True Value Leaves Chicago After 78 Years for Fort Wayne
Another major company is packing up and leaving Illinois.
True Value, the hardware brand that has been tied to Chicago for nearly eight decades, is moving its headquarters to Fort Wayne, Indiana. The move comes after Do It Best Group announced the relocation, adding another name to the list of companies that have decided Illinois is no longer the place to call home.
That is not a small thing. True Value has been in Chicago for 78 years. Companies do not walk away from that kind of history for no reason.
Illinois has been battling a reputation for high taxes, heavy regulation, and a tough business climate. Under Gov. JB Pritzker, critics say the state has watched too many major employers head for the exits while leaders in Springfield keep pushing the same old policies.
Townhall noted that True Value is not alone. Other big names have already moved their headquarters out of Illinois in recent years, including Caterpillar, Boeing, Morton Salt, Tyson Foods, and Citadel. That is a painful list. These are not tiny operations. These are major employers with real jobs, real payrolls, and real economic weight.
Mark Hespen reported on the latest move from the Illinois Capitol.
“As the Fourth of July nears, some bad news for the state of Illinois,” he said. “Another major employer has announced it is moving its headquarters out of the Land of Lincoln. Do It Best Group recently announced it will relocate True Value’s headquarters from Chicago to Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
Hespen added that the announcement is part of a bigger pattern.
“The announcement marks the latest in a series of high-profile departures in Illinois under Governor Pritzker,” Hespen continued, “major companies including Caterpillar, Boeing, Morton Salt, Tyson Foods, and Citadel have all left while the Governor has been in office and moved their headquarters out of the state of Illinois, raising continued concerns about Illinois business climate and long-term economic competitiveness.”
The broader issue is hard to ignore. Businesses go where they believe they can grow. They look at taxes. They look at labor costs. They look at regulations. They look at whether state leaders treat job creators like partners or piggy banks.
Illinois keeps losing these fights to states like Indiana. That should set off alarms in Springfield.
The situation has also drawn fresh attention because of reports about the Chicago Bears exploring a stadium project in Hammond, Indiana. If the Bears eventually leave Chicago too, it would be another huge symbol of just how badly Illinois leaders have handled business and development.
Watch the video below:
https://x.com/IlliniJen/status/2073783359784767651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Pritzker and his allies can try to spin this however they want. But when major companies keep leaving, voters notice. Jobs leave. Investment leaves. Communities lose momentum.
Governors are supposed to bring employers in, not watch them roll across the state line.