Omaha’s Mayor says she was given no indication at a meeting Wednesday with ConAgra’s CEO that the company planned to move its headquarters.ConAgra announced Thursday morning they plan to move their headquarters to Chicago, and eliminate 1,500 jobs. More than 1,000 corporate employees in Omaha will lose their jobs, and 300 will be relocated to Chicago.
Mayor Jean Stothert says she met Wednesday with ConAgra CEO Sean Connolly. Stothert says during that meeting, she asked if there were incentives the city, state, or Chamber of Commerce could offer to keep the headquarters here. "And at that time he said absolutely no. He said this was a long time in the making, planning, it was strictly a business decision."
ConAgra’s news release says the actions were taken to grow profits and make the company more efficient. The job cuts don’t affect ConAgra plants. About 1,200 employees will remain at the Omaha office.
Omaha Chamber president and CEO David Brown said in a statement Thursday that they’ll focus on the 1,000 employees who will lose their jobs. He says the local economy remains strong, with a low unemployment rate and good quality of life.