Tronox will move headquarters to Connecticut from Oklahoma City

Tronox will keep corporate-support services, some division offices and a research and development center in Oklahoma City, where it has about 140 employees.

Spokesman Bud Grebey said there are no plans to transfer large numbers of employees from Oklahoma to Tronox's new international headquarters in Stamford.

“Tronox continues as a significant employer in Oklahoma City and remains a committed corporate citizen to the surrounding community,” Grebey said in a statement. “Our Oklahoma City offices serve several key business functions, including supporting our global pigment business and various corporate functions.”

Connecticut offered a $3 million loan to the company for the transition, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a news release. Tronox is expected to create up to 100 jobs in Connecticut in the next three years.

Tronox mainly produces and markets titanium dioxide, an inorganic white pigment used in paint, plastics, inks, food and other everyday products.

Company officials said the international nature of its operations necessitated the relocation of the corporate headquarters. Aside from its Oklahoma City offices, Tronox has operations in the Netherlands, Australia, Mississippi and Nevada. Tronox is awaiting regulatory approval of a merger with a South African company, Exxaro Resources Ltd.

“As we evaluated the best place to locate the new headquarters for this global enterprise, Connecticut's people, location, access to transportation and financial services, as well as Governor Malloy's governmental policies and programs, made it clear that Connecticut was the best place for Tronox to continue and enhance its strong growth,” Tronox Chairman and CEO Tom Casey said in a statement from Malloy's office.