Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Xerox

As reported extensively in recent days, one of Rochester's iconic companies, Xerox (headquartered in Connecticut since 1969), is being split into two separate entities.  The document technology business and business process outsourcing services will soon be completely independent.  This economic maneuver will undoubtedly inspire the usual chorus about Rochester's death.  However, if we were to use the splitting of a large organization as a simplistic marker of a region's demise, the following cities would also be on their way out:

  • Palo Alto, CA (Hewlett Packard)
  • San Jose, CA (eBay)
  • Northfield, IL, a suburb of Chicago (Kraft)
  • Schaumburg, IL, another suburb of Chicago (Motorola)
  • Tysons Corner, VA, a suburb of Washington, DC (Gannett).  Although since Gannett was founded in Rochester, its relocation and subsequent split may provide undeniable evidence of Rochester's decline.

1 comment:

  1. Xerox splitting in two could be good for Rochester if they bring the headquarters for the technology business back to Rochester where it belongs and if the company's focus on technology helps return this business to growth. Time will tell.

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