January 13, 2010
Goodwill Industries its moving its corporate headquarters to Benson Park Plaza in the Benson-Ames Alliance.
Benson Park Plaza in the Benson-Ames Alliance is about to get a lot busier.
Goodwill Industries Inc. has announced plans to move its corporate headquarters, currently located at 41st & Pacific streets, to a newly constructed building at 4805 N. 72nd St. The Seldin Company property was purchased by Goodwill Dec. 30 for $5.9 million. The Seldin family is donating 352,000 square feet of fully improved infrastructure and paved parking area serving the new building, valued at $1,850,000. Goodwill also plans to devote $5.3 million for renovations and furnishings. A capital fund raising campaign is currently underway.
The sale of Goodwill’s 41st & Pacific facility to Douglas County was finalized Dec. 21. Goodwill retains occupancy until June 30.
Goodwill has outgrown its current location, and in order for the agency to continue effectively serving program participants and the community, a larger facility was needed. The new 70,000 square foot corporate headquarters will house the administrative branches as well as numerous programs of Goodwill. A 25,000 square-foot retail and donation center also will be a part of the new headquarters, which sits on eight acres in the Benson Park Plaza.
“We’re pleased to welcome Goodwill to the Benson-Ames Alliance,” said Lisa Dale, chair of the Benson-Ames Alliance Steering Council and principal of Benson High School. “Their commitment to sustainability and community outreach embody our redevelopment goals for the alliance area.”
Initially, 60 administrative staff and trainers will occupy the building, which can accommodate an additional 20 staff for future growth. About 25 retail and production staff also will be employed at the facility.
The existing facility, built in 2008, will be redesigned by RDG Planning and Design and constructed by Kiewit Building Group. Construction will begin this winter, with partial or full occupancy by mid-to-late summer 2010.
Special features of Goodwill’s new headquarters:
- Flexible, multi-use training rooms, including a classroom for adult basic education and a computer lab.
- A large, easily accessible community gathering space with floor-to-ceiling room dividers. This space will feature high-tech multi-media systems and an adjoining kitchen that can be used for neighborhood meetings, support groups, educational forums, non-profit organizational retreats, etc.
- A combined Internet café and community resource center, which will offer basic employment help free-of-charge to anyone looking for work.
- An expansive shop area to teach construction skills to low-income, out-of-school youth with a focus on green construction technology.
- A 25,000 square-foot retail and donation facility – the largest in the area – which will feature an expanded book department, a coffee bar and a convenient, weather-protected, drive-through donation center.
The project will follow the sustainable principles and strategies set forth in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. Some of the strategies that will be used include energy efficient windows and skylights to bring additional daylight into the building, water efficient plumbing fixtures, low VOC materials and the reuse of an existing building.
With a MAT transfer center less than two blocks from the facility, the new Goodwill headquarters will be easily accessible to program participants, customers, employees and the community.
For more information, contact Kris Pachunka at 402.403.7048 or kpachunka@goodwillomaha.org.