Chemours will remain in the former DuPont building.
Gov. Jack Markell made the announcement Monday night at the annual meeting of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.
Markell said Buccini/Pollin Group will redevelop the building that also houses the Hotel duPont.
Buccini/Pollin had long been seen as a frontrunner in redeveloping the site, which was the former headquarters of DuPont.
Earlier this year, Chemours, after being wooed by nearby areas, confirmed it would stay in Wilmington, but stopped short of committing to staying at the DuPont Building. The decision kept upwards of 1,000 jobs in the state.
The Bank of America complex down the street was rumored to be a candidate, along with the Hercules Plaza building, also a short distance away.
As part of the spin-off from DuPont, Chemours moved to the downtown building, with DuPont occupying space in the Chestnut Run complex, just outside Wilmington.
In remarks at the Chamber dinner that includes PowerPoint graphs, Markell made his case for the strength of the economic recovery. He noted that job growth has been accompanied by rising incomes and higher workforce participation rates when compared to other states.
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper praised the decision at the Chamber dinner and in the following statement:
Tonight’s announcement that DuPont will invest $200 million into the Experimental Station is exciting news. Just over a year ago, Delaware faced a tough blow when Dow and DuPont announced they would merge. That’s when what I like to call ‘Team Delaware’ – the delegation, governor, and many others – came together to work with DowDuPont’s leadership to find out how we could make the best of this dark situation its valued employees.
Carper continued, We identified opportunities for Delaware and urged DowDuPont to see the tremendous value in these opportunities. Now those actions are paying off: DowDuPont’s specialty products and agriculture headquarters are staying in Delaware, Chemours is staying in Wilmington, and now DowDuPont is going invest in its Experimental Station, which will help encourage exciting research and collaboration.
