Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell may be trying to entice Lockheed Martin to relocate its headquarters to Virginia from its current location in Bethesda, Md., according to a report from the Washington Post.
Anita Kumar wrote Friday that the company was irked after the Montgomery County (Md.) Council discussed a resolution asking Congress to spend less on wars, and Virginia “immediately seized on the dispute, contacting the company.”
Lockheed employs more than 5, 000 workers in Montgomery County.
Kumar wrote that the state initially reached out to the company via the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and while McDonnell won’t confirm the claims, he is certainly not refuting them. “We are always talking to people [whose] governments are making them feel unwelcome, ’’ McDonnell told the newspaper.
He added later that “[Maryland Gov.] Martin O’Malley doesn’t think states ought to compete with one another. He’s just absolutely dead wrong.”
Last year, Northrop Grumman chose to relocate its global headquarters to Falls Church, rather than Maryland, after being based in Los Angeles for decades. The post says Virginia has recently snagged at least one other defense contractor from the Old Line State.
Forbes.com recently detailed at least 10 company moves that indicate Virginia has become a “mecca” for defense contractors due to its proximity to the Pentagon, its business-friendly tax environment and other factors. Read GovCon Wire‘s write up on that piece, here.
