In yet another blow to Illinois’s crumbling economic landscape, Morton Salt, the iconic company behind the blue and yellow umbrella girl and was founded in Chicago, has announced its decision to relocate its headquarters to Overland Park, Kansas.
The move comes as no surprise to those closely monitoring Illinois’s increasingly hostile business climate, which has driven several major corporations to flee the state in recent years.
In 2021, the Chicago Tribune reported, “Morton Salt, the 173-year-old Chicago company recently purchased by a California investment firm, laid off 120 employees at its downtown headquarters… slashing its office staff by 40%.”
“We can confirm that Morton Salt made the difficult decision to reduce its corporate workforce by approximately 120 employees in our Chicago offices,” Morton Salt said in a statement.
“This was not a decision we took lightly, but after a comprehensive evaluation of our company’s long-term financial outlook and our ability to become more competitive in the salt industry, this reduction was necessary to help meet our business goals.”
Morton Salt now joins the likes of Citadel, TTX, Boeing, Caterpillar, and Tyson Foods—all of which have packed up and left Illinois, citing a toxic mix of high taxes, overregulation, and escalating crime rates in Chicago, according to Illinois Policy.
The news outlet reported that despite Illinois’s marginal improvement in CNBC’s rankings for business friendliness—moving from 36th to 33rd in the nation—corporations continue to flee in droves.
The state’s woke policies that have transformed Illinois from a Midwestern powerhouse into a business wasteland.
More from Illinois Policy:
The Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate rankings of Illinois and neighboring states in 2018 compared to 2024 shows Illinois has become increasingly more hostile towards businesses during the 6 years, dropping 8 spots.
While some companies, such as McDonald’s and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, have hinted at the possibility of leaving, others including Kellogg, and Kimberly-Clark have expanded their presence in the area. It’s the overall trend that is troubling, with downtown Chicago’s office vacancy rate reaching a record high of 25.1% in March.
State and city leaders have been slow to address the issues driving businesses out of Illinois. The state’s corporate tax rate is No. 2 in the nation. It’s state and local tax burden is the nation’s highest.
High taxes are why most Illinoisans have moved out in the past decade, dropping the population by 548,916.
As Morton Salt and others depart, Illinois leaders need to carefully examine why. Failing to treat the departures of people and businesses seriously will cost the state’s economy dearly and make life tougher on those who remain.
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