Caterpillar Inc.  is officially calling Deerfied, Illinois its new global headquarters.  The new headquarters building is minutes away from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, is centrally located near major interstates and offers direct access to the Chicago Metra.

As reported in April 2017,  “Following a thorough site selection process, we chose this location because it is approximately a 20-minute drive to O’Hare airport and convenient to the city of Chicago via commuter train, achieving our goal to be more accessible to our global customers, dealers and employees,” said Caterpillar CEO Jim Umpleby. “This site gives our employees many options to live in either an urban or suburban environment. We know we have to compete for the best talent to grow our company, and this location will appeal to our diverse, global team, today and in the future.”

Caterpillar reached a multi-year leasing agreement with Corporate 500 office park. The company expects about 300 people in the new headquarters.

“We are pleased that Caterpillar selected our community as the location for its new global headquarters,” stated Harriet Rosenthal, mayor of Deerfield. “Caterpillar joins several other well-known national and international companies who enjoy the amenities and ease of access to transportation that Deerfield has to offer.”

Deerfield and the company’s growing Digital & Analytics Hub in Chicago’s downtown Merchandise Mart, which opened in 2016, add to Caterpillar’s 60-year presence in the Chicago-area.

“The transition from Peoria to the new global headquarters will began in 2017. As we’ve previously indicated, the vast majority of our employees currently in the Peoria area will not be relocating to our new headquarters,” said Umpleby. “With our strong presence of over 12,000 employees in central Illinois, we’ll continue our philanthropic support and civic involvement.”