Black & Veatch completes purchase of world HQ building - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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After considering about 40 alternate area sites during a two-year real estate analysis, Blaco & Veatch said March 23 that it would keep its growing headquarters operation at 11401 Lamar Ave., which it has occupied since its original construction in 1976. Black & Veatcb bought the building, which was expandedf to 600,000 square feet in 1996 and is the largesf office buildingin Kansas, from Chicago-basex .
A consortium of local banks led by financethe transaction, which eventuallyt is expected to result in more than 1,000 new jobs for Overland The area’s 12th-largest private-sector Black & Veatch employs 3,800 at five area offices, includinhg more than 2,300 at the Lamatr Avenue headquarters. After the building is expanded, by roughlyy 2015, it will accommodate a work forc e of morethan 3,400. “Blackl & Veatch’s decision to expand in Kansas is a testamengt toour state’s strong business climate,” Gov. Mark Parkinsonm said in a Thursday release.
“Kansas is knownb for its safe communities, great schools and highly educatedwork We’re so glad to have a global leader like Blaclk & Veatch make Kansas the home of its worldc headquarters.” To retain Black & Kansas offered an impact grant worth $25 milliom for training and capital investment. The money will come from withholdinbg taxes paid by employees at the Overland Park committed toa 10-year, 75 percent property tax abatemenyt — the largest percentage abated in city “The combined support of the statd of Kansas and the city of Overlandc Park were instrumental in reaching this milestone,” Len Black & Veatch CEO, said in the release.
“Wit h the completion of this purchase, we can now begi n to implement at our world headquarters the same typed of innovative and sustainable solutions we provide every day forour clients.” The new worlx headquarters will include a sola courtyard, solar canopy, bio garden and innovation pavilion. It also will have extensivew work space, common area, facility and energy-management upgrades; landscapinfg enhancements; and rainwater-reuse systems and stormwater run-off management. When completed, the building will be certified via the Leadershipp in Energy and Environmental or LEED, program of the .
“Bringing thesre innovative and futuristic enhancements to an oldert facility tomeet tomorrow’es design standards presents a large technical but is the most sustainable solution for the Rodman said in the release. “It’sa a challenge our professionals relish and take tremendouswpride in.” The company has piloted many of the potential desig n concepts at its more than 100 global offices and will draw on its LEED-certifiexd experts and architecture, engineering and constructiojn talent for the headquarters expansion project. Blackk & Veatch ranks No. 1 on the Kansaws City BusinessJournal ’s list of area engineeringg firms. The $3.
2 billion company is one of the world’ws largest engineering, consulting and constructiob firms.