'Hometown' HQ Lands Downtown—"It's time to fly"
Declaring "it's time to fly," United Airlines chairman, president and CEO Glenn Tilton ended months of uncertainty by announcing downtown Chicago as the future world headquarters for our "hometown airline."
Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Mayor Richard M. Daley joined Mr. Tilton—World Business Chicago's newest Board member—in a press conference outside of architectural landmark 77 W. Wacker Dr. on the city's downtown river front.
The Governor said downtown had everything a corporate headquarters needed to be successful, and the Mayor noted that United was an important part of a powerful trend—Chicago's in-city talent pool attracting numerous leading companies back into downtown.
Mayor Daley cited Motorola's Michigan Ave. Moto City, Wrigley's Global Innovation Center on Goose Island, Mittal Steel USA headquarters at 1 S. Dearborn, and he could have named dozens more. In fact, he could have named more than 50 companies that either moved into the central business district or expanded there—adding more than 34,000 jobs since 2002.
Glenn Tilton could have been referring to downtown Chicago when he trumpeted the airline's current advertising tagline "it's time to fly."
The two government economic development leaders who ensured that United Airlines would not be enticed by Denver or San Francisco to relocate its headquarters were Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director (DCEO) Jack Lavin and Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development (DPD) Commissioner Lori Healey, both of whom attended the announcement ceremony. Moderate State and City incentives were offered and accepted.
United has been headquartered in Elk Grove Township since it moved its executive headquarters from Chicago's South Side in December, 1961.
A target and a victim of the terrorist assaults of Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines was forced into Chapter 11 reorganization in 2002, successfully emerging last February. This month, United Airlines posted a profit.
It's time to fly, United, welcome home.