PEORIA, IL - Congressman Darin LaHood released a statement today regarding Caterpillar’s decision to relocate corporate headquarters from Peoria:
"I am stunned, saddened and extremely frustrated to hear the news that Caterpillar’s corporate world headquarters will abruptly be moving from Peoria to Chicago. This is sad news for our community and our citizens. For over 92 years, Caterpillar has called Peoria home and we have embraced it with open arms. To say I am disappointed in this decision made by the Board of Directors would be a tremendous understatement. This, in some ways, is a betrayal of our community and in complete disregard for the hard working employees and citizens of Peoria. Like many Peorians, I joined with countless Caterpillar employees in the unveiling of the new state-of-the-art world headquarters in Downtown Peoria in February 2015. Now, it appears that we have had the rug pulled right out from under us.
I have and will continue to urge the Board of Directors to reconsider this decision. At the very least, I urge them to immediately meet with leaders of our community -- elected officials, labor and business leaders, and myself -- to work together to minimize the repercussions of this decision."
