Construction is officially underway on the first phase of development at Vancouver’s newest employment center, located east of the Grand Central Shopping Center on Columbia House Boulevard. Expected to be completed in June 2018, the first building will house the Home Depot QuoteCenter (HDQC) as an anchor tenant of the new development, according to a news release from the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC).
Initially launched as a startup in Vancouver, QuoteCenter is a software application used by Home Depot store associates in more than 2,000 locations nationwide to facilitate large product orders to professional contractors.
The 45,000-square-foot facility will serve as the national headquarters for the HDQC division and is anticipated to house 200 employees, ranging from entry-level technical support to senior engineers, analysts, user experience (UX) designers and product managers. The HDQC currently has 130 employees in Vancouver that will be consolidated at the new headquarters and is actively hiring to meet its expansion needs.
“We’re thrilled to be part of the growth in Clark County and Vancouver, and the team is very much looking forward to the new, contemporary facility,” said Nate Copper, general manager of Home Depot QuoteCenter, in the news release.
“We are very excited that the Home Depot QuoteCenter chose to continue calling Vancouver home for their expansion, and appreciate the collaboration of both private and public sector partners working to find the best solution to meet the needs of this company,” said Mike Bomar, president of the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), in the news release. “Clark County is gaining a reputation as a compelling choice for software and technology companies like HDQC who value access to a talented workforce paired with a high quality of living.”
Located in the city of Vancouver’s Lower Grand Employment Area, the employment center is anticipated to include 300,000-400,000 square feet of commercial office and retail space over 22 acres of land at full build out, according to the news release.
“The Lower Grand Employment Area is a highly visible site that sits at the gateway to both Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and the downtown core,” said Eric Holmes, city manager for the city of Vancouver, according to the news release. “The City has long recognized the potential impact strategic development of this area can have for the community and we are looking forward to seeing years of dedicated work by city planning staff in collaboration with the private partners coming to fruition.”
“We are fortunate to be a part of this community and have the opportunity to collaborate with the city of Vancouver, CREDC and the dynamic team at Home Depot,” said Lance Killian, president of Killian Pacific, in the news release. “We are focused on reinventing the ‘business park’ model by creating an amenity rich collection of compelling work spaces with a great connection to inviting outdoor elements.”
Projections anticipate the completed site will support 1,500-3,000 direct jobs with average annual wages of $69,000, with a total of 2,510-5,020 total jobs supported throughout Clark County. The estimated economic impact includes annual payroll of $144-288 million and ongoing property and sales tax revenues of $3.4-6.3 million.
