Caterpillar's Global HQ Coming to Deerfield Corporate Center

DEERFIELD, IL - A national earth-moving equipment company announced Wednesday that Deerfield will be home to its new corporate headquarters.

Caterpillar representatives said in January that they would be moving from the company's longtime Peoria hub to head to the Chicago area, according to a Crain's Chicago Business report. A public statement released Wednesday confirmed that executives have officially agreed to a multiyear lease in Deerfield's Corporate 500 Centre office park on Lake Cook Road.

“Following a thorough site selection process, we chose this location because it is approximately a 20-minute drive to O’Hare airport and convenient to the city of Chicago via commuter train, achieving our goal to be more accessible to our global customers, dealers and employees,” Caterpillar CEO Jim Umpleby said, in the announcement. “This site gives our employees many options to live in either an urban or suburban environment. We know we have to compete for the best talent to grow our company, and this location will appeal to our diverse, global team, today and in the future.”

While the local center is expected to house about 100 employees by the end of 2016, that number will reportedly reach 300 by mid-2018.

Deerfield and the company’s 2016-opened Digital & Analytics Hub in Chicago's Merchandise Mart further cement Caterpillar’s 60-year presence in the area.

“We are pleased that Caterpillar selected our community as the location for its new global headquarters,” Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal said. “Caterpillar joins several other well-known national and international companies who enjoy the amenities and ease of access to transportation that Deerfield has to offer.”

The majority of the company's 12,ooo employees will remain in the Central Illinois and Peoria areas, Caterpillar representatives noted.

Photo by Patrick Martin (Patch Staff)