But with about 50 jobs involved in this relocation, this isn't an economic- development coup on the order of attracting the North American headquarters of Shire P.L.C., the British drug company that now employs 982 in Chester County.
Gardner Denver chief executive officer Barry L. Pennypacker said in a statement that the board of directors had concluded that relocating to a major metropolitan area was "necessary" for long-term growth. The company, which generated 68 percent of its $1.78 billion in 2009 revenue from outside the United States, needs to improve accessibility to its global customers and foreign operations, he said.
Tom Morr, president and CEO of Select Greater Philadelphia, will take a win any day he can. His group markets the region as a good place to do business and was involved with the Pennsylvania Governor's Action Team, the state Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Team Pennsylvania Foundation in attracting Gardner Denver.
Morr said that his group was host to four visits by company representatives seeking to learn about the area's labor force, quality of life, cultural amenities, and international air service.
It probably also didn't hurt Philadelphia's chances that Pennypacker, 49, got his M.B.A. in operations research from St. Joseph's University and his bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University.
As usual, there were state incentives to seal this deal. Luke Webber, spokesman for the Department of Community and Economic Development, said that the state offered a package totaling $504,000.
What about Quincy, Ill., where the company was founded in 1859 by Robert W. Gardner, who had redesigned something called the "fly-ball governor" used in steam engines? Gardner Denver still expects to employ 365 people in the factories and back-office functions that will remain there.
Contact Mike Armstrong at 215-854-2980 or marmstrong@phillynews.com. See his blog at
