Will Rockwell Find Some Roots?

Working for Rockwell International Corp. means keeping your bags packed. Somehow, Steve Etzel let himself forget that. Just three years ago, the investor-relations executive hauled his family from Pittsburgh to company headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif., after Rockwell decided to cluster support functions near its semiconductor business. Against his better instincts, Etzel had a new home custom- built. Now, just a year after moving in, that home is on the market. And Etzel, 38, has to explain to his family why they're leaving sunny Southern California for blustery Milwaukee. Says a resigned Etzel: "I swore I'd never build a house. Now, I'm building my second."

If Rockwell's history means anything, he ought to keep those blueprints handy. Three times this decade, the former defense titan has relocated its headquarters. Each move accompanied a change in strategic focus as Rockwell sought a place in the post-cold-war economy. The latest move was announced in February, following a decision last year by Chairman and CEO Don H. Davis Jr. to spin off the semiconductor division and refocus Rockwell around Allen-Bradley, its Milwaukee-based factory-automation controls business.