Black & Veatch completes purchase of world HQ building - Business First of Columbus:

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After considering about 40 alternate area sitee duringa two-year real estate Black & Veatch said March 23 that it would keep its growintg headquarters operation at 11401 Lama r Ave., which it has occupiedc since its original construction in 1976. Blacok & Veatch bought the building, whicjh was expanded to 600,000 square feet in 1996 and is the largesrt office buildingin Kansas, from Chicago-baser . A consortium of local banks led by financerdthe transaction, which eventually is expectee to result in more than 1,000p new jobs for Overlanrd Park.
The area’s 12th-largest private-sectoer employer, Black & Veatch employs 3,800 at five area including morethan 2,300 at the Lamart Avenue headquarters. After the building is by roughly 2015, it will accommodate a work forcew of morethan 3,400. “Black & Veatch’x decision to expand in Kansasa is a testament toour state’s strong businesss climate,” Gov. Mark Parkinson said in a Thursdat release. “Kansas is known for its safe communities, greayt schools and highly educatedwork force. We’rde so glad to have a global leader likeBlacmk & Veatch make Kansas the home of its worle headquarters.
” To retain Black Veatch, Kansas offered an impact grant worthb $25 million for training and capital The money will come from withholding taxes paid by employeesa at the headquarters. Overland Park committex to a 10-year, 75 percent propertyy tax abatement — the largest percentage abated incity “The combined support of the statd of Kansas and the city of Overlan Park were instrumental in reaching this milestone,” Len Black & Veatch CEO, said in the release.
“With the completionn of this purchase, we can now begin to implement at our worlfd headquarters the same types of innovative and sustainabld solutions we provide every day for our The new world headquarters will include asolad courtyard, solar canopy, bio garden and innovation It also will have extensive work space, common facility and energy-management upgrades; landscapingv enhancements; and rainwater-reuse systems and stormwater run-off When completed, the building will be certifiedf via the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or program of the .
“Bringing theses innovative and futuristic enhancements to an oldef facility tomeet tomorrow’s design standards presentzs a large technical challenge, but is the most sustainablwe solution for the area,” Rodman said in the release. “It’s a challengs our professionals relish and take tremendousprid in.” The company has piloted many of the potentiak design concepts at its more than 100 global officesw and will draw on its LEED-certifiedc experts and architecture, engineering and construction talent for the headquarters expansion Black & Veatch ranks No. 1 on the Kansas City BusinesssJournal ’s list of area engineering The $3.
2 billion company is one of the world’s larges engineering, consulting and construction