Village Releases Statement on Pabst Move

The Village of Woodridge has released the following statement regarding the repartee of Pabst headquarters to L.A.

''According to Village sources, the owners of Pabst wanted to relocate their corporate headquarters to where they live in California.  Pabst last reported to the Village that they have 26 employees at their Woodridge office and that they occupy 12,000 sq. ft.  Pabst relocated to Woodridge from San Antonio in 2006, and the Village did not provide any incentives for them to relocate.

Pabst has benefited from its proximity near the crossroads of two major regional expressways (I-355 and I-55). Woodridge continues to have a strong corporate presence and is home to several nationally renowned company’s such as Allstate, Navistar, Follett Educational Services, Home Run Inn and the Morey Corporation.  Woodridge is advantageously located at the crossroads of two major interstates (I-355 and I-55), and has premier access to regional transportation infrastructure. In addition to Woodridge’s 1.4 million SF of retail space, there is over 670,000 SF of office and 10.4 million SF of office/warehouse space in nine business parks with over 175 businesses and 6,500 employees.''

The statement was released by Jack Knight, management analyst for the village. Knight said Mayor William F. Murphy was unavailable for comment.

Pabst has not released a statement or responded for comment on the move. 

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Pabst is moving its corporate headquarters from Woodridge to L.A., according to a story by the Chicagoist. 

The Chicagoist published an e-mail today forwarded to the news source from Pabst CEO John Cochran. In the e-mail, Cochran writes: 

"After much contemplation and several thorough reviews of the current Pabst’ corporate structure and capabilities, I have decided that we will be moving the headquarters to Los Angeles this summer and closing the Woodridge office.

As we build a strong leadership team, it is imperative that we are all together and in one location. This is not an easy decision and we have a wonderful group of employees in Woodridge but I believe it is what is best for Pabst."

In the posted e-mail, Cochran said the timing of the move would be end of summer 2011. He also said some of the Woodridge jobs may be moved to the Milwaukee or San Antonion offices, but he hoped some of the Woodridge employees would make the move west. 

The Chicagoist reported Pabst relocated to Woodridge from San Antonio five years ago as part of an incentive-laden deal with the state. The site also reported there was speculation about a move since last year, when Cochran bought the company and installed himself as president.