Cummins Inc. announced Thursday, April 16, that it will begin moving employees into its new office building in downtown Columbus, Ind., on Wednesday, April 22. The four-story 100,000 square-foot facility eventually will house more than 500 Cummins employees.
The new building, designed by CSO Architects and Koetter Kim Associates, was built by Dysktra Building Co. specifically for Cummins, which has a 10-year lease with an option to purchase the building. The building was constructed on a portion of the former Commons Mall site and is designed to be part of larger downtown development project, along with the new Commons, and a new hotel and conference center.
“Cummins is committed to downtown Columbus, and we are proud to expand our presence with this state-of-the-art facility, which along with the new Commons, and hotel and conference center, will help further strengthen downtown Columbus,” says Mark Gerstle, vice president and chief administrative officer.
The office building will house primarily employees from the company’s various corporate organizations, with corporate recruiting, purchasing and corporate communications – along with some members of the Cummins Power Generation staff – to be the first groups to move to the facility.
Cummins expects to have filled the first two floors of the building by the end of 2009. A nearby parking garage for Cummins employees is expected to be completed by the end of June.
Cummins says the new building, located at 301 Jackson St., will allow it to consolidate its office employees in the area into significantly fewer locations. The company’s headquarters building nearby has been at capacity for some time, and Cummins currently houses employees in a number of smaller leased spaces throughout Columbus.
Cummins says the facility has been designed in such a way that should allow it to earn designation as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rated sustainable building by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED designation is given to buildings that reflect the principles of environmental stewardship when it comes to site selection, water and energy efficiency, materials use and indoor environment quality. The new building would be the first Cummins location in the United States to earn the LEED Silver designation.
“Not only will the new facility allow us to organize our employees in Columbus more efficiently and give us room to grow in the future, but it has been designed in a way that is consistent with the company’s commitment to the environment and to the revitalization of downtown,” says Todd Clark, director of Global Real Estate.
To help celebrate the opening of the new building, Cummins is holding a community open house on Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours of the building, refreshments and children’s activities will be available. Parking is available in the Jackson Street garage between Fourth and Fifth Streets.
