Staff Reports
Do it Best Group has decided to move True Value’s corporate headquarters out of Chicago and into Do it Best’s Fort Wayne campus at Electric Works. The company says this is a simple consolidation after its acquisition of True Value. Illinois State Senator Chris Balkema says it’s a warning sign — proof that Illinois’ taxes, rules and energy policies are pushing businesses across the border. That fight over who makes business life easier just got louder.
What the move really is
Do it Best says the shift of True Value’s headquarters to Fort Wayne is an operational decision to align leadership and support stores better after the acquisition. Do it Best Group CEO Dan Starr frames it as integration and efficiency, and local officials in Indiana are calling it a jobs win. Project papers tied to the expansion show targets for new full‑time jobs in the region and public incentives to help the campus grow. For businesses, that kind of package is the carrot states now wave at corporate bosses.
Illinois’ tax and regulatory problem
CEJA, workers’ comp and the cost of staying
Senator Chris Balkema is blunt: rules and regulations top the list of complaints he hears from employers. He points to Illinois’ clean‑energy law (CEJA) and says it alters investment decisions for utilities and manufacturers. He also blames high workers’‑comp costs and property taxes. Balkema plans to push property‑tax caps and other relief measures. Whether “twice as much” on workers’ comp is the exact number or a flourish, the headline is clear — employers see Illinois as more expensive and riskier than neighboring states.
Indiana scores; other states are playing offense
Indiana didn’t sit on its hands. Governor Mike Braun welcomed the move and local leaders arranged incentives and a plan for new jobs. That’s what happens when a state plays offense: cut costs, offer certainty, and businesses show up. Illinois, meanwhile, is losing ground to near neighbors that make fewer headaches for executives and balance sheets. If you wondered why companies pick the next exit ramp over staying put — look at the welcome mat Indiana just rolled out.
Fix it or keep losing
True Value’s move is a wake‑up call, not a surprise. Illinois can tinker around the edges, or it can change the rules that drive decisions like this one: lower taxes where possible, unclog red tape, and make workers’‑comp and property tax systems predictable. Senator Balkema is proposing property‑tax relief. That’s a start. But if Springfield treats business like a captive revenue source instead of a partner, more headquarters will quietly pack boxes and cross the state line — and nobody in Springfield will be surprised when the receipts shrink.
