Willis Group Holdings' chief Joe Plumeri has people talking

It's the Sears Tower...and it will always be the Sears Tower...

John Anthony wrote:

It's the Sears Tower...and it will always be the Sears Tower...

Amen. That's the name it had when it was built and that's the name that will remain. The arrogance of these corporations knows no bounds. You want to have a landmark building with your own name??? BUILD YOUR OWN!

I don't like it but compared to the Fields/Macy's thing, this doesn't mean nearly as much to me. Macy's not doing well? Good! I don't wish unemployment on anyone, though.

Ok, this guy is stupid. We could care less that its a British company name going on it, we care about the name being changed at all. And most people will still call it the Sears Tower. It is going to take 20 years before people start calling it the Willis Tower, because only kids will call it that because that will be its name when they grow up.

God, when are people going to grow up? We're talking about a slab of concrete and steel, not your mother. It's a building -- who cares what it's called? Things change. Move on. Gee, I'd hate to see your reaction when something really important impacts your life? Sheeeeesh!

Name it whatever they want. For me, the names in Chicago remain Sears Tower, Comiskey Park, Marshall Field's, and anything else upstart owners want to re-label. These names are as part of Chicago history as Wrigley Field, Marina City, Tribune Tower, Navy Pier and Soldier Field. The commercialization of landmark names has gone far enough. Enron Field anyone?

Whatchu talkin''bout Willis?

Nice photojournalism. Chris Walker's shot makes this guy look like a meat-head mobster from Jersey.

Anyway, no, I'll not refer to the building as "Willis Tower". It will continue to be the Sears Tower to me...and to most long-time Chicagoans.

while the new owner has the right to change the name, common sense should prevail to an extent.
ie: baseball naming rights maybe revenue enhancers, traditional fans don't buy the cheap marketing ploy. see chicgo, huston, AZ
and numerous other venues who have seen the name sale/changes onlt to revert to the original. to qoute a diminutive former area resident and now d-listed celebrety retred, "Willis' Tower? Watchu talkin, bout Willis?"

good luck limeys

Until I read this I had no idea what Willis did. But this CEO is seriously underestimating how much people here hate them. It will never, ever be accepted. However, who really cares. In the whole pantheon of things people should be angry about, this is tiny. But, whomever wrote this article should also know, most people from Chicago have a hard time getting along with New Yorkers and New Jersians, because they are too overbearing and pushy. I wonder why we would have that opinion? Could it be that someone from New Jersey just led a British company into Chicago and bought a world known landmark, changed the name, told us we have to accept it, and then laughed about it. Well, how about this, go suck on something that barely hangs around your midsection Mr. Plumeri.
By the way, what a crappy way of pandering to our midwest sensibilities... I own 2 minor league baseball teams? What a bunch of crap, you a-holes.

Did the man learn nothing from the Macy's fiasco?

Paul R wrote:

God, when are people going to grow up? We're talking about a slab of concrete and steel, not your mother. Sheeeeesh!

Laughing out loud.

Actually, I'm going to guess that most of the posters would willing sell the naming rights to their mothers.

Paul R wrote:

God, when are people going to grow up? We're talking about a slab of concrete and steel, not your mother. It's a building -- who cares what it's called? Things change. Move on. Gee, I'd hate to see your reaction when something really important impacts your life? Sheeeeesh!

We still hate Macy's for what they did to Marshall Fields, too. Sorry man, but logic doesn't come in to play on this one. Just the way we are. But you are from Michigan so since no one cares about anything in that state, I can follow why you wouldn't understand.

They didn't even buy the building, just leased most of 3 floors in a 100-story building, and for that they get naming rights thrown into the deal? Simply amazing! If they insist on a name change, fine, but I think "Big Willy" will stick among those who don't still call it Sears Tower, and will also be applied to Mr. Plumeri by those people.

It is better than the Chungkingshaizix tower.

Which what it will probably be renamed in about 10 years when the Chinese take over this country.

Whatchu talkin' about, Willis!

ouchbabe wrote:

<quoted text>
it matters fool, lets sell the rights to the washinton monument to pay off the debt incurred by your devine leader the fraud obama

Are you really that ignorant?

A Guy wrote:

Nice photojournalism. Chris Walker's shot makes this guy look like a meat-head mobster from Jersey.
Anyway, no, I'll not refer to the building as "Willis Tower". It will continue to be the Sears Tower to me...and to most long-time Chicagoans.

Yeah, he does have that look. But don't blame the guy who took the picture, that's probably just the way he looks.

What a guy! He stands up and admits to a three-strike error, then refuses to back down and fix it.

All this interview proves is that Willis is as arrogant as they are stupid. What company in it's right mind would deliberately make itself a target for that kind of criticism? Okay, I mean, besides Macy's.

His assertion that they are bringing jobs to Chicago would be true without the building's name change, but we're supposed to believe the two are somehow linked.

The only bright spot is that in the financial world, companies come and go. Willis will be gone within five years, and we can only hope that whatever company acquires them will have learned a lesson from this fiasco, and will restore the name.

Remember Pacific Bell Park and SBC Park? What about Enron Field?

"They can call it whatever they want, even 'The Big Willie,' " said Plumeri, who turns 66 next month. "All I know is that the day we announced that this building would be named Willis Tower, everybody in America knew who Willis was."

The same can be said for John Wayne Gacy and Al Capone.

Please, please, please, nobody tell these Willis mopes that Wrigley Field is up for sale!