Corporate

Chantilly, Va.-based Intersection Inc. broke ground on its new call center in Rio Rancho, N.M., in August 2003. Slated for completion in January 2004, the 28,000-sf facility will bring 100 jobs to the city. Intersection’s Rio Rancho customer care staff will be housed in a secure temporary facility on New Mexico Highlands University’s Rio Rancho campus until the new facility is complete. Intersection provides credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

The NTC Foundation has selected Roesling Nakamura Architects to design Promenade Center at Liberty Station. The planned arts and cultural project is sited at the former Naval Training Center in Point Loma, Calif.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics will develop its new $6-million headquarters on 6.4 acres in Cedar Creek Corporate Park in Olathe, Mo. The architect for the 35,000-sf facility is DLR Group of Overland Park, with Ambassador Construction of Olathe as general contractor. 

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has selected CarrAmerica Urban Development as project developer for its $250-million plaza expansion. The new arts education center facility will also accommodate rehearsal and office space for Kennedy Center and Washington Opera productions. The eight-acre project was designed by architect Rafael Vinoly.

FedEx Corp. is planning to build a 400,000-sf distribution facility on 75 acres of undeveloped land recently purchased in Atlanta. The facility will serve FedEx's ground package delivery unit. Fed Ex may eventually build an 800,000-sf facility at the site.

The Institute for Economic Development will occupy its new $6-million facility in downtown San Antonio by July of 2003. Located near the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the new facility will enable collaboration with UTSA faculty and interns. Ground was broken on the 33,000-sf facility last March. The Institute of Economic Development will relocate its 90 employees from its current KellyUSA location to the four-story facility, which is wired for videoconferencing and distance-business learning workshops.

Convergys Corp. is constructing a 170,000-sf call center in Bangalore, India. Housing employee testing areas, training rooms, a language laboratory, and a cafeteria, the facility will accommodate over 3,000 employees when it opens in May of 2003. Convergys, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, provides outsourced billing, human resources, and customer care services.

The New Jersey State Aquarium is planning to break ground on a $33.6-million expansion in late summer of 2003. Designed by Columbus, Ohio-based Steiner + Associates, the $33.6-million project will expand the Camden aquarium by 72,000 sf; retail, entertainment, and restaurants will also be constructed. Including surrounding development, the total project cost could reach $44-million. Steiner + Associates will be responsible for the operation of the expanded aquarium, which will include a new shark tank and hippopotamus area.

Waveworks Digital Media has relocated from Arlington to an 8,000-sf facility in McLean, Va. The twenty-year-old facility accommodates the post production shop’s fifteen employees and includes video suites, a music production facility, two audio rooms, and a music library.

Facilities and transportation engineering firm URS Corp. has leased 36,000 sf at Northpark Town Center in Atlanta. URS is vacating space at Corporate Campus in Alpharetta, at Peachtree Center North Tower, and at a small office in Tucker to consolidate operations in Atlanta.

Facilities management provider Aramark has expanded with four major acquisitions in the past year. Clinical technology services business Premier Inc. was acquired by Aramark, increasing opportunities to provide managed services at heath-care institutions, including the management and maintenance of clinical equipment. Aramark also purchased Fine Host Corp., which added over 900 locations to Aramark's client roster, ranging from convention centers to prisons to stadiums.

Austin-based Client Outsource Corp. will open a 125-seat call center in Bombay. The center will serve information technology and hardware companies in Austin and Silicon Valley that need a minimum of 25 call center seats.

Pixar Animation Studios has selected DPR Construction to implement Pixar's Emeryville expansion. The Pleasanton office of DPR is initiating site work for the second facility on the 14-acre campus; Pixar's first studio on the site was also constructed by DPR. The 125,000-sf building is slated to break ground next spring. Pixar is seeking approval for further expansions that could bring its Emeryville facilities up to 800,000 sf.

The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development expects to break ground on the $2.5-million Silver Spring Innovation Center in summer of 2003. The free-standing 20,000-sf Silver Spring business incubator will house 12 to 15 companies. The facility will be ready for occupancy approximately six months after construction begins.

CB Richard Ellis will acquire Insignia Financial Group in a $415-million transaction, creating the largest real estate services company in the world. With $1.8-billion in revenue and over 16,000 employees, the service company will have a broader gauge and provide global service at a more efficient price. CB Richard Ellis is based in Los Angeles.