Machinery giant Caterpillar Inc. is moving its headquarters to Deerfield.
Originally, Caterpillar was going to move its headquarters to another Illinois location, Peoria, but backed out of these plans and announced an intention to move employees near Chicago.
Jim Umpleby, the CEO of Caterpillar, stated on April 19 that the company choose the Lake County location because is near multiple highways, is close to Chicago, and gives the company easy access to airports and the commuter train. O’Hare Airport is about 20 minutes away and Chicago Executive Airport is closer still.
The company wants to take advantage of the diverse means of travel in order to have more availability for partners, employees, and customers around the world. International business makes up over 60% of Caterpillar's dealings. People who work in the headquarters will also have more housing options in Deerfield.
By the year's end, around 100 employees will transfer to the new location, starting in autumn. Once everyone moves, there will be around 300 people working there, but most employees will stay at the current location. Caterpillar currently employs 12,000 individuals.
Walgreen Pharmacies and Baxter International, who manufacture medical devices, have Deerfield as the location of their headquarters. There is also a large amount of office space in the town. Companies moving headquarters can use ad specialties to advertise the changes.
