Omaha: TD Ameritrade headquarters tower in Old Mill

[jhuston]

TD Ameritrade announces plans to build a new 12-story, 230 ft headquarters at Old Mill as part of plans to consolidate all of it's 2,000 metro employees to a single location.

TD Ameritrade wants to go vertical with its new corporate headquarters.

The online brokerage firm is planning to build a 230-foot-tall headquarters building as part of its new corporate campus in the Old Mill area.

The headquarters would be Omaha's tallest office building outside downtown and midtown and rank 12th in the city overall.

The building which will have 12 floors, according to plans on file with the city would be so tall that TD Ameritrade will need a special waiver of city zoning rules.

TD Ameritrade announced plans in October 2008 to consolidate 2,000 employees from four area offices, including Bellevue's former Southroads Mall, at Old Mill. The announcement was significant because it affirmed the company's decision to maintain Omaha as its headquarters.

The corporation didn't set out to build a tall headquarters, but had “no choice but to go up,” said Kim Hillyer, spokeswoman for TD Ameritrade.

Hillyer said TD Ameritrade has limited space on its Old Mill campus to accomplish its redevelopment plans. One of the goals is to achieve an exclusive LEED Platinum environmental certification, which requires half the property to be green space, limiting the company's construction options for the site.

TD Ameritrade, which has estimated it would spend up to $80 million on its project, wants its new campus to reflect the corporation's long-term commitment to the community, Hillyer said.

“We're building for sustainability here, which is not only good for us, it's good for the community as well,” she said.

TD Ameritrade's plans call for a campus of three leased and renovated buildings east of 108th Avenue and south of the West Dodge Expressway, plus the new headquarters west of 108th Avenue. In all, the campus would have 685,000 square feet of building space more than the Woodmen Tower.

Employees already fill the three leased buildings, Hillyer said, and work to tear down other buildings to make way for construction is continuing.

TD Ameritrade's move is a boost to the Old Mill area.

Major employers ACI Worldwide and First Data Resources had left the office park. Just three years ago, the area's offices were one-third empty one of the metro area's highest commercial property vacancy rates.

But as of December, Old Mill had one of the lowest vacancy rates, 12 percent compared with almost 18 percent citywide, according to Grubb & Ellis Pacific Realty.

TD Ameritrade has said it would have room for 400 additional employees in the future.

The headquarters would be one building with two connected sections: a main part for corporate and technology operations and a smaller three-story section that will house meeting and training rooms, a dining area and fitness center. It would hold about 1,450 employees.

The company's plans are subject to city government approval but already have the support of the City Planning Department. The company needs a special use permit for such a large project and a waiver of rules that limit buildings in that area to 120 feet tall.

The request will go before the Omaha Planning Board on Wednesday, then to the City Council later.
Chad Weaver, assistant planning director, said that even though the building would be taller than normal for the area, TD Ameritrade's request is not unreasonable.

A planners' report endorses the request and says the proposal would contribute growth, revitalization and jobs.
A construction schedule originally called for the headquarters to be built by spring 2011. The headquarters is now scheduled to be finished and occupied by fall 2012, with a groundbreaking set for this summer.

[jhuston]

Ground broken on new TD Ameritrade headquarters

TD Ameritrade Park will open in downtown Omaha next year, hosting the College World Series.
In spring 2013, TD Ameritrade will open its corporate headquarters near West Dodge Road.
Wednesday, the Omaha-based discount brokerage officially marked the start of construction on its 12-story headquarters tower — the city's tallest building west of 52nd Street (230 feet) — and attached three-story office pavilion.
The $130 million project, the crown jewel in the company's four-building Old Mill office campus, is proof TD Ameritrade is here to stay, said President and CEO Fred Tomczyk.

"We've just grown so much," Tomczyk said. "To create a campus in Omaha made the most long-term sense. This is the final piece. It's going to change the visual landscape of west-central Omaha."

The company's firm commitment to Omaha is important, because other local startup companies, including Level 3 Communications and First Data Resources, eventually moved their headquarters out of state.

Concern that TD Ameritrade, whose biggest shareholder now is Toronto Dominion Bank rather than the family of founder Joe Ricketts, would do the same increased after Tomczyk became CEO. His primary residence is in New Jersey, where TD Ameritrade has executive offices.

Tomczyk said Wednesday that the company's commitment to Nebraska is growing as the company expands. He noted that more than 1,000 employees are volunteering at the Special Olympics under way in Lincoln.

"This is more than about the construction. It's about our commitment to the community," he said.

Preceding a groundbreaking ceremony this morning, Gov. Dave Heineman said TD Ameritrade is "one of Nebraska's most successful home-grown businesses."

"They're a leader, and we're pleased to have them right here in Omaha," he said.

Mayor Jim Suttle said the company is "an outstanding corporate citizen," and the construction jobs created by the project are welcome, as is the company's own success.

The project is "a positive sign that our city is on the path to recovery," Suttle said.

The site already is starting to bustle.

In the two years since TD Ameritrade announced its plans to build a headquarters building there, the property has been cleared of most of the low-rise office buildings built there decades ago. A two-story dirt pile is settling the soil in preparation for foundation work later this summer. Cranes are being assembled.

A poster of an architect's drawing of the building is in place along 108th Avenue, which is narrowed for construction work.

When the headquarters building opens, TD Ameritrade will vacate offices it leases at Southroads Mall and at 102nd and F Streets and 11218 John Galt Blvd. The company also leases space in three office buildings across 108th Avenue from the headquarters site.

In all, the office campus will have about 2,000 full-time, part-time and contract employees, with room to add 400 more as the company grows. Altogether, its office space in the Old Mill area will total 685,000 square feet, more than the Woodmen Tower.

TD Ameritrade expects the building to earn a platinum Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The design features natural light, efficient windows and mechanical systems, nearby planted areas, recycled building materials, solar panels and other energy-saving elements.

The project boosts Omaha's construction industry.

Kiewit Building Group, the project manager, said the construction sector in Omaha had a 28 percent unemployment rate in March. This project will consume 900,000 hours of labor, or the equivalent of 433 people working for a full year.

Besides Kiewit, about 30 subcontractors will work at the site, with total peak employment between 400 and 450 people.

TD Ameritrade has about 5,200 employees nationwide, including more than 4,000 investment brokers.

The company reported record quarterly revenue on Tuesday, in part because it has been hiring more brokers who have left large brokerage firms, Tomczyk said. Hiring has occurred at the rate of more than one every working day.

The Omaha company offers support services to the advisers, who provide investment advice to clients and bring in more revenue and assets to manage.

[jhuston]

[Mastermind]

I'm not a fan of the lobby, but this is great height outside of Dwtn.