Quote:
Originally Posted by thegoatman
What fortune 500 company has Lightfoot bought to the city? Meanwhile Rahm was all-in on corporate relocation. Can't wait until next year when we get a new mayor
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I didn't know Lori Lightfoot was the mayor of Deerfield though. Are Fortune 500 companies the only companies to bring into the city for relocation? It does suck to lose this for Illinois 100% so there's no denying that. Probably stings more than Boeing although the fact that Illinois still has a Cat workforce of 17K+ means a lot regardless. Which F500 company did Rahm "get" to move to the city Chicago outside of ADM and McDonald's (from the suburbs)? I honestly cannot remember anybody else.
Say what you will about Lightfoot but acting like somehow companies stopped moving to Chicago while she's been in office is BS. And on top of it, people overrate how much a Mayor has to do with a lot of these things regardless.
Fortune 500 companies do mean something - they mean a certain amount but they aren't the end all be all of these things. Boston punches below its weight in terms of Fortune 500 HQ vs. its size and yet it's still one of the main tech hubs in the US, probably top 2 or 3 biotech hub, and has one of the lowest unemployment rates while also being one of the richest metros per capita in the entire country.
My company hired 600 tech workers in Chicago alone last year and wasn't even on the news, and we've hired at least 300 more this year so far (also not on the news). Most of these are 6 figure paying jobs. I love HQ moves but economically someone hiring 500 people making 6+ figures goes further for the economy than a HQ that employed say 50 people (even if all 50 were making $500K+ minimum a year). Google hired 500 people in Chicago last year and 500+ planned this year.
Here, start to knock yourself out here if you think the sky is falling:
This unicorn tech company moved its HQ from NYC to Chicago recently
https://rejournals.com/loadsmart-inc...175-w-jackson/
This India-based logistics startup expanded to Chicago and the founders moved from India to Chicago
https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/...go-office.html
We probably forgot but Uber Freight announcing their HQ move to Chicago from SF was when Lightfoot was in office. Seems like forever ago:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...w5q-story.html
Bay Area company moves HQ to Chicago
https://www.builtinchicago.org/2022/...cago-hiring-20
Company moves HQ to Chicago from DC
https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2022...icago-from-dc/
FTX US opens US HQ in Chicago
https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/...go-office.html
Vancouver based company opens US HQ in Chicago
https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/...expansion.html
Australian company opens US HQ in Chicago
https://www.builtinchicago.org/2021/...m-seed-funding
Quantum computing company moves from Michigan to Chicago
https://www.builtinchicago.org/2022/...-humboldt-park
Tech startup moves HQ from San Francisco to Chicago
https://www.businessinsider.com/movi...chicago-2022-2
NYC company relocates HQ to Chicago
https://www.builtinchicago.org/2022/...om-nyc-chicago
Singapore/Munich based company opens first US office in Chicago
https://www.builtinchicago.org/2022/...chicago-office
Europe based software company opening first non-Europe office in Chicago:
https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/job-n...ce-in-chicago/
London based company opens new office in Chicago
https://www.kait8.com/prnewswire/202...outputType=amp
San Diego based pharmaceutical company moves its R&D to Chicago
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...lab-west-coast
Amsterdam based company opens tech hub in Chicago
https://www.builtinchicago.org/2022/...ech-hub-hiring
Kimberly Clark (F500 company) expands with new Chicago office
https://reelchicago.com/article/kimb...fulton-market/
Milwaukee Tool (from Milwaukee) opens up new tech office in OPO
https://www.builtinchicago.org/2022/...office-chicago
Silicon Valley biotech company expands to Chicago - CEO and CFO are in Chicago and not Silicon Valley
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...-fulton-market
Snapchat parent (based in LA) expanding to Chicago
https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2022...ds-in-chicago/
SF tech company expands to Chicago
https://rejournals.com/fintech-compa...orleans-lease/
San Diego area company expands to Chicago
https://chicago.suntimes.com/busines...ckloads-routes
Silicon Valley company expands to Chicago
https://rebusinessonline.com/farmers...fulton-market/
NYC based digital advertising firms opens Chicago office
https://reelchicago.com/article/conn...ising-veteran/
Hollywood PR firm opens Chicago office
https://reelchicago.com/article/lobe...hicago-office/
Silicon Valley law firm (that handles a lot of tech IPOs) opens office in Chicago
https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/...ice-to-ge.html
Silicon Valley tech accelerator opens in Chicago
https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/...go-office.html
Boston company expands with Chicago office
https://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...Chicago-Office
Silicon Valley opens new Chicago office
https://martechseries.com/sales-mark...-u-s-location/
NYC based company expands to Chicago with new office
https://rejournals.com/cadre-announc...hicago-office/
John Deere opening up new tech hub in Chicago
https://www.builtinchicago.org/2021/...ice-hiring-150
Orlando unicorn tech company expanding Chicago office
https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/...go-office.html
DOD opens new unit in Chicago
https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield...est-expansion/
I'm sure I could find many more examples. Losing Cat sucks for the state and there's no doubt about it, from a symbolic reason alone but the sky is not falling. And contrary to popular belief there's still been companies actually moving to Chicago from a HQ perspective or making some notable expansions here in the last 2.5 years. still. Sorry to burst some peoples' bubbles but there's actually a lot of companies moving their HQ to Chicago (or opening up US HQ here) or just expanding to Chicago with new offices.
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