DECATUR, Ill. (AP) - Archer Daniels Midland Co.'s announcement Monday that it wants to move its global headquarters and 100 high-level jobs out of the small central Illinois city of Decatur has many people in town on edge.
The company, one of the world's biggest agricultural processors, says it won't lay off anyone and will leave 4,400 jobs behind. In addition, Decatur will become the international firm's North American headquarters.
But in Decatur, unemployment is high - 13.2 percent in July. The town has seen another big employer, Caterpillar Inc., lay off hundreds this year. And it's only been three years since another big company, ADM competitor Tate & Lyle, moved its North American headquarters out of town to the Chicago suburbs.
Some people worry that at some point ADM could move more jobs. Fully half of its 30,000 employees are already overseas.
"Right now (ADM is) the only thing going on around here," said 36-year-old unemployed contractor Shawn Flaherty. He's been laid off for six months - the first time ever, he says - after working 10 years for a general contractor where his work was mostly for ADM.
But it's more than just jobs, other say.
The city will be losing the headquarters of its biggest employer, the economic titan that gives Decatur significance beyond its size. It might just have about 75,000 residents, but Decatur has the nerve center for a company that's ranked No. 27 on the Fortune 500 list and generates tens of billions of dollars in sales every year.