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Chiquita CEO Fernando Aguirre spoke with the Cincinnati Enquirer Tuesday about the decision to move to Charlotte. The answers have been edited for space.
Q: What process did you use to make the decision to move?
"We hired very specific professional companies to analyze new regions, and in that process we started looking at North Carolina. When we realized the very good airport, we decided to look into it more carefully. The last six months or so, we've been very focused on talking to the state of Ohio and sharing what we thought we could get - from the financial incentive standpoint - from other states."
Q: What made you decide to leave?
Bottom line, the money we are going to get - $24 million in incentives and $4 million in savings every year (from consolidating offices in California, Chicago, Texas and Florida and real estate/building costs).
That compares to roughly $6.5 million of the maximized incentives in the state of Ohio after many, many negotiations and sessions and discussions."
Q: How big of a role did the airport play?
"I spend 60 percent of my time on the road, as do all of our executives. Most of our employees are in Latin America.
We had many, many meetings with the airport. The problems are twofold. One, (the airport is) not in Ohio so the politicians don't see it as an Ohio airport. Everyone sees it as someone else's problem."
Q: All executives will move; how many others will?
"I do not know ... I told them this morning that the great majority will have the opportunity. ... We expect the majority of workers will be in Charlotte by next summer."
