By Adam Studzinski
PEORIA – U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) called Caterpillar announcing in the last week it is moving its corporate headquarters from Peoria to Chicago is “a tough thing to swallow.”
LaHood believed the decision left many in the community feeling as if the rug had been pulled out from under them. He added it was just two years ago the company announced plans for a new corporate building in downtown Peoria, but those plans have been scrapped.
“Really, the question is why this was done?” said LaHood. “The answer to that, and what you get from Caterpillar, doesn’t give you a lot of faith with Caterpillar in the future.”
LaHood said the company has been headquartered in Peoria for 92 years and it was somewhat “demoralizing” to see this decision happen so suddenly.
However, he said Peoria is a strong community which will recover from this.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at adam.studzinski@cumulus.com.
