In a statement, Rockwell Collins shed some light Thursday on what the company will look like once United Technologies, a Connecticut-based conglomerate, takes over.

UTC is in the process of purchasing the Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins after announcing its intentions in September of 2017.

Plans are to turn Rockwell Collins into what's being called Collins Aerospace. The statement detailed how that company will be organized-- including that its executives will be based outside Iowa.

A spokesperson said the new company will have six business units at existing UTC and Rockwell Collins sites.

-Aerostructures will be in Chula Vista, California.

-Interiors in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

-Mechanical Systems in Charlotte, North Carolina.

-Power & Controls in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

-Mission Systems and Avionics will be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Though they stopped short of calling it a headquarters move-- a small office for executive leadership will be placed in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Rockwell Collins is the city's largest employer with 8,000 working for it in Cedar Rapids alone. While the statement didn't have specific numbers, it did say job relocations are expected to be “minimal.”

Over at the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, officials have been monitoring every scrap of news about the UTC purchase and what it'll mean for Rockwell Collins.

Doug Neumann, the Alliance's executive director, called the statement “generally good news."

“Knowing that two of the business units are going to be here in Cedar Rapids-- sounding like the traditional units that have been here,” said Neumann. “The announcement was very in-line with what company officials have been telling us.”

Neumann said the statement was in line with what the Alliance was expecting. He said future company operations in Cedar Rapids look to remain focused on what Rockwell Collins already has been doing—“avionics and mission systems.”

Neumann said he’s also hopeful for the future.

"There is great opportunity to see growth within these two business units,” said Neumann. “To see job increases over the longer term-- whatever the immediate."

Jobs aside, Rockwell Collins is also a major contributor to local charities. The company's website showed it gave nearly $5.5 million in various contributions for the fiscal year 2016.

Despite the coming changes, some of the local groups receiving those dollars were feeling confident they'd continue. That included eastern Iowa March of Dimes.

Rockwell Collins employees have pledged $20,000 this year for the March for Babies, which happens on the company’s property.

"So many of the funds that are raised by Rockwell Collins that benefit March of Dimes are from the employees,” said Lindsey Gruber, the eastern Iowa chapter’s executive director. “If the employees aren't going anywhere, then we aren't going to be concerned."

A similar sentiment was shared by United Way of East Central Iowa, which gets a much bigger share of Rockwell Collins charity, about two million dollars in FY 2016 alone.

"What we can say is, people in this community have a long history of being generous with both their time and their dollars in support of what UWECI does and we would anticipate that continuing on in the future,” said Tim Stiles, the president and CEO of United Way of East Central Iowa. “Our working relationship with Rockwell Collins has always been strong and we do not anticipate that changing.”

Rockwell Collins officials also said in their statement, Thursday, until UTC’s purchase is complete-- expected later this year-- UTC and Rockwell Collins will continue as two separate businesses.

---------------------------

PREVIOUS STORY:

The largest employer in Cedar Rapids will announce the future of their headquarters today.

Rockwell Collins and United Technologies Corporation (UTC) announced on September 4 that UTC will buy Rockwell Collins for $30 billion.

Rockwell Collins spokesperson Josh Baynes tells TV9 a series of employee meetings are being held today. Baynes said they would be able to give more information about the headquarters once the meetings conclude this afternoon.

A Q&A document released in September 2017 said there will be some reductions, primarily on the corporate level, but a majority of the employees will not be impacted as a result of the acquisition.

Stay with TV9 throughout the day for the latest updates on where Collins Aerospace Systems headquarters will be located.