Weppler: Google's Deal with Motorola Good For Libertyville

Libertyville Mayor Terry Weppler says Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. is good for the village.

“I talked to both the government affair officers from Google and Motorola today, and I think it’s going to be a good thing. There are no plans to move the (Motorola) headquarters out of Libertyville,” Weppler said. “They are not going to guarantee that it’s going to be here forever, but they gave no indication that it was. Could it be moved in the future? Of course.”

Libertyville does not receive any sales tax from Motorola because the company’s handsets are not built in the community, but Motorola benefits the community in several ways.

“Number One, a lot of our residents work for Motorola, so we didn’t have the tremendous impact that would have happened if Motorola were to move. Number Two, a lot of people (from Motorola) shop and eat in Libertyville, they bring people in from out of town who stay at our hotels,” Weppler said. “Motorola is an important resource for the village of Libertyville.”

Lake County Board Cautiously Optimistic

Lake County Board Chairman David Stolman said he was surprised to hear about the acquisition. But he said he also expects Motorola to stay in Lake County.

“I’m hopeful that it’s going to be good for Lake County,” Stolman said. “Hopefully it will also attract new businesses to Lake County."

Stolman said he is cautiously optimistic because typically a merger between companies affects the size of the workforce. 

"Sometimes with mergers there are layoffs; however, it’s not the situation in this case. (The acquisition) is outside of Google’s turf, so we are hoping that there will be no layoffs and more additions” to the workforce, Stolman said.

Google's Largest Deal Ever

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