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ROCKFORD — An agriculture health and technology company plans to relocate its headquarters to Rockford after more than a century in Freeport.
Furst-McNess Co. plans to move its corporate headquaters to Rockford by Sept. 1, the city of Freeport said Friday. The move comes after the family-controlled company was sold last year to a subsidiary of Easy Bio, a multinational agriculture company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
“Furst-McNess has been a great community partner throughout the years. They will be sorely missed,” Freeport City Manager Randy Bukas said in a news release.
The company, which had its headquarters in Freeport for 114 years, said Rockford’s “proximity to Chicago and air transportation, and advantages in recruiting talent in and near larger metropolitan areas” are primary reasons for the move.
Mark Poeschl, president and CEO of Furst-McNess, indicated that all 35 Freeport-based employees are expected to remain with the company, either by remote work or commuting to Rockford.
McNess’ Freeport office will be sold via a sealed bid auction process, which is expected to be completed by this summer.
“We wish the sale of their building will go as planned,” Bukas said in the release.