Emanuel: Dow Chemical Company To Bring 400 Jobs

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Dow Chemical Company is moving about 400 jobs to Chicago , Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Tuesday.

The Midland, Mich.-based manufacturer of chemicals, plastics and agricultural products will set up a sales center downtown and move jobs to Chicago from elsewhere in the Midwest. The transfers are expected to occur over the next three years.

A source said the company is scouting several office locations and will settle on one soon. Unlike some of the 13 prior announcements about new private-sector jobs that Emanuel has made since taking office in May, officials said the Dow Chemical move calls for no tax incentives.

The mayor was to highlight the new Dow jobs Tuesday in a speech, titled "The Future of Economic Development in Chicago," before the Executives' Club of Chicago.

In the speech, the mayor was expected to emphasize policy changes such as phasing out the city's "head tax" on company payrolls.

A spokesman for the mayor said Emanuel has had longstanding ties to Dow Chemical executives and that discussions about the company move began last summer.

"Dow's commitment to Chicago is a reflection of the great work ethic and business environment in the city," Mayor Emanuel said in a news release. "Dow's new office will be a gathering place, an easily accessible, central location in which business can be conducted and ideas will be exchanged. It will be great for the City of Chicago and great for the company as well."

In the release, Dow executive vice president and chief commercial officer Heinz Haller said setting up a Chicago sales center downtown will allow the sales organization from the Midwest to work more closely together, and ultimately to make the company more customer-oriented and increase specialty product sales.

The positions will mostly be sales professionals who will serve the entire Midwest, the mayor's office said.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.