Bye, Sears: Hello, Willis / More Hope & Change

Well something that's been the same since I was 8 years old is now going to change from the Sears Tower to the "Willis" Tower and all we can say about that, our tallest American building now being named after a London holding company changes the name after bringing 500 jobs and the new moniker is the obvious....


The New and Improved Willis Tower...

....thumbs down here and will always remain the Sears Tower to me

Bye, Sears: Hello, Willis :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Business: "Sears Tower undergoes its identity change today. The nation's tallest building becomes Willis Tower, and the guy who negotiated the switch understands the irritation he has created.

Joseph Plumeri, chairman of Willis Group Holdings Ltd., said that instead of bemoaning a name change for the iconic tower, Chicagoans should celebrate his company's visibility and local commitment. In a time of corporate cutbacks, he's bringing 500 jobs to Sears Tower by consolidating five Chicago-area offices."

Sears Tower has been called that since it opened in 1973 as the headquarters of Sears, Roebuck & Co., which vacated it for Hoffman Estates in 1993. Willis' naming-rights deal brought extensive criticism from Chicagoans, but Plumeri said the business community has saluted him for brilliant marketing.

---