Kubota - Gone to Texas

One of the continuing stories we follow at COTTonLINE is the poor business climate in California. It is manifest in the death-of-a-thousand-cuts, slow and painful exodus of firms moving their U.S. headquarters out of the Golden State. Every move takes hundreds or thousands of jobs with it.

Today's example comes from Farm and Ranch Guide, with the original link provided by Ed Driscoll who guest blogs at Instapundit. They report the migration of Kubota's© North American headquarters from Torrance, CA, to Grapevine, TX. The Japanese firm makes small tractors, construction equipment, and riding mowers.

Kubota has invested more than $50 million in the three-story, environmentally-friendly office building, which totals 193,000 square feet, and includes an onsite research and development facility, and is designed to maximize work efficiencies and conserve resources.

Currently, 275 employees are working in Grapevine as a culmination of new hires and relocated employees from Torrance, Calif., and Suwanee, Ga. The building is large enough to accommodate nearly 600 employees with room to expand.

You know how this sort of thing flies, executives will often make the move. Lesser folk often can't move because their spouse works elsewhere and can't or won't move, or they won't leave family behind.

Net gain for Texas, net loss for California. Mental image of CA Governor Jerry Brown strumming a guitar and singing "All of my ex's live in Texas," with apologies to George Strait.