Honeywell International Inc., to whom New Jersey previously awarded $40 million in tax credits, says it will keep roughly 1,000 jobs in the state following reports Thursday that it would move its global headquarters and up to 800 jobs out of Morris Plains to Charlotte, N.C.
Honeywell cited the approval of several lucrative tax credits North Carolina offered as the reason for the move, and said that Charlotte is a “business-and-family friendly city” close to several of its South Carolina facilities.
Contrary to reports from Thursday, the company said 800 jobs would stay in Morris Plains at the headquarters Honeywell opened in 2015, not leave, with remaining New Jersey positions spread across six locations in the state.
Up to 200 senior management positions will move from New Jersey to the new Charlotte headquarters through September 2019.
At its March 2013 board meeting, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved $40 million in Grow NJ tax credits for the company to keep 1,000 jobs in the state for ten years, a condition of the NJ program.
Honeywell’s announcement to keep approximately 1,000 jobs in the state would fulfill this requirement.
“Honeywell certified completion and received a total of $8 million in tax credits for jobs reported in 2015 and 2016,” EDA Spokesperson Virginia Pellerin told NJBIZ. “The EDA will evaluate the impact of today’s news on the Grow award.”
The company will also relocate a South Carolina facility to Charlotte, along with another 500 positions, bringing the total number of employees there to 750 by late 2024.
“Our decision does not reflect any issues with the quality of our experience in New Jersey,” Honeywell CEO Darius Adamczyk said in the Friday statement. “We value the strong relationship that we have built with the state of New Jersey and with [Gov. Phil] Murphy.”
“Though we’re never happy when any jobs leave our state, we appreciate their continued commitment and confidence in New Jersey,” Murphy said in a statement. “By maintaining such a strong foothold here, Honeywell is reaffirming their commitment to being a part of New Jersey’s future.”
