Rockford Sun

Illinois losing major companies has not only caught the attention of state officials. 

State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) underscored national media coverage of at least three giant companies' exodus that leaves a bad impact countrywide. 

"We are getting national attention but not in a good way," he told the Rockford Sun. "National media is talking about the loss of major employers and the impact on our state and they are talking about the lack of population growth and the fact that we lost a Congressional seat. The reason we are not growing is because of our state’s hostile business environment. The result is job loss and population loss. JB Pritzker refuses to talk about what is happening under his watch because his policies are the reason these companies are leaving. We can’t keep pretending these problems don’t exist. It is time to confront them head-on. JB Pritzker is unwilling to do the job. It is time we had a Governor who will implement the policies we know will reverse the mass exodus from our state. States like Florida and Texas have provided the blueprint to economic growth. We need a Governor who will follow their lead and turn our economy around."

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) produced a movie that summarized the closing of significant corporate locations. 

“After years of operating in Illinois, three major companies—Boeing, Caterpillar and Citadel—are moving their headquarters out of the state,” the video said. “In this video, WSJ looks at the economic and political implications.”

Boeing, the most well-known manufacturer of airplanes, declared that it would depart the area starting in May; NBC 5 Chicago reported. The enormous aerospace industry, which began in Washington, relocated to Chicago in 2001. More than 16,000 jobs—over 10% of the company's workforce—were lost due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Caterpillar followed Boeing's announcement of leaving the state.

Jim Umpleby, chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, commented that the choice was made with the company's "strategic interest" in mind; a Chicago Tribune report said. Caterpillar's corporate headquarters will relocate to Irving, Texas.

Citadel Securities has a different reason for moving out of Illinois, which was announced before the Republican primary in June. The company claimed that concerns about security played a significant role in the decision to relocate from Chicago to Miami. 

“The firms are having difficulty recruiting top talent from across the world to Chicago given the rising and senseless violence in the city,” Zia Ahmed, a Citadel spokesman, told The New York Times. “Talent wants to live in cities where they feel safe.”