Westward ho!: Sprint Nextel to move corporate headquarters from Reston, Va., to Overland Park, Kan.

Sprint Nextel Corp. continued to chip off its Nextel Communications Inc. legacy, announcing today that it was consolidating its operational headquarters and corporate headquarters at its Overland Park, Kan., campus. The company’s corporate headquarters were previously housed at Nextel’s campus in Reston, Va.
“After a thorough review, we determined that this change is necessary now so that our leadership team can concentrate on improving our company’s operations and create a single, performance-based culture,” said Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse.
The move was not a surprise as Hesse said the company was looking at such a move during a management shake up last month.
Sprint Nextel said the move will require the relocation of “only a small number of executives,” and that it would improve operational performance by “immersing senior leaders in the company’s operations.” The company also cited cost savings in travel expenses and optimized real estate assets.
The potential of improved performance is crucial for Sprint Nextel, which suffered through a dismal fourth quarter that capped a tough year for the carrier.