Kendall County Times

Rep. Keith Wheeler speaks out on Caterpillar’s latest move on shifting its headquarters.

State Rep. Keith Wheeler said Illinois' poor business climate is leading to major losses, including Caterpillar relocating its headquarters.

"Caterpillar's decision to move its headquarters to Texas is a major loss for Illinois. We have to make our state the best place to do business to keep jobs and grow opportunities for Illinois families," said Wheeler.

Caterpillar announced on June 14 that it is going to relocate its headquarters from Deerfield, Illinois, to Irving, Texas, according to a press release. “We believe it’s in the best strategic interest of the company to make this move, which supports Caterpillar’s strategy for profitable growth as we help our customers build a better, more sustainable world,” said Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby.

Illinois Republicans have criticized Gov. Pritzker, blaming Caterpillar's decision on Illinois' poor business climate, NBC reported. “My administration will continue to drive job growth throughout the state, making it clear to the world why Illinois is the best state in the nation to live, work, play and do business,” Pritzker said.

Chief Executive magazine conducted a survey of around 700 business owners from every state and ranked Illinois 48th overall, meaning it is the third-worst state in the country for business, The Center Square reported. Only California and New York were ranked worse than Illinois. Texas, Florida, and Tennessee were ranked as the top states for doing business. “We’re too corrupt. Our taxes are way too high. We have way too many regulations and we have massive debts, and that is plenty of reason enough for companies to not want to locate in Illinois, not to mention the state is shrinking in population so it's not a growth state to put your business in,” said Wirepoints president Ted Dabrowski.