R.I. not in the running for Aetna’s new headquarters

June 03--PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Could Connecticut's latest corporate loss be Rhode Island's gain?

No, according to insurance giant Aetna, which said this week that Rhode Island is not among the "several states" the company is eyeing as a new location for its longstanding headquarters in Hartford.

"Rhode island is not under consideration," Aetna spokesman T.J. Crawford told the Journal in response to inquiries about its office search.

He declined to say which states are still in the running.

On Wednesday, Aetna confirmed that it intends to move its headquarters out of Hartford, where the company has been based for more than a century.

"We are in negotiations with several states regarding a headquarters relocation, with the goal of broadening our access to innovation and the talent that will fill knowledge economy-type positions," the company said in a statement. "We remain committed to our Connecticut-based employees and the Hartford campus, and hope to have a final resolution by early summer."

Rhode Island was a finalist to land General Electric's headquarters last year when that venerable company left Connecticut for Boston.

Media reports have said Aetna is looking at New York City.

Governor Gina Raimondo has made luring companies to Rhode Island a key piece of her economic strategy, and last year the General Assembly passed a new incentive program specifically designed to attract the insurance industry.

The legislation, introduced by House Majority Leader K. Joseph Shekarchi in concert with the Raimondo administration, triggers cuts in the state's 2-percent tax on insurance premiums if the industry adds employees in the state.

Aetna employs 6,000 workers in Connecticut, according to The Associated Press.

Calls to Gov. Gina Raimondo's office Friday were not returned.

"Our practice is to not comment on potential conversations we may or may not be having with companies," Commerce Corporation spokesman Brian Hodge wrote when asked if the agency had spoken with Aetna.

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