Misumi to relocate U.S headquarters to larger facility in Schaumburg

Global components manufacturer Misumi is relocating its U.S. headquarters to the Schaumburg Corporate Center near Woodfield Mall, the company announced Friday.

The Tokyo-based company will renovate nearly 48,000 square feet over two floors at the building located at 1475 E. Woodfield Road. The renovation will give the company room to expand, and will provide "a more expressive treatment" of the Misumi brand officials said. It's current headquarters, at 1717 Penny Lane in Schaumburg, has 32,000 square feet.

"We feel that this new space will be a positive experience for our employees and will encourage growth for the future," said Randy Yu, Misumi vice president of human resources.

The new location was formerly occupied by PepsiCo, according to Michael Larmon, Misumi's director of marketing communications. PepsiCo still occupies two floors in the building, Larmn said, but Misumi will have the option to expand into that space if PepsiCo decides to leave.

The company plans to move into the new facility in June.

Misumi joins a growing number of suburban-based companies that have chosen to relocate within the suburbs instead of moving into Chicago, marking a slowing of a trend that started about a decade ago. Companies such as US Food, Paylocity and Assurance have moved to larger facilities within the suburbs or renewed expanded leases on current facilities. The companies say the benefits of being in the suburbs include less traffic congestion, proximity to O'Hare International Airport, and lower office leasing costs. In addition, the companies say millennial workers - which drove companies to move to the city to be closer to them - are moving back to the suburbs as they start having children and are looking for more living space and better schools.

For Misumi, moving to the city was never considered because its employees primarily live in the suburbs, and Schaumburg's proximity to O'Hare International Airport was also a key issue, Larmon said.

"Staying in Schaumburg was paramount," said Larmon. "It was just a matter of time before we found the right location."

• Daily Herald correspondent John T. Slania contributed to this report