DECATUR, ILL. – Archer Daniels Midland Co., currently based in Decatur, is exploring establishing a new global headquarters and customer center, the company said Sept. 23. ADM is considering locations and having discussions with various public officials and advisors, but the company does not expect to discuss the details publicly.
ADM expects to have a corporate team at the global center with about 100 jobs relocated to the center. The company also plans to create a new I.T. technical center at the same location and add about 100 new positions there over the next few years. The company does not plan any layoffs in connection with opening a new global center.
The company’s Decatur office will become the North American headquarters. ADM maintains regional headquarters in Rolle, Switzerland, São Paulo, Brazil, and Shanghai, China.
“Our company is growing and becoming more global and more customer-centric,” said Patricia Woertz, chairman and chief executive officer for ADM. “To continue to succeed, we need a global center in a location that allows us to travel and work efficiently with customers and employees throughout the world. We also need an environment where we can attract and retain employees with diverse skills, and where family members can find ample career opportunities.”
As an example of ADM’s growing global reach, the company is acquiring GrainCorp Ltd., an Australian agribusiness that has an international presence in Europe, Canada and Asia.
ADM said it still has plans for Decatur and on Sept. 23 listed several multi-year commitments for the town and community.
ADM will provide $250,000 a year for three years to fund a public-private partnership and unified marketing campaign for the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur & Macon County, which includes the funding of a mayoral economic development fellow. ADM will provide $500,000 a year for five years to Decatur Public School District 61. ADM will maintain its other Decatur and Macon county community support at $1 million a year for at least 10 years.
“Decatur has been our hometown for 44 years, and it will continue to be an important center for our North American business,” Ms. Woertz said. “It is home to two of the largest processing facilities in our global network and our single largest community of employees. As we explore establishing a new global headquarters and customer center, we remain firmly committed to the 4,400 colleagues who will continue to work in Decatur, and to the economic strength and viability of the Decatur community.”