Plans for the new Baymeadows headquarters for Southeastern Grocers, which will house about 1,000 associates and contractors, show four floors of conference and collaboration rooms and open office areas.
What they don’t show are individual offices.
That’s what President and CEO Ian McLeod promised when the Jacksonville-based supermarket company announced it would move its headquarters from West Jacksonville to the Prominence office park.
“All personal offices will be removed, including my own,” he said in a statement in October.
He said he believed that open space without offices “works far more effectively to break down barriers and encourage face-to-face communication.”
The only nod to executive functions appears to be the largest conference room on the top floor of the four-story building. Southeastern Grocers said Tuesday it would not disclose which floor would house the top executives.
The company has said the new space will include contemporary workstations, glass-walled meeting rooms and facilities to support new product development.
It said Tuesday the new design was made with its top goal in mind — “to deliver quality, service and value to our customers.”
Like other open-plan office environments, the Southeastern Grocers Store Support Center will feature a blend of open, collaborative work areas and private spaces to accommodate meetings and communication, said company spokesman Zack Bingham.
Rockford Construction Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich., is the contractor for the project, according to a building-permit application. RS&H is the architect.
The application shows a $4.5 million interior renovation at 8928 Prominence Parkway. Interior demolition of the 160,000 square feet of space was a separate $261,000 project by Williams & Rowe Co. Inc.
Bingham said the company, which is privately held, does not divulge details of capital expenditures.
Southeastern Grocers also intends to invite food trucks to visit the Baymeadows headquarters daily to provide employees with diverse dining options.
The company was formed after Bi-Lo LLC bought Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. in 2012.
Bi-Lo was based in Greenville, S.C., but moved the headquarters of the merged company to Winn-Dixie’s corporate offices. Southeastern Grocers is privately owned by funds associated with Dallas-based Lone Star Funds.
Southeastern Grocers is the holding company for Winn-Dixie and two other banners.
Bi-Lo moved the headquarters of the merged company to Winn-Dixie’s corporate offices at 5050 Edgewood Court in West Jacksonville. Some functions, including the IT Data Center, will remain there.
Southeastern Grocers expects to move to Prominence during the first quarter of 2016.
Chamber confirms SunGard expansion
Fidelity National Information Services Inc. has completed its acquisition of the SunGard technology services company, but still has not confirmed its new purchase is the code-named Project Revere that will add 250 jobs.
SunGard had not formally announced itself as Project Revere, either.
Regardless, the JAX Chamber reports on its list of 2015 announcements that SunGard/AvantGard announced 250 information-technology jobs will be created. AvantGard is a unit of SunGard.
The details connect the dots between the unidentified Project Revere, which was approved for city tax incentives to add the jobs in a Downtown office on the Southbank, and SunGard, which is shown on a building-permit application as expanding its Southbank office space in the Prudential Building for 250-275 workstations.
Project Revere promises to keep the 120 jobs it has in Jacksonville, which parallels the number that SunGard has.
Also, SunGard struck an economic-development agreement with the city in 2013, and Project Revere refers to an unidentified prior agreement. The new and former agreement would run concurrently this year.
City Council adopted the incentives resolution Nov. 10. FIS announced the completion of the SunGard acquisition Nov. 30.
FIS has not responded to several calls and emails the past few weeks.
Chamber: Jobs led by manufacturing, financial services
The JAX Chamber’s JAXUSA Partnership economic development division’s list of major announcements for 2015 comprised 18 companies, 2,530 projected jobs and $527.5 million in capital investment. The jobs are what the companies said they plan to create.
The targeted industries were led by five companies in advanced manufacturing, four each in financial services and logistics, and the rest were information technology, professional services and health and life sciences.
By jobs, financial services led with almost 1,300 positions planned.
The report compares with 28 companies, 2,534 jobs and a $118.45 million capital investment announced in 2014.
In 2013, the numbers were 30 companies, 3,900 jobs and $492.02 million in capital investment. Vistakon, now Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, dominated capital investment with a $218 million project.
And in 2012, the 27 announced companies pledged 3,011 jobs and $206.58 million in capital investment.
Carolina Casualty moving to JTB Center
In a corporate move among Southside office parks, three companies are switching spaces over the coming months.
Carolina Casualty Insurance Co. is moving to the space formerly used by Digital Risk. Fidelity Investments is expanding into the space vacated by Carolina Casualty. And Digital Risk is moving to the Prominence office park.
First, let’s look at Carolina Casualty, which is moving to the Collier Building in JTB Center in Southside.
The city is reviewing a permit application for a $550,000 renovation for Carolina Casualty of about 28,000 square feet of space at 5011 Gate Parkway, No. 200.
Plans show tenant improvements on the second floor for a board room, at least 11 offices, an open office area, training area, conference rooms and more. No contractor is specified. Rolland, DelValle & Bradley is the architect.
Jacksonville-based Carolina Casualty is a specialty transportation insurance company. It provides property and casualty insurance coverage for the truck, business auto and public auto industries. It is a member of the W.R. Berkley Corp.
Communications Director Lesley Currier said Tuesday the company will move in April. She said the evolution of its business environment and market dynamics has “allowed us to realize greater efficiencies in terms of our space needs.”
She said the lease, for 28,154 square feet, “will better suit our current needs.”
Carolina Casualty is moving from 4600 Touchton Road E. in Deerwood North, where it has been for at least 11 years. That’s where Fidelity Investments is expanding.
Fidelity Investments said in November it will lease the space for its 300-job expansion. Fidelity will add 58,000 square feet in Deerwood North Building 100. It already leases 108,000 square feet in Deerwood North Building 400. Fidelity worked with CBRE Inc. in Boston and Brad Chrischilles of CNL Commercial Real Estate in Jacksonville on that deal.
Digital Risk LLC is relocating from the Collier Building in JTB Center to the Prominence office park in Baymeadows.
Digital Risk, a financial services company, expects to move its 320 employees in mid-January. It will expand from 40,000 square feet into about 55,000 square feet.
Scott Henley with Newmark Grubb Phoenix Realty Group and Tom Green with Providence One Partners represented Digital Risk. JLL Vice Presidents Kaycee Gardner and Jesse Shimp represented the landlord, Crocker Partners.
Jimmy John’s plans Bartram location
Dakenna Development Inc. will build-out space for Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches in Bartram Village, near the Pei Wei Fresh Kitchen.
Jimmy John’s is planned at 12553 Bartram Park Blvd., No. 301. Pei Wei is going into No. 304.
Dakenna will handle the $185,000 build-out of 1,500 square feet at Bartram Village.
The three new retail buildings there also will include tenant spaces for Chipotle Mexican Grill and Hurricane Grill & Wings, along with other stores and services.
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