Will County Gazette

Republican State Senate candidate Philip Nagel voiced his opinion on Tyson Foods relocating its Illinois corporate employees to Arkansas in a Facebook post published on Tuesday.

Nagel will be facing incumbent Rep. Patrick Joyce (D-Kankakee) in the November general election to represent the 40th District.

"Insider politicians like Sen. Joyce and his allies in Springfield are doing everything they can to make living, working, and running a business in Illinois unaffordable," Nagel posted on Facebook. "The Democrat supermajority has raised taxes and imposed burdensome regulations that have skyrocketed everyday people’s cost of living and drastically increased the cost of doing business. That’s why it’s not surprising that Tyson Foods is now being added to the already lengthy list of large employers leaving Illinois. This has to stop." 

"For every company Illinois loses, the tax burden does not go with them, it is placed on the backs of the hard-working people of Illinois. This year has already seen many companies like Citadel, Boeing, Caterpillar, FTX, and Highland Ventures leave Illinois. If elected to represent you in the General Assembly, I’ll propose legislation that creates opportunities for all of the 40th district. I will fight to keep our jobs here at home," Nagel continued.

According to Reuters, Tyson will begin its "phased relocation" of employees in early 2023. The company said that the move is expected to promote better collaboration and decision-making skills, as the original Tyson family and several top executives have lengthy histories in Arkansas. Tyson's decision to relocate makes it the third Fortune 500 company to leave Illinois in 2022. Boeing moved its headquarters from Chicago to Virginia, and Caterpillar moved its headquarters from Deerfield to Texas. All three are ranked within Fortune 500's top 100 companies of 2022, with Tyson Foods at 81, Caterpillar at 73, and Boeing at 60.

Reuters also reported that a spokesperson for Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that Tyson "is making decisions based on its unique corporate needs" and is expanding in other parts of the state. In August, Tyson said that a project in Caseyville, Illinois, will create 250 jobs.

According to his campaign website, Philip Nagel is a veteran, former EMT/fireman, and current migration specialist for a worldwide company. He is a lifelong Will County resident whose election platform is focused on supporting the constitutional rights of Illinois citizens.

The 40th District includes Essex and parts of Chicago Heights and Kankakee.