‘A sign of a growing city.’ Honeywell CEO is bullish on Charlotte, new jobs

A month after Fortune 100 technology company Honeywell officially became a Charlotte-based company, CEO Darius Adamczyk said he hopes to exceed the number of jobs Honeywell pledged to bring to the area.

Adamczyk, Honeywell’s CEO since 2017, sat down with the Observer Tuesday to talk about the company’s move.

In November 2018, Honeywell announced it would move its headquarters from New Jersey to Charlotte. The company is a major manufacturer of electronics, aerospace and electronic equipment, among other devices.

Honeywell received more than $87 million in incentives from the state, city and county in return for relocating and pledging to bring 750 jobs to the area by 2024.

The city and county’s combined incentives package, roughly $46 million, is the biggest package ever offered by the city and county to one company, the Observer reported in November.

Adamczyk said he hopes that number will be higher.

“I hope to shoot through that target and get north of 1,000,” he said. “I think that 750 job target is going to be overachieved.”

‘A great town’

Honeywell moved employees into a temporary office in the Barings building at 300 South Tryon St. on July 1.

Most of the workers projected to come to Charlotte this year — which Honeywell previously said would be about 250 — have already moved or will move in the next few weeks, Adamczyk said.

And the company plans to lease space in another uptown office building starting early next year, he said, due to the quick rate of employees moving to Charlotte.

“The people who have moved here from New Jersey, I think, have found this to be a great town... and so far they have been very happy,” Adamczyk said.

Honeywell will move into a 23-story tower built by developer Lincoln Harris along Interstate 277 on the former Charlotte Observer site. Construction is expected to be complete in 2021.

The building, with ground-floor retail, 800 parking spaces and a rooftop terrace, will be across the street from the Bank of America Stadium.

Honeywell’s top officer said the company is looking for ways to get involved in Charlotte. The company sponsored the moon landing exhibit in Discovery Place Science in July, and is a sponsor of the Charlotte Symphony Gala and President’s Cup 2021.

The company is also planning to work with the Mint Museum, UNC Charlotte and the American Heart Association.

Adamczyk said he is focused on promoting STEM education, especially for people from diverse backgrounds, and will work with those partners in Charlotte to focus on education.

Cranes and planes

Honeywell increases Charlotte’s list of Fortune 500 companies to six.

Honeywell is ranked No. 77, Charlotte’s second Fortune 100 company after No. 25 Bank of America.

The Observer previously reported the number of Fortune 500 companies in the area would be seven with Honeywell’s move, but Sealed Air, now ranked No. 555, dropped off the Fortune 500 list this year.

Adamczyk expects Charlotte to see more corporate growth.

“Everywhere you look in this area, you see cranes,” Adamczyk said. “So that’s a sign of a growing city.”

Honeywell is a “different kind of company” for banking-focused Charlotte, Adamczyk said. The tech giant’s biggest business is in the aerospace industry, Adamczyk said, but touches many different markets, including industrial warehouses, commercial buildings and oil refineries.

“We hope to see even more diversity in the types of industries that come to Charlotte,” he said. “And we certainly will sell anybody that’s even thinking about it, because this is a great place to be.”