ATLANTA — It’s official: Norfolk Southern is moving its headquarters to Atlanta.
“Alignment, collaboration, and accountability are the hallmarks of Norfolk Southern’s plan to transform this company and its culture. Our new headquarters in Atlanta advances these key elements of success,” CEO Jim Squires told employees in announcing the move, according to a company press release. “Our potential has always been great and now is greater still, as we bring together all of our headquarters functions into a single, integrated team.”
The move will bring together the staff currently headquartered in Norfolk, Va., with the operations staff already located in Atlanta. The railroad announced plans to relocate eight regional dispatching centers to Atlanta earlier this year.
The announcement comes after a deal was finalized for NS to sell $100 million in real estate in an Atlanta area known as “the Gulch” as part of a redevelopment project; that sale will fund the relocation process. The railroad is in negotiations to purchase a site at 650 West Peachtree St. in Midtown Atlanta for its new headquarters.
“This relocation was made possible, in part, by the passing of the Gulch deal,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in the NS release, “and is a reminder that great things happen when our public and private sectors work together. Norfolk Southern will be a great addition to our city, and I look forward to partnering with them as we work to build One Atlanta.”
While the relocation process has already begun, NS said it will take “several years” to complete.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had previously reported that the railroad will receive $23.7 million in tax breaks as part of its relocation, and promised to relocate or create 850 jobs while retaining more than 2,000 positions already in Atlanta.
Mr. Blackwood, perhaps I wasn’t clear enough in my point, which was that this rah-rah article is all about Atlanta and the millions of tax dollar giveaways to NS to move and the lack of discussion on the impact to Norfolk. Greed trumps all! And if you don’t believe that many many people and businesses are adversely affected, than apparently you have little understanding of business and economics. This event was perhaps inevitable but still sad.
NS wasn’t in Norfolk to support families and small businesses anymore than families and small businesses were in Norfolk to rip off NS. So how much more time will families have together instead of Dad or Mom being away in either Norfolk or Atlanta? How many more employees can have a good career in Atlanta instead of moving every few years between Atlanta and Norfolk? In 1981, it made sense for NS to be in Norfolk; now it doesn’t.
So how much less hassle will Norfolk employees experience not having to travel to Atlanta?. How much more time will employees be at home? How much more stability will families enjoy having one less headquarters to move to?
So how many jobs will be eliminated in Norfolk, how many families and small businesses disrupted and destroyed by NS selfishness and greed? This is always the untold story in these business bidding wars.
Rendering of the new headquarters building they are going to build:
https://imgur.com/gallery/0VA8Vxx
The “Gutch” may be or near the site of the late Terminal Station used by Southern, Central of Georgia, Atlanta and West Point (A&WP), and Seaboard (Air Line). Both Terminal and the late Union Station, used by L&N, NC&StL, (Atlantic) Coast Line, and Georgia, were on Spring St.
Yesterday, the Atlanta newspaper reported that Atlanta has the highest cost of commuting in the US and that the average Atlanta driver spends 484 days of their life commuting to and from work:
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/study-atlanta-drivers-lifetime-cost-commuting-highest/7wNFxmrrsD8nB2mdeahLMO/