Verizon to move 900 workers from Elgin to Rolling Meadows
Verizon Wireless, which has its Midwest headquarters in Schaumburg, plans to move 900 workers from its Elgin call center to a larger office in Rolling Meadows starting in February.
Verizon then plans to add another 200 workers over the next year, said Joan Bowyer, area vice president of customer service for Verizon.
"We've just outgrown our space in Elgin, but we've had a good run there," Bowyer said. "We looked at many options in the Chicago area before selecting Rolling Meadows."
Verizon looked at Chicago and a number of other suburbs to accommodate its growing workforce, their commute and future needs, she said.
Verizon is among a number of companies that have expanded in the suburbs instead of moving into Chicago. Others are A.J. Gallagher with its planned move from Itasca to Rolling Meadows, Catamaran moving from Lisle to Schaumburg, and Horizon Pharma Plc. as it just announced its move from Deerfield to Lake Forest.
Still other companies such as Motorola Solutions and in-flight Internet provider Gogo are moving their headquarters from the suburbs to Chicago.
Verizon has had about 125,000 square feet at 777 Big Timber Road in Elgin since about 2000. It now will lease more than 159,800 square feet at 1701 Golf Road, also known as Continental Towers, in Rolling Meadows. The landlord is planning to spend about $15 million on building and land improvements, while Verizon plans to spend about $9.5 million for its internal build out of the office space.
The new offices will include call center, social media team and chat group workers. Employees already have been informed of the upcoming move and all are encouraged to make the move. No layoffs are planned.
Workers also were provided information about Pace and ride sharing, if some would like assistance with the commute, Bowyer said.
While the new offices are close to Verizon's Midwest headquarters in Schaumburg, there are no plans to change the Schaumburg site, Bowyer said.
Verizon said it is halfway through a 10-year agreement with a state tax incentive package signed in January 2010. The agreement asked Verizon to retain 700 full-time employees in Elgin, but the agreement transfers with the company to Rolling Meadows, Bowyer said.
Mayors in Elgin and Rolling Meadows did not immediately respond for comment.