Witchita, KS, Feb. 10--Koch Industries Inc. is planning to bring world headquarters for its new Invista business to Wichita, according a report in the Topeka The Capital-Journal. The newspaper cited an internal Koch memo.
Koch agreed in November to purchase Invista from DuPont. Invista is the largest integrated fiber and intermediates business in the world, with 2002 revenues of $6.3 billion. Some of its most popular trademark names are Lycra, Stainmaster, Coolmax and Thermolite. Invista has 18,000 employees and interests in 50 global manufacturing sites and is headquartered in Wilmington, DE.
The Koch memo, obtained by The Topeka Capital-Journal, said Koch Industries anticipates about 200 employees will be based in Invista's headquarters in Wichita.
"The leadership teams for the polymer and resins businesses as well as the core team for the intermediates business will be moved here," the memo said.
The memo said Invista's apparel and performance fibers businesses, along with research and development and some functional capabilities, will be based near Wilmington, either in northern Delaware, southwestern New Jersey or southeastern Pennsylvania.
That office will include about 250 employees. Another 160 employees will be based in Charlotte, NC, which will be home to Invista's textile fibers team. The interiors business will be based in Atlanta with 200 employees.
Mary Beth Jarvis, spokeswoman for Koch Industries, wouldn't comment on the memo but confirmed Koch officials had been discussing moving Invista's headquarters.
Koch announced last week that Kevin Fogarty would be president, polymers and resins, and be based in Wichita. Greg Biederman will become vice president, specialty products, for Invista, and also be based in Wichita. This business will report to the intermediates president Kenneth Wall, also based in Wichita.
