Since 1900 the names Akron and Firestone have gone together like a matched set of steel-belted radials. Back then, Harvey Firestone chose the Ohio city as home for what is now the nation's No. 2 tiremaker. But Firestone Chairman John Nevin is treading on tradition with his plan to move the head office to Chicago later this year. Nevin's explanation: the Windy City is a financial, retailing and transportation hub. It is also near Winnetka, Ill., where Nevin's family lives in a house he visits monthly.
Akron is stunned at the loss of about 450 jobs. Mayor Don Plusquellic tried to...