Blue Cross breaks ground on $50 million complex
By Tony Adams, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Nodding to artist renderings of the three-story, 235,000-square-foot complex that will be home initially to about 1,500 employees, with capacity for 2,000,
"One thing you'll notice is it looks very different than our facility on
"This is going to just be an uplifting, inspiring place," Kendrick said. "It's going to be geared around health and wellness for our staff, with a full-service gym. There will be over a mile walking path around the facility. I think this will be a crown jewel for Columbus."
The office complex, when completed in the fall of 2015, will be a customer service hub, with jobs in claims, operations and clinical management. It will be the largest single campus in the state for
It also will be the primary site for the health-care insurer's service operation for its roughly 3 million policyholders, which includes the State Health Benefit Plan. Kendrick noted that's about a third of
"We certainly do not take that lightly at all. We absolutely understand we serve at their pleasure," said the executive, explaining that his parent company,
"With the health-care reform, the Affordable Care Act, it's about efficiencies -- doing it faster, quicker and more efficacious," he said.
Among those attending the ground-breaking were U.S. Sen.
"Where else can you have a Synovus, an
"It's hard to imagine this community without the presence of BlueCross BlueShield in it," he said. "But it's been fun to imagine what's going on here today, and what we're beginning to see now, a facility that will not only secure the presence of BlueCross BlueShield in this community, but virtually double it."
Blanchard pointed out that
A dozen years later, he said, it's time for the pace of development in the park to pick up, and he believes the sparkling new BlueCross BlueShield complex will be a selling point to future prospects.
The insurer will join Litho-Krome,
"I think the significance of this one is that this is a special lot in this park," Blanchard said of the land, which was given to
Wednesday's ceremony included Columbus Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem
The insurer also said a time capsule will be buried on the property during the construction, with plans to open it in 20 years. It will include a company history book, a cap from a
"For those that come after us, they will see what life was like in 2014 in the health-care business," Kendrick said.
Of note,
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