Tracey Mendrek, Executive Vice President
One year after breaking ground on the largest build-to-lease project currently in the United States, our client, Zurich North America, took one step closer to realizing their dream at a ‘Topping Out’ ceremony in Schaumburg, Illinois. Though the building is not complete, lifting the final beam to mark the structure’s maximum height was certainly significant, in that a project that once was a collaboration of vision, has now taken shape.
Prior to the final beam being raised, Zurich North America Commercial CEO, Mike Foley, addressed the crowd commenting that the eventual completion of their North American headquarters was an integral part to becoming the largest global insurer. And while the steel structure of the building is certainly impressive in its own right, becoming an industry leader relies on a company’s commitment to a culture of attention to detail, of excellence, and ensuring that the workings inside the building turn heads as much as the shimmering windows on the building’s facade.
The interior of the building, being lead by interior architects CannonDesign, provides a multitude of amenities, including a fitness facility, with the ultimate goal of producing healthy, happy and motivated workers. Triple Pundit, who recently published an article on the new Zurich project, covers sustainibility in the business world, and noted, as it relates to all companies big or small, that, “it is becoming increasingly clear that green-building features like natural light, outdoor views and comfortable, well-managed temperatures not only make employees happy, but they also make them more productive and engaged.”
All in all, Zurich is setting themselves up for success with their commitment to an attention to detail, inside and out. Now all that’s left is their ability to execute. Well that, and great weather to keep construction on pace.