C.H. Robinson eyes future growth with Chicago expansion
C.H. Robinson eyes future growth with Chicago expansion
C.H. Robinson has announced plans to move its Chicago office headquarters to a 207,000-square-foot build-to-suit office building located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The company should be in the new building in late 2018.
The construction of the three-story building will transform the former tannery site into the Chicago office headquarters for C.H. Robinson. The third-party logistics provider has signed a 15-year lease for the entire property — a significant expansion from its current 160,000 square feet at 1840 N. Marcey Street.
“Over the past decade, Chicago has emerged as our largest center of employment, and one of our most important global markets,” Pat Nolan, vice president at C.H. Robinson, said in a press release. “Chicago’s longstanding history as a multimodal transportation hub, its thriving tech industry, and its rich talent pool make it an ideal place for us to do business. We look forward to continued growth in Chicago in the years to come.”
C.H. Robinson, which will celebrate 100 years in Chicago next year, has seen its Chicago headcount virtually double since 2005. The company’s nearly 2,000 Chicago employees account for almost 15 percent of its global workforce.
“We chose this building because its location is convenient for our employees, many of whom take public transportation to work. It’s on a great piece of riverfront property and the built-to-suit aspect will enable us to design a custom space that our current and future employees will love,” Mike Ryan, vice president at C.H. Robinson, said in the release.
Sterling Bay, which acquired the 4.18-acre site earlier this year, will serve as the developer and manage the property.
In the last several years, Sterling Bay has transformed the city’s Near West Side, redeveloping 111 North Canal, 1000 West Fulton (1KFulton) and 400 South Jefferson, giving traditional corporations and young tech companies alike new options for a their business address. Companies like Google, Twitter, GoGo, Hillshire Brands, SAP, IDEO and Uber continue to flock to their properties. Sterling Bay, which has a reputation as a user-friendly and savvy developer, has received multiple awards for its work in the last few years.
“We are excited about the opportunity to transform this underutilized property to beautify a portion of the riverfront and to bring jobs to this location,” Andy Gloor, Sterling Bay principal, said in the release.
