[NPR] It's been a hard week in Peoria.
William Ryan Owens, the Navy Seal who was killed in a raid in Yemen, was from Peoria, Ill. Defense Secretary James Mattis said, "He gave his full measure for our nation."
And the Caterpillar company announced that after more than 90 years, it is moving its world headquarters from Peoria to Chicago. It is hard to overestimate the blow this is to Peoria.
"A kick in the gut," is how Mayor Jim Ardis described it. He told Tanya Koonce, news director at member station WCBU, that Caterpillar's departure is "very sobering and very shocking."
Caterpillar is 59th on the Fortune 500 list of American companies. It makes much of the construction, mining and farming equipment that digs earth all over the world. Caterpillar is why you could walk down Main, Adams or Monroe streets in Peoria and meet people from China, Germany and Nigeria. Peoria has been proud to be the town that sends strong machines to farm and mine the world.
I believe the corporate HQ is moving to Chicago and the manufacturing segment will remain in place. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. |