Westminster beats out Broomfield
DigitalGlobe has decided to go with Westminster— instead of the previously announced Broomfield— for its corporate headquarters.
According to a company announcement Wednesday, shortly after DigitalGlobe signed a nonbinding letter of intent in August with a developer to build a new headquarters in Broomfield, the company received an unsolicited offer to lease an existing building near Interstate 25 and 120th Avenue in Westminster.
After that offer came in, the company went through a financial review with its real estate adviser, Cresa Denver, and after further due diligence that included analyzing the engineering, safety and adaptability of the existing building, it signed a 15-year lease with the building’s owner.
The company said the move will be less disruptive to its em- ployees and its operations. The building already has much of the infrastructure and physical security that the satellite imagery company will require, and it will serve the company’s current and long-term business needs, it said.
In June, DigitalGlobe had appeared before the Colorado Economic Development Commission, requesting incentives to keep its headquarters in Colorado. It told the commission it would be adding up to 505 jobs over the next five years, and the commission granted an incentive package of up to $4.4 million, tied directly to the number of jobs it adds. It also told the commission that it was considering relocating its corporate headquarters out of Longmont to either Broomfield or West- minster.
The company then announced in August it had chosen Broomfield, where itwould be consolidating four Colorado locations into one as part of the North Park development.
“We regret any disappointment to the cities and partners associated with our previous announcement,” wrote Jeffrey Tarr, the company’s president and CEO, inWednesday’s news release. “We could not have anticipated this change in our relocation plans but are pleased with the benefits theWestminster facility offers.”
The company plans to relocate its Colorado employees to its new building in the summer of 2015. It said it plans to “maintain a footprint in the current Longmont location for a period of time (after that).” It will also maintain offices around the world, including Herndon, Va., where GeoEye, the rival DigitalGlobe had bought out, was headquartered.