Newell Rubbermaid Picks Atlanta for New HQ

ATLANTA-Hit hard by office and industrial vacancies, Atlanta is getting good news with Newell Rubbermaid Inc.’s plans to create a new headquarters and leadership training center at an estimated 300,000-sf complex in North Fulton County by late 2004.

About 60 senior executives and support staff will initially relocate from the company’s existing headquarters in Freeport, IL. A small corporate staff will remain in Freeport where the headquarters staff currently totals 350. Newell has 48,000 employees worldwide.

Newell Rubbermaid chose Atlanta over Chicago and Baltimore after a two-year site search. The company hasn’t decided on a specific Atlanta location or whether to acquire an existing office building or build a new one.