Early step taken in Whirlpool downtown development
Whirlpool Corp. has named The Pizzuti Companies of Columbus, Ohio, as developer for its corporate campus in downtown Benton Harbor.
This summer, Whirlpool Corp. announced plans to build a new office campus that will consolidate 15 owned and leased buildings — located throughout the greater Benton Harbor and Saint Joseph area — to three centralized office campuses.
The work is expected to take approximately five years to complete. The new buildings will help the company improve productivity, operations, energy efficiency, and provide better working conditions for employees.
“The development of Whirlpool’s new campus is a component in the ongoing rebirth of Benton Harbor,” says Joel S. Pizzuti, president and COO of The Pizzuti Companies. “We are confident that Whirlpool’s new campus will serve as an anchor to downtown Benton Harbor, to attract others to invest in revitalizing the area, to enhance the local tax base and to create new jobs along the way.”
Pizzuti was chosen because it demonstrated it understands both Whirlpool’s 100-year history and what the company needs to move into the future, says Lee Utke, MCR, director of global corporate real estate for Whirlpool Corp.
Pizzuti also is committed to using local contractors and has a demonstrated track record when it comes to community enhancement projects, Utke says.
Pizzuti previously has worked with Whirlpool on a number of buildings, including a 1.6 million-square-foot warehouse in Columbus, Ohio.
Pizzuti’s other development projects include the Heathrow International Business Center in Orlando, Florida, and One and Two Miranova, a mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Columbus that features a luxury high-rise condominium tower and a 12-story Class A office building that serves as home to Pizzuti’s corporate headquarters. Pizzuti also is serving as master developer for Exploration Park, a high-tech research and office park on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Lee Utke, Whirlpool Corp.
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