we expect that the company will continue to access businesses in our food and agriculture ecosystem, as well, route vital supplies and product through the region’s vast transportation network,” said Michael Fassnacht, the city’s chief marketing officer.
Illinois’s richest man, Ken Griffin, said earlier this year he was moving his Citadel hedge fund to Miami.
Boeing Co said it would pull its headquarters from the city and Caterpillar Inc decided to move from the Chicago suburb of Deerfield to Texas. — Bloomberg
