REGIONAL HQ MOVING INTO LONE TREE

Kiewit, an Omaha-based construction company, will have 1,100 employees at new campus

National construction and engineering firm Kiewit announces plans to move offices to Douglas County.

Kiewit, one of the nation’s top construction and engineering firms, said Thursday that it will locate a new regional headquarters in Lone Tree.

The new campus, slated to go up next to the Sky Ridge Light Rail Station in Douglas County, will host 1,100 employees in its first phase. That total includes 200 people the company expects to hire over the coming year.

Kiewit, based in Omaha, has been a big player in metro Denver construction. It was involved in the Union Station redevelopment and helped get construction of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Aurora back on track. Currently, it is the main contractor on the $1.2 billion rebuild of Interstate 70 in Denver.

The firm was looking at Texas, Nebraska and Kansas for its regional headquarters, but gave the nod to Colorado based on the state’s depth in engineering talent and the ability of its colleges and universities to produce specialized talent, according to a news release from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

“We’re pleased to see Kiewit continue bringing more high-quality engineering jobs to Colorado, which supports the state’s focus on growing STEM talent and maintaining our deep talent pool,” said Michelle Hadwiger, deputy director of the economic development office.

The state worked together with the city of Lone Tree and Douglas County to land the new campus.

“This project is an exciting addition to our vibrant business community, and validates the city’s investments in our multimodal transportation network and arts, recreation and open space amenities,” Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet said in a news release.

Kiewit — under the code name Project Brother — received $18.65 million worth of state job growth incentive tax credits last April in return for a pledge to create 850 jobs over the next eight years paying an average annual wage of $109,630.

At the time, Kiewit said it planned to invest $55 million in the new campus and that it employed 162 people in the state.

If Kiewit creates or brings more than 850 jobs to the state, it won’t receive additional tax breaks unless it submits another application.