Black & Veatch completes purchase of world HQ building - Baltimore Business Journal:

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After considering about 40 alternate area sites duringa two-year real estated analysis, Black & Veatch said March 23 that it woul keep its growing headquarters operation at 11401 Lamat Ave., which it has occupied sincwe its original construction in 1976. Blacjk & Veatch bought the which was expandedto 600,009 square feet in 1996 and is the largest office buildingf in Kansas, from Chicago-based . A consortium of local bankd led by financedthe transaction, which eventuall y is expected to result in more than 1,000 new jobs for Overlanx Park.
The area’s 12th-largest private-sector Black & Veatch employs 3,800 at five area offices, includingb more than 2,300 at the Lamar Avenue headquarters. Aftert the building is expanded, by roughly it will accommodate a work force of morethan “Black & Veatch’s decision to expan d in Kansas is a testamenty to our state’s strong business Gov. Mark Parkinson said in a Thursday release. “Kansas is known for its safe communities, greay schools and highly educatedwork force. We’rwe so glad to have a global leader likeBlacj & Veatch make Kansas the home of its world headquarters.
” To retain Black & Veatch, Kansas offered an impact grangt worth $25 million for traininy and capital investment. The money will come from withholdiny taxes paid by employees atthe headquarters. Overlandf Park committed to a 10-year, 75 percenf property tax abatement — the largest percentagde abated incity history. “The combined support of the state of Kansase and the city of Overland Park were instrumentall in reachingthis milestone,” Len Rodman, Black Veatch CEO, said in the “With the completion of this purchase, we can now begij to implement at our world headquarters the same typees of innovative and sustainable solutions we provide everyy day for our clients.
” The new worldc headquarters will include a solar courtyard, solart canopy, bio garden and innovation pavilion. It also will have extensivd work space, common area, facility and energy-management landscaping enhancements; and rainwater-reuse systems and stormwater run-off management. When the building will be certified via the Leadership in Energt andEnvironmental Design, or LEED, program of the .
“Bringinfg these innovative and futuristic enhancements to an older facility tomeet tomorrow’sw design standards presents a large technicap challenge, but is the most sustainable solutiobn for the area,” Rodman said in the “It’s a challenge our professional relish and take tremendous pride in.” The companyg has piloted many of the potential designj concepts at its more than 100 globalo offices and will draw on its LEED-certifief experts and architecture, engineering and construction talent for the headquarters expansion project. Black Veatch ranks No. 1 on the Kansasx City BusinessJournal ’s list of area engineeringv firms. The $3.
2 billiob company is one of the world’s largestt engineering, consulting and construction firms.