CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Employees of Rockwell Collins are learning more about what the future will hold as the company is merged with United Technologies Corporation in a $30 billion dollar deal.
A series of employee meetings were held in Cedar Rapids Thursday, and workers were told the new company being formed by the acquisition, Collins Aerospace, will have its leadership office in Florida.
Though the company stopped short of calling it a headquarters move-- a small office for executive leadership will be placed in Palm Beach County, Florida.
A spokesperson said the new company will have six business units at existing UTC and Rockwell Collins sites.
- Aerostructures will be in Chula Vista, California
- Interiors in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Mechanical Systems in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Power & Controls in Windsor Locks, Connecticut
- Mission Systems will be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Avionics will be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Rockwell Collins is the city's largest employer with 8,000 working for it in Cedar Rapids alone. While the statement didn't have specific numbers, it did say job relocations are expected to be “minimal.”
Over at the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, officials have been monitoring every scrap of news about the UTC purchase and what it'll mean for Rockwell Collins.
Doug Neumann, the Alliance's executive director, called the statement “generally good news."
“Knowing that two of the business units are going to be here in Cedar Rapids-- sounding like the traditional units that have been here,” said Neumann. “The announcement was very in-line with what company officials have been telling us.”
Neumann said the statement was in line with what the Alliance was expecting. He said future company operations in Cedar Rapids look to remain focused on what Rockwell Collins already has been doing—“avionics and mission systems.”
Neumann said he’s also hopeful for the future.
"There is great opportunity to see growth within these two business units,” said Neumann. “To see job increases over the longer term-- whatever the immediate."