Several months after Banfield Pet Hospital broke ground on their new corporate headquarters in Vancouver – located just west of SE 192nd Avenue along SE Mill Plain Blvd. in the Columbia Tech Center – the campus is abuzz with construction activity.
“We are excited to confirm that things continue to move forward as planned,” said James Baxter, senior manager at Banfield and project lead on the headquarters relocation.
Baxter went on to say that the projected opening of the buildings will be late spring of 2016.
The largest commercial project in the area this year, the plan includes approximately 206,000 square feet of office space on a site that encompasses more than 17.5 acres – a 35 percent increase from their current 152,575-square-foot location in Northeast Portland.
Baxter added that Banfield has been working with Gensler, the highly-acclaimed American architecture firm that’s behind the London offices of Facebook and terminals at both the John F. Kennedy and San Francisco International Airports. Through Gensler’s innovative concepts, the new Banfield offices will merge cohesive environmental design with a collaborative work setting and pet-friendly grounds.
Rounding out the project team is general contractor Skanska USA – an international company with several notable U.S. projects under its belt not the least of which is helping to restore the World Trade Center site; Portland-based TVA Architects responsible locally for the Fox Tower and University of Oregon’s Matthew Knight Arena; and Portland-based Interface Engineering whose portfolio is rooted in sustainability and energy efficient applications.
As its corporate headquarters, Banfield’s Vancouver facility will house business operations, a call center, human resources and payroll teams for its more than 900 nationwide hospitals, according to a company spokesperson.
A key factor in the decision to purchase land in east Vancouver was the company’s desire to minimize commute times and disruption to its current staff while addressing its need to expand. Baxter noted that the nearly 600 associates at the Portland office will all be moving to the Vancouver campus and, those wishing to establish residence on this side of the river, have been provided with relocation support and services.
Mike Bomar, president of the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), confirmed that Banfield associates are already having an impact on real estate in east Vancouver.
“Housing is up on the east side and there’s a lot of interest and activity from Banfield that I’ve been hearing about,” he said. “That’s certainly a positive benefit.”
Reflecting on the project’s progress to date, Baxter said, “While it’s still very early in the moving process, overall we have had positive experiences with our partners, everyone has been welcoming and the move has been seamless. We look forward to continuing to build on these – and new – partnerships over the coming year.”
Representing one of those partners (the CREDC), Bomar commented on the impact Banfield Pet Hospital is already beginning to have on Southwest Washington’s economy.
“The momentum from the [Banfield] project has helped us on a project we are currently working on,” he said. “So not only the direct and indirect impact of the Banfield project, but the momentum it has created particularly around Columbia Tech Center has been really encouraging to see.”
Given the level of investment in the community, the number of jobs and potential for growth, Banfield’s corporate headquarters was named the “2015 Top Project” during the Vancouver Business Journal’s Top Projects Reception and Awards Presentation on Wednesday, July 22.
