After 44 years as the world headquarters for Archer Daniels Midland, the central Illinois town of Decatur is about to lose that title.
ADM is a huge player in agribusiness. The company ranks 27th on the Fortune 500 list.
But to continue to succeed, ADM officials say a change is needed as a smaller city like Decatur makes it difficult to do business on a global basis. While it's unclear where the headquarters will go, the company is stressing it remains committed to having a large workforce in central Illinois. 4400 employees will remain in Decatur.
Spokesperson Victoria Podesta says despite the move, Decatur will continue to play an important role.
“I think the best way to think about this is that it's in addition to our Decatur headquarters. We are designating that headquarters our 'North American Headquarters' because of the business that we conduct there,” Podesta said.
The company won't say what new destinations are being considered. But ADM has apparently met with Chicago leaders about moving the world headquarters there.
Illinois Public Radio's Sean Crawford contributed to this report.