WPS Health Solutions plans partial revamp of Monona headquarters
Officials say some of the changes are designed to make WPS more cost effective and better positioned to continue getting military and other government health insurance contracts, which have been a mainstay of business since the company formed in 1946 to provide insurance for soldiers returning from World War II.
"We're trying to consolidate our buildings for efficiencies in people, placement and logistics," said
WPS has about 3,900 employees, including about 1,300 in the
The first part of a planned three-phase project over five to 10 years is a plan next year to build a
The plan also includes selling the largest of the four buildings, the parking ramp and 17 acres of land, listed for
The second and third phases call for building a hub next to the Corporate Center, the second largest of the four existing buildings, and an office-space addition to the hub if business grows as anticipated. Those two phases could cost roughly
Construction on the support center project, which WPS plans to bring before the
Consolidating a warehouse, a print center, a data center and other services in the support center, while selling some assets, should make WPS more competitive for government contracts, he said.
WPS supports more than 16 million people in TRICARE, the federal health insurance program for the military, and Veteran's Affairs Community Care Programs, spokeswoman
The company also has contracts for Medicare Part A and Part B in six states and in
In addition, WPS's EPIC Specialty Benefits offers term life, disability, dental, vision, and voluntary benefits throughout the Midwest.
One driver of the company's revamping of its headquarters is to create a public front door at the hub to be built in phase two, Roseth said. Currently, each of the four buildings has an entrance and it's not clear where visitors should go.
"When you're coming in for a meeting, it really is confusing ... where our front door is," he said. "We want to reconfigure our front."
Another motivator is an increase in employees working remotely, even before the COVID-19 pandemic started early this year. About 40% employees worked away from the office before the coronavirus hit, and about 98% are working remotely now. Once the pandemic ends, projections call for 60% to 70% of people to work outside of the office routinely.
The campus building plan "has been in development for over a year and is not a direct reaction to COVID-19," CEO
___
(c)2020 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.)
Visit The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) at www.wisconsinstatejournal.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Miami Dolphins rebuild on course at the midway point of the 2020 season
Lame Duck Congressional Session Faces Challenges
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News